Andrew the Glad

On their heels, Mike O'Rourke rushed in with two budgets of false

registrations which he had been able to ferret out by the aid of the

drivers of his grocery wagons. He embraced David, exchanged shots with

the major, and departed in high spirits. Then quiet came to the _Gray

Picket_ for a time and Kildare plunged into his papers with desperation.

"David," called the major after a very few minutes of peace, "here's a

call for you on the desk. You'll recognize the number--remember, a firm

hand, sir--a firm hand!" with which he collected his hat, coat, and the

captain and took his departure, leaving David for the moment alone in the

editorial rooms.

He sat for a few moments before the receiver and twisted the call slip

around one of his fingers. In a moment the affairs of state and the

destiny of the city slipped from his shoulders and his mind took up the

details of another problem.

The contest for the judgeship was not the only one David Kildare had

taken upon himself--the second was being waged in the secret chambers of

two hearts, one proud, exacting and unconvinced, the other determined and

at last thoroughly aroused. Phoebe had brought the crisis on herself and

she was beginning to realize that the duel would be to the death or

complete surrender.

And in the preliminaries, which had been begun on the Saturday night hunt

and carried on for the last three days, David Kildare had failed to make

a single false move. His natural and inevitable absorption in his race

for the judgeship had served to keep him from forcing a single issue; and

Phoebe had had time to do a little lonely, unpursued thinking.

He had been entirely too clever to arouse her pride against him by a

suspicion of neglect in his attitude. His usual attentions were all

offered and a new one or two contrived. He sent Eph to report to her with

his electric every afternoon--she understood that he was unable by the

exigencies of the case to come himself to take her to keep her

appointments as was his custom. Her flowers were just as thoughtfully

selected and sent with the gayest little notes, as like as possible to

the ones that had been coming to her for years. He ordered in an

unusually large basket of eggs from the farm and managed to find a

complicated arrangement of rope and pulleys, the manipulation of which

for an hour or more daily was warranted to add to or detract from the

stature of man or woman, according to the desire of the dissatisfied

individual. His note with the instrument was a scintillating skit and was

answered in kind. But through it all Phoebe was undoubtedly lonely. This

call, the second since Saturday and the second in the history of their

joint existences, betrayed her to the now wily David more than she

realized--perhaps!