The Holly chieftain., 1924-02-28
BY Henry Kitchell Webster
Copyright by The Bobbs Merrill Co.

. 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 a photograph OF
her before she came; you could even
tell from that So, II you want
story she went on, after a breathless
pause, you'd better make 1t that she's
illegitlmate. 1t 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. If 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 1t clearer.
AS decent, married, middle-aged
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 a social asset, for a difficult din
ner or weekend party; but ten
years from nova little tighter drawn.
her wit oftener mordant than refresh
ingly acidulous, one wouldn't know
hot ln hnr II,
riage, Margaret. fastidlous 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 if the linen business
was really frightfuly 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.
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 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 thought you
might us 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 herself?"
Practically" Violet asserted, and
went on with contirmatory 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 a 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 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
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 husband;
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 so
on being an adventurer, II this linen
business makes him rich-really rich,
mean"
well, If that's what she's counting
on" he grumbled. She'll wait while.
II she takes my advice she WILL"
"Why?" Violet demanded. Don't
you think it's a good thing?"
"Of course l 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 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, If she
did marry him" He relapsed into
an abstracted silence and took two or
three drafts on his cigar. "She won't,
though, | don't believe" he concluded
He hadn't taken the idea as hard as
he might have been expected to- for