Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1920-08-05
CHAPTER XIV.

Daniels career in La Sale street
closed with his corner in wheat. Ter
minating the ocean Of details, he
sailed forthwith for Paris
For long holiday" he told his
friends. But 1t was really for quite
another purpose.
Hunt, who swore by the man and
potently believed him the greatest he
had ever known, settled his specula-
tive deals and went with him.
One evening in the Cafe Martin they
met Artie Sparkle. Artie had long
since become an expatriate, due, ac-
cording to gossip, to unrequited affec-
ton and hope too often deferred. He
was with brilliantly gowned woman Of
the French boulevard type, who wore
Just little too much rouge, just few
TOO many diamonds, and gaiety Of
manner just trifie too effervescent.
Artie's animosity toward his former
rival had very obviously been buried,
or forgotten, for he bounced joyfully
upon the two Americans, and with
gustO and eclat presented them to her
of the gorgeous plumage-his wife of
the month.
Then more wine was ordered to
toast the bride, and Artie extolled &C.
statically the bliss Of connubial life,
touching in particular upon his own,
which to him, of course, was unparal-
leled and paramount. Gradually the
talk turned upon other TOPICS with the
benedict easily leading.
II read all about it in Lunnon, deah
fellow" This to Daniel. "Frightfully
clevah of you, l must say, getting all
that grain and freezing out the othah
chaps. =. And poor old Otis; l saw
him in Carlsbad last week. He looks
dreadfully done for. feah the poor
fellow won't last long"
Always the mention of Otis name
spelled bad moments for Daniel. Since
that Indian summer day when millions
had hung upon the toss of coin the
aged Spectator, as Daniel knew, had
been a touchdown man. He never
visited the pit again. He never went
near it. The memory of it's roaring
sent a shudder through him. He was
care-worn, listless, comfOrtless. He
had lost his nerve" Grain gambling
topics were taboo in his household.
and those who valued his good will
found it polite not to breach such in
his hearing. When in October he had
left for the German "'bad" cures he
was broken in health as we'll as in
spirit.
His quest was fruitless.
One May morning in Florence Dan
lei read at his breakfast table of Otis
death. He had died in mid-ocean en-
route to New York.
He put down his newspaper, beck
oned the waiter. ordered some cable
gram forms. Leaving his breakfast
untouched, and Hunts questions I'M
answered, he wrote lengthy message
to Chicago trust company that spe-
cialiZed in mortgages. He fretted
with Impotence until he received an
answer; and then. having read it, he
tore it up and sighed hopelessly.
Daniel heard afterward that Otis
had left nothing beyond his life insur-
ance. The house on the drive had
gone, and with it all the pomp of cir
cumstnnces. Mrs Otis was residing
temporarily in Oconomowoc. Kathleen
was with her.
Early in June of that year two
wealthy Americans, who had made
their "piles" in July wheat, booked
first-class transportation from Rome to
Chicago. When they boarded the liner
at Naples there embarked with them a
quarter of a million dollars worth of
European art treasures. When they
left the liner at New York the name
of the tall, MISREPRESENTATION one,
Of the black Vandyke beard and white
ducks, was not Daniel Randolph Fitz-
hugh. 1t was his own, Hugh Daniel
FitZrandOlph.
This name Juggling had heralded
their coming, and they were surround,
od at tho pjar nv nhalanx of Sharn