The Dolores star., 1924-02-22
BY Henry Kitchen Webster
Copyright by The Bobbs- Merrill Co

how do you know II isn't true?"
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
I tell from that So, II you want n
story" she went on, after u breathless
pause. you'd better make 1t that she's
| illegitimate. II isn't likely that she
brought her mothers marriage certiti-
| cate with her"
To Violet the purport of this was as
plain as II was astonishing. IL Mar
garet had said. in so many words, Il
think OF marrying this man. I've made
a start toward getting him. SO, II you
| want to play fair, you'll let him alone"
she couldn't have made IL clearer.
As decent, married. middle-aged
member OF society Violet had to ac-
knowledge the reasonableness Of this
request. In some moods she even ac-
corded a tentative half approval of
the plan. II Joe was in the way to
make serious fortune out of this
linen process that looked so good to
Soba. hS u pc piVlts k''t ihhha AAh'
nial risk-as good as Margaret would
ever get chance TO take.
Violet wanted her married. She was
still social asset. for n difficult din
ner or weekend party: but ten
years from nova little tighter drawn.
her wit oftener mordant than refresh
ingly acldulous, 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 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 II the linen business
was really a frightfuliy 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 10 get him back on the rails.
IT'S him want to know about" she
insisted. whether he's going to get
frightfully rich out of It or not. Re-
cause Margaret means to marry him."
Again 1t took her few minutes to
get him calmed to the listening point.
Margaret wasn't clipping with him
this afternoon; she wasn't even en-
gagged to him. 81 didn't say she was
going to marry him; l said she meant
to, when the time came. It's plan
of hers, that's all. Only l thought you
might as well know"
Let down, he swung the other way
and treated the idea jocuarly, as an
other of her numerous mares nests.
How did you find out about It? Did
she tell you herself?'
Practically" Violet asserted, and
went on with confirmatory details.
Margaret had been seeing quite a 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 II she meant something? And II
he's going to be really rich"-Violet
watched her husband intently as she
ventured this-"it might not be such q
bad thing for her"
She could see that he was upset by
the idea, though he went on proclaim
ing his total disbelief In 1t. A fine
grained girl like Margaret couldn't be
considering Joe Greer as a husband;
man Of rough manners, no morals, a
brutal temper. not even divorced yet,
and fifty years old. And, on top of
1t all. q mere adventurer, anyhow,
His age wouldn't bother anybody"
she remarked dryly. And he won't 20
on being an adventurer. II this linen
business makes him rich-really rich,
I mean"
well. II that's what she's counting
on" he grumbled. shell wait a while.
II she takes my advice she Will"
"Why?" Violet demanded. Don't
you think it's good thing?"
"Of course I do. Wouldn't have put
money into 1t If l didn't. But that
doesn't mean necessarily that he'll get
rich over it."
He went on. in response to a rather
startled look she shot him, to explain
He didn't mean anything sinister by
that. Only, with a fellow like Greer,
you never could tell. He might fly OF
the handle any time. He isn't the
sort that naturally gets rich. Sooner
or later he's likely to bite off more
than he can chew. OF course, IL she
did marry him" He relapsed into
an distracted silence and took two or
three drafts on his cigar. "She won't,
though, i don't believe" he concluded.
He hadn't taken the idea as hard as
he might have been expected to. for
the amount he'd done for Margaret, all
Ia = \.