New-York tribune., 1921-01-30

MS paCentS any month now. We
ought to make $40 on every one we
sell, and we certainly ought to sell
$4,000 a year."
"But Samson!" she gasped, her
eyes round with wonder. "That
would be half million dollars a.
year!"
"Just about"
She kissed him with sudden in
tensity which he had never seen in
her before, revelation which made
him uneasy when. he thought it over,
and he asked himself the question
which man has asked since time i'm
memorial:
"This woman that I call my wife
docs she love me or myself or
for what I've got?">
The more he thought it over the
more uneasy he felt. The war talk
, in Europe was beginning to sound
an ominous note. Already there had
been a substantial falling off of busi-
ness, and Helen's bills for the last
few months were greater than everl
The telephone interrupted his re-
Elections and gave him something
else to think about.
"Mr. De Vincent is calling"
"Damn De Vincent!" thought
Samson, his brow darkening, and
that was the fourth long step Of our
hero's pilgrimage-a journey in
which he was now following the
woman who, sooner or later, comes
into every mans life, and who will
either lead him UP to the gates of
heaven or down to you-know-
where.
The war broke out that summer.
ut can't last more than few
MONTHS" thought Samson uneasily,
and was glad to find that nearly
every one agreed with him. In fact,
the duration Of the war wasn't far
from being mortal matter to the
firm of Maynard'& Go. The greater
part Of their business was connected
with the Far Eastern trade, and al
most overnight that trade had
ceased to be.
"Oh, WE'LL" he always concluded.
the war can't last much longer"
RUT with the coming of spring it
% dawned upon mankind that. in
stead of drawing to an end, the war
was only just commencing. De Vim
cent was in great glee.
"This is the end of the old order
and the beginning of a socialistic
world" he said. "The old ordef
changeth and gives place to the
new"
1t also gave him the idea of a
book of poetry to be called "The Old
Order Changeth" and sub-titled
Poems Of Protest" Somewhat to
his own surprise, the book was .ac
cepted and, perhaps because most of
the verses would never have seen
type in Mr.. Comstock's time, "The
Old Order Changeth" attained
vogue, and Professor De Vincent soon
found himself promoted to the front
rank Of parlor Socialists.
I'm so pleased for Stanley's
sake" said Helen. "He was ALWAYS
so keen to get on"
eyes, yes-splendid!" said Sam
son. The words were hearty, but his
voice wasn't. It had seemed to him
lately that the whole world was adj
vancing and only himself going back.
"One thing sure, though" he told
himself. "It can't last very much
longer"
1t did, though. It lasted so long
that finally hes had to retrench at
the office---slowly at first and then
with increasing speed. Once he near
ly told Helen, but he couldn't bring
himself to the point. TO her he had
always been the strong, silent man
of business. "That or nothing" he
now thought with a grimace, and it
isn't always pleasant for any man
to confess to his wife that he is moth
ing. He had always looked down
upon her friends as harebrained.
amusing trifers, worthy now and
then perhaps of condescending nod
from Jove, but certainly entitled to
nothing more than that.
"And now they are making out
better than I am," he thought. cts
wicked the money De Vincent is get
ting out of that rotten book"
His manner was so preoccupied
that Helen noticed it and wondered.
do you know what l believer" !
she asked, perching on his knee and
shaking her finger at him.
Motel me-"