Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1920-11-19


ness. Fitzhugh took the chair at the
opposite side Of the desk and scanned
some important papers requiring his
signature. conversing busily with Hunt
as he read. He had signed but one of
them when. with IN ejaculation upon
the warmth of the weather. he flung
off his cap. and Oosening the clasps
Of his coat collar, walked into the ada
cent room.
In a few minutes he reappeared;
and, having discarded the motoring
buster. he was outwarlly transformed.
Snow-white ducks, white outing slip
pers, with silken hosiery shimmering
where ii showed. soft white shirt.
through the attached collar OF which
was looped a voluminous tie OF blood
red hue. crush hat, white as an
Easter lily, turned up in front and
down behind and encircled by a GRIM
son ribbon-these made up his attire.
You look like the epitome of
comic opera" Hunt laughed. aside
from the phone. whittier away?
Yachting?
NO" replied Fitzhugh. appendIng
his signature to the rest of the papers.
mo, I'm not going yachting" He put
down his pen. picked up his cane. stood
up. I'm going into the pit"
But what the" Hunt, who had
half-risen from his chair. sank back.
bewildered. what the dickens do you
want to expose your hand for, DAMP"
Daniel showed his teeth in an odd
grin. For an instant 1t somehow sug-
gested to the other something sinister
like wolf barring its fangs.
Better come along and. watch me,
Hunt. toward the door. I'm
going to give em something to talk
about. Coming" He waited at the
door, Tapping his cane against his i'm
maculate trousers.
And this day began spectacular
flourish of snowy histrionics unrivaled
before or since on the Chicago Board
of Trade. During the rest of the days
session in the wheat pit. Fitzhugh, the
actor. was the center of all attraction.
The visitors in the gallery remarked
him and pointed him out to one anoth-
er; the spectators. dealers. brokers'
clerks. officers of the board, all those
whose duties brought them on the
"foor.' soon or late found their atten-
ton directed toward him. His extreme
height. emphasizing his unusual garb.
rendered him strikingly conspicuous
among his fellows. OF them all he
was the only one who stood out dis
tinctly. He was the only one of his
sort. The dramatic scene comported
with him. He was In his native ele-
ment. This was the moment he had
dreamed of long ago when he had
stood up yOnder in the visitors gallery,
his whole being keyed to the martial
pitch of gold that screamed to him
from the battlefield.
But how different the realizatio
None of those who clamored about
him, chatting him. seeking to take ad-
vantage of what seemed to them u
mental alteration, knew he was being
tortured by ghost. The ghost Of a
woman Of raven hair and olive skin
and sad, accusing eyes that ever re-
say: You were cruel. Daniel-al-
ways cruel" They did not know that
when often he gesticulated to no end.
| or that when he Numbered his loudest
and appeared most abandoned to the
feverish excitement of the pit, the up
braidings of the ghost were cutting
him to the quick. were flashing him the
hardest.
As the days passed Fitzhugh's pas
! sion for showing OFF, increased amaz-
inAy. Ever prolific with freaks of act.
/ Ing, he kept his associates on tenter.
; hooks Of curiosity. None could imag
! Inc what he would do next. He al.
| ways did the unexpected. Nothing
was too fantastical. Once during q
Saturday noonhOur he started a furore
/ IN the rotunda Of the board of trade
by strlding through the crowd playing
boisterously on a mouth-organ, while
round him capered several monkeys
borrowed from some Forquer stree,
Italians; anon at dinner in his apart
ment one evening he received his
guests in war paint and feathers ant
the full regalia of an Indian chieftain
Yet those who knew him intimatel,
as Hunt and two or three others
were not long in noticing change hat
come over him. When he thought h,
was unobserved he was given to Ions
periods of broodng, and. as they right
ly supposed, all his biZarrerie was no
the real FitZhugh, but only a mask
all his theatrical excitement not genu
inc hut only "A cloak for an inner un
happiness.
1t was during one of these darl
periods that he stole secretly away
not even Hunt knew of his where
abouts-and for nearly a week was un
seen in Chicago. The day he returne,
he went TO his safety deposit vault ant
locked therein packet of papers
These papers, obtained at great prize
and with commensurate difficulty, wer
the deeds to the FitZrandolph home
stead in Maryland. And still
he was not happy. Still tn ere RENAME,
the void, the dull gap he could not fill
Time and again during his first yea
pf Of Eit1bnpb bod