Page 78 (1/1)

With three woe of the dinner, controlling the menu and the decorations as well It amused outsiders to see him in wordy consultation with the head-waiter and the butler while his guest of honor vainly tried to continue soun, but his wife suffered in silence In short, Simeon proceeded precisely as he would have done at a restaurant or at his club, and his fas of their rounded shoulders, the wife ainst his usurpation of her domain

He was not politically arow old as one of the obscure millionaires of New York City when death reached a sable hand and smote him full in the front of his pride and assurance--his wife and daughters were lost in the sinking of a boat off the coast of France

The news of this disaster caiven no hint of it "I don't believe it," he said, quietly, and began pressing the buttons of his desk with the saoing against hies flew to and fro, the wires pulsed with his ier of the steamboat company answered--denied The neas confirmed, all to the saht his jaw hung lax, his big forh twenty additional years had suddenly been heaped upon his shoulders He went back to his splendid, lonely palace (where the servants huddled and whispered and hastened) with a hard, dry knot in his throat, and with eyes heavy and hot and tearless confronted his ruined altar From one to be feared he had fallen in a day to the ers pursued hiave orders for them to be shipped by the first boat In the blaze of the electric light, with horrid, staring eyes and stifflylips, he cursed hio froes upon justice At last he fell silent, but he did not sleep nor eat till the end of the second day Then he rose, took the 749 train as usual, and returned to his desk--unshaved, with creased and cruray and batteredrelief in work

His associates, with forced cheerfulness, professed pleasure at his return, carefully avoidingloss To those who did speak of it he returned no word or glance With fuers he took up the purple-lettered ribbon of his trade He fixed his dim eyes on market reports and dictated notes and orders, but it was a poor show Even those who hated hiross, unlovely character were shocked at his shrunken forrizzled cheek When death deals a blow like that the defeated one acquires a certain majesty