e
enforced, but just what it should be he could not say. Lester was his
own boss, and he would resent any criticism of his actions.
Apparently, nothing could be done.

Certain changes helped along an approaching denouement. Louise
married not many months after her very disturbing visit to Chicago,
and then the home property was fairly empty except for visiting
grandchildren. Lester did not attend the wedding, though he was
invited. For another thing, Mrs. Kane died, making a readjustment of
the family will necessary. Lester came home on this occasion, grieved
to think he had lately seen so little of his mother--that he had
caused her so much pain--but he had no explanation to make. His
father thought at the time of talking to him, but put it off because
of his obvious gloom. He went back to Chicago, and there were more
months of silence.

After Mrs. Kane's death and Louise's marriage, the father went to
live with Robert, for his three grandchildren afforded him his
greatest pleasure in his old age. The business, except for the final
adjustment which would come after his death, was in Robert's hands.
The latter was consistently agreeable to his sisters and their
husbands and to his father, in view of the eventual control he hoped
to obtain. He was not a sycophant in any sense of the word, but a
shrewd, cold business man, far shrewder than his brother gave him
credit for. He was already richer than any two of the other children
put together, but he chose to keep his counsel and to pretend modesty
of fortune. He realized the danger of envy, and preferred a Spartan
form of existence, putting all the emphasis on inconspicuous but very
ready and very hard cash. While Lester was drifting Robert was
working--working all the time.

Robert's scheme for eliminating his brother from participation in
the control of the business was really not very essential, for his
father, after long brooding over the details of the Chicago situation,
had come to the definite conclusion that any large share of his
property ought not to go to Lester. Obviously, Lester was not so
strong a man as he had thought him to be. Of the two brothers, Lester
might be the bigger intellectually or
sympathetically--artistically and socially there was no
comparison--but Robert got commercial results in a silent,
effective way. If Lester was not going to pull himself together at
this stage of the game, when would he? Better leave his property to
those who wou