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Show MBbbb"-""? ' M ! " sr 11 THE ELIJCE l M , 3$r DAVID GRAHAM PHTT.T.TR3, Author of "77ZE COSTMcr j H CHAPTER XXX. Continued. BBb "1 luivo only coiitompt for a woman H who trios to hold n man when hu H , wishes to go," said Anita, with ilut H but onorgotlc bitterness. "Resides " Bhj she hesitated nn Instant hcforo going Bj on "Gladys dcsurvoH hor fnto. Hlio Bhi doesn't really cnro for him. HIio'h H' only Jealous of him. Sho never did H lovo him H "Hour do you know?" said 1 sharp- H y, trying to porsuudo myself It was H not an ugly suspicion In mo that H 1 lifted Its head and shot out that ques- H ' BBb "Hecauso ho never loved her," hIio H replied. "Tho feeling a woman has H for a man orVi man for u woman, H without nny response, Isn't lovo, Isn't H worthy the name of lovo. It's a sort BBm of ba'llled covetousncss. Love means B gcnoroslty, not greediness." Then BBV "Why do you not nsk mo whethor H what she said Is true?" H The chango In her tono with the H. last sentence, the strange, ominous H noto In It, Btnrtled me. B "Hecnuse," replied I, "ns I said to H( hor, to nsk my wife such a question B would ho to Insult her. If you wore i H riding with him, It was nn accident." ' Hf As If my rudo rcpulso of her over- Hi' tures and my keeping away from hor Hy over since would not havo Justllled her BB In nlmost anything. H Sho Hushed tho dark red of shame, BSj but her gazo held steady nnd tinfllnch- H, ing upon mlno. "It was not altogether B, by accident," she said. And 1 think BBM , bIIu expected mo to kill her. BBb When a man ndmlts aud respects HBb a woman's rights where ho Is him- HBb self concerned, ho either Is no longer BBl Intorested In her or linn begun to lovo HBb hor so well that ho can control tho HBb savage and selfish Instincts or pas- BBb slon. If Mowbray I.nngdon had been BBl thore, I might havo killed tbcm both; BBTi but he was not there, and she, faring BBl tne without fear, was not tho woman BBV to bo suspected or tho stealthy nnd BBY traitorous. HBb "It was ho that you meant whon BBT you warned mo you cured for nuother BBh man?" said I, so quietly that I won- HBVS dorcd at myself; wondered what had BVn bocomo or tho "lllack Matt" who had" HBb used his fists almost ns much as his BBl brains In lighting his way up. BVj "Yes," sho said, her head down BBl HBh A long pause pBa "You wish to bo free?" I nsked, and BBj my tono must havo boon gentle. Bj "I wish to free you," sho replied BBJ slowly nnd dcllberatoly. Bl Thoro was a long sllenco. Then BBj I said: "I must think It all out. I BBjj onco told you how I felt nbout those BBjj manors, l'vo greatly chaugod m Bv mind slnco our talk that night In the BBj Wllloughby; but my prejudices nro BBj Htlll with me. Perhaps you will not BBj bo surprised at that you whose pro- BBJ judlcoa havo cost mo so dear." BjV I thought sho was going to speak. BBJ Instead slin turned nway, so that I BBJ could no long'er sea her face. B "Our marriage wmi a mlsoruhlo BBJ mlBtake," I went on, struggling to bo BBJ just and Judicial, nnd to seom calm. BBJ "I admit It now. Fortunntoly, wo are BBJ both still young you vory young. BBJ Mistakes in youth are never ratal. BBJ Jlut, Anita, do not blunder out of ono BBJ inlstako Into nnothor. You aro no BBJ longer a child, as you wero when I BVJ married you. You will bo caroiul not BBJ to lot Judgments formed or him long H , ago decldo you for him as thoy do- BBl cldod you against mo." BBJ "I wish to bo free," sho said, each BBJ word coming with an effort, "as much BBJ ou your account as on my own." BBJ Thou, and It seemed to mo merely n BBJ truly femlnlno nttompt to shirk ro- BBj eponslblllty, she added, "I am glad BBJ tuy going will no u relief to you." j "Yes, It will bo u roller." I con- BBJ fciiBod. "Our situation has become BBJ Intolerable" I had reached my limit ! BBJ or self-control. 1 put out my huud. BVJ "Cood-by," t said. BVJ If sho had wept It might havo modi- BBj fled my conviction that everything BBJ was at nn end betwoon us. Hut she BBJ did not weop. "Can you ovor rorgivo BBJ mot" sho asked. M "Lot's not talk or forgiveness," said BBJ I, and I fear my voice and manner j BBj wero gruff, as I strovo not to break . BBJ down. "Let's try to forgot" Aud I BBJ touched her hand and linstoned uwny. BBJ When two human beings sot out to ' BBJ misunderstand each other, how fast I BBJ and fur thoy go! How shut-In wo, Bu aro from each other, with only halting BBJ moans of communication that break BBJ down under tho slIghte'Bt strain! H As I wua leaving the house next BBj morning, I gave Sanders this noto fin' BBJ 1 "I havo gono to live at tho Down BBj 'own hotel. When you havo decided BBJ what course to tako, let mo know. If BjW my 'rights' over had nny substance. BBJ thoy havo starved uway to such weak BBJ things that thoy collapse ovia ai I try BjB to but them up. I hope your freedom BBJ will glvo you happiness and mo BBj pence" I BW "You aro III. nlrT" asKcd my old j BBtr eorvant, my old friend, ns lie took tho H ""-y vJrii her. Sunders as long as BvJ& J' BBiR' ' - "-aa'- wta.i she wishes," said I, Ignoring bis question ques-tion "Then comn to me " Ills look innile me shako hnnds with him. Ah I did It. wo both ru-membered ru-membered tho Inst time wu hnd shaken hnnds when hu had tho roses for my homo-coming with my brldo. It seemed to tne I could smell those roses. XXXI. LANODON COMES TO THE SURFACE. SUR-FACE. I shall not estimate the vast sums it coBt the Itoebuck-I.nngdon clique to maintain the pi Ices of National Con), and so gjve plausibility to tho fiction that tho public was buying eagerly. In tho third week or my campaign, Melville was so deeply Involved that ho had to let tho two others tako tho wholo burden upon themiolves. In tho fourth weok, J,angdon camo to mo. The Interval botweeu his card and hlniHolf gave mo u chance to recover from my amazement. When ho entered en-tered ho found mo busily writing. Though I hnd nerved myself, It wns several seconds beforo I ventured to look at him. Thoro ho stood, prob-ably prob-ably as handsome, as fascinating as ever, certainly as solf-assured. Hut I could now, beneath tlmt manner I had onco envied, sco tho puny soul, with Its brus)' glitter of tho vanity of luxury mid show. I hod been somewhat some-what afraid of myself afraid tho sight of him would stir up In mo a tempest of JenlotiBy and liato; ns I looked, I teallzed Hint t did not know my own nature. "Sho does not lovo this man," I thought. "If sho did or could, sho would not bo tho woman I love. Ho deceived her Inoxpcrlenco as ho deceived mlno." "What can I do Tor you?" said I to him politely, much ns If ho woro n Blruugur making an untimely Interruption. Inter-ruption. My look had disconcerted hlnii my tono throw him Into confusion. "You keep out of tho way, now thnt you'vo become famous," ho began, with a halting but heroic nttompt at his customary cus-tomary easy superiority. "Aro you living up in Connecticut, too? 9am Kllersly tells mo your wlfo is stopping thoro with old Howard Korroster. Sam wants mo to use my good giiicca In mnking it up between you two aud hor family. I wns completely takon aback by this cool Ignoring of thti real situation between him and mp. Impudence or Ignorucco? 1 could not doclde. It seomod ImposBlblo that Anita had not told him; yet It seemed lmposslblu, too, that ho would come to mo it sho had told him. "Havo you any business busi-ness with mo?" said I. His ojellda twltchod nervously, and ho adjustod Ills lips several tlmos before be-fore ho wns ablo to say: "You and our wlfo don't care to mako It up with the Kllcrstys? I fancied so, and told Bnm yoi'd simply think me moddlcsome. The other matter Is tho Travelers' club. I've smoothed things out there. I'm going to put you up and rush you through." ' No, thanks," said I. It seemed Incredible to mo yint I hnd ovor cared about that club and tho things it ro-resonted, ro-resonted, as I could remember I undoubtedly un-doubtedly did care. It was llko looking look-ing at un outgrown toy and trying to feel ngnln tho emotions It onco excited ex-cited "I nssuro you, ilntt, thoro won't bo tho slightest difficulty." Ills inannor was that of a man playing tho trump card In n despcrato iimno 'ho feels it can not lose, yet tho stnko Is so big that ho can not but bo a llttlo nervous. "I do not cnro to Join tho Travelers' club," ssld I, rising. "I must nsk you to excuse mc. I am exceedingly busy." A flush appeared In his chucks and deepened and spread until his whole body must have been afire. Ho seated seat-ed himself. "You know what l'vo como for," bo snld sullenly, nnd humbly, hum-bly, too. ( All his Ufa he hnd been enthroned -upon his wealth. Without rcnllzlng ' It, ho had claimed and had received j deference solely because ho was rich, Ho had thought himself, in his own i person, most superior; now, ho round thnt like n silly child ho had been standing on n chair and crying: "See how tall I am." And tho airs, the ' cynicism, the graceful condcsacuslou, I which had been so becoming to him, wero now ns out of plnco as crown nnd robes on n king taking a bwIiii-mlng bwIiii-mlng lesson. "What- aro your terms, lllncklock? Don't bo too hard on nn old friend," snld ho, trying to carry off his rrank pica for mercy with a Binllo. I should havo thought ho would cut hlB thront and Jump off tho Ilnttcry wall beforo ho would get nn his knees "KOH MONKY JUST FOR MONKYI AND I HAD TH0UCII1T IIIM A MANI" i to any mnn ror nny reason, And ho wub doing It ror more niouoy to try to snvo, not lila fortune, but only nn Imperiled part of It. "ir Anltn could boo him now!" I thought. To him I said, tho more coldly bo-, cuuso 1 did not wish to ndd to his humiliation by showing him that I pltlod him: "I can only ropent, Mr. Uangdon, you will havo to excuse mi I hnvo given you nil tho tlmo I can spare." Ills oyes woro shifting and bis bauds trembling na ho snld. "I will trnnBfor control of tho Conl combine to you." His tones, shamoful ns tho offer thoy carried, made mo ashamed for him. For money Just ror money! And I had thought him n man. ir ho hnd boon a sQir-docelving hypocrito-llko hypocrito-llko Roebuck, or n rrnuk boltovor In tho right of might, like Updogrnff I might possibly, In tho circumstances, hnvo tried to releaso him from my not. Hut ho had never for nn Instant deceived hlmseU nB to tho real nnturo or tho enterprises ho plotted, promoted pro-moted and profited by; ho thought It "smart" to bo bad, nnd ho dollghtod In mnking tho most oynlcnl eplgrnms on tho black deeds or hlniBeir nnd his associates. "Hottor soil out to Iloebuck," I sug. gosted. "I control all tho Coal stock I nooj." "I don't caro to havo anything further to do With ltoobuck." I.angdon nUBWorod. "l'vo brokcu with him." "When a mnn iles to mo," said I," "ho gives mo tho chanco to soo Just how much of n fool ho thinks I nm, and also tuo rhnnco to see just how i; .... . much of a Tool he Is. I r, mttate t think so poorly of you ns your attempt at-tempt to fool mo seems to compel." Hut ho was tinoonvlnced. "l'vo found ho intends to abandon tho ship nnd leavo mo to go down with it," ho persisted. "Ho believes ho can cscapo anil denounce mo nn tho arch rascal who planned tho combine, and can convince people that I foozled him Into It." Ingenious; but I happened to know thnt It was fnlso. "I'ardon me, Mr. I.angdon," said I with stiff courtesy. "I repeat, 1 can do nothing for you. Oood morning" And I went nt my work as If ho wero already gone. Had I been vindictive, 1 would havo led him out to humiliate hlmsolt more deeply, if greater dcpthB of humiliation there aro than tboso to which bo voluntarily descended. Hut I wished to sparo him; I let him see tho uselcssncss of his mission. Ho looked at mo in silence tho look of hato that enn como only from a creature crea-ture wenk ns well as wicked. I think it was all his keen sonso of humor could do to save him from a melodramatic melo-dramatic outbreak. Ho slipped Into his habitual pose, roso and withdrew without nuother word. All this rright nnd groveling nnd treachery for plunder, plun-der, tho loss of which would not Impair Im-pair his fortune plunder ho had stolon with many a Jest and glbo nt his helpless victims. IJko most ot our debonair dollars chasers, he was a good sportsman only when tho game was with him. That afternoon ho threw bis Coal holdings on tho mnrkct In great blocks. Ills treachery took Hoohuct completely by surprise tor Roebuck holleved in this ralr-wcathor "gentleman," "gentle-man," foul-weather coward, and neglected neg-lected to allow for that quicksand that Is always under tho foundation or tho man who has Inhoritod, not earned, his wealth. Hut ror tho blundering credulity of rascals, would honest men ever get their 'dues. Roebuck's brokers had bought many thousands of Langdon's shares nt tho high artificial arti-ficial prlco beforo Roebuck grasped tho situation that It was not my followers fol-lowers recklessly gnmbllng to break tho prices, but Langdon unloading on his "pal." As soon nr ho saw, ho abruptly withdrew rrom tho market Whon tho Stock Kxchango closed. National Na-tional Coal securities wero offered nt prlcos ranglifc from 11 ror tho bonds to two Tor tho common nnd three tor tho prorerrod offered, nnd no tnkora. "Well, you'vo done it," snld Joo, coming with tho nows that Thornley, 6f tho Discount nnd Deposit bank, hud been appointed recolvor. "I've made a beginning," replied I. I had decided to concontrato upon Roebuck, because ho was tho richest nnd most powerful of "Tho Seven." For, in my plcturbs of tho threo main phases of "flnanco" tho Industrial, tho llfo lnsuranco and tho banking-he, banking-he, no arch plottor in every kind of respectnblo Bkulduggery, wns necessarily neces-sarily in tho foreground. My original intention wns to domollBh tho Power Trust or, at least, to compel him to buy back all or Its stock which ho had worked off on tho public. I hnd collected col-lected many Interesting facts nbout It, facts typical of tho conditions that ''flnnnco" lias established In so many of our industries. For Instance, I wns prepared to show that tho actual earnings of tho I'owcr Trust wns two nnd half times what Its roporfs to stockholders alleged; al-leged; thnt tho concenlod profits were dlvortcd Into tho pockets of Roebuck, tils sous, 11 other relatives nnd four or "Tho Sovoii," tho lion's Bhnro going, go-ing, or course, to tho lion. Llko almost al-most nil tho grcnt Industrial enterprises,, enter-prises,, too strong tor tho law nnd too remoto tor tho supervision or their stockholders. It gathered In enormous revenues to disburse them chiefly in salaries and commissions nn1 rake-offrt rake-offrt on contracts' to favorltcfc. I had proof that In one year It had "writton off" 12 millions of profit- and loss, 10 millions of which hnd found Its w&y to Roebuck's pockot. I hnd no choice. I must turn acldo from Roebuck; I must first show tha' whllo Toxtllo was, in n boiibo, sound Just at that time. It had been unsound, and would bo unsound ngnln ns soon ns I.angdon had gathorod in a su indent in-dent nuiubor of lambs to mako a battuo worth tho whllo of a man denting dent-ing In nothing loss tlinn seven figures. I proceeded to do so. Tho mnrkot yielded slowly. Under my first day's nttnek Toxtllo preferred roll six points, Toxtllo common threo. Whllo I wns In tho midst ot dictating my letter for tho second dny's nttnek, I suddenly camo to u full stop. I round ncross my wny this thought: "Isn't It straugo thnt Lnngdon, nftor humbling hlniBolf to you, should mako this bold challenge? It's a trap!" "No moro nt present," said I, to i . Btonographer. "And don't wrlto out what l'vo already dictated." I shut myself In and busied myself nt tho tolophono. Unit an hour aftor I sot my Bocrot machinery In motion, n wiossongor brought mo an envelope, tho addrvss typo-wrltton. It contained con-tained a sheet ot paper on which appeared. ap-peared. In type-writing, these words, and nothing more- "Ho Is henvlly short of Toxtllcs." It was lndeel a trap. Tho now Issue Is-sue was n blind. Hu had challenged mo to nttacx his stock, nnd ns soon ns I did, ho had begun socortly to sell It for a fall. I worked nt this now situation sit-uation until midnight, trying to get together tho proofs. At that hour for I could dolny no longor, and ray proofs wero not quito complete I sont my newspapers two sentences: "To-mc,iow I shall mnko a disclosure dis-closure thnt will send Textiles up. Do not soil Textiles!" (To bo Costlnned ) |