The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1923-12-21
BY Henry Kitchen Webster


AS possibility, anyhow. After all,
how do you know 1t isn't true7"
Il met her last night" Margaret said.
I'VE had dinner there, Henry and l.
She happens to look like him, in the
first place. He had photograph OF
her before she came; you could even
| tell from that SO, If You want q
story" she went on, after breathless
pause, you'd better make II that she's
illegitlmate. It isn't likely that she
brought her mothers marriage certifi-
| cate with her."
To Violet the purport Of this was as
plain as 1t was astonishing. II Mar
garet had said, In so many words. 81
think Of marrying this man. I've made
start toward getting him. SO, If you
want to play fair, you'll let him alone
she couldn't have made II clearer.
AS a decent, married, mlddle-aged
member of society Violet had to ac-
knowledge the reasonableness of this
request In some moods she even ae-
corded a tentative half approval Of
the plan. If Joe was in the way to
make serious fortune out of this
linen process that looked so good to
John, he'd be pretty good matrimo-
ever get chance to take.
Violet wanted her married. She was
still social asset. for a difficult din
ner or a weekend party; but ten
years from nova little tighter drawn.
her wit oftener mordant than refresh
ingly acidulous. one wouldn't know
what to do with her. In such a mar
riage, Margaret, fastidious as she was,
would, of course, loathe the man him.
self. Her first unguarded comments
upon him had really been funny. 1t
wasn't likely the instinct of a lifetime
could have changed enough in two or
three months to make him seem, per-
sonally, desirable. 1t was that prospec-
tive fortune Margaret was banking on,
line of reasoning which justified
Violet, the first chance she got, In put
ting the project before John.
Her opening startled him, for she
began by asking If the linen business
was really frightfully good thing,
and he jumped to the surmise that Joe
was trying to unload his stock on some
of her friends. 1t took minute or
two to get him back on the raj IS.
ITS him want to know about" she
insisted whether he's going to get
frightfully rich out of it or not. Be
cause Margaret means to marry him."
Again it took her a few minutes TO
get him Gained to the listening-poInt.
Margaret wasn't clipping with him
this afternoon; she wasn't even en-
gagged to him. Il didn't say she was
going to marry him; l said she meant
to, when the time came. It's a plan
of hers, that's all. Only | thought you
might as well know"
Let down, he swung the other way
and treated the idea jocularly, as an
other of her numerous mares nests.
How did you find out about it? Did
she tell you herselfY"
practically" Violet asserted, and
went on with confirmatory details.
Margaret had been seeing quite lot
of him; she'd known about his daugh-
ter before any of the rest of them
before the girl came on at all; had
seen photograph of her; they'd dined
there again last night, she and Henry,
to meet her. "She says the girls
rather nice and she's going to take her
up. She's asking Dodo for a lunch |
for her next week. Doesn't that look |
as If she meant something? And IL |
he's going to be really rich"-Violet |
her husband intently as she |
ventured this-''it might not be such
bad thing for her."
She could see that he was upset by |
he idea, though he went ON proclaim
ng his total disbelief In it. A fine
grained girl like Margaret couldn't be
Joe Greer as husband;
nan of rough manners, no morals,
brutal temper, not even divorced yet,
md fifty years old. And, on top of
t all, mere adventurer, anyhow.
"His age wouldn't bother anybody"
he remarked dryly. "And he won't go
N being an adventurer, II this linen
BUSINESS makes him rich-really rich,
mean"
"Well, If that's what she's counting
n" he grumbled, shell wait while.
f she takes my advice she will"
"Why?" Violet demanded Don't
ou think it's good thing?"
"Of course | do. Wouldn't have put
money into 1t If | didn't. But that
oesn't mean necessarily that he'll get
ich over It,"
He went on, in response TO rather
tartIed look she shot him, to explain.
lie didn't mean anything sinister by
rat Only, with a fellow like Greer,
GU never could tell He might fly off
ne handle any time. "He isn't the
ort that naturally gets rich. Sooner
r later he's likely to bite Off more
nan he can chew. OF course, II she
Id marry him" He relapsed into
q distracted silence and took two or (
lree drafts on his cigar. "She won't,
Rough, don't believe" he concluded.
He hadn't taken the idea as hard as |
2 might have been expected to, for