Show wnw rrwwusn + wn ww SERIAL STORY ffiJ 5j IW aL1ffi F i1 I INFINITE I I VARIETY I By Brand Whitlock o I Illustrations by Ray Walters H 60 E IDI JlWWW WWWW Copyright ROT by llobbsMerrlll Co SYNOPSIS Senator Motley Vernnns visit with his Innreo wee Interrupted by a call from Ills political buss at the state capital Roth regretted It the girl moro than ho iieenuso alto hail arranged to attend a dinner that evening with him filio said the yearned for a national olllco for him CHAPTER II When Vornon wont into tho senate that Tuesday morning and saw tho rod rose lying on his desk ho smiled and picking It up raised It eagerly to his faco But when ho glanced about the chn11bel anti saw that n roso lay on every othor desk his smile was suddenly lost In a staro of amazement Onco or twice perhaps flowers had been placed by constituents on the desks of certain senators but never had a floral distribution at once so modest and impartial been mado before be-fore Several senators alrcady Jn their scats saw the check this Impartiality Impar-tiality gave Vernons vanity and they laughed Their laughter was of a tone with tho tinkle of the crystal prisms of the chandollors chiming In tho breeze that came through the open windows The lieutenant governor was Just ascending to his place lie dropped his gavel to tho sounding board of his duskTho Tho senate will be lu l order ho said SJlrtTho Time chaplain rose and the hum of voices in tho chamber ceased Thou while time senators stood with bowed hoids Vornon saw tho card that lay on the desk beside tho rose Two little jewels of tho moisture that still spar Klcd on the roses petals shono on the glazed surfuuo of the card Vernon lead it whore it lay Will the Hon Morley Vernon please to wear this roso today as a token of his intention to support and voto for house Joint resolution No 19 proposing an amendment to section one article seven of tho constitution The nolso in tho chamber began again at the chaplain Amon Now way to buttonhole a man eh 1 said Vernon to Bull Btirns who had tho scat next Vernons Whats it all about anyway Vernon took up his printed synopsis of bills and resolutions Oh yes ho said speaking as much to himself as to Burns old man Amess resolution Then ho turned to the calendar There It washouse Joint resolution No 19 Ho glanced at Burns again Burns was fastening his roso In his buttonhole So youre fr It eh 1 ho said To holl with It Burns growled In tile gruff voice that spoke for the First district In trying to look down at his own adornment ho screwed his flit neck fold on fold Into his low collar and then with a grunt of satisfaction lighted a morning cigar Hut Vernon began surprises multiplying He looked about the chamber The secretary was reading the journal of the preceding day and the senators woro variously occupied reading newspapers writing letters or merely smoking borne were gathered In little groups talking and laughing But thoy nil woro tholr roses Vernon might havo concluded that houso joint resolution No 19 was safe had It not been for tho Inconsistency of Ilurns though Inconsistency was nothing new In Burns Vernon ventured once more with his neighbor Looks as If time resolution were as good 0s adopted dorsnt It But Burns cast n glanco of pity at him amid then growled In halfhumor Duo contempt Tho action stung Vet non Burns seemed to resent his presence pres-ence In the senate as he always resented re-sented the presence of Vornons kind In politics The rose still lay on Vornons desk ho was the only one of the 51 senators of Illinois that had not put his roso on lIe opened his bill file and turned up house joint resolution No 10 lIe road It carefully as he felt a senator should before making up his mind on such an Important even revolutionary measure 110 remembered that at the time It had been adopted In the house every one had laughed no Duo with the exception of Its author Dr Ames had taken It seriously I Ames was known to be a crank lie was referred to as Doc Ames usually I ly as Old Doc Ames lie had Introduced Intro-duced more 8trano bills and resolutions resolu-tions than any member at that session ses-sion bills to curb the homeopathiste bills to annihilate English sparrows bills to prohibit cigarettes bJH to curtail cur-tail the liquor traffic and how this resolution providing for the submission submis-sion of an amendment to the constitution consti-tution that would extend tho electoral franchise to women Ills other mPHHiiris had received lit Uo consideration he n < vur got any of I oaw wwww s wrwwwwaw them out of committee But on tho female suffrage resolution ho had been obdurate and whenwith a majority ma-jority so baro that sick men had toe to-e borne on cots Into the houso now and then to pass its measures tho party had succeeded after weeks of agony In framing an apportionment bill that satisfied every one Dr Amos had seen his chance Ho had flatly refused to vote for the reapportion mont act unless his woman surago resolution were first adopted It was useless for the party managers mana-gers to urge upon him tho Impossibility Impossibil-ity of providing the necessary two thirds voto Ames said ho could get the remaining votes from the othor side And so tho steering committee had given tho word to put it through for him Then tho othor side seeing a chance to place tho majority In an embarrassing attitude before tho people peo-ple either as the proponents or tho 1 opponents of such a radical measure whichever way It went In the end had been glad enough to furnish tho additional votes The members of the steering committee had afterward whispered It about that tho resolution was to die In tho senate Then everyone every-one especially tho women of Illinois had promptly forgotten tho moasure As Vernon thought over It all he picked up the roso again then laid it down and Idly picked up tho card Turning it over In his hand ho saw that Its other side was engraved and ho read MARIA nunim ORHCNF3 Attorney and Counselor ut Law The Rookery Chicago Then ho 1 knew it was tho work of the woman lawyer Vernon had heard of her often he had never seen her lIe gave a little sniff of disgust Tho senate Was droning along on tho order of reports from standing committees and Vernon growing tired of tho monotony rose and sauntered back to the lobby In search of company com-pany moro congenial than that of tho gruff Burns Ho carried the rose as ho wont raising It now and then to enjoy its cool petals and its fragrance On ono of tho leather divans that stretch themselves Invitingly under tho tall windows on each side of tho senate chambor sat a woman and about her was a little group of men OV iij J J r v Ue r J P r 41 Jse tnwr I iys The Femininity of It Touched Him bonding deferentially As ho passed within easy distance ono of the men saw him and beckoned Vernon went over to them Miss Greene said Senator Martin let me present Senator Vernon of Chicago Miss Greene gavo him tho little hand that looked yet smaller In its glovo of black suede Ho bowed low to conceal a surprise that had sprung Incautiously to his eyes Instead of tho thin shorthaired spectacled old maid that had always In his mind typified Maria Burley Greene hero was a young woman who apparently conformed to every fashion though her beauty and distinction might have mado her Independent of conventions Physically she was too nearly perfect per-fect to give at onco an Impression of aristocracy but it was her expression that charmed It was plain that her intellectuality was of tho higher do grees As Vernon possessed himself ho was able to note that this surprising I young woman was clad in a black traveling trav-eling gown that fitted hOI perfectly I From her spring hat down to tho toes of hor boots there was nothing lu her attire that was mannish but she was of an exquisite daintiness wholly feminine and alluring I All theso superficial things faded Into tholr proper background when at last his eyes looked full lu her face Hcddtsh brown hair that doubt I leas had been combed into some resemblance I re-semblance to the provalllng fashion of tho pompadour hud fallen In a natural part on the right Hide and lightly swept n brow not too high but whlto and thoughtful lie other fea UUhhhhhU tures tho delicate nose tho full lips tho perfect teeth the fine chlnal were lost In tho eyes that looked frankly at him As ho gazed ho was conscious that ho feared to hear her speak surely her volc would betray her masculine quality Sho had seated herself again and now made a movement that suggested a drawing aside of her skirts to make a place for some one at her side And then she spoke Will you sit down Senator Vernon Ver-non she said with n scrupulous regard re-gard for title unusual In a woman I must make a convert of Senator Von non you know 1 sho smiled on tho other men about her Her accent Implied Im-plied that this conversion was of tho utmost tmpoitance Tho other men of whom sho seemed to be quite sure evidently felt themselves under tho compulsion of withdrawing and no fell back In reluctant retreat CHAPTER III Tho surprise had leaped to Vernons eyes again at tho final Impression of perfection made by her voice and the surprise changed to a regret of lost and irreclaimable opportunity when he reflected that he had lived for years near this woman lawyer and yet never had seen her onco In all that time When Miss Greene turned to look him In tho faco again after the others were gone Vernon grow suddenly bashful like a big boy Ho felt his I fare flame holly He had been meditating medi-tating some drawing room speech ho had already tut tied in his mind a pretty pret-ty sentence In which there was a discreet dis-creet reference to Portia Vernon was just at time age for classical allusions But when ho saw hor blue eyes fixed on him and read tho utter seriousneyi In them ho know that compliments would all be lost I am ono of your constituents Senator Sen-ator Vernon sho began and I am down frankly lobbying l for this resolution reso-lution And wo both ho replied are I believe members of tho Cook county bar Strange Isnt It that two Chicago Chi-cago lawyers should havo to wait until un-til they are In Springfield to meet Not altogether sho said It Is not so very strangemy practice Is almost wholly confined to olllco work I am more of a counselor than a barrister bar-rister 1 havo not often appeared in court in fact I prefer not to do so I amwell Just a little timid In that part of tho work Tho femininity of It touched him Ho might havo told her that ho did not often appear In court himself but ho was now enough at tho bar to have to practice tho dissimulation of tho young professional man Ho indulged himself in tho temptation to allow her to go undeceived though with a pang ho remembered that her practice from all that ho had heard must bo much more lucrative than his Something of the protty embarrassment sIlo felt before be-fore comts and juries was evidently on her in this her first appearance In tho senate but sho put It away her breast roso with tho deep breath of resolution she drew mud sho straightened straight-ened to look him onco moro In the eyesBut But about this resolution Senator Vernon I must not take up too much of your time If you will give mo your objections to It perhaps I may bo able to explain them away Wo should very much llko to havo your support TO BE CONTINUED |