The San Francisco call. [volume], October 16, 1904, Image 1

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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She was saying things with \ a ",'flavpr.
akin to cynicism " iji ' the'in, as thus; \
"Do you : reniemb(?r how .we uaed to
go into raptures ;'of pious indignation j
¦over the make-believe uehtiment of the
summer man arid the summer girl? \ I
recollect your • saying once Jthat it was
y. icked r a | desecration of things which'
ought 'to^e^hcld^ sacred, jit isn't so
very ; "long ago. : but t think ..we' were
both very .young, that summer — yews
, younger., than we can ever be again.
Don't- you?" . ; : '; ''."'-' \ ... ~ -¦
; "Doubtless,".-., said David lie
was at a. pass In w,hich he .wc-uld have
agreed with her - if she had asserted
that black" w&s'white. it was not weak
.ness; it was merely, ,that^lie was,ab
sorbed "in V a groping search for the
word • which would .fit her char"~2d
mood.'
"We have learned .toT>e more chari
. table ,sine%,"; she went on; ."more chari
table and j less . : sentimental, perhaps.
And yet • v, f o prided-, ourselves on our
. sincerity in that young. time, don't you
think?" ,\^ ,. ;•; :1 ' ; ;- ;: is'^±i
VI, aV.-lcast.V.was sincere, ''.^hic,' re
joined bluntfy.-: He, had found the mood
w.brd; a t> ' las t : ¦ it . was . ' resentment;
though, .» being a* 'man, S lie pbuld » see \ no
-good .reasbn,. t why."'the'£m'emorie8 of .the
"Urbydon^sujfrimer should 'mak-^ her re
sentful. ¦'*) :'- : \\'- :v .j* , ¦ i, . ,;i" . .'.' : f .
,; She, w4s*.not .looking at him when'she
# said: ¦;*. 'ti^o;.'^ sincerity.. isr t always jiist.
: ; And . you .were not{quite'.Just/;I think.'.'
' } "To you?" he dtmandeaT . . ... ' :
v'"Oh, no;, to { yourself." "¦''.
¦ : Pdrt!a\ Van "Brock's 'accusation was
; hammering- its ®.!?.- !*&?> .brain.- ; You
"have v marred ' hef<" between" you; \ -.¦ For
| your : : sake r. she. can '• never^be- quite ; all
she; ought to' belto* him; • for this -sake
she could never" b'eWuite^th^ same tb
I you, .' A "cold Vave^of^appreheigsipn' sub-
Vmerged him. ; : Inseejj:*irig to'do* the most
.ruriselfisli . thing?? that p off ere'd, 1 ". had , he
i. succeeded -onlyiin 'making her 'i despise '.
: quwUon twiur^ still "hanging ; an
;JswerIe8*\^^^^re;C^me^thc\sound of >
.'a^door opening" arid 'c'loiing and Ormsby
'-stood Rooking In ; uponVtI)em. : //¦ ?¦*% ' \.'<
: kMp' r tti'e8e^8l««py:ybuns.
j: p er s onB {outTof jiiedj iriy; lohgjsr," .* ; he '¦; an
nounced brieflyjaud .the coadjutor, said
. . "More waiting," 1 "said Kent.' definit
ively. : » "The I fight la f afriy, onj now—
as between .the . Bucks crowd- and the
corporations,'; I • mean— butUhere. will
probably be~*,ups .and down enough to
scare .Mrs.V Brentwood- into -letting go.
We must be ready- to strike when the
iron Is hot:>thafa all.''- /
- The New 'Yorker' tramped a full
•square in thoughtful : silence before he
said: ,. ••Candidly,., Kent^Mra; ; Hepzi
bah;s s little* stake ¦ in Western Pacific
isn't .altogether ;a: matter <bf life and
•death) to me,*: don't you- know? If It
J cbmes*to • the ¦•: .worst I can have 'my
¦broker play; the part of. the god in the
carJ .Happily; ,orj unhappily/ '.which
ever .way 'you like to put.it,.I sha'h't
miss what ! he "may; have to ;• put up" to
make*; cood on her 3000 shares.".
: V- David '. Kent* stopped abort and
seemed; not ; to care'. {much
about it either • way./. She-: said > her
mother would have . the casting! v o^- fJ>
; "J know., What -Ivdon't' know £ is,'
what remains to be done'." 3 - ". • > : . -.
". "What ' luck?" \was ! ; David Kent's
anxious query when;they were~ free of
,the house and . had turned their faces
townward. * ; : .^< v vj- ,
' "Just as much as w;e might havo ex
pected., Mrs. Hepzfbah' refuses point
blank to sell her' stock-^-won't "talk
about it. 'the idea of parting with it
now/ when it is .actually worthy more
than it was when we;Dought-'it!* " he
quoted, mimicking -ithe*' thin-lipped,
acidulous protest.' , "Later, : In . an ; evil
minute, I .tried to . drag . you
in. and she let yoii ¦ have .it
square on . the '.,.'- po.lnt i.of the
jaw— Intimated that it was a deal In
which some of you Inside people'need
od her block of ' stock* to " make' yoii :
whole. She did, byJovei'' ''
. Kent's laugh was mirthless., .
; ' "I ,was never down in . ; her * i good
books," he said by way. of /accounting
for -the accusation." ' ! "•? ¦ '¦¦-"/-• C, :
" If Ormsby thought he * knew i .tie
reason why, he was* niagrianimqua
enough to steer clear of ; that, shoal. '
- "It's a mess,", hevgrowled. '-'nrdon't
ifancyyou had any. better luck "with
Elinor." ¦;:¦: ; - :• :'¦•/;
good-night/and.jbined.'him at once.
Shq became silent at that, and for a
time, the- low sweet harmonies of the
nocturne Penelope- '.was playing tilled
the_ gape. , .
Kent left his chair and began to
wish honestly for Ornisby's return. He
Mas searing the wound again, and tl»e
process 'was more than .commonly
painful. They had been speaking in
figure*, as a man and -a woman .will;
yet he made sure the mask of meta
phor, was" transparent, no loss to her
than to him. j As many times before,
hb* i heart was crying out to. her; but
now behind the cry there was an up
surging tidal .wave of- emotion new and
strange; a toppling down of barriers
atid-'a- a weeping- inrush of passionate
rebellion.
; Why had she put' it out of her
power to make him her. champion ; in
the^ field of the lust of - mas
tery? . Instantly, and . like a ro
vealing;lightning flash, *it dawned
upon him tha^t this was his awaken
ing. Somethings;*; of himself she had
shown " him in the-". former time; how
he was rusting- InactiVe'-in the small
field when ha should, be dbiii& a.- man's
work, the work for .which^lijs, train
*ing had fitted him, in *ttie larger/ But
the glamor of sentiment had : been over
it all in- those days and- to the^pusslbn
warped; the high call is transmitted in
terms" of self seeking. • ;
S He. turned upon her suddenly.
"I3ld you mean to reproach me?" he
asked abruptly; .
. "How absurd!" - ¦'*¦¦'
"No; it Isn't. are responsible for
me, in a certain sense. ?You sent, me
out Into the' world and 'somehow I. feel
as : lf .I ; had' dlsappointea you."
: "But: what went ye> out for to see?"
she Quoted softly.; ' . . ,
;"I f ft'kfaow," ihc nodded, sitting -down
again. ': "You < thought 'you werearous-'
Ing a worthy ambition, but It was only
avarlqe that "was -quickened. '- - I've been
tfying^to be aimoneyA' getter." V ;" -.,/ ,
\ '•¦Tjpu ¦* can be something ' vastly ' bet
¦;ter."" 'v;'- : .;/ ; "y':,\ ;;:,;, \- t^".. ?•,¥.>£.
: .."Not'il'mi afraid^ not; ; itjls.^o vlate. 1 '
H> -Again the planp^ mellowed* silence^ su
•pervened,- and Kent put' his .elbows. on
his knees and his face' In his- hands.
"being very miserable. He'belieVed 'now"
.what he had been slow tq credit before,
. that he had had it in him to hew his
way to the end of thVline if only the
.motive were strong enough to call. out
'all 'the reserves of ; battle micht. and_
courage. That motive:she. alone, of all
the women in the world, might -have
supplied,: he. told himself Iri" keenv self
• pllyi> With : her love to- arm him, her
clear eyed faith to inspire him.'
Hc'sat up straight, uiid pushedthe cup
. jb.f bittcr.'herbs aside. There would.be
time r 'enough to drain ;it^farther on!
: VComing, back , to the stock market
_randf(ho present crisis, 1 ': he 'said; -break-
* r Ing? %he ' silence in sheer self -defense;
i^Ofmsby-and ,1— :" * .? ; l .;; :'• .¦"¦'; ¦'/
'.; She-, had \put;the ¦.resurrected toplb.
'back^into.ii^ !, "grave with a? little ges-';
ture of aijathetic-impatience she'uied - !
now {lnd;thep\with r Ormsby. , rV > . :
,."I 8uppose*,I ought ;';to be" interested,
but I. am not," she confessed. -; VMoth
j ,er: will do-as.'she '.thinks- best,; arid-we
shall calmly^ acaulesce.-Tas "we \ always
:do.". ." j . ,_¦.'¦ : •¦ ¦--"¦• .¦¦'¦¦¦J-- / : ¦•.••".
. ~ "David Kent was not! sorryUo >be re^
:\lieved.-'ln;ro.(^ny^wo^;*o^the"\p^rj-?
suaslve responsibiyiy^^and ¦; the t /jt^lk
drifted --} : into ., '. rVmlnisccnce.^ with , thej
;.Croyd6n • sunprier: f orfalbjvckirrbund/i-l .
': i*;It- ""waaVjof dangerous! "ipiiftime £;for.
:;Kent;- perirous,t;ya6dr>r8ubv«rsive-;ofi
& manyV things. *;\One^of 'his ;nnlloratlji8r
. xibmfprts 'h&A^ beefi > thej thbucht'that :
t however t * blttejrr.his t'owri ; (dlsappoln t- '
;?me*ntiwasi'<Ellhorl ; atVleast L wM*h^ippy;'t
But v in * this '• new-old field V of . talk ,. a
-; change" came ; over ; her. and ; ho : was no
, surV she- was : eritire|pr, -happy.'
Cop)Tfsbt by Bo!»b>-MerHll t'o.
t t '. H it to be a Quaker meeting?"
| asked Penelojx\ sweetly, when
J[ the Filcuce had grown a"vve
in^riring.
Kent laughed for pure joy at the
breaking of the tpolL
"On<? w ou!d think w had coiue to
dras; . V< -'U tsl I <>ff to jail. Ormsby and I." '
hr said: «nd then he uent on to ex
plain. "It"s ab«jut your Western Pa
ciiic stock, you know. To-day's quota
tions put it a voiui and u half abuve
ycur purcha.s«.- price, and we've coins
t ; j persuade you to unload, pronto, as
tite niembtr from the liio Blanco wuuld
tay."
"Is that ail?" said Penelope, stifling
a yawn.' l*Jl*en I'm not In it; I'm au
Infant,** And the rose and weut to the
piano.
"Vou h«vcii't 'toM us all of it; what
has happened?" queried Kiinor, Kpoak
lns fur the first time since her gzvetr
lug of ICc^t. . "¦•*' -¦ --¦• .
He briefed thje story of Hou.sc bill 1'3
for her. pointing out the probabilities.*
*"Uf course, DO one can tell what tho
rrecise crfoct will be." he - qualified.
"But in my opinion it is very likely to
l>c destructive of 'dividends. Skipping
the dry details, T.he new law. v.hich is
equitable enough on its face, can b3
marie £.n engine of extortion in the
hands of those "R-ho administer it. In
fact. I happen to know that it was de
signed and carried through for that
very purpose." v ' '
She? tinilfd. ; •
"1 have understood yon were in the '
opposition. Are you speaking politic
ally?" ¦>
"I am Elating the plain fact," said
Kent, nettled u little by her coolness.
"Decadent Home never lifted a baser
t>et of demagogues into office than we
have here in tkis State at the present
moment." - —
He spoke warmly, and she liked. him
best when he put ber on the footing of
tn equal antagonist.
"1 can't jisree v.ith your inference,"
ehe objected. "As a. people we are
neither cbt:eyuioU3 nor stupid."
"l»erliups not. But it is one of the
failures of a popular government that
an honest majority may be controlled
and directed by a small minority .of
shrewd rascals. That is exactly wliat
hfcs happened in the passage of this
bill. I venture to say that not one
man in ten who voted for it had the
faintest suspicion that it was a 'graft' *»
*'lf that be true, what chances there
are for men with the gift of true lead
ership and a love of pure justice in
their hearts;", she said uaif-absently;
and be started forward and eaid: "I
beg pardon V
She let the blue-gray eyes meet his
and there "was a passing shadow of
disappointment in them.
"I ought to beg your3. I'm afraid I
was thinking aloud." But "It la one of
my dreams. If I were a n*an I should
go into polillcs."
"To purify them?"
"To do my part in .trying. The great
heart of the people Is honest. and ;well
tneanius:; I think v.-c all admit • that^.
And there Is intelligence,. tod.*; But^hu~>
ma.:i nature is the eame ;ks: lti_U8&4'no^
'be when they set up a raan^whoixoujd;
and called .hi m a king. Gentle or simr"
piti. it must be led." - - 'V,* -*; y$f
"There ia no lack of leadership^; such
« it is," he.hazarded. -;. K^Tr: " '' ' -
!'Xo; but there -seems to be a piti
ful lack of the right kind;., mon who
tviJI put self-seeking and unworthy
ambition aside and lift the standard of
justice and right .doing for its own
s;ilte. Are there any such men nowa
days?"
"I don't know," he rejoined gravely/
"S.ometimes I'm tempted' to doubt' it.
It Is a frantic scramble for place and
poxver for the most part. The kind of
man you have -in mind' isn't < in it:
shuus it as he would a plague spot." -
She contradicted him firmly. .
"No. 'the .kind, of man I have", in
mind wouldn't shun it; he would take
hold with his hands and try to. make
things better; lie would put the selfish
temptations under foot and give the
pt-ople a Jeader worth f ollowing—be
the real mind and hand of 'the well
meaning majority." -
Kent shook his head slowly.
' "Mot unless \ye. adn\it * a -motive
stronger than the abstraction which
we call patriotism." : .- :
"I- don't understand," she said;
meaning, rather, that she refused to.
understand. .
. "I mean that such a* man. however,
exalted his views might be, would have.;
to haws^wj^object. more -personal:, to
him than me mere dutiful promptings
of - patriotism to make him do his
besL" 'V.V- v f > ¦•.,-• . " ¦¦;;¦¦;. ¦¦' ; ; :> -/
"But that would be ;. self-seeking
again." ... , ' - ". ' . - .;.-;¦
"Not ¦ necessarily in • the , narrow
sense. The old 1 "knightly chivalry was
a beautiful thing ; in . Its way/- and' it
gave an uplift to an age which- would
have been frankly; brutal wlthoutUt;
yet it' had j Its in what ap
peals Xo" us vhow as being rather a fan
tastic sentiment." ..
\ "And we are not sentimentalists?"
she suggested. . . \ -.
: . <*No ; " and;, it's worse for use . in .some
respects. ~You will not* find .your yideal,
,, politician 'until "you find ) .a; jnaji.with
i jsornewhat" of the old knightly spirit in
i him..* And.ril go furtKer/and^sayythat
¦w.ben;ybir. do find hini\he; ; wiH'jbe;'at
heir t ¦ the -.champion of \tlie .w^gman '.he
-4ojies*.rathcr- than that: of !a>-p6Utlcal
- constituency." '*' . . .','¦" .:
This is tlw -citnid install
ment of "Tlie <; rafters," a po-
MVn-i'.i story hy Francis l,jnd«'.
nislclk Iwgan hi The Sunday
< all Mat-aziiir <m Oeto!jcr 9.
:ntd n1tk.il will be completed
on October SO. This i« a
Mory of gradually incrrasiiis
iiiU-n>t. and «:m» v.liicli i»or
ltm>« forcefully the ixmrr of
";rralt" in latter-day i>o"fiics.
lVt^loui'is: "The Oraflcr."
«ill appear "The So<-oi»d 5 Irs.
Jim.*? one of the season's iioj>
ul;tr books.
At one time, when success In his
chosen vocation' meant 1 more to him
than he thought.it could ever mean
again, the promoted , subordinate would
have had an attack of jubilance little
in keeping with* the grave responsibili
ties of his office; As it fell.out^he was
too busv to celebrate, and too aore on
the sentimental side to rejoice. Hence,
his recognition of the promotion was
merely a~ deeper " plunge , into the flood
of legalities *nd tha adding of two
-Contrary to the expectations of tha
alarmists and the lawyers, and some
what.'to the disappointment of the lat
ter, the vested .interests showed no dis
position, to test the constlutlonality of
the act in . the courts. So far, Indeed,
from making difficulties, the various
alien corporations affected by the^new
law wheeled promptly Into line-in'com
pliancc with its provisions, vying with
one another in proving, or seeming' to
prove, the time-worn aphorism that
capital can never afford to be otherwise
than strictly law-abiding. . *
.' In the reorganization of the West
ern. Pacific, David Kent developed. at
once and heartily into that rare; and
much-sough t-f or quantity, "a- man "for
an emergency. Loring, «so,vwas a busy
man in this transition period, yet .'he
found time to keep an -appreciative eye
on Kent, and. true to h& implied prom
ise, pushed him vigorously' for the;flrst
place In the legal department of the lo
calized "company*. ; Since' 'the.. resident
\ria*nager. " stood high \ la, the .Boston
counsels of the company. '-the pushing
vfas* not'without resultsfand while Da
vid Kent wa3 still up to.hls eyes ia the
of flogging the .'"•affairs of tha
newly named Transwestern j Into con
formity, with ..the law, his appointment
as. general counsel came from-tha Ad
visory. Board. :;•-•
By the terms of its dating clause ths
new trust and corporation law became
effective at once, "the public .welfare
requiring' it"; _ and though- there was
an ' immediate sympathetic decline In
the -securities involved, there was k no
panic, financial- or industrial, to.mari
the change from the old to the new. '
The Haymakers.
CIIATTKU- Vffl.
Ormsby did not say whether he would
or would not. and the talk' went aside
to less summary ways and means pre
servative of the Brentwood fortunes.
But at the archway of the Came tot
Club, where Kent paused. Ormsby went
back to the debatable ground in an out",
spoken word.
. "I know pretty well now what there
is between us, Kent, and we mustn't
quarrel if we can help it,'*- he said. "If
•you complain that I didn't give you a
fair show, I'll retort that I 'didn't 1 dare
to. Are you satisfied?'.' • ."* '
"No," David Kent; and* with
that they. 'separated. • . , j
'¦'If you don't know without, beinff
told it. proves that, your money has
spoiled -you to that extent. It is be
cause you havo no right to entrap
Miss Brentnood into an obligation
that would make her. your debtor for
the very food she eatw and the clothes
Bhe wears. You will say she need
never know; be very sure she would
find* ou£~~ one' way' or another; and
she would never forgive you.",
"Um." said Ormsby, turning, visi
bly, grim/ "You are frank enough—
•to draw it mildly. Another man in
my place might .suggest that it isn't
Mr. David Kent's affair." .
Kent turned about and caught step
again; ,'
"I've had my say— all of it," ha
rejoined stolidly. "We've been de
cently modern up to now. and wo
won't go back to the elemental things
so late in the day. All the same, you'll
not take it amiss if I t;ay that I know
Miss Brentwood rattier better than
you do."
wheeled suddenly upon his com
panion.
"Ormsby, that's a, thins I've been
afraid of it II along:, and it's the one
thin? you must never do."
"Why not?" demanded the straight
forwaftl Orrasby. .
Kent knew he was skating on thin
ice, but his love for Elinor made him
fearless of conseouences.
The Sunday Call Magazine
THE GRAFTERS