The Ely miner., 1924-02-15
BY Henry Kitchell Webster
Copyright by The Bobbs-Merrin Co.

garet had said, in so many words, II
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. middle-aged
member of society Violet had TO ac-
knowledge the reasonableness of this
request. In some moods she even ac-
corded tentative half approval of
the plan. If Joe was in the way TO
make a serious fortune out of this
linen process that looked so good TO
John, he'd be pretty good matrimo-
nial risk-as good as Margaret would
ever get chance to take.
Violet wanted her married. She was
still u social asset. for difficult din
ner or weekend party; but ten
years from nova little tighter drawn,
her wit oftener mordant than refresh
ingIy acidulous, one wouldn't know
what to do with her. In such 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
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,
a 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 a 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 rails.
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 few minutes TO
get him calmed to the listening-point.
Margaret wasn't eloping, with him
this afternoon; she wasn't even en-
gagged to him. II 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 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 itf Did
she tell you herself?"
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 dlned
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 If
he's going to be really rich"-Violet
watched her husband intently as she
ventured this-'it might not be such a
bad thing for her."
She could see that he was upset by
the idea, though he went on proclaim
ing his total disbelief in it. A fine
grained girl like Margaret couldn't be
considering Joe Greer as a husband; a
man of rough manners, no morals. a
brutal temper, not even divorced yet,
and fifty years old. And, on top of
it all, mere adventurer, anyhow.
His age wouldn't bother anybody"
she remarked dryly. "And he won't go
on being an adventurer, If this linen
business makes him rich-really rich.
| mean"
"Well, If that's what she's counting
on" he grumbled, shell wait while
If she takes my advice she WILL"
"Why?" Violet demanded. Don't
you think it's good thing?"
"Of course do. Wouldn't have put
money into 1t If 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 fellow like Greer,
you never could tell. He might fly off
the handle any time. "He isn't the