NOVELETTE.

Lake County Press, Issue 2459, 2 January 1913, Page 7

NOVELETTE.

'•She niea.i.v marry him, of course!" ticdih Craig said bitterly, as he pushed aside the dry legal commentary on which he had vainly striven to concentrate his i n ind. That brief observation told the whole story. He w« iu in love with Nanny Lyon, the prettiest, wittiest, most winsome creature- that ever besieged tiie heart of a lawyer. Once he had deluded himself with the thought that was not altogether indifferent to his devotion, but that was Ijefore she knew Stanley Mark?, the -present- object of his jealous unnuty. Staniey was - u handsome, idle fellow, with inoio money than he knew what /to"do with; Hollis was a poor, plodding yoang la^y* ?r) whose clients were lew. T.ie contrast was too obvious Holliti knew that his chance was a mere sp?ctre, but ho would not give it I up without a struggle. "Money—infoney—money!" he said, springing up and pacing his office with a restless stride. "If I were not such I a beggar 1 might hope to win her.l Bat, poor as 1 am, I would have no right tc marry her, even if she were willing.' 1 In the midst of his bitter medita-1 tions tbe office door opened, and in walked his friend, George Withey, who bore the new title of "stockbroker."' "Halloo, Hollis!" was his salutation. "You're just the man I want to see. You know what I told you yesterday. I had private information by wire this morning. Grain wi.l be 'cornered' this week, and they are going to run up the price. Whr.t do you say to joining a syndicate to buy half a million bushels? 'Future,*' of course. It will only take a few hunded dollars, and there's a fine 'spec' on the horizon. What do you say? It's a 'bull' market right straight though." "I haven't the money," Hollis answered, with a sardonic smile . . "Can't you borrow a little from your Uncle .Stephen? It's too bad to let such a chance slip. I'd bet on a rise of 40 cents a bushel by the nineteenth.'' Hollis pondered over the mrtter, while his friend balanced himelf on the j edge of the desk, and held forth on the certainty of a golden havest in j grrin speculations. Here was the very opportunity ho had longed for, the opportunity of mak- j ing a handsome little pile in a few davs without working for it. If prices "boomed" as George said j thoy would, he might clear 20,000 do l - j lars by the middle of the month, and then—"Well, I'll see about it," Hollis | said, as his friend was leaving. "Youj can count on me if I can got the' money." t ! He d>d get it. He had never fssked his t'nr'e Stephen for 3 loan before. The old man had confidence in Ho'-! and had very clear ideas of com'.meroinl honour, would not have bor-1 rowed the sfoney for such a purpose. '•He meant to pay it hack. Still, hjo 1 knew that his only chance of ever dojag so depended entirely on the -f -ver- ' ish fluctuation of the market. Bur, the thought of Nannie had ■ numbed his sense of honour. He put the money in George With- : ey's hard, and ventured out upon his I first cruise in the treacherous sea of, ■peculation. -;Mpst of us remember the famous "corner ' in the grain market. A number of capitalists bought up thousands of bushels of grain and stored them away, cutting short the supply and bringing about a sharp advance in prices. It was with this movement that Hollis was in sympathy; bv this he profited. George Withey was right. Grain went up like a rocket, and Hol'is cleared his 23,000 dollars. Three weeks had worked a wondrous change in his prospects. He was no longer a penniless lawyer. He had paid back the monev which he owed his Uncle Stephen, and with a handsome balance in bank he went to see Nannie Lyon. It was lust after dinner. Mr. Lyon was in the library reading tho paper aloud to his wife and daughter. How lovely Nannie looked in a soft pearl-coloured cashmere, brightened with .knots of cardinal satin, and how sweealy she smiled upon him. "Ah! How d'ye do, Mr. Craig?' - Mr. Lyon said, kindly. "You're quite a stranger. You mustn't let the law come between you and your old friends." Hollis blushed. For the first time m h:s life he felt guilty. He knew his law business had been sadly neglected during the oast three weeks. "I was just reading the paper to Mrs. Lyon and Nannie," he continued, as Hollis took the seat they proffered him. "Have you seen this editorial in the Tribune? The one on grain speculatioii. It's a capital thing—my senti- _ ments exactly. This gambling in pro- , visions is a monstrous outrage, Mr. « Craig. I don't approve of speculation in anv form, but if men want to gamble in stocks let them, I say. It's only when they want to touch food products that I think we ought to put on the legal brakes." "lan* it dreadful?" Nannie said, turning to Hollis with tears in her eyes. "This grain corner 3 or whatever you call it, has put up the price of flour so that poor peoplo can't afford to buy bread." ■-- "Yes," cried tho old man indignantly. "Think of it! Those capitalists arc starving the masses. That's how they make their money. Seventyfour thousand bushels or potatoes have just come over from Scotland in tho steamer Thetis. With millions of acres of wheal in the- country and a stupendous surplus for export, the peoplo find it cheaper to live on imported potatoes than to buy flour at the fancy prices it now fonimands. Hunger and privation eve~ywhere, n famine in the midst of plenty. Ft 1- a monstrous I say--.it is a crime." Hollis turned red :'"d white and then red agaii.. "If is very distressing!" he murmured. faiitV;. feeling as though he wore personally denounced. If that aspect of the question had ever presented itself to his mind, he had not given it a moment's thought. Mr. Lyon's forcible utterances had overwhelmed him. "Thue ought to be a law against this sort of thing," the old gentleman begin again, but a .servant interrupt. Ed him with the announcemeni thai

j someone touted te see him at the ! door. . x , j i A few moments afterwards, Mrs. ! Lvon hoard him calling ' 'Mother, and followed him out into tho hall. Thus Hollis was left alone with Nannie, but for the life of him, he coud not utter a word. 1 •Isn't it dreadful:-" she said, tor the second time. "1 don't think a trulv honest man would have anything to do with the manipulation ot gram,; do you?" . . . i ! "Oh, yes!" Hollis answered, with a natural constraint. "But it—it is uotj .customary to take such extreme! 1 views." , -j "Extreme!" she cried, with pained j surprise. "Do you call them that? 1 ; think the facts of the case only admit of one view. The capitalists are mak-j ing money by methods that entail end-, less hardship on the poorer classes. | It in all wrong! For my part, I wouldn't trust the man who lent him-1 self to any such practices." j Hollis winced. He made no reply, : for a while, and Nannie picked up her I embroidery, which lay upon the table, j i "In other words," he said slowly, i i screening his face with his hands, j ! "you would not marry him. no matter! : who he was?" ! "No, indeed!" Nannie said emphafc--1 ically. "I could not touch money made in such a manner!" j Hollis had turned very palo. 'and 1 his hand shook. In this one mighty effort to win her] I he had wrecked his only chance! j I "Then you would not marry mo?"| ! he cried, hoarsely starting to his feet. "I am a grain speculator—one of the] men you denounce. Nannie, I love] you--Heaven knows how well! It was 1 love of you that led me to this. li was poor; I made thousands in this one venture. To-night I came here to j ask you to marry me, but now--" j "Now." she echoed, giving him a j look of scorn and pained surprise, "I ; would not marry you, though you were a millionaire! I would not have be-, 1 lieved this of you, Hollis Craig!" . He turned with a dark flush upon | , his face, and left tho house. "Good-bye!" he said, huskily. "I have staked all—even honour—and j ! l0st! " .. I When he had gone Nannie burst, into teara. "Oh, Hollis, Hollis!" she sobbed. '.'How could you?" Weeks went by, but he never came I back. He had felt that she was lost to him j j forever, and desperation seized him. His law business went to the dogs, ] while he joined the wild herd which \ , freuented the Stock Exchange. i ' He did not gamble in grain. He J j acknowledged the criminal injustice of j j speculation in breadstuffs, or provi- j sions, and, now that hie eyes were ! opened, he was too honest to cnpagei in such piracy. ' But cue taste of speculation was to j : him what one taste of liquor is to j ' many another man. It intoxicated] ! him. There was no consideration to . hold him back, and he .rushed madly [ j into the purchase and sale of stocks, ] ! rising and sinking with tho tide, try- j ' ing to drown tiie misery in his heart I with continual excitement. i Month after month passed. Hollis] 1 made money, but lost it quite as fast. ] At the cud of three years he was back j ' where he started, absolutely penniless. I j Worse than that, his mad career had left him bankrupt in friends and crcI dit. His clients had forsaken him. j . and he knew not where to turn. Stung with remorse and despair, he ] thought of the only escape that seem- • I ed open to him— suicide. So there ! came out in the paper one morning ! i the following heading to a long article i setting forth his history and the moral it pointed:— "Attempted Suicie.—A Talented Young Lawyer, Ruined bvSpecula- J tion, Shoots Himself in theTiead. — Fatal Career of Hollis Craig.—He is in a Critical Condition." In a darkened room Hollis lay back upon the pillows, pale and haggard, wondering at the strange providence that had saved his life. He seemed to be sleeping, but the soft rustle of a woman's drer,:; aroused j I him. He looked up and saw a slight j figure clad in deep mourning, tho face! and figure of Nannie Lyon." j "Hollis!" she whispered, bending • over bim with tho tender light of a ] I Divinr love shining in her eyes. "Hoi- ] . lis. do ,rou know me?" j "Nannie!" he said, faintly, trying ! to raise his head. "Nannie!" ! "Yes! It is Nannie!" she cried,; joyously, clasping her arms about him. ] j "Oh, Hollis! Thank Heaven, you still, (live. I will never leave you now-—] j never, never!" I "No, no!" he said with a feeble; (struggle. "Darling, you must not! . I am-—a wreck; you—no, no! the sacI rifice is too great." I "I love you," she whispered, bendI ing her proud head, and kissing h:8, pale lips. "Let me stay, Hollis!" j A look of speechless joy flitted over I his wan face, he clasped his arms about ', her, his tears fell on her shining hair,] ■ but still ho shook his head. I "Hollis!" she pleaded, in tremulous I tones, "papa and mamma are dead. I I I am all alone. I want you to tako ' care of me." j "1!" he cried, in the ecstasy of self j scorn. "Oh, Nannie, Nannie, I am a j ruined man." "But I am rich now, Hollis, and--; j I love you. Lot me stay with you. I I would rather you were penniless than i —than that you should have madoj j millions by speculations. Daring,' you can begin all over again, and be-] I gin straight. I Her arms were about him. her sweet] i wooing lips close to his own. '! His great love welled up and swept l , away his scruples. "My darling, my good angel!" he • whispered. "For your sake—for • your sake! Nannie, my dear little^ I I Nannie, how have 1 deserved tlr's?" ■. "11 pay in advance," she said, smil- '. ing through a mist of tears. "Besides s il owe you something for having sent 5 j you away as I did. Oh. Hollis. I was ■ I wrong then. I ought to have tried to ? : win you back to honour and probity." 1| "But I ought never to have depart- " ed from tho straight and narrow way," hj lie answered, gravely; and then ho 1 added, with fervent emphasis. "I never 5 will again, Nannie, never again." Ho irevor has. ij They were married a few weeks bit--1 or. and Nannie nursed him back to -j health. ? ; His story was told about, and every- \ (two was so intensely interested that, 1 when Hollis opened his office again, ho 0 was fairly besjeged with clients. • i He is getting alofig finely now. and J ho and Nannie are blissfully liappv j together, t Having learned how fatal the slighti) .••-.( d<'j:::iiuro from principle may - !'•;<'. Ifoiijv; never swerved an inch t cither ivav.