The Fashionable Adventures of Joshua Craig

and pretend to be but aren't, hides the real reason, the real moving cause of action. By tacit agreement among human beings there is an unwritten law against the exp

f these reasons-except one-shed a pure, white light upon Stillwater's public spirit and private generosity. That one was the reason supposed by Mrs. Stillwater to be real. "Since

a" Stillwater. "I'll

blicly called "the opportunity of a lifetime." The really real reason was that S

r "unconstitutional." The years pass; the clamor persists, becomes imperious. The politicians pass a law that has been carefully made unconstitutional. This gives the exploiters several years more of license. Finally, public sentiment compels the right kind of law; it is passed. Then come the obstacles to enforcement. More years of delay; louder clamor. A Stillwater is put in charge of the enforcement of the law; a case is made, a trial is had, and the evidence is so incomplete or the people's lawyers so poorly matched against the lawyers of the exploiters that the cas

hat the popular clamor against the men "who had built up the Western country" was wicked, that he was serving his country in denying the mob "the blood of our best citizens," that Josh Craig was a demagogue who richly deserved to be hoist by hi

icly exposed and overwhelmed by himself. Among these spectators was Josh's best friend, Arkwright, seated beside Margaret Severence, and masking his satisfaction over the impending catastrophe with an expression of funereal somberness. He could not quite conceal from himself all these hopes that had such an uncomfortable aspect of

and real power? Never was there a better court manner; the Justices, who had been anticipating an opportunity to demonstrate, at his expense, the exceeding dignity of the Supreme Court, could only admire and approve. As for his speech, it was a straightway argument; not a superfluous or a sophomoric word, not an attempt at rhetoric. His argument-There is the logic that is potent but answerable; there is the logic that is unan

nventional, was the face of a mere listener. Grant, reassured, resumed his absorbed attention, was soon completely swept away by his friend's exhibition of power, could hardly wait until he and Margaret were out of the courtroom before explod

ting-at times,"

s! Oh, y

ed upon the petty and the paltry. Her eyes suggested a secret amusement so genuine that she could not vent

nscious of her derision. "Women have no inte

self her amusement at his airs of masculine superiority. Said she, her manner ingen

fact," admitted he. "It was simply supreme common-sense. What a world for twaddle it is when common-

you sa

I." There was in his tone a faint hint of his uncons

ray," said she, "you, wi

fe as a career; she made no allowances for the fact that a man's public appearances, no matter how sincere he is, must always be carefully rehearsed if he is to use his powers with unerring effect; she was simply like a child for the first time at the theater, and, chancing to get a glimpse behind the scenes, disgusted and angry with the players because their performance is not spontaneous. If she had stopped to reason about the matter she would have been less uncompromising. But in the shock of disillusionment she felt only that the man was working upon his audience like a sleight-of-hand performer; and the longer she observed, and the stronger his spell over the others, the deeper became her

curled as she listened. What did this fakir know about manhood and womanhood? And could there be any more pitiful, more paltry wasting of time than in studying out and performing such insincerities as his life was made up of? True, Mrs. Houghton, of those funny, fashionable New Yorkers who act as if they had only just arrived at the estate of servants and carriages, and are always trying to impress even passing st

e more his personality pitted directly and wholly against hers, she, in spite of herself, began to yield to him again her respect-the respect every intelligent person must feel for an individuality that is erect and strong. But as she was watching, her expression was that of simply listening, without comment or intention to reply-an expression of which she was perfect mistress. Her hazel eyes, set in dark lashes, her sensuous mouth, her pallid skin, smooth and healthy, seemed the climax of allurement to w

orced his thoughts to leave his pet subject, himself, and center upon her.

ist

age. You are on your knees before wealth and social position, and

claimed, or rather, blustered. And, red

me. You didn't bluster at the Court this morning." She laughed softly,

by a tremendous will, the odds seemed in his favor. But soon his frown relaxed; a smile replaced it-a handsome a

plied she, no answering smile in her eyes or upon

ankness. You are the only intelligent woman I have m

One might as well expect to find it in a crowd of boys sc

all of life,"

sort of people-the ambitio

"You'll do," approved he. "We s

orne as she was talking became personal

lly. "I am. I alway

t I can say that at least I n

he, "you may not

she. And she rose a

to get acquainted. The other day I misjudged yo

ht he, "THERE'S the real thing. There's a true aristocrat." And he frankly paid aristocracy in thought the tribute he would with any amount of fuming an

izingly: "I like that little friend

was an affectation. "You know very well what her nam

"One shares one's name with a great many people, so it's unimportant. But one's face

the limit of impertinent free-spokennes

s been badly brought up, and is full of foolish ideas

" observed Arkwrigh

t to be a wife, but for her typ

nd showed it. "What a bounder you

acy. Believe me, Grant, you don't understand women. They don't like you delicate fellows. They li

s, but I do say they're not worthy of our opinion of them.... Well, I suppose you're going to try to marry her"-this with a vicio

d enough to have fights on every hand and all the time abroad. It'd be intolerab

d him to reluctant admiration-this when some apparently absurd claim of his proved more or less valid. Just now, in the matter of Margaret Severence, this universal overlordship filled him with rage, the more furious that he realized he could no more shake Josh's

h some semblance of genial sarcasm: "So all yo

earching look. "Old man," he sa

th upper lip twitching guiltily. Then, satirically: "Oh, no; I'd

," pursued Craig, his hand seek

would need help in courting any woman he might fancy-he, one of the most eligible of American bachelors. It passed the uttermost bounds of the absurd, this notion that he

re incapable of understanding. At this stage of my career I'm not surprised to find they're amused. But wai

shy of matrimony. I don't hanker after t

"It has destroyed your power to appreciate the great fundamentals of l

t. "And your idea of a wife seems to be

en," replied Craig. "However, the dignity of the service depends upon the dignity of

from another. But Craig was apparently merely making one of his familiar bumptious speeches. The idea of

ornament. I want a woman, not a toilette. I want a home, not a fashionable hotel. I wan

darned and you

n't, and it wouldn't be worth while when there are so many real women, ready made, out where I come from. This girl would be exactly the wife for you, though. Just as she is, she'd help you mince about from parlor to parlor, and smirk and jabber and waste time. She's been educating for the job ever sinc

trundler," sugg

h he would not have confessed it to his inmost self, Josh's preposterous assumptions, by sheer force of frequent and energetic reiteration, had made upon him an impression of possible validity-not probable, but possible; and the possible was quite enough to stir deep down in Arkwright's soul the all but universal deference before power. It never occurred to him to suspect there

the Severences for tea, and found Margaret and Josh alone in the garden, walking up and down, engaged in a conversation that was

e ones, I'll leave you together. I've wasted as

rkwright. "The ship of state's wo

ber truth. I am engaged in keeping my Chief in order, and in preventing the President from skulk

oking after him a

ly uneasy at the expression of her hazel eyes, at once so d

n a tone that seemed

ore experience of the world and Josh'll com

?" asked Margaret

ha

re you came he'd been here quite a while,

argaret only smiled, and

midity about really acting against rich, people-something about criminal suits against what he calls the bi

d his heart as well, were ashamed. "He's become a burr, a thorn, in the Administration, and they're

said Margar

etting round to the state of mind," said he, "wher

ay from him, laughed softly-a d

," continued Arkwright. "I

y n

don't think h

eel that she thought t

you don't

don't love him,

u don't eve

y of advocating yo

ought you'd quite dismissed him

s a possibility so long

uldn't marry a ma

y. "That's as far as my womanly delicacy-what's left of it after my years in society-can

fashionable world, and the soft grays, shading into blues, that dominated her costume gave her an exceeding and entrancing seeming of fragility. Arkwright thought he

said giddily. "And that's why it distresses me to he

were suggesting him as

iety, had become an established social favorite, marriage had been robbed of one of its terrors. But the other remained-divorce still meant alimony. The woman who trapped an eligible never endangered her hard-earned position; a man must be extremely careful or he would find himself forced to hard choice between keeping on with a woman he wished to be rid of and paying out a large part of his income in alimony. It seemed far-fetched to think of these things in connection with such a woman as Margaret. He certainly never could grow tired of her, and her looks were of the sort that had staying power. Nor was she in the least

rry him," persisted she. She was watchi

huskily. "But we've bo

e, perhaps a shade

ed in our estimate of his availability as a husband for you." He rose; the situation was beco

y. If she had money I'd not be hesitating, I'm afraid. Then, too, I don't think the moral tone of that set she and I travel with is what it ought to be. It's all very well for me, but-Well, a man ought to be ready for almost anything that might happen if his wife went with that crowd-or had gone with it before he married her. Not that I suspect Margaret, though I must say-What a

a burst of hysterical gayety, had gone to the far end of the room on the pretext of arranging some flowers. And there, with her face securely hid