Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 February 1912 — THE GIRL from HIS TOWN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE GIRL from HIS TOWN

By MARIE VAN VORST

Bsstrathw Vy M. G. KETTNER

(Capyilcht. ISIS, by Tb« Bobbs-MerrlU Oa) 1 BYNOPBIB. Den Blair, the 2i-year-old son of the flfty-mlllion-dollar copper king of Blalrtown, Mont., Is a guest at the English home of Lady Galorey. Dan’s father had been courteous to Lord Galorey during his visit to the United States and the courtesy Is now being returned to the young man. The youth has an ideal girl In his mind. He meets Lily, Duchess of Breakwater, a beautiful widow, who is attracted by his Immense fortune and takes a liking to her. When Dan was a boy, a girl sang a solo at a church, and be had never forgotten her. The Galoreys. Idly and Dan attend a London theater where one Letty Lane is the star. Dan recognises her as the girl from his town, and going behind the scenes Introduces himself and she remembers him. He learns that Prince Poniotowsky Is ■ultor and escort to Letty. CHAPTER V.—Continued. Oalorey nodded. “That 1b just why I toddled in to see you!” Ruggles’ caller had been shown to the sitting room, where he and Dan hobnobbed and smoked during the Westerner’s visit There was a pile of papers on the table, in one corner a typewriter covered by a black cloth. Oalorey took a chair and, refusing a cigarette, lit his pipe. “I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting you in the West when I was out there with Blair. I knew Dan’s father rather well.” Ruggles responded: “I knew him rather well, too, for thirty years. If," he went on, “Blair hadn’t known you pretty well he wouldn’t have sent the boy out to you as he has done. He was keen on every trail. I might say that he had been over every one of ’em like a hound before he set the boy loose.” Oalorey answered, “Quite so,” gravely. “1 know it I knew it when Dan turned up at Osdene—” Holding bis pipe bowl in the palm of his slender hand, he smoked meditatively. He hadn’t thought about things, as he bad been doing lately, for many years. His sense of honor was the strongest thing in Gordon Galorey, the only thing in him, perhaps, that had been left unsmirched by the touch of ths world. He was unquestionably a gentleman. "Blair, however,” he said, “wasn’t as keen on this scent as you’d expect. His intuition was wrong.” Ruggles raised his eyebrows slightly. “I mean to say,” Lord Galorey went on, “that he knew me liT the West when I had a few blessed months from just these things into which he has sent his boy—from what, 11 I hid a son, God knows I’d throw him as far as I could.” “Blair wanted Dan to see the world.” “Of course, that' is right enough. We all have to see It, I fancy, but this boy isn’t ready to look at it?’ “He is twenty-two,” -Ruggles returned. “When I was his age I was supporting four people.” Galorey went on: “Osdene Park at present isn't the window for Blair’s boy to see life through, and that is what I have come up to London to talk to you about, Mr. Ruggles. I should like to have you take him away.” "What’s Dan been up to down there?” "Nothing as yet, bat he is in the

f -• -r ;n &l ' - • foeket of a woman—be is in a nest of women." Ruggles’ broad face had not altered its expression of quiet expectation. “There's a lot of ’em down there?” bp asked. “There are two," Galorey said briefly, "and one of them is my wife." Ruggles turned his cigarette be-

tween his great fingers. He was a slow thinker. He had none of old Blair’s keenness but he had other qualities. Galorey saw that he had not been quite understood, and he waited and then said: —“Lady Galerey ta- like -the ~Fe»t--«f-modern wives, and I am like a lot of modern husbands. We each go our own way. * My way is a worthless one, God knows I don't stand up for it, but it Is not my wife’s way in any sense of the word.” % “Does she want Dan to go along on her road?” Ruggles asked. “And how far?” “We are financially strapped just now,” said Galorey calmly, “and she has got money from the boy.” He didn’t remove his pipe from his mouth; still holding it between-his teeth he put his hand in his pocket, took out his wallet, drew forth four checks and laid them down before Ruggles. “It Is quite a sum,” Galorey noted, “sufficient to do a lot to Osdene Park In the way of needed repairs.” Ruggles had never seen a smile such as curved hlB companion’s lips. “But Osdene Park will have to be repaired by money from some other source.” Ruggles wondered how the hus* band had got hold of the checks, but he didn’t ask and he did not look at the papers. “When Dan came to the Park,” said Galorey, “I stopped bridge playing, but this more than takes its place!" Ruggles’ big hand went slowly toward the checks; he touched them with his fingers and said: “Is Dan in love with your wife?” And. Lord Galorey laughed an<j said: “Lord no. my dear man, not even

TOatr :_ irTßTßr^"^s6^'Hsntr&"oiriLiß" part—mere prodigality. Edith appealed to him, that’s all.” Relief crossed Raggles’ face. He understood in a flash the worldly appeal to the rich young man and believed the story the husband told him. “Have you spoken to the boy?”“My dear chap, I have spoken to him about nothing. I preferred to come to you.” “You said,” Ruggles continued, “there were two ladies down <o your place.” Galorey had refilled his pipe and held it as before in the palm of his hand. "I can look after the affairs of my wife, and this shan’t happen again, 1 promise you—not at Osdene, but I’m afraid I can hot do much in the other case. The Duchess of Breakwater has been at Osdene for nearly three weeks, and .Dan is in love with her.” Ruggles put the four checks one on top of the other. “Tb the lady a widow?” “Unfortunately, yes.” “So that’s the nest Dan has got into at Osdene,” the Westerner said. And Galorey answered: “That is the nest.” “And he has gone out there today—got a wire this morning.’ “The duchess has been in an awful funk,” said Galorey, “because Dan’s been stopping in London so long. She sent him a message, and as soon as Dan wired back that he to the Park, I decided to come here and see you.’ Ruggles ruminated: “Has the duchess complications financially?” "Rather!” the other answered. And Ruggles turned his broad, honest face full on Galorey: “Do you think she could be bought off!” Galorey took his pipe out of his mouth. * “It depends on how far Dan has gone on with her. To be frank with you, Mr. Ruggles, it is a case of emotion on the part of the woman. She is really in love with Dan. Gad!” exclaimed the nobleman. “I have been on the point of turning the whole brood out of doors these last days. It was like imprisoning a mountain breese in a charnel house—a woman with her scars and her experience and

that boy—l don’t ,know where you've kept him or how you kept him as ha is, but he is as clear as water. I have talked to him and I know.” Nothing In Ruggles’ expression had changed until now. His eyes glowed. - -‘tDan’a all .right?' he aaid,aoftly, “Don’t you worry! He’s all right, i guess his father knew what he waa doing, and I’ll bet the whole thing was just what he sent him over here for! Old' Dan Blair wasn’t worth a copper when the boy was born, and yet he had ideas about everything and he seemed to know more in that old gray head of his than a whole library of books. Dan’s all right.” “My dear man,” said the nobleman, “that Is just where you Americans are wrong. You comfort yourself with your eternal ‘Dan’s all right/ and ypu won’t see the truth. You won’t breathe the word ’scandal’ and you are thick enough In them, God knows. You won’t admit them, but they are there. Now be bonest and look at the truth, will you? You are a man of common sense. Dan Blair is not all right. He is in an Infernally dangerous position. The Duchess of Breakwater will marry him. It Is what she has wanted to do for years, but she has not found a man rich enough, and she will marry this boy offhand.” “Well,” said the Westerner slowly, “if he loveß her and if he marries her—” “Marries her!” exclaimed the nobleman. “There you are again! Do you think marriage makes it any better? Why, if she went oft to the Continent with him for six weeks and then set him free, that would be preferable to* marrying her. My dear man,” he

Bgtd; Teanttig oyer tfie tfibTg' whereRuggles sat, "if I had a boy I would rather have him marry Letty Lane of the Gaiety. Now you know what 1 mean.” Ruggles’ face, which had hardened, relaxed. * ”1 have seen that lady,” he exclaimed with satisfaction; “I have, seen her several times.” Galorey sank back into his chair and neither man spoke for a few seconds. Turning it all over in his slow mind, Ruggles remembered Dan’s absorption in the last few days. “So there are three women in the nest," I he concluded thoughtfully, and Gordon Galorey repeated: “No, not three. What do you mean?” _ ■ “Your wife” —Ruggles held up one finger and Galorey interrupted him to murmur: “I’ll take care of Edith.” “The Duchess of Breakwater you think won’t talk of money?” “No, don’t count* on it She is aiming at ten million pounds.” Ruggles was holding up hig second finger. .“Well, I guess Dan has gone out to take care of her today.” > * Dan and Ruggles had seen “Mandalay” from a box, from the pit and from the stalls. (Tn the table lay a book of the opera. While talking with Galorey, Ruggles had unconsciously arranged the checks on top of the libretto of “Mandalay.” ‘Til take care of Miss Lane,” Ruggles said at length. His lordship echoed, “Miss LAne?" and looked up in surprise. “What Miss Lane, for God’s sake." “Miss Letty Lane at the Gaiety," Ruggles answered. « “Why, she isn’t In the question, my dear man.” “You put her there just now your-'watf-’v ' - / ; , -.-A----“Bosh!” Galorey exclaimed impatiently, “I spoke of her as being the limit, the last-thing on the line.” “No,” corrected'the other, "you put the Duchess of Breakwater as the limit.” • - - 7? - Galorey sipiled frankly. “You are right, my* dear chap.” he accepted, "and I stand by it” (TO BB CONTINUED.) * r ‘ ' '

"She Is Aiming at Ten Million Pounds.”

“That is Just Why I Toddled in to See You.”