The Arizona copper camp., 1920-04-24
CHAPTER X.

The following October ~Fitzhugh
bought seat on the Board Of Trade.
His Golden Goddess, Luck, ever
beamed upon him, and this, no less
than his breadth of grasp on the mar
ket, and all its wealth Of tentacles,
swelled his fortune with tremendous
booms. His speculations in May and
July wheat had alone netted him two
hundred thousand dollars. Winter
wheat had increased his capital by
two more similar notcheS. 1t was now
well past seven hundred thousand dol
lars, and was rushing on toward the
million mark.
All this within four years! Yet
whenever he caught himself being
awed by the magic he had wrought
he would quell his rising ego by severe
self-admonition 'Don't get too con-
fident. Remember it's all gambling.
Once your luck changes it will go as
fast as it came-maybe faster. You're
liable to lose the whole pile in one
swoop."
Esther and the thought of her gave
him bad moments. Directly she left
the hospital she had come again to
him, and he had been forced to the
ignominy of lying to placate her. This
angered him. Soon afterward she had
gone to Paterson, N. j., where from
time to time he heard from her. He
tried repeatedly to give her money,
but always unsuccessfully. She re-
pulsed every effort he made. Her I'M
spoken reproach, her silent refusal
of his checks, for she returned them
without word, worried him more
than anything else she could have
done.
What Fitzhugh could not understand
was Otis unrelenting bitterness. He
never planned venture, never made
move, but some hidden hand was
against it. He was not slow to dis
cover whose hand it was. Nor was he
long in discerning that its owner had
nothing save enmity for him. Since
kathleen'S return from abroad he had
taken eager advantage of every op-
too, he had encountered that same op-
posing force. At first he never sus-
pected Otis. He had thought Otis
man who disdained society as a fri
volity only for women to amuse them
selves with. He was soon to learn,
jeer the loudest at smart society who
secretly revere it most. Hypocritically
snob, the flinty old capitalist was as
well versed in all those little tricks
and artifices and petty subterfuges of
socially disparaging person as the
most sophisticated dowager.
Fitzhugh's perplexity became a tor
ment. One evening Git was at
charity balD he reminded Kathleen of
the "La Boheme" evening one year
before.
81 shouldn't bring it up," he ended,
"only this is our anniversary and an
niversaries are always the time for
recalling things"
aShe lowered her eyes to the cluster
of violets On her corsage. They were
his violets. He had long ago learned
her passion for the flower and seldom
the day passed but he showered her
with them.
"You do care little? Don't YOU
KathIeen?"
"I-yOu know like you"
He said tensely: II don't want you
to like me-
'I'm sorry"
81 want you to love me. You know
love you. Can't you-don't you love
me, Kathleen?"
The violin sobbed with it's delicious
melody. She. began toying with the
violets. Her fingers were unsteady.
The violets fell to the floor.
"Don't you?" he insisted, as he re-
covered and returned them.
"Don't I what?"-pinning the flow
ers to her corsage.
love me-"
Having finally arranged the bou-
quet and stilled her trembling fingers,
she permitted her arms to rest beside
her on the chair. Instantly she felt
Ills NlCSC OpOn Lie SUI
bing of the violin increased. It was
some wild thing of Mozart's.
kathleen! Kathleenr'
She was overpoweringly conscious
of his nearneSs. The flesh of his hand
seemed to burn into hers. Every
nerve ip her body throbbed to it's pres
sure. All the restraint of years of
breeding and tradition, which thus
far had held her back, were now snap
ping asunder; and she felt herself be-
ing swept on toward that which she
feared yet longed to attain. She
could no longer resist She gave her
self utterly to the half-frightened de-
liciousness of surrender.
"Ah I love you. I
do love you -
They were snugly .ensconced behind
the shielding palm. The violinist was
in a poetic frenzy. The attention of
all was held by him. Nobody saw
them. The shadows Of the March