Chapter I: Front Matter

The Ball of Fire

The Ball of Fire

By
George Randolph Chester
and
Lillian Chester

Illustrated

Hearst’s International Library Co.
New York 1914

Copyright, 1914, by
THE RED BOOK CORPORATION

Copyright, 1914, by
HEARST’S INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY CO., INC.

_All Rights reserved, including the translation into foreign languages,
including the Scandinavian._

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
I NO PLACE FOR SENTIMENT 1

II “WHY?” 9

III THE CHANGE IN THE RECTOR’S EYES 22

IV TOO MANY MEN 35

V EDWARD E. ALLISON TAKES A VACATION 47

VI THE IMPULSIVE YOUNG MAN FROM HOME 59

VII THEY HAD ALREADY SPOILED HER! 70

VIII STILL PIECING OUT THE WORLD 80

IX THE MINE FOR THE GOLDEN ALTAR 88

X THE STORM CENTER OF MAGNETIC ATTRACTION 98

XI “GENTLEMEN, THERE IS YOUR EMPIRE!” 111

XII GAIL SOLVES THE PROBLEM OF VEDDER COURT 123

XIII THE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 135

XIV THE FREE AND ENTIRELY UNCURBED 150

XV BUT WHY WAS SHE LONESOME? 158

XVI GAIL AT HOME 167

XVII SOMETHING HAPPENS TO GERALD FOSLAND 178

XVIII THE MESSAGE FROM NEW YORK 187

XIX THE RECTOR KNOWS 199

XX THE BREED OF GAIL 212

XXI THE PUBLIC IS AROUSED 221

XXII THE REV. SMITH BOYD PROTESTS 231

XXIII A SERIES OF GAIETIES 240

XXIV THE MAKER OF MAPS 250

XXV A QUESTION OF EUGENICS 262

XXVI AN EMPIRE AND AN EMPRESS 271

XXVII ALLISON’S PRIVATE AND PARTICULAR DEVIL 281

XXVIII LOVE 289

XXIX GAIL FIRST! 299

XXX THE FLUTTER OF A SHEET OF MUSIC 309

XXXI GAIL BREAKS A PROMISE 315

XXXII GERALD FOSLAND MAKES A SPEECH 325

XXXIII CHICKEN, OR STEAK? 334

XXXIV A MATTER OF CONSCIENCE 344

XXXV A VESTRY MEETING 353

XXXVI HAND IN HAND 362

ILLUSTRATIONS

For an instant the brown eyes and the blue ones met _Frontispiece_

FACING PAGE
At 7:15 Ephraim found him at the end of the table in the
midst of some neat and intricate tabulations 51

She was glad to be alone, to rescue herself from the
whirl of anger and indignation and humiliation which
had swept around her 109

She telephoned that she was going to remain with
Allison; and they enjoyed a two hour chat of many
things 278

The Ball of Fire