The Adair County news., 1922-12-19

bOyiSh now than she had looked an
hour before when they had boarded
the train. Her cheeks were smoothly
rounded, her lips rather full, her
lashes very long. He could not look
up without looking directly at her, for
her chair, which had not been moved
since Avery left 1t, was at an angle
with his own.
To avoid the appearance of study
ing her too openly, he turned slightly,
so that his gaze went past her to the
white turmoil outside the windows.
"It'S wonderful" she said, isn't it2'
"You mean the Storm" A twinkle
of amusement came to Eaton's eyes.
at would be more interesting if it
allowed little more to be seen. At
present there is nothing visible but
snow"
"Is that the only way it affects your
An artist would think Of it as back
ground for contraSts-a thing to
sketch or paint; writer as something
to be written down in words"
Eaton understood. She, could not
more plainly have asked him what he
was.
"And an engineer, I suppose" he
said, easily, would think of it only as
an element to be included in his for
mulas-an K, or an a, or a b, to be
put in somewhere and square-rooted
or squared so that the roof-truss he
was figuring should not buckle under
its weight"
"Oh-so that is the way you were
thinking of it?''
'You mean," Eaton challenged her
directly, "am l an engineerY'
"Are youY
"Oh, no; was only talking in pure
generalities, just as you were"
LET us go on, then" she said gayly.
Il see !. can't conceal fro1a you that
am doing you the hOnOr,tO wonder
what you are. A lawyer would think
of it in the light of damage it might
create and the subsequent possibilities
of litigation" She made little pause
"a business man would take it into
account as he has to take into account
all things in nature or human: it
would delay transportation, or harm
or aid the winter wheat"
"Or stop competition somewhere, 1"
he observed, more interested.
The flash Of satisfaction Hhich came
TO her face and as quickly was
checked and faded showed him she
thought she was on the right track.
"Business," she said still lightly,
"will-how is it the newspapers put
it?-will marshal its cohorts; it will
send out its generals in command of
brigades of snowplOws, its colonels in
command of regiments Of snow shov-
elers and it's spies to discover and TO
bring back word of the effect upon the
crops"
"YOu talk" he said, "as if business
were a war"
isn't it?-like war. but war in
higher terms"
"In higher terms?" he questioned,
attempting to make his tone like hers.
but sudden bitterness now was be-
trayed by it. "Or in lOwer?"
"Why, in higher" she declared, "de-
manding greater courage, greater de-
votion, greater determination, greater
Self-sacrifice. Recruiting officers can
pick any man off the streets and make
a good soldier of him, but no one
could be so sure OF finding satisfac-
tory employee in that way. Doesn't
that show that daily life, the every
day business of earning a living and
bearing ones share in the workaday
world, demands greater qualities than
WARP
Her face had flushed eagerly as she
spoke; darker, livid flush answered
her words on his.
But the opportunities for evil are
greater, .toO,e he asserted almost
fiercely. How many of those men you
speak Of on the streets have been de-
iiberately, mercilessly, even savagely