Show THE E BALL A L L OF F FIRE I 1 t by GEORGE RANDOLPH CHESTER and LILLIAN CHESTER illustrated BY BV C D RHODES 13 tw wy Copy copyright rIcht 1914 by br the th red book corporation CHAPTER 1 I no Nor place for sentiment silence pervaded tho the dim old aleles aisles ot of the marker square church the winter sun streaming through tho the clerestory windows cast on the floor and on tho the vacant benches batchos ot at ruby and sapphire of emerald and of topaz these seeming only to accentuate the dimness and the silence in 10 that hat silence the vestry door creaked it opened wide and it was its as if a vision had suddenly been set therel theral bathed in the golden light from the transept window brown haired brown eyed rosy cheeked checked stood a girl who might have been one of the slender blender stained glass virgins come to life the golden light naming flaming the edges of tier her hair into an aureole she stood timidly peering into the dim nessi and aad on tier her beautifully curved lips was a half ball questioning smile uncle jim silo she called and there was waa some quality in tier her low dolce which was strangely attractive and disturbing by george gall I 1 forgot that you were to come tor for mol moil salo said jim sargent rising from amid the group of vion aien in tho the dim transept well be through in a few minutes aillston All lson you were about to prove something to us I 1 think prove Is tho the right word agreed the stock lly built man who had eyl dently been addressing the vestry lie ha was acutely conscious of the presence of GO gall at as they all wore were your rector to suggests that this Is a matter of sentiment you are anxious to have fifty million dollars to begin the erac croc alon tion of a cathedral but I 1 came hero here to talk business and that only granting you tho the full normal appreciation ot of your vedder court property and the ahe normal increase of your aggregate Tent rentals als you yon cannot have at the end of ten acari a penny over forty two millions I 1 urn dm prepared to offer you in cash a sum which will at three and a hall half per cent and in ton ten years produce that exact amount to this 1 add two million HOW much did you allow for in creasean crea seIn the value of the property T baked nicholas van aloon whose only knowledge for several generations had been centered on this one question the original van aloon had bought a vast tract of manhattan for ft a dollar an acro and by that stroke of towering genius hart had placed the family of van aloon 1 for all eternity beyond the necessity of thought vor tor answer anew er billson passed him tho the fm envelope delope ulon he had been fig ring checking off an item aa he did t lie ile noticed that galls gails lips twitched with suppressed mirth sho ellie turned abruptly to look back at the striking transept pt window and tho the three vestrymen vestryman vestry men in the rear pow pew imi hn mediately sat straighten willis cunningham ning ham who was a bachelor hastily smoothed his vandyko vandyke lie was so tich rich by inheritance that money meant nothing to him not enough grunted van aloon handing back tho the envelope and twitting again in tho the general direction of gall ample Amp lel retorted allison All lson you cant count anything for tho the buildings while I 1 dont deny that they yield the richest licodo of any property in III the city they are the most moat decrepit tenements in now new york I 1 fall it down in less than ten years you you have them propped up now jim sargent glanced solicitously at gall but she did not seem to be bored mot inot a part clel iciel they are passed by the building inspector annually pompously stated W T chisholm hla his mutton chops chopa turning pink from tho the reddening of the skin beneath lie ile had spent a 8 lifetime lu in resenting indignities be ifo rethey rethu reached him building inspectors change iraln bated allison All laon politics Is very aneer iraln four indignant ve vestry men jerked forward to answer that insult gentlemen this to Is a vestry meet meat ins sternly reproved the rev smith B tad advancing a step and aad seeming ortho the need of a gavol gavel ills rich deep explained why he was waa rector of the richest church la in tho the world galls galla eyes were dancing but other wise she was demureness itself as sho she studied in turns the members of the richest vestry in dri the world she bhe esti mated that eight of the ge gentlemen ithen present presen were almost close enough 10 to the anger line linb to swear they num bored just eight and they were most interesting I 1 and this was a vestry meeting g the topic of debate was money I 1 belledo Ael bel leyo suggested rutus manning his bis sense of humor fita somewhere in hla his bea beard rd lie As m the infidel member suppose wo we roam to it 1 Js Alli sons offer worth conald inquired the nasal votes ot of i clean shaven old joseph G cook who was in money platters ahe t standard careal ce real comps 14 bad attained atta lael tits colossal th through rebates bates aind end he had bad invented the do de vicel vice the only reason wed sell bell to allison allason would be that we could get more money than by the normal return from our investment ive allowed two million for tho the profit of market square church in dealing with me stated allison All lson again proffering the envelope which no one olin made a move to tako take 1 I will not pay a dollar more W T chisholm was suddenly reminded that the vestry had a moral obligation in the matter under discussion lie he wao wan president of the majestic trust company and never forgot that fact to what use would you devote the property of market square church T he gravely asked the erection of a terminal station for all the municipal transportation in new york answered allison All lson sub ways elevate ds surface cars tract traction lon lines lineal the tha proposition should shoula have the hearty cooperation ot of every citizen simple little idea it tta gall had bad to think successively to comprehend what a stupendous enterprise this was and the roan man talked about it as aa modestly as aa tf it lie he were planning to and this was wa a vestry meeting sod a lawn more sol why back home it a man dreamed a dream so vast as that thai he just talked about it fur for the rest relt of at his bis life and they put a poeta oets wreath on hla his tombstone NOW youre talking sentiment retorted stubby mustached jim sargent you said a while ago that you came here strictly on business so did we this Is no place for sen sentiment timen t 1 rutus rufus manning with the tip of at his silvery board beard in life his fingers looked up into the delicate groining graining of the apse where it curved gracefully forward over the head of the famous alenri dupres dupre a crucifix and he grinned gall sargent was looking contemplatively from one to the other of the grave y ves is thymen youre right conceded allison curtly SuP suppose vose you follows fellows talk it over by yourselves and let me know your best offer very well assented jim sargent with an indifference which did not seem to bo ba assumed we have some other matters to discuss and we may as well thrash this thing out right now well lot let you know tomorrow gall looked at her watch and rose energetically 1 I shall bo be late at Lu lucills Luc lloa cilos uncle jim I 1 dont think I 1 can wait for you ill be very happy to tako take miss atlas sargent anywhere shed like to so go offered allison almost instantaneously much obliged allison All laon accepted sargent heartily that la Is it if shell go wit with hyou you thank you said gall simply as a she stepped out boutot of the pew the gentlemen of the vestry rose as one man old nicholas van aloon even attempted to stand gracefully on one log leg while lite his vest bulged over the back of the pow pew in front of him 1 I think well hays haye to make y you ou a permanent member ot at tho the vestry smiled manning the patriarch as an he bowed his adieus adicus weve been need ing a brightening influence tor for some time willis cunningham the thoughtful one wedged his bis vandyke between the heads of standard cereal dark clark and banker chisholm we hope to see yon yea otten often miss sargent 1 afi his thoughtful remark 1 I mean to attend services returned gall gail graciously looking up into the organ loft where the organist was making his thild attempt at that bat fling fing run fun in the iho dach bach prelude you said how you like our famous old church suggested the rev smith boyd with plea pleasant gant ease though ho be colt celt relieved thit that she ahe was wa going the sudden snap in galls eyes tat fair ly scintillated it was waa like the shat ahat of nna fine glass flass la in the sunlight it seems ncoma to be a remarkably lucrative onier enterprise prise she ahe smiled up at him and was waa rewarded by a snort from manning allison frankly guffawed guff awed the balance of the sedate vestry was struck dumb by the impertinence gall gail felt tho the eyes of the rev smith doyd fixed steadily on her and turned to meet them they were cold she had thought them blue but now they were t greenl she stared back into them for a moment and a little lettla red spot came into the delicate tint of her oval cheeks checks then she turned deliberately delibera a to the marvelously beautiful big transept window it had been designed by the most famous stained glass artist in fit the world and its a subject ab lext lent itself to a wealth of color it was christ turning the money changers out of the CHAP CHAPTER en it if why exclaimed gall in delight turning up her face to the delicate dell cato flakes and the sun shining that means snow tomorrows tomor rowl allison helped tier her into his big pl pi radical looking runabout and too tucked ked her in as it if she were some fragile hothouse plant which might freeze freedo with the first aral cool draft the pretty white snow to Is no friend of mine he assured tier her as he took the wheel and headed toward the avenue lie ile looked calculatingly into tho the sky this particular downfall Is likely to cost the municipal transportation company several thousand doare dollars are im curious to know the commercial value of a sunset in now new york gall smiled up at him allison had bad the Impre impression that thai under the tha cover of 0 her exquisitely veined llda lids she was looking at him cornerwise and having a great deal ot at tun fun all by herself we capitalized sunsets yet but we have hopes he laughed then theres still a commercial opportunity port unity she lightly returned 1 I feel quite friendly to money but its so intimate hero here ivo ive heard nothing else since I 1 came on an monday even in church he chuckled you delivered a reckless shook chock to rev smith boyds vestry well she demanded lit he ask aak my opinions tou N 1 dont think hell make the into take again and allison took the corner into the avenue at a speed which made gall unused to bare inches of leeway class allison allason as a demon driver tho the tall traffic policeman around whose upraised arm they had circled smiled a frank tribute to her beauty and she felt relieved she had bad cherished some feeling that they should be arrested Illo however wever oven even a church must discuss money went on allison All lson as it lie ho had just decided a problem to which ho he had given weighty thought fifty milli milliand ond more mere money retorted gall gail its criminal wealth it if no man can make a million dollars honestly how can a church T allison swerved out into the center of the avenue and passed a red iliou sine before he answered ile he bad noticed that everybody in the street stared into his car and it t flattered him immensely to have so pretty a girl with him the wealth of market square church la Is natural and normal he be explained it arises partly from the increase in value of property which was donated when practically worthless judicious investment la is responsible tor for the balance oh betherl bol bo herl therl and gall glanced at him impatiently your natural impulse is to defend wealth walt li because it Is wealth but you hn know ow that market square church never should have haqq had a surplus to invest the tha money should have boen been spent in charity why are they saying saving it allison began to feel the same respect tor for galls batla mental processes which lie he would for a matias mans though when he looked at her with this thought in mind she ehe was so BO thoroughly feminine that she puzzled him more than ever market square church has nn an ambition worthy of its vestry he informed her bringing his big runabout to rest with a swift glide just juat an accurate throe three inches behind the taxi tail in front of them ahem when it has fifty million do dollars liars it proposes to start building the most magnificent cathedral 0 on n american soil why she aho pondered pou dered will a fifty million dollar cat cathedral sive bare sola in proportion to the amount ot of money invested allason enjoyed that query thoroughly you mut must ask rev smith doyd boyd ho you talk tike like f h hen heft chent then t oh ohno no returned gall gait gravely and with a now new tone 1 I pray every morning and every night and bod hears bears TRO me the note at 0 reverend in her voice was 14 athinis a thing things to which allison gave instant respect 1 I have no quarrel with religion why mr aall slon I 1 love lova the church iler her eyes were wem gin slowing wing the same eyes which had closed in satirical mischief now they were rapt what a collwell coll col liell lol she suddenly exclaimed allison Allt son who haa hai followed her with admiring attention his bis mind accompanying hers bore in eager leafia leads laughed in relief after all she was a girl and what A KIM gurll tho the exhilaration of tho the drive and 0 of the snow enow beating in her face faco and of the gatlon had bad set the clear skin of her fain face aglow with color iler her deo deet red lips exquisitely halt half part ed displayed A rolof row of dazzling white teeth and the ho elbow which touched hla his was wag magnetic allison refused to believe that he was forty fivel five fond of collies ho guessed surprised to find himself with an eager interest in the likes and dislikes of a young girl it was a experience 1 I adore them I 1 she enthusiastically declared back home I 1 have one of every marking but a pure white there was waa something tender and wistful in the tone of that back lioma home no doubt she eho had bad hosts of of friends and admirers there possibly a favored suitor it was quite likely A girl such ouch as gall call sargent could hardly escape it 11 it if there hero was a favored suitor allison rather pitied him film for gall was in the city of strong men busy with an entirely new and strange group of thoughts allison turned into the park and gall call uttered an exclamation m aaion of delight as the fresh keen air whipped in her face the snow was like a filmy white yeti veil against the tb baro bare trees and enough of it had clung by now to outline with sliver pointing the lacework lace work of bran branches chis on the turf still green from the open winter it lay in thin white patches and squirrels clad in their sleek winter garments were wera already scampering to 0 o their beds crossing the busy drive with the adroitness of accomplished metropolitan pedestrians their bushy busby balls alls hopping behind them in ungainly loops oops the pair in the runabout were silent for the cast drive at this hour was wan thronged thron ged with outward bound machines and the roadway was slippery with the now new fallen snow steady of nerve keen of eye firm of handt handl gall watched va the alert figure of allison All lson tensely and yet easily motionless in tho the seat beside her perhaps feeling the steady gaze al turned to her suddenly and tor for moment the |