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Show jj'imnimmiimtmimiiiiiMiiiiiiuiimii if fi I "THE FRAUD il Ij Or MEN" If pi 4 r. Y7ILLIAM ALLEN WHITE j I- : . ........ .. .. . ......... v., ;.::;;i;ii:iiiiii;!iiiiiiiiiiiiunii!iiii!iiiiiiii: Copyright, 1922, by trie Macmillan Co. IT WAS In the reception room of a oub house in Fn Inhinc! city, where the two young men had mot by chance that evening. There v,;..s a vtuffy profusion -if Jeather furniture fur-niture Jp the room tliEt cave It n heavy cast. Men were talking In knots ot two or three, apparently iii lousiness, and when an outsider -i.icn-d a group, conversation was distinctly dis-tinctly and painfully suspended, or laired In cold formalities unlil he had , drifted away. The men there were ch'.irly business men, and were there 1 y business appointment, and the element ele-ment of sociability was manifested only in the click of the billiard balls that echoed in from some invisible ruir room, where the younger men, too tired to go to the theater, or to lU evening gathering with their wives r sweethearts, were walking un--o"t. ted miles after the ivory balls. It was a brisk autumn evening, and the clock on the mantel was striking ( ii.-' 1 1 when two young men pulled their fat chairs to the window, where -- ' they could see the theater-goers hur rying by under the arc light, and where they might not be interrupted. "Well, old man, what d'you think of t lie East," asked the shorter of the two, a very stubby little man with a red face, red lips and a bristling, clo-e-cropped mustache. His companion compan-ion was a tall man with skinny features, fea-tures, square shoulders, a head poised too far back at times, but capable of bending, and he had a habit of picking at his mustache. "Oli, d n the East," said the tall young man. "Jim, I'll tell you what's n (iod's truth, they are the worst lot of jays back there absolutely the worst that grow on earth. They don't know any more about this country, and what's in It, than a satrap of 1'crsia. When I told them about our scheme, showed them the map of all this land that is to be foreclosed, and how the whole thing can be watered by a central ditch, and all you remember re-member how It Is out there one old rooster who hasn't been out of his barnyard in all his life, he up and said : 'Yes, all very good, very good, Indeed, but supposing there Is an Indian In-dian outbreak then Where's all our money for your improvements gone?' Say, Jim, I just fell right over dead. I met old man Wilson there say, hold on here, what's this 1 hear? There goes Martin and his kids, taking them to Ali Cuba; see what you're coming to. So you finally got your nerve with you. did you? Go-o-od I" With this outburst the bubbles of the promoter's enthusiasm subsided. 1 lis . companion reddened slightly at the raillery and put one side of his under lip over his stubby mustache In an embarrassed silence that ended In a smirk. "Well, Harris," he responded addressing ad-dressing the talier friend, . "you've guessed it the first time, I suppose. Hut we must all settle down sooner or later, and anyway a man don't find that kind of a girl every day in the year." He paused a moment and Harris Har-ris broke In : "Oh, yes, If It tomes to that. I suppose he must. I ain't a-klcking any. am I? Now, Jimmy, that's a good boy, come and tell ownest own ail about " He was interrupted in his mock coddling by one of the drifters who had been knocked from half a dozen groups, and had floated around in front of the formidable chairs. He was n pretty old man, who had been a country banker in his day, and had dime up and put new life into a wobbling wob-bling institution after a local panic. He cut In with: "Well, what are you kids gassing about? Hello, there, Harris, Har-ris, did you make your Irrigation scheme go?" Harris looked up with annoyance written unmistakably on his face as lie said, hardly civilly, "Yep," and lapsed into silence. There was a pause. In which Jim addressed a remark to Harris about the big crowd that was going to the theater. A street car bad just unloaded un-loaded at the corner. The Kansas man took the remark as general, and replied re-plied : "Say, alu't they though; been that way, too. every night this week." "Lookle quick!" exclaiijied Harris to his companion. "No this side-there side-there goes Cameron; who's that with her? Got a new 'mash'?" "Why, you don't mean to say that yon haven't heard." replied Jim. as he shifted his position In his chair. "She's going to get married, too. All the old birds going home to nest." "Why, do you boys know Mrs. Cameron?" asked the bunker with some surprise. "I didn't know she was In your set." "Ho I Ho! And so yon know the widow, too? I.. No. US I of the Cameron series, eh, Jimmy?" said Harris. The woman, holding to a rather slender young fellow, perhaps thirty-five thirty-five years old. dark and serious, who was watchfully bending over her. to catch her chatter, passed the club window, and disappeared in the cover of darkness that surrounded the are light. She was a woman who. even on close Inspection, showed little age. though Instinct would have told a man where a dozen other things would have told a woman that she was thirty-throe or thirty-four years old. As she scurried under te light, ihe seemed to cling to the man's figure. and tripped, rather than walked along. One would have said that she was very happy as she passed. "Me? Oh, yes, I knew Mrs. Cameron when she was a little girl," saiil the elder man. "She came from my town down In Baxter. Say, how is she making it here? I haven't S'-en her for going on two years now two years next December, I think," mused the banker. The two young fellows ooked quizzically at the old man, and fhen at each other. Then Harris shook his head and the short, fat, little man nodded buck. They were satisfied that the ol;'. man was telling the truth. "Well." began Jimmy, "she wasn't cut out for a vagabond, and she hasn't been making it very well. I guess." "What's the matter?'' said the old man, who did not grasp the young fellow's meaning. "Weil, Mr. Martin, If you care to know, It's nothing more unusual than wolves," replied Harris, as he swung his feet over the arm of the chair; "just plain, old-fashioned wolves. But I'm mighty glad she Is going to break for shelter. I'm mighty glad for her." Harris added In broken sentences, "Who's the fellow, Jimmy?" he asked a moment later. "Byers," put in Jimmy, in answer to Harris' question, as Martin rubbed his chin, and pulled up a chair to sit down and get the idea firmly fixed in his mind. "Going to get married !" continued the old banker, thinking aloud. "Well, if that don't beat all I Well, boys, I've knowed her since she was a little slip of a girl couldn't a been more'n ten years old whenjthey moved to Baxter. Bax-ter. I see her graduate at the high school handed her thfc diplomy, as president of the board, myself. And she's going to get married again. Well, that gets me. I went to her wedding with old Cameron. She was the oldest of seven children, four of 'em girls, and Mrs. Griggs was mighty glad to get Mattie off her hands, though she wasn't more'n eighteen when she was married ; but every one thought she done so well, getting old Cameron, and his fine house that he'd built her and all. But I'd a thought she'd a got enough of marrying when she got done with old Cameron. If ever a woman lived ten years In h 1, that woman did-. And such a nice little woman, too. Seemed like she tried ever so hard to make It pleasant ; done all her own work, flaxed around and fixed up the house, putting little odds and ends here and there, keep- was the first time be hart ever done anything of the kind, nr.d when she was g' tiirg sup or for him. she told my wife, he set the table with the new things, and put the trinkets at her place, and the sacque in her c'lair, and then called her to see it. Sue come In and shook her head, and turned to the kit ebon door without a word. And she told my wife if she'd 'a' tried to said a word, she would 'a' buivt out crying. cry-ing. "Jt was hard for her. but she did what was for the host. I guess. 'Twouldn't 'a' been sir months before old man Cameron would 'a' been up to his old tricks again. She knew that then, just as well as I know It now. Eut he was so big and strong, and I suppose he was tender, too, when he felt like it. But that was a mighty brave thing to do, and I shouldn't wonder If she cried that night for the first time In years he'd hardened her that way, you know, for so long before." There was no one with a voice to speak, when the old man paused, so he sighed and continued: "And now she's going to get married, eh? Wno's the fellow?" Morrison was the first to speak. "A man named Byers, of Denver," he said. "Did you know her after she came down here. Mr. Martin?" "Only a little; she was trying to learn to be a trained nurse or some-tiling; some-tiling; used to see her at the theater, with young fellows from the club. She came back to Baxter, now and then. Wife saw her there, and said she appeared to be cheerful. And the old ladies were ticked to death to see her. Made up a tea-party for her, about six months ago, when my wife and she happened to be back together at the same time, and my wife said they, every one of them old people made over her like she was their own child, and she did seem to be so happy. What about the wolves. Harris? Tell me," said the elder man as he lighted a cigar and looked grimly at the charred match before throwing It away. "There Isn't much to tell. I guess. If every man would only tell what he knows, himself, there would be blame little. But as every other man tells what he thinks a lot of other fellows know it's the old story, and a good deal too long. The chief trouble with wolves, yon know, Is their noise." "It occurs to me, Harris," said young Jimmy Morrison with a knowing know-ing look sideways, "that you are getting get-ting "mighty high-minded all of a sudden. sud-den. 1 say It's a shame about young "I See Her Graduate at (he high School Handed Her the Diplomy, as President of the Board." Ing up with the Cbautauquy. and having hav-ing the young folks around her. and being just t ho world and all to them babies of her'n. Hardly anyone knowed they was anything wrong, until she filed her suit. And we didn't know it. ourselves, living right there, until un-til two years before, when old Cameron Cam-eron come home and chased her out of the house, one cold winter night, and she bad to come over to our house or freeze. Many and ninny's the time she's staved out all night of summers, when he'd come home full and ugly, rather than let the neighbor's neigh-bor's know. Well. I must tell mother she's n-golng to get married again." "Old Man Cameron, he warn't so mean with men. that way. Take him In the hank, and though he was in the opposition concern. I can say that I never heard a man say an unkind tiling of him. and that's n good deal for a banker. My wife sas Mrs. Cameron told her that there was times when he would bp awful sorry, and promise to do better, and be as rational as you or me. But he got them jealous spells and was a regular devil, she said, '"sod to heat her. I guess, though she never said so. One time so she told my wife after one of his tantrums that was pretty near the end be bad went down lo Cincinnati, Cin-cinnati, and while be was gone, she made up her mind to leave him. When he came home, be wanted to be sugar and spice, anil be seemed ski penitent. She hadn't been more than civil to him, for a year before, and the bad streak he took made her see things couldn't go on that "ay. Well. sir. when he was down to Cincinnati he turned In and bought her a sealskin sacque. and a new set of solid silver knives and forks and spoons, and any amount of little trinkets to wear. It Byers, of Denver. He seems to be a prett. decent fellow." "Has a liltlo. money, hasn't he?" chipped in Harris. "She p-bnyer for a packing house, I believe. We had some dealing with him." said the banker, as he puffed, and put his bands back of his head as a pllluw for a moment. "Something like that," said Jimmy. "Anyway, be looks like an honest fellow. fel-low. Somebody ought to tell him about Cameron. It's tough to see him going into tlds thing like an ox to the slaughter." "Oh. you do. do you? Well. Jimmy Morrison, maybe you would like to have the same man, who tells what he has heard of this woman, tell the same thing to the future Mrs. Morrison, Mor-rison, a few weeks before the cards are out." "Do you boys know you are talking of a Iranian being? Tlds business that is so fui.ny to you. It Is all of that woman's life! It's your farce, maybe: hut. great God. It's her her her tragedy After an abashed silence Martin walked slowly away from the two friends. Kach one thought, for an instant, in-stant, of a face that lie remembered, lighted up by the warm g'ow of the grate fire. Kach knew the story as the old man had toid it. Kach thought of the way be had heard It. It was fully a minute after the old man walked away with his hands behind him. when Harris spoke: 'Tunny thing, this life, ain't !;r he said. "Yes. Onmr.ed funny the mure yon know of It." said Morrison p.s he arose. "Isn't it getting about 'that time ? Whose turn is it to cry a raierr.iar. 7" |