Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-11-18
SECOND ~INSTALLMENT.
Curtin Makes a Raid,

thought. He had looked properly
mournful, at the funeral. But directly
after it, when alone, ne had not been able to-
Keep a faint smile Of relief from coming to
the surface. Josephine, like Her, father. had
been a person of very decided opinions, III
which she had such. implicit faith that SHE
could understand any opposition tothem only
on the grounds Of a moral or mental defect.
HARDWOOD n1ournfully feared that his daugh.
ter Mathilde was like her in that.
All his life admiration of women had sur'>
rounded him like a native air. But early
training or temperament, kept him to a
conventional standard of conduct; he was a
famous squire of DANES to whom no scandal
had ever attached. r. !
He was. now. in practical fact, engaged to-
Letitia Belknap, who had many admirable
qualifications for a Wife-one of them being
the possession of ten million dollars-and
who was one year older than himself.
There was an odd paradox In his life, OF
which he was now aware. Women had aH
ways been his friends. His big success had
come through Il woman-Josephine Cutter.
He was iaWare-sensitively It secretly--that
sonne.men held that against him, slightingly,
saying that he had won his rnars1aIs baton
by marriage nut BY his own merit; TINT the
most cbnspicuous object on his coat Of arms
s ss' Al. abfs} IS 1ass Y &sss Rsah sssB Ss!9s H.
Belknap. In short. he had ovsed much, ssto
woman, but not the. great debt; for no
woman. had ever before carried him, out Of
himself and; shown hitd a new heaven and
a NEW eartlar Woman had given him d lot
of money and prestige. soctul consideration
and clients-a great heap Of small change,
but no elysium. {39 :
Not until now. 1t by no means happened
all at once. That first day in Slow River he
got. a draught of wine which brought him
:. -. 49, - 1880 u 49, 49,
deeper the thirst. 1t took time, but by July
he spent the Fourth at SLOW River-he
made no bones about it to himself: Forty
three years, old and head over heels in love!
When Harwood started for Slow River hal
Apfil day his life appeared to be firmly ar.
ranged on 4 spacious and lordly pattern.
There had been a misfortune with his invest.
mehts, but he could wave that aside. II he
haAlost the money in stock gambling or the
lik6 he would-he said-have blamed him.
SELF bitterly. But he had gone into legiti.
mate business, on good advice. The times
had been adverse; he'd suffered some poor
luck. AS Letitia Belknap's husband there
would be no real difficulty about accounting
TO his daughter for her share Of the estate.
1t would involve a somewhat hun1iliaung
explanation to- Letitia, but he could show
herSthat he'd simply been unfortunate. He
was sure there would be no real difficulty
And az Letitia's husband there would be no
further bother about money.
So the pattern had been arranged. He
could not conceive Of an acceptable, or even
tolcrable, pattern Of life which did not In.
clude an ample, secure income. He was not
a gambler Or profigate, but he had q fine
flair for spending money. His Shapely, nerv.
GUS hands shed it as naturally as he
breathed. The luxurious furnishing Of his
law office and the conceit of a cabin on the
roof were only two instances. His income
from the lazy firm ran from forty to fifty
thousand a year; but that was mere beggaf4y
land to mouth. Letitia would soiVe the
money question +
Then he had met a witch who cast an
inescapabie spell upon I'm. Her clear
!, laughter rang. In his heart, thinning all other
( sounds. When he started in his car for Slow
River or took the train his pulses leaped.
Atsslow River he c6Nldnit rest unalshe Has
in eher presence and felt the charm anew.
And every time the miracle happened over
again; across twenty years youth and love
were poured through his veins,
Brt at forty.three one has learned some.
caution even in love; he was canny, apprc-
bending her attitude toward him. BY July
many OF his friends were out OF town for the
summer: but he stayed ont alleging .imror-
TAFT business--which took him back and
fofNth to Michigan. In August he did take
:, fKo weeks vacation at Long Lake, three
I miles from Slow River,tSSs2The end OF the,
month he was back again for three days. s
When Elizabeth Vent home. the Inst Of
those days, the long, shiny cal stood In front
q mothers dottnge. HARDWOOD and Asr
mother sat on the veranda, sYithsah Honey.
srtkle vine at the end. Bess hardly Climbed
me steps before being aware that they had
sen talking about her; there was OPEN con.
fspiracy in their smiling faces. s&
Harwood spoke: = Sit down, Bess for
by53 now he used her nickname Sitting down,
me- wondered what the conspiracy was. He
at$3nce told her: S
ssffHow would it suit you 70 go.toS Chicago
asNimy secretary? Eye got to have SONS.
body. You can read law there, too as5
Her eyes.sssopened anda.sshone at him.
|. n Really ~ she breathed ihcredulously.
ss'Yes, indeed You can do It betterSthan
q anybody I know s &S