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Show f lien, A Infinite i ALGETY jit. SYNOPSIS. fl,?.tor 'AforI(?y Vernon's visit with his h ima8 'rruptuil by a will from '.,5SKr?tt('' 'V t,,p Krl than ho, uwniiso sho liml iirnniKcMl to uttcnd a dinner that evening with him. She said she yearned for n nntlonnl otllee for him. Jn Vernon h (Usk In the senate ho found a rod rose, aeeompanled ly a plea for surfrago for women. Ho met tlio nu-tliorcss, nu-tliorcss, pretty Miss Murla fircone of iilcnKo, who proposed to convert him I1. Y-.0,,nK for I'ouse resolution No. 19. Miss Greene secured Vernon's promise to vote for the suffrage resolution, lie also aided her by eonvlnclng others. He tool: a liking to the fnlr suffragette. Miss Grceno eonsulted with the lieutenant-governor. Vernon udmltted to himself that tho suffragette hud stirred n Btrar.go feel-ins feel-ins within him. Ho forgot to read his llanreo s letter. Vernon made a great speech In favor of suffrage, aided by glances from Miss fircone. The resolution was made a special order. Vernon was enthusiastic on the prospects for the resolution. res-olution. Hn wns much In Miss Greene's company. Vernon neglected thoughts of Amelia. He took Miss Greene driving and laid out plans for tho success of the resolution. reso-lution. Vernon's speech caused a great newspaper sensation. Ho was being neglected neg-lected by Amelia, who hnd not nnswered Ills letter. Vernon Is "tipped off" that Ills stiffrngo resolution may not pass. As Miss Greene was duo tho following morning morn-ing ho had no fears. Miss Greene, arrived ar-rived and breakfasted with Vernon. Across tho dining room, entrenched behind be-hind women opponents of the suffrage resolution, ho spied Amelia. Ho started loward her. CHAPTER XI. None of tlio ladies relaxed at Vernon's Ver-non's approach, Mrs. Overman Hodgo-Lathrop Hodgo-Lathrop least of all. On the contrary sho seemed to swell Into proportions that were colossal and terrifying, and when Vernon came within her sphero 1 of Influence his manner at once sub- ! dued Itself Into an apology. ! "Why, Amelia Mrs. Hodgo-La- throp!" ho cried, "and Mrs. Standish, Mrs. Harbourton, Mrs. Trnlcs, Mrs. Langdon how do you do?" 1 Ho went, of course, straight to Mrs. Overman Hodgo-Lathrop'B side, tho .. side that sheltered Amelia, and ho Bfer.j tried to take the hands of both women Vt&vt at once. Amelia gave him hers coldly, $ "i without a word and without a'look. Ho ' grow weak, Inane, and laughed un- i easily. "Delightful morning." ho said, "this country air down hero is " "Morloy," said Mrs. Overman-Hodgo-Lathrop, severely, "take that seat at tho foot of tho table." Ho obeyed, meekly. Tho ladles, ho thought, from tho rustlo of their skirts, withdrew themselves subtly. Vernon shrank. "Morloy Vernon," Mrs. Overman Hodgo-L.ath.rop continued, "do you 1 know what I have a notion to do?" "No, Mrs. Hodgo-Lathrop," he said In a very little voice. "Woll, sir, I've a notion to give you a good spanking." J Vernon shot a glanco at her. "Oh, you .needn't look, sir," she continued, con-tinued, "you needn't look! It wouldn't ho tho first time,. as you well know and It Isn't so many years ngo and I have your mother's full permission, too." Tho chain of ladylike sympathy that passed about tho table at this declaration declara-tion was broken only when Its ends convorged on Vernon. Even then they seemed to pinch him. "Your poor, dear mother," Mrs. Overman Hodge-Lnthrop went on, "insisted, "in-sisted, indeed, on coming down herself, her-self, but I know sho could never stand ouch a trip. 1 told her," and hero Mrs. Overman Hodge-Lathrop paused for an instant, "I told her that I thought I could manage." Thoro was a vast significance In this speech. The waiter had brought tho substan- " tials to the ladles, and Mrs. Overman Hodge-Lathrop. began eating determinedly. deter-minedly. , ; "It was, of course, just what I had always predicted." sho went on, In a staccato that was timed by tho riso of hor fork to her l.ps, "I knew that politics pol-itics would Inevitably corrupt yon, soon or late. And now it has brought you to this." "To whnt?" askod Vernon, suddenly growing bold and reckless. Amelia had not given h'm ono glance; she . Iimr was picking at her chop. 1 . Mrs. Overman Hodgo-Lathrop, rals- lng her gold glasses and setting them j ! aristocratically on tho bridge of hor noso, fixed her eyes on Vernon. "Morley," sho Bald, "we know. Wo have henrd and we huvo read. Tho Chicago press is an institution that, fortunately, still survives in these tconoclnstlc days. You know very well, of course, what I menu. Please do not compel me to go Into the re-.voltlng re-.voltlng particulars." Sho took hoi glasses down from hor noso, as if that olllclally terminated tho matter. "But really, Mrs, Hodgo-Lathrop,' said Vernon. Ho was growing angry, and then, too, ho was conscious somehow some-how that Miss Greene wns looking at him. His waiter, John; timidly approached ap-proached with a glanco at tho awful presonco of Mrs. Overman Hodgo-Lathrop, Hodgo-Lathrop, and said: "Yo' breakfus, sonato, Is gettln' col'." "That may wait." said Mrs. Over- Mrs. Hodge-Lathrop," ho went on with a shado of irritation In his tone, "this is too much!" Mrs. Overman Hodgo-Lathrop was calm. "Havo you shown her any respect?" cue went on. "Havo you not, on the contrary, snid and dono everything you could, to drng hor down from hoc exalted station, to pull hor to the earth, to bring her to a level with men, to make her soil herself with politics, by scheming and voting and caucusing and button-holing and wirepulling? wire-pulling? You would have hor degrade and unsox herself by going to tho polls, to caucuses and conventions; you would havo hor, no doubt, In time, lobbying for and against measures In tho council chamber and the legislature." legisla-ture." Mrs. Ovcrmnn Hodge-Lathrop paused and lifted her gold oye-glasses onco moro to tho bridge of her high, aristocratic aris-tocratic noso. "It is that kind of women you havo been brought up with, Morloy? Do wo look like that sort? Glanco around this table do wo look like that sort of womon?" The ladles stiffened haughtily, disdainfully, dis-dainfully, under tho Impending Inspection, Inspec-tion, knowing full well how easily they would pass muster. "And, If that woro not enough," Mrs. Ovcrmnn Hodge-Lathrop went on, Inexorably, "wo como here to plead with you and find you hobnobbing wUh that mannish thing, that female law-ycr!" law-ycr!" , Sho spoke tho word female as if it convoyed somo distinct Idea of reproach. re-proach. Sho was probing another chop with her fork. Sho had sent tho pot of coffee back to tho kitchen, ordering tho waiter to toll tho cook that sho "Please Do Not Compel Me tc Go Into Revolting Particulars." man Hodge-Lathrop, and John sprang back out of range. Vernon was determined, then, to havo it out. "Really, MrB. Hodge-Lathrop, jesting aside" "Jesting!" cried Mrs. Overman Hodgo-Lathrop, "jesting! Indeed, my boy, this Is qulto a serious business!' Sho tapped with her forofinger. "Well, then, all right," said Vernon, "I don't know what I've done. All I havo dono has been to champion a measure and I may add, without boasting, I hope, MA some success all I have done lias been to champion a measure which was to benefit your sex, to securo your rights, to " "Morloy!" Mrs. Overman Hodge-J Lathrop said, cutting him short. "Mor-Joy, "Mor-Joy, havo you Indeed fallen so low? It i Is incomprehensible to mo, that a young man who had tho mother you havo, who had tho advantages you have had, who was born and bred as you were, should so easily havo lost his respect for women!" "Lost my respect for womon!" cried Vernon, and then ho laughed. "Now, was accustomed to drink hor coffee hot. "And now, Morloy Vernon, listen to mo," she said, as if ho wore about to hear tho conclusion of tho wholo matter. mat-ter. "If you havo any spark of honor loft In you, you will undo what you havo already dono. This resolution must bo dofeated in tho senato to-day; I am down horo to ace that It Is done. Wo go to tho State House aftor breakfast, break-fast, and theBo lndlos will nsslst mo in laying beforo each mombor of the sonnto this matter In its true and ox- net light. As for our rights." sho paused nnd looked nt him fixedly, "as' for our rights. I think wo nro porfectly capable of preserving them." Hor look put thnt question beyond all dispute. "And now," sho rosumed, "you would bettor tnko a llttlo breakfast yourself; you look as If you needed strength." Vomon rose. Ho stood for an instant in-stant looking at Amelia, hut sho glnnccd at him only casually. "I Hupposo, Amelia, I shall sco you later In tho morning?" "I suppose so, Mr. Vernon," sho said. "Hut pray do not lot mo keep you from rejoining your companion." Sho was qulto airy, nnd lifted her coffcocup with ono llttlo finger quirked up higher high-er than ho had over seen It beforo. Ho went hack to whoro Miss Greene sat, and whero his brcakfaBt lay. "My goodness!" ho said, seating himself. "I'vo had a time!" "I should Imnglno so," said Miss Greene-. Sho wns Just touching hor napkin to her Hps with u final air. Sho carefully pushod back hor chair, and rose 'from tho taiile. "I beg your pardon' ho stammered, getting vn himself "I'll sco you aftor breakfast." Miss Grceno bowed. Then sho loft tho dining room. CHAPTER XII. Morloy Vomon camo out of tho (lining (lin-ing room in a temper fnr dtfforont from that ho had worn when ho wont in. His breakfast, after bo many vicissitudes, vi-cissitudes, was sure to bo a failure', though John, striving against fato, had tried to restoro tho repast to its original orig-inal excellence by roplnclng cn,ch alsh with a fresh one. Ho affected a heroic cheerfulness, too, but tho cheer wns hollow, foe his experience of men and of breakfasts must havo taught him thnt such disasters can novor bo ro-palrcd. ro-palrcd. Vernon, however, had heavier things on his mind. In his now position as knight-errant of Illinois womankind, ho had looked forward to this day as tho one. of triumph; now, nt its beginning, begin-ning, ho found hlmsolf with two offended, of-fended, women on his hands, and two hopelessly irreconcilable mistresses to serve. Ho began to seo that tho lot of a constructive statesman is trying; ho would never criticise leaders; again. Tho lobby of tho hotel was filling rapidly, and men with tholr hair still .damp from tho morning combing woro passing into tho brcakfaBt room with nowspnpors In tholr hands. In tho contor of the lobby, howover, ho saw a group of senators, and out of tho ralddlo of tho group roso a dark bonnet; bon-net; tho flowers on the bonnet bobbed now and then decisively. Around it wero clustered other bonnets, but they woro motionless, and, as It woro, subordinate. sub-ordinate. "Can you toll mo who thnt Is?" asked Brooks of Aloxander, jerking his thumb at tho group. "Yes," said Vernon, "that's Gen. Hodgo-Lathrop. She's on her wny to tho front to assume command." "Oh!" said Brooks. "1 saw something some-thing in the papers" And ho went away, reading as ho walked. Vernon looked overywhero for Miss Greene, but ho could not find her. Tho porter at tho Capitol avenuo entranco told him that sho had drlvon over to the Stato House a few minutes before. Vernon was seized by an Impulso to follow, but ho remembered Amelia. Ho could not let mattors go on thus between them. If only Mrs. Overman Hodge-Lathrop wero not In commnnd; if ho could got Amelia away from her for a while, if ho could soo her alone, ho felt that explanations would be possible. pos-sible. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |