Show i = HER = i INFINITE i VARIETY I I By Brand Whitlock I r illustrations by Ray Walters 6lI 1Il IDIWlijNv t Uoi > jrrlgbt 1W7 liy llobbaMerrUl Co SYNOPSIS Render Morley Vcrnons visit with his lanceu wits Interrupted by n call from ills political boss ut Iho stale capital lloth rpftruttcd 1 It tho girl more than ho ImrnuBo silo had < arranged to attend n dinner that evening with him She said ihn yearned for n national olllco for him On Vernon dosk In tho sonata ho found a red roso accompanied by n plea for urfraRo for women Ho met tho authoress au-thoress pretty Miss Maria Oreono of Chicago who proponed to convert him Into voting for hiiimn resolution No 19 Miss Orcono secured Vernons promise to vote for tho BUffrnKo resolution Ho also aided her by convincing others IIo took a lilting to tho fair suffragette MBS Orccno consulted with tho lloutcnantgov ornor Vernon admitted to himself that ho suffragette had stirred a strange feeing feei-ng within him ITo forgot to read his naticoos loiter Vernon node a great speech In favor of suffrage allied < by glances from MIss CTrcenc The resolution was mad a special order Vernon was enthusiastic on tho prospects for tho resolution res-olution Ho was much In Miss Greene company Vernon neglected thoughts of Amelia lie tool Miss Greene driving and aid out plans for the success of tho resolution reso-lution Vernon gpccch caused a great newspaper sensation Ire was being neglected neg-lected by Amelia who had not answered hIs latter CHAPTER VIII Continued Vernon was of this crowd moving from ono group to another smoking laughing talking Ills heart may have been n little soro at the thought of Amelias strange neglect of him but tho soreness had subsided until now It was but a slight numbness which ho could forgot at limes and when ho did think of It it but gave him resolution to play the game moro fiercely Ho found It pleasant as ho threaded his way throUgh the crowd to halt senators sen-ators as ho mot them and say Well tho woman suftrago resolution resolu-tion comes up tomorrow Youll bo for It of course It gave him such a legislative and statesmanlike Importance to do this As ho was going leisurely about this quest testing some of the sensations of n parliamentary loader Cowley tho correspondent of the Courier accosted ac-costed him and showing his teeth In that odd smile of his asked If he cared to say anything about the resolution reso-lution Only that It comes up as a special order In tho morning and that I have no doubt whatever of Its adoption by the senate Have you assurances from From everybody and ovory assurance assur-ance said Vernon Theyre all for It Como and have a cigar They went over to tho cigar stand and when they had lighted their cigars Cowloy said Lets go out for a little walk I may bo able to tell you something that will Interest you CHAPTER I IX Vernon was glad enough of a breath of tho evening air and they wont down the steps to tho sidewalk Along the curbstone many men had placed chairs and In these cool and quiet eddies ed-dies of the brawling stream of politics they Joked and laughed peacefully Sixth street stretched away dark and Inviting Vernon and Cowley turned southward and strolled along com panlnnably The air was delicious after aft-er the blazo of the hotel tho black shado of a moonless night was restful their cigars were fragrant Ive Just got hold of a story began be-gan Cowloy after they had enjoyed tho night for a moment In sllenco Ive Just got hold of a story ho spoke of course as always from tho detached standpoint of a newspaperman newspaper-man which you ought to know What Is It asked Vernon Porter and IJraidwood are against your resolution Cowley evoke those names in n tone that told how futile any opposition would bo And Wright and his fellows aro against It too ho added Nonsense said Vernon Well youll see replied Cowley Hut they told me Oh well thats all right Theyve changed In tho last day or two Why Well they say its risky from apart a-part standpoint They think they already have all tho load thoy want to carry in tho fall campaign Besides theyWhat What Thoy say theres no demand for such a radical step and so see no reason rea-son for taking It Vernon laughed All right said Cowloy In tho careless care-less tone of ono who has discharged a duty Walt till you see Mrs Overman HodgoLathrop land in hero tomorrow Mrs Overman HoxlgeLathrop Vernon stopped still In tho middle at the sidewalk and turned In surprise and fear to Cowley Cowloy enjoyed tho little sensation ho had produced But they viro all for It Vernon nutterea Oh well you know they never took the thing very seriously Of conrso they passed it in Iho house Just to lino up old man Ames for tho apportionment ap-portionment bill Thoy didnt think It would amount to anything Yes I know but Maria Burley Greene Well shos a pretty woman thats all You het alto Is said Vernon and shell be down hero again tomorrow too ooWill Will sho said Cowloy eagerly with his strange smile Yesbut look hero Charlie I Vernon Ver-non exclaimed dont you co mixing mo up with her now understand Oh I undorstand nnld Cowloy and ho laughed significantly When Vornon reached tho hotel he sot to work In earnest Ho tramped about halt tho night until ho had seen every senator who could ho found Ho noted n change In them It ho did not find them hostile ho found many of hem shy and reluctant But when ho went to his room he had enough promIses prom-Ises to allay his fears and to restore inn In-n maasurc his confidence and ho fell asleep thinking of Maria Greene Imp P y in the thought that sho would be hero with her charms to offset the social influence of Mrs Overman lodgeLathrop CHAPTER X Vernon went down to breakfast the next morning wearing the now sum nor clothes his tailor had sent to him from Chicago tho day before Ho had a lower in his buttonhole a red rose Indeed showing his colors for tho final triumphant day Tho rotunda of the hotel swept of ho litter of the night before was clean and cool and tho morning air I of a perfect day camo In refreshingly i at the open doors Tho farmer members I I bers confirmed In tho habit of early rising woro already sauntering aimlessly I aim-lessly about but otherwise statesmen still slumbered tired out by their labors I la-bors of the night before Vernon in the nervous excitement whIch arouses ono at tho dawn of any day that Is to be big with events had risen earlier than was his wont He hastened Into tho dining room and I C > I t Shell Be Down Here Again ToMorrow ToMor-row Too there at tho first table his eye alighted on sat Maria Burley Greene She saw him at once for sho faced the door and sho greeted him with a brilliant smile With springing step ho rushed toward her both hands extended In his eagerness Sho half rose to take them their greeting silenced the early breakfasters break-fasters for an instant Then ho sat down opposite her and leaned over with a radiant faco as near to her as might be considering tho width of tho tablecloth and the breakfast things between be-tween And so youro hero at last ho exclaimed ex-claimed His eyes quickly took In her toilet remarkably fresh It was though It had been made on tho Springfield sleeper It gave none of those evidences evi-dences of being but the late flowering of a toilet that had been mado tho night before as do tho toilets of some ladles under similar circumstances Sho wore this morning a suit of brown tailored faultlessly to every flat seam end a little turban to match It lie side her plate lay her veil her gloves and a brass tagged key And her face clear and rosy In Its rich beauty was good to look upon The waiter had Just brought her strawberries Send John to me said Vernon to tho waiter Ill take my breakfast hero May I He lifted his eyes to Miss Greene Surely said she well have much to discuss And so youre here again at last repeated Vernon as If ho had not already al-ready made the janio observation Ho laid this time perhaps n little more stress on the at last Sho must have noted that fact for sho blushed red as tho strawberries sIlo began to turnover turn-over wltn a critically poised fork And did you come down alone Vernon went on No not exactly said Miss Grccno Mrs Overman HodgeLa throe and I believe several Mrs Overman HodgeLa throp I think said Miss Grccno that sho sIts somewhere behind There was n twinkle In the eyes she lifted for an Instant from her berries Vernon scanned tho dining room There was Mrs Overman Hodgo Lathrop In all her and yes beside her sheltered snugly under her allpro tecting wing wac Amelia Ansloyl They worn at a long table Mrs Over man HodgcLathrop at tho head and with them half a dozen wpmcn severe and most aggressively respectable rhey sntall of them erect pecking at their food with a distrust that was not so much a material caution as a spiritual evidence of their superiority to most of the things with which they were thrust in contact every day Their hats scarcely trembled such was the Immense propriety of their attitudes they did not bend at all oven to tho cream Vernon who was taking all this In at a glance saw that Mrs Overman HodgeLathrop was severer than ho had over Imagined It possible for I women to bocven such a woman as she Ho would not have been surprised sur-prised had ho suddenly been told that her name had acquired another hyphen hy-phen certainly her dignity had been unhyphenated Thero sho sat with her broad shoulders and ampo bust her arms Jeopardizing tho sleeves of her Jacket It was the most Impressive breakfast break-fast table ho had ever seen It might havo given him a vision of tho future when ho should havo sernred for women wom-en all their civil and political rights and tho nation had progressed to female fe-male lieutenant generals who would bo forced at times to dineIn public with their staffs But ho had no such vision of course tho very spiritual aversion of those women to such a thought would have prevented it oc cultly In point of fact his regard In an Instant In-stant had ceased to bo general and had become specific having Amelia for Its objective Sho sat on the right of her commander a rather timid aide and she seemed spiritually to snuggle moro closely under her protecting shadow with each passing moment She seemed to bo half frightened and had tho look of a little girl who Is about to cry Hergray figure with Its hat of violets above her dark hair was on the Instant half pathetic to Vernon She sat facing him her face downcast Thero was no conversation at that table It was to be seen at a glance Indeed that among those ladles there would be need for none all things having been prearranged for them Vernon noted that Amelia seemed to him moro dainty moro fragile than sho had ever been before and his heart surged out toward her Then she raised her eyes slowly and held him until from their depths sho stabbed with one swift glance a glance full of all accusation indictment indict-ment and reproach The stab went to his heart with a pain that mado him exclaim Then perceiving that the complicating moments were flying he rose hastily and with half an apology to Miss Greene he rushed across tho dining room rro un CONTINUED |