Newspaper Page Text
The Root
of __!E_Vil
SYNOPSIS
Stuart, southern lawyer tn Now York, iv
& love with Nua Primwewe. Hls friend,
Dr. Woodmen, whe hee s youmg daugh
tor, io threatemed with the jese of his
érug business by Bivems, whom he be
friended years befowe. Stuast visite the
Primroses.
Nan wants Stueet te acospt 8 place with
Bivens' chemical trast. He dislikes Biv
eny metheds and refuses. Biveas calls
o him.
Woodman will net yield and sues Bivens'
eompany. The promoter telis the doctor
he and Nan are engaged. Harriet Wood
man is studying music. Steert takes Nan
for a day fm the country.
Stuart pleads with Nam to give up Blv
ens, but the spell of milliems is on her and
abe yields te it.
Nan becomes Mrs. Bivems. Harrlet
foves Stuart, but he does not know it
Nine years pass. Stuart becomes district
attorney. He investigates criminal trusta.
Nan asks him to eali.
Stuart wants Woodman to end his suit
egalnst Bivens, but the doctor stands
firm. Bivens alds Stuart in his investi
gation of crooked financiers.
Stuart’'s revelations aid in bringing on &
crisis. Bivens promises to aid the Van
Dam Trust company, which is in trouble.
Woodman needs money badly.
Stuart is tempted to join Bivens as his
confidential man. He accepts an invita
tion to visit the Bivens house and is re
ceived by Nan.
At a meeting of the discontented, at
which Bivens is denounced, a bomb
thrower is killed by his own missile.
Woodman decides to continue his fight
against Bivens. |
The mob attacks Stuart and injures him
slightly. Nan sees it and reveals her
love. Bivens piles $00,006,000 on a table
and calls Stuart to see the money to re
fute rumors of his financial weakness
CHAPTER XIV.
The Unbidden Guest.
HE bitter reference to Bivens
and the crime of his corner in
wheat had roused Nan’s fight
ing blood. She would accept
the challenge of this rabble and show
her contempt for its opinions in a
way that could not be mistaken. She
determined to give an entertainment
whose magnificence would startle the |
gocial world and be her defiant answer
to the critics of her husband. At the l
same time it would serve the double
purpose of dazzling and charming the
imagination of Stuart. She would by
a single dash of power end his in
decision as to Bivens's offer and bind
with stronger cords the tie that held
him to her.
Her suggestion was received with
enthusiasm by her husband.
“All right,” he said excitedly, *beat
the record. Give them something to
talk about the rest of their lives. 1
don’'t mean those poor fools in Union
square. Their raving is pathetic. 1
mean the big bugs who think they
own the earth, the people who think
that we are new comers and that this
island was built for their accommoda
tion. Give them a knock out.”
Nan spared no expenditure of time,
money and thought to the perfection
of her plans. She employed a corps
of trained artists, took them to her
home, told them what she wished and
they worked with enthusiasm to eclipse
in splendor New York’s record of lavish
entertainments—but always with the
reservation which she had imposed
that nothing be done that might violate
the canons of beauty and good taste.
The long dreamed night came, and
her guests had begun to arrive.
One was hurrying there to whom mno
engraved Invitation had been sent, and
yet his coming was the one big event
of the evening, the one thing that
would make the night memorable,
The confession of love for Stuart
which Harriet had sobbed out in her
father’s arms had been the last straw
that broke the backbone of his fight
against Bivens. In a burst of gener
ous feeling he made up his mind to
eat his pride, drive from his mind
every bitter Impulse and forget that
he had ever hated this man or been
wronged by him. He could see now
that he had neglected his little girl
in the fight he had been making for
other people and that her very life
might be at stake in the struggle she
was making for the man she loved.
Blvens had once offered to buy his
dusiness. He had afterward made
fim a generous offer to compromise
Ris suit. He had never doubted for a
moment that a compromise would be
sccepted the moment he should see fit
o give up.
He instructed his lawyer to with
draw the appeal before the day fixed
for filing the papers. The lawyer
zaved and pleaded in vain. The doctor
was firm. He wrote Bivens a gener
ens personal letter in which he asked
st the past be forgotten and that he
eppolnt a meeting at which they could
aerange the terms of & final friendly
@itlement.
¥he act had lifted a load from his
Boart. The sum he would receive, if
Sut bhalf Bivens' original offer, would
be sufficlent to keep him in comfort.
complets bhis daughter’s course in
music and give him something with
which to continue his daily ministry
%0 the friendless and the lowly. It
wwes all be asked of the world now.
la wendesed In his new_enthusiasm
wny ne naa Kepr up s DITIEr Icuu
for the enforcement of his rights by
law when there were 8o many more
argent and important things in life
to do.
He waited four days for an answer
to his letter and receiving none wrote
‘again. In the meantime the day for
;flnal action on his appeal had passed
and his suit was legally ended. On the
last day his lawyer pleaded with him
for an hour to file the appeal 8v!, and
then compromise at bis lely e The
doctor merely smiled qu’u,,fly and re
peated hig gecision:
“I'm done fighting. I've something
else to do.”
When Bivens failed to reply to his
gecond letter he made up his mind to
see him personally. He was sure the
letter had been turned over to a lawyer
and the financier had never seen It.
He called at Bivens’ office three times
and always met the same answer:
“Mr. Bivens Is engaged for every
hour today. You must call agaln.”
On the fourth day, when he had
stayed until time for closing the office.
a secretary Informed him that Mr.
Bivens was too busy with matters of
great importance to take up any new
business of any kind for a month and
that he had given the most positive
orders to that effect to all his men. If
he would return the first of next
month he would see what could be
done.
The doctor left in disgust. He deter
mined to break through this ceremoniai
nonsense, see Bivens face to face and
settle the affair at once.
When he should see him personally it
would be but a question of five min
utes friendly talk and the matter
would be ended. Now that he recalled
little traits of Bivens' character he
didn’t seem such a scoundrel after all.
just the average money mad man who
could see but one side of life. He
would remind him in a friendly way of
their early association and the help he
had given him at an hour of his life
when he needed it most. He wouldn’t
cringe or plead. He would state, the'
whoie situation frankly and truthfully
and with dignity propose a settlement. 1
1t was just at this moment that the
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“Mr. Bivens is engaged for every hour
today.”
doctor learned of the preparations for
the dinner and ball at the Bivens pal
ace on Riverside drive. The solution
of the whole problem flashed through
his mind in an instant. They would
have professional singers without a
doubt, the great operatic stars and oth
ers. 1f Harriet could only be placed on
the program for a single song it would
be settled. Her voice would sweep
Bivens off his feet and charm the bril
liant throng of guests. He would bhave
to accompany her there, of course. At
the right moment he would make him
self known. A word with Bivens and
it would be settled.
He lost no time in finding out the
manager of the professional singers for
the evening and through Harriet’s en
thusiastic music teachers arranged for
her appearance. rom-the moment this
was accomplished his natural optimism
returned. His success was sure. He
gave his time with renewed energy to
his work among the poor.
On the day of the ball Harriet was
waiting in a fever of impatience for his
return from the hospitals to dress. At
half past T their dinner was cold and
he had not come. It was 8 o’clock be
fore his familiar footstep echoed
through the hall.
He ate a hasty meal, dressed in
thirty minutes and at 9 o'clock led
Harriet to the side entrance of Bivens’
great house on the drive.
He was in fine spirits. He rejoiced
again that he had made up his mind
to live the life of faith and good fel
lowship with all men, including the
little swarthy master of the palace he
was about to enter. And so with
light heart he stepped through the
door which the soft white hand of
death opened. How could he know?
*® ® » ® * * *
As Stuart dressed for Nan’s party he
brooded over his new relation to his
old sweetheart with increasing pleas
ure. Never had Bivens' offer seemed
more generous and wonderful. His
pulse beat with quickened stroke as
he felt the new sense of power with
which he would look out on the world
as a possible millionaire.
~ He gazed over the old square with
a feeling of regret a‘’ the thought ot
leaving it. He had gfown to love the
place in the past ye: of loneliness.
but was deciding to} soon. perhaps
Shona wora woma fosfures of Bivens
THE LEADER-ENTE RPRISE TUESDAY DECEMBER 24
pusiness fie must understand Mu..
clearly before he could give up his
freedom and devote himself body and
soul to the task of money making as
his associate.
He went across the square to take
a cab at the Brevoort. His mood was
buoyant. He was looking out on life
once more through rose tinted glasses.
At BEigtith street he met at right angles
the swarming thousands hurrying
across town from their work—heavy
looking men who tramped with tired
step. striking the pavements dully with
thelr nailed shoen, tired, anxious wom
en, frowey Readed Mttle girls, sad eyed
boys, half awake—all bhurrying, the
fear of want and the horror of charity
in their silent faces. And yet the sight
toucked no responsive chord of sym
pathy in Stuart’s heart as it often had
As he drove uptown the avenue flash
o with swift. sflent antomobiles and
bleoded horses. These nptown crowds
through whose rushing streams he
passed were all well dressed and car
ried bundles of candy, flowers and
toys.
Stuart feit the contagious enthusi
asm of thousands of prosperous iner
and women whose lives at the moment
flowed about and enveloped his own.
What was it that made the difference
between the squalid atmosphere below
Fourth street and the glowing. flash
ing, radiant. jeweled world uptown?
Money! It meant purple and fine
linen. delicacles of food and drink,
pulsing machines that could make
a mile a minute, the mountain and
‘the sea, freedom from care, fear,
drudgery and slavery!
~ After all in this modern passion for
money might there not be something
deeper than mere greed, perhaps the
regenerating power of the spirit press
ing man upward? Certainly he could
'see only the bright side of it tonight.
As his cab swung into Riverside
drive from Seventy-second street the
sight which greeted him was one of
startling splendor. Bivens' yacht lay
at anchor in the river just in front of
his house. She was festooned with
electric lights from the water line to
j the top of her towering steel masts.
The illumination of the exterior of
the Bivens house was remarkable.
The stone and iron fence surround
ing the block. which had been built at
a cost of a hundred thousand dollars.
was literally ablaze with lights. The
house was illumined from its founda
tions to the top of each towering
minaret with ruby colored lights.
Stuart passed up the grand stairs
through a row of gorgeous flunkies
and greeted his hostess. |
Nan grasped his hand with a smile
of joy. ‘
“You are to lead me in to dinner. |
Jim, at the stroke of 8." ‘
“I'll not forget,” Stuart answered,
his face flushing with surprise at the |
unexpected honor. ‘
“Cal wishes to see you at once. You
wi:l find him in the library.”
Bivens met him at the door. ‘
“Ah, there you are!” he cried cor
dially. *‘Come back downstairs with
me. 1 want you to see some peopie
as they come in tonight. I’vefa SW
of funny things to feN you aboit
them.”
The house was crowded with an
army of servants, attendants. musi
cians, singers, entertainers and re
porters.
The doctor had been recognized by
one of the butlers whom he bad be
friended on his arrival from the Old
World. The grateful fellow had gone
out of the way to make him at home.
and in his enthusiasm had put an al
cove which opened off the ball room
at his and Harriet’s disposal. The
doctor was elated at this evidence of
Bivens’ good feeling and again con
gratulated himself on his common
sense in coming.
Bivens led Stuart to a position near
the grand stairway, from which he
could greet his guests as they re
turned from their formal presentation
to the hostess.
He kept up a running fire of bio
graphical comment which amused
Stuart beyond measure. It was a rev
elation of the crooked ways in which
Bivens' guests or their fathers or grand
fathers had amassed their millions.
many of them by robbing the govern
ment, the people.
“The world has never heard most
of these stories—that’s funny!” Stuart
exclaimed after a time.
“Not so funny. Jim. when you think
of the power of money to make the
world forget. God only knows how
many fortunes in America had their
origin in thefts from the natfon during
the civil war, and the systematic
frauds that have been practised on our
government since. I've turned some
pretty sharp tricks. Jim, in stalking
my game in this big man hunt of Wall
street. but at least I've never robbed
the wounded or the dead on a battle
fleld and I've never used a dark lan
tern to get into the government vaults
at Washington. I'm not asking you
to stand for that.”
“If you did"—
“Yes, I know the answer, but speak
softly, his majesty the king approaches
—long live the king!”
Bivens spoke In low, half joking
tones, but the excitement of his voice
told Stuart only too plainly that he
fully appreciated the royal honor his
majesty was paying in this the first
social visit he had ever made to his
home. The king gave him a pleasant
nod and grasped Stuart’s hand with
a hearty cordial grip. He was a man
of few words, but he always said ex
actly what he thought.
“I'm glad to meet you., Mr. Stuoart.
You've done us 8 good turn in sending
some of our crooks to the penitentiary.
You've cleared the air and made it
possible for an old fashioned banker to
breathe in New York. It's a pleasure
to shake hands with you.”
The king passed on into the crowd.
the focus of a hundred agmiring eyes.
To be continued in next issue,
The Surprise St
Received and placed on sale 100
rain coats for men and boys. These
coats are standard brands and guar
anteed absolutely water-proof or a
a new coat.
Actual values from $5 to $12.50
our prices range from $2.69 to $5.90
Come and get yours before they
are picked over as we are selling
them fast.
We have also received a big lot of
men’s odd coats. They are high
grade and come from suits that
sold from $l5 to $25. Our prices
on these coats are $2.90 to $5.90.
T__h———s—_———:—_;_._—T
' OUR MOTTO; “Your moneys worth or your money back.”
IS YOUR CREDIT GOOD?
| THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
Merchants Credit Association
ARE ARRANGING FOR THE PUBLICATION OF A
@ @ '
Credit Guide
For This District As A Basis Of Credit
BY THIS SYSTEM each individual is placed
on record, showing how many places they
secure credit and with what degree of prompt
ness they pay their bills. Th+« book will show,
not the financial standing, bu- the credit stand
ing, everybody, man or woman, who trades
on time and as it is not a financial rating, the
poor man who pays his bills prompty will{se
cure a higher rating than the man of means
who does not.
Now is the Time to Pay the Old Ac
count and Secure a '