The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1920-01-15
CHAPTER TX.

Very slowly II dnwned upon Mrs.
Hardy that this respectable. thriving
] city, with It's well-dressed, properly
hammered people, It's public spirit. Its
aggressiveness, it's churches and thea.
ters and schools. It's law and order.
and Its afternoon teas, after all. was
the real West sincere. earnest; crude.
perhaps; bare, certainly; the scar Of
It's recent battle with the wilderness
still fresh upon Its person; lacking the
finish that only time can give to q
landscape or n civilization; but lack
ing also the moldlness, the mustlness.
the insufrerable artificiality Of older
communities. Even Mrs. Hardy,
STEPPED for sixty years In n life OF
precedent and rule and caste, began
to catch the enthusiasm Of a new land
where precedent and rule and caste
are something Of handicap.
I'VE must buy home" she said to
Irene. I'VE cannot afford to continue
living at hotel. and we must have
our own home. You must look up a
responsible dealer whose advice we
can trust In matter Of this kind"
And was II remarkable that Irene
Hardy should think nt once Of the firm
OF Coward 4 Eden? II was not. She
had. indeed been thinking Of a mem
Der Of that firm ever since the decision
To move 10 the West. The fact is
Irene had not been at all sure that she
wanted to marry Dave Eden. She
wanted very much TO meet him again !:
she was curious to know how the years
had Jared with him. and her curiosity
was not unmIxed with a finer senti-
ment but she was not at all sure that
she should marry him.
what. Dave Eden. the million
aireT' Bert Morrison had said. EVERY
body knows him" And then the news
paper woman had gone on to tell what
a figure Dave was In the business life
Of the city. zone of our biggest young
men," Bert Morrison had said. ere
served. n little; likes his own company
best hut absolutely white"
That gave a new turn 10 the situa-
tlon. Irene had always wanted Dave
10 he success; suddenly she doubted
whether she had wanted him to be so
big a success. She had doubted wheth-
or she should wish TO marry Dave
she had never allowed herself to doubt
that Dave would wish to marry her.
Secretly. she had expected to rather
dazzle him with her ten years devel-
opment-wlth the culture and knowl-
edge which study and travel and life
had added To the charm OF her young
girlhood: and suddenly she realized
that her luster would shine but dimly
In the greater glory of his own.
II was easy to locate the Office OF
Coward a Eden; II stood on prin-
cipal corner Of principal street.
Thence she led her mother. and found
herself treadlng on the. marble floors
Of the richly appointed waiting room
In n secret excitement which she could
with difficulty conceal. She was. in
development. Her mother had
10 he reckoned with.
A young man asked courteously
what could be done for them.
I'VE want To see the head of the
firm" said Mrs. Hardy. 1--WE want to
buy house.
They werG shown into Conward's
office. Coward gave them the wei
come of man who expects TO make
money out Of his visitors. He placed
very comfortable chair for Mrs.
Hardy; he adjusted the blinds to
nicely; he discarded his cigarette and
beamed upon them with as great a
show of cordially as his somewhat
beefy appearance would permit. Mrs.
Hardy outlined her life history with
considerable detail and ended with the
confession that the West was not as
bad as she had feared and anyway, Il
was a case of living here or dying else
where. 50 she would have TO make the
best Of II. And here they were. And
might they see housel
Coward appeared to be rejecting
As n matter of fact. he saw In this in
experienced buyer an opportunity to
reduce his holdings in anticipation OF
the impending crash. His difficulty
was that he had no key 10 the finan-
clal resources of his visitors. The
only thing was to throw out feeler.
"You are wanting nice home.
take IL, that can be bought at a favor
able price for cash. You would con-
slider an investment of. say"
lie paused. and Mrs. Hardy supplied
the information for which he was
waiting. "AbOut twenty-five thousand
dollars" she said.
"We can hardly invest that much"
Irene interrupted. In a whisper. ave
must have something TO live on"
people here live on the profits OF
their Investments. do they not. Mr..
Conwardf" Mrs. Hardy inquired.
"Oh. certainly" Coward agreed.
and he plunged into mass Of Incl
dents 10 show how profitable invest
ments had been TO other clients of the
firm. Then his mood of deliberation
gave way 10 one OF brlskness he sum
moned O ear. and In few minutes his
clients were looking over the property
which he had recommended. Mrs.
Hardy was an amateurish buyer. her