Audubon County journal., 1920-06-03
CHAPTER II.

oIA uSlule VI olle HoOf. ENefy men OIL
floor space was occupied by swelter-
Ing humanity, and when Fitzhugh rose
to make his address he faced an audi
ence OF fully three thousand. He
walked to the edge of the platform
and stood looking out over that silent
sea of upturned faces, with scarcely
an idea of what he was to say. Yet
he felt a tingling thrill of pleasure
that for moment was as wine to his
senses. He knew what he could do,
and he exulted in his gift. Many times
before he had moved men with it, but
never so large gathering as this.
At the back Of the platform, seated
among her Comrades" Esther Strom
leaned forward in her chair, her lips
slightly parted, her dark eyes spar
king. From that moment until the
close Of his address her gaze never
left his face.
FitZhugh charged into his address.
His voice, very low at first, swelled
fuller and louder and clearer as he
spoke, until it's resonant ring thun-
dered and echoed through the NAM
moth hall. The crowd became as a
single body with single mind, which
drank in his words thirstily. He
swayed and moved it this way and
that with the apparent ease of the
wind swaying field of wheat. 1t was
not what he said, for he said nothing
great, but the way he said it that so
stirred his auditors. Those who had
gone before spoke to the mind. He
spoke to the heart.
There was a moments calm before
the storm of applause broke. 1t
roared in upon him, wave upon wave,
and he stood up, smiling and bowling,
to meet it. He was Immediately sur
rounded by group of men and wom-
en-, who, in their own way, showered
him with congratulations, heaped fiat
tering eulogies upon him.
Turning to greet a fresh delegation
who had just Joined the group around
him, he saw Esther standing short
way off. AS their eyes met she beck
oned him and he went to her.
"You must let me have him now,"
she said, smiling upon the admirers
who had followed him. "He is my dis
covery, you know, and there are many
things l want to say to him."
Bring him back soon, Esther"
called one of the men-a blotch-
skinned, yellow-haired giant called Nj
kolay. II want to give him literature"
She nodded brightly over her shoul-
der. and led her captive from the
stage and into an adjacent room. Once
alone with him she seized his hands
and raised her face, eager and radiant,
to his.
II knew you could do it-I knew it (!
And there's something else know"
We'll, let's have it," he said trifle
brusquely. "What else do you know
about me?"
II know that you can be great
man." She had waxed suddenly very
earnest. You have it in you. You
must take what is yours! You owe it
to yourself!"
"Give me your address," said he,
"and I'll come to you.'
She hurriedly wrote something on a
slip of paper and handed it to him.
"Come-any time" she told him,
and turned toward the door.
Isn't there another way out?" he
asked, OBTAINING her. II don't care to
run the gantlet of that hand-shaking
brigade again."
hn nnhn1fnH ax u aE
the room and disclosed rickety wood
en- staircase leading to back alley.
He pressed her hand, murmured q
word about future meeting and was
gone.
On fine spring day the finest prom
enade in Chicago and the loneliest is
the Lake Shore drive. Theoretically
it is the Champs Elysees of the west
ern metropolis; ordinarily it is as
silent, as deserted as an isolated coun-
try road. On this particular morning
it was very attractive and very desc
late. The only sign of life in the ma
bobs' thoroughfare (if one excerpts the
sparrows) Was a penniless young man.
Under his arm he carried newspaper
parcel. There was singular CLINT in
his eyes, singular expression ON his
face rs well there might be, for, in
deed, 1t was preposterously reckless
thing he was contemplating Subcon-
sciously his thoughts We're of the dark
haired Russian woman and an early
sight of her; and it was this. no less
than his inordinate passion for the
theatrical and spectacular, that gave
birth to the extravagant notion that
occupied his mind.
"In any event." he told himself, ~
can do no worse than lose. And look
what I stand to win! Because it has
never before been successfully done
is no reason why / cannot do it,"
He stopped before gray stone
mansion of fiamboyant architecture
surrounded by twenty-foot cast
iron fence, both of which plainly ex-
plotted the idiosyncrasy of some mil
lionaire. One of the lower windows
was raised. and throush the shrubhery