The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-10-11
IL
OK! STORY.
Due Process of.Law
ii IRVING H1Ne

sffhhkf. said Elihu Goodwin.
corporation Awyc. TO his conf.
Dental clerk y have a mIssion OF
= rather private nature, which |
Jsant yon to nnhertake-just TO
~. ~ me; lt'S harly business. /.
5Se:;rs ago pie1 naturally was
ynnaSar than ! am now and a
trine more foolish, | had a rather
intimate acquaintance named Reg
maid ,Fontain. We belonged 10 q
sspellg set.l am afraid
The lawyer TUNED toward tina
window and glanced unseeingiy
out over the city; a reminiscent
look came into his usually inmo-
biia face
'Rtgy had plenty OF money IL
those days" he dont Rued land
went the pace. saw little Of him
attef q married, for I put aTal
childish things and now-well |
am fairly prosperous and sober
citizen. But ReSy. although he
married, kent stepping on the gas.
1sllaye heard he vent through his
own fortune and his wife's too.
Some say she died OF broken
heart However, for years hal
hoard nothing OF Reginald Fonta II
until today i got a letter from
him
ITS a barely disguised begging
letter Nov. want you to lnves !.
kttsate! and soc just how the LAM
lies II wouldn't mind helping hilu
aglittle hit would do him any goo.!
he really needed help. II |
vent to see him personally at frs:
wen. II might be awkward, for
In can't do much for him. really
can't afford to. But you go and
sse and report to me, Then I'll
know Just what TO do
Now, Ellhu Goodwin was rich
and, as they say down East,
''mighty nigh. He never did like
TO meet poor people and the dis
hike had grown upon him with the
years. Still, Goodwin felt that be
could not entirely disregard Fop'
tainls appeal. There stirred in him
vague recollectiops OF financial
transactions In the dim past in
which ElilIu had been the benefl.
ciary OF Reginald-borrowed and
forgotten sums. Frank made the
visit as requested by his employer
and found the shattered wreck OF
him who had once been the gay
and reckless Reginald FontaIn re
eiihing in an easy chair in cheap
fiat The young man explained to
him that important business had
preyented Mr.. Goodwin" ETC., an0
ne had sent him Crank ito ascer.
tain how he (GoodWin) could be Of
assistance" etc.
Fontain, at once launched forth
into d rambling tale Of woe, the
only salient facts of which appear.
ed 10 be that both Reginald'B Il
nanees and Reginsld's liver wers
in d sadly demoralized condition.
While be was rambling on door
opened and light footstep was
heard. t"Aah," said Fontain. my
daughteri gBsrtha.s come .heret.' L
Iresppnse to the summons there ap.
peared a slender young woman OF
about twenty-five, whose face -waS
OF a Madonna,like beauty. That
care and sorrow had been the por.
ton Of Bertha Fontain no one
could doubt who gazed upon her
but they had left as their traces
only a look OF sweetness and resig.
nation which added TO the charm Of
her countenance. Frank Carey, for
the first time IN his self.apprecia.
tive life, felt bashful and confused
in the presence OF a woman, and
when after a short conversation,
4 VI which he somehow learned that
Rertht was a stenographer in o
downtown office. he left the flat
and took his tomeward way. He
WAS In such state OF absentmlnd.
edness that he found himself in
the uptown station of the elevate
when he wanted to take down
town train.
When, next morning, Frank
made his report to his employer
he said nothing about Bertha ex.
cept that she was her fathers solo
support
"A pale, WORKOUT creature, I
suppose said Goodwin.
&o-o-o," stammered N-ank.