Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 February 1912 — THE GIRL from HIS TOWN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE GIRL from HIS TOWN

By MARIE VAN VORST

Illustration* by BL G. KETTNER

(Copyright, IMO, by The Bobbs-Merrill Co.) » ' SYNOPSIS. Ban Blair, the 22-year-old son of the •dfty-miUion-dollar copper king of Blairtown, Mont., is a guest at the English home of Lady Galorey. Dan’s father had been couitoous 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 he had never forgotten her. The Galoreys Lily and Dan attend a London theater Where one Letty Lane is the f»tar. Dan recognizes her as the girl from his town, and going behind the scenes introduces himself and she remembers him. He learns that Prince PoniOtowsky is suitor and escort to Letty. Lord Galorey and a friend named Ruggles determine to protect the westerner from Lily and other fortune hunters. 'Young Blair goes to see Lily; he can talk of nothing ut Letty and this angers the Duchess. The westerner finds Letty ill from hard work but she recovers.

CHAPTER X.—Continued. /Dan altered bis indolent pose and sat forward. “But I am thinking of getting married,” he said. “I hope It’s to the right girl, Dan." And with young assurance Blair answered: “It will be if I marry her. I know what I want all right.” “I hope she knows what she wants, Dan.” “How do you mean?” “You or your money. You have the darnedest handicap, my boy.” Blair flushed. “I’ll get to hate the whole thing,” he said ferociously. “It meets me everywhere—bonds—stocks —figures—dividends-—coupons— deeds —lt’s too much!” he said suddenly, with resentment. “It’s too much for me. Why, sometimes I feel a hundred years old, and like a hunk of gold.” 'Ruggles, In answer to this, said: “Why, that reminds toe of what a man remarked about your father once. It was the same English chap your father bought the claim of. Speaking ■ of Blair, he said to me: ‘You know there’s all kinds of metal bars, and when you cut Into them some is'bullion and some’s coated with aluminum, and there’s others that when you cut down, cut a clean yellow all along the line.’ If, as you say, you feel like a hunk of metal. It ain’t~bad if it is that kind.”

“It’s got to stop coming in between me and the woman I marry, all right, though.” Dan did not pursue his subject further, for his feelings about the duchess were too unreal to give him the sincere heartiness with which he would have liked to answer Ruggles. with fils Bands In hiS pOCkets, Btood looking out at the fog. Ruggles, at the table, opened the. cover of the book of “Mandalay” and took out the four checks made out to Lady Galorey and which he had forgotten. He hurriedly thrust them into his pocket. “Come away, Dannie," he said cheerfully, “let’s do something wild. I feel up to do most anything with this miserable fog down on me. If it had any nerve it would take some form or shape, so a man could choke it back.” Ruggles blew his nose violently, “There’s nothing to do,” said Dan in a bored tone. “Why don’t you see who your telegram is from?" Ruggles asked. It proved to be a suggestion from Gordon Galorey that Dan should meet him at five o’clock at the club. “What will you do, Rug?” “Sleep,” said the Westerner serenely; “I’m nearly as happy in London as lam in Philadelphia. It’s four o’clock now and I can’t sleep more than four hours anyway. Let's have a real wild time, Dannie." . Dan looked at him doubtfully, but Ruggles’ eyes were keen. “What kind of a time do you mean ?” “Let's ask the Gaiety girl for dtnner—for supper after the theater.” “Letty Lane? She wouldn’t go." ' ‘ Why not?” . ' “She is awfully delicate; it is all she can do to keep her contracts."' , He knows that, Ruggles thought. -“Let’s ask her and see.” He went over to the table and drew out the paper. “Come on and write ana ask her to go out with us to supper.” “See here, Rug, what’s this for?” “What’s strange in it? She is from our state, and if you don’t hustle and ask her I am going to ask her all alone.” • - Dan was puzzled as he sat down to the table, reflecting that it was perfectly possible that old Ruggles had fallen a prey to the charms of an actress. She wouldn’t come, of course.' He wrote a formal invitation without thinking Wery much ofwhat he said or. how, folded and addressed his note. “What did you say?” Ruggles asked eagerly.

..■■■ • ■ "Why, that two boys from home wanted to give her a supper." “Wen," said Ruggles, “if the answer comes while you are at the club m .open it and give the orders. Think she’ll come?" “J do not,” responded -Dan rather brutally. “She’s got others to take her but TOsupper,vyou betyourUfe/’ “Well, there’s none of them as rich as you are, I reckon, Dan.” And the boy turned on him violently. , “See here, Josh, if you speak to me again of my money, when there’s a woman in the question—” Re did not finish his threat, but snatched up his coat and hat and gloves and went out of the door, slamming It after him. Mr. Ruggles’ profound and happy snore was cut short by the page boy, who fetched in a note, with the Savoy stamping on the back. Ruggles opened It not without emotion. “Dear boy,” it ran, “I haven’t yet thanked you for the primroses; they were perfectly sweet. There is not one of them In any of my rooms, and I’ll tell you why tonight. I am crazy to accept for supper”r—here shehatl evidently struck out ier intended refusal, and closed with, “I’m coming, but don’t come after me at the Gaiety, please. I’ll,meet you at the Carlton after the theater. Who’s the'-other boy? L. L." The “other boy” read the note with much difficulty, fqr it was badly written. “He’ll have to stop sending her

flowers and going every night to the theater unless he wants a row with the duchess,” he said dryly. And with a certain interest In his role, Ruggles rang for the head waiter, and with the mat's help ordered his first midnight supper for an actress. CHAPTER XI. Ruggles Gives a Dinner. The bright tide of worldly London flows after and around midnight into the various restaurants and supper rooms, and as well through the corridors and halls of the Carlton. At one of tiie small tables bearing a great expensive bunch of orchids and soft ferns, Josh Ruggles, In a new evening dress, sat waiting for his party. Dan had dined with Lprd Gaiorey, and the two men had gone out together afterward, and Ruggles had not seen the boy to give him- Letty Lane's note. “Got it with you?” Blair asked when he came in, and Ruggles responded that he didn’t carry love letters around in his dress clothes. They could tell by the interest in the room when the actress was coming, and both men sose as Letty Lane floated in at flood tide with a crowd of last arrivals. Shpwas not dressed this evening with the intention that her dark simplicity of attire should be conspicuous. The cloak which Dan took from her shed the perfume of orris and revealed the woman in a blaze of sparkling paillettes. She seemed made out of sparkle, and her blond head, from which a bright ornament shook, was the most brilliant thing about her, though her dress from hem to throat glistened with discs of gold like moonshine on a,starry sea. The actress’ look of surprise when she saw Ruggles Indicated that' she had not expected a boy of his age. “The other bey?” she asked. "Well,, tills is the nicest supper party ever! And you are awfully good to invite me.” Ruggles patted his shirt front and adjusted his cravat 3 “My idea,” he told her, "all the blame on me, Miss Lane. Charge it up to me! Dan here had cold feet from* the first He said you wouldn’t ’ come.” She laughed deliciously. “He did? Hasn’t much faith, has he?” ' Miss Lane drew her long gloves off, touched the orchids with her little hands, on which the ever present rings flashed, and went on talking to

Ruggles, to whom she seemed to want to address her conversation. Tm simply crazy over th«e Bowers.” The older man showed his pleasure. “My choice again! Waked up myself and chose the hunch, blame me again; ditto dinner; mine from Bterttoflnlsh--hopeyQu’lLli.ke.it. i wpuld have added some Montana peas and some chocolate soda water, only I thought you might not understand the Joke.” *J.'.J Miss Lane beamed on him. Although he was unconscious of it, she was not fully at ease: he was not the kind of man she had expected to see. Accustomed to young fellows like the boy and their mad devotion, accustomed to men with whom she could be herself, the big, bluff, middle-aged gentleman with his painfully' correct tie, his rumpled iron-gray hair, and his deference to her, though an unusual diversion, was a little embarrassing. “Oh, I know your dinner is ripping, Mr. Ruggles. I’m on a diet of milk and eggs myself, and I expect your order didn’t lake in those.” But at his fallen countenance she hurried to say “Oh, I wouldn’t have told you that Jf I hadn’t been intending to break through.” ■- • - And with childlike anticipation she clapped her hands and said: “We’re going to have ‘lots of fun.” Just think, they don’t know what that means here in London. They say 'heaps of sport, you know.”’ She imitated the accent maliciously. “It’s just we Americans ; 7''7.""7•

who know what Tots of fun’ is, isn’t it?” Near her Dan Blair’s young eyes were drinking In the spectacle of delicate beauty beautifully gowned, of soft skin, glorious hair, and be gazed like a child at a pantomime. Under his breath he exclaimed now, with effusion, “You bet your life we are goingtohavelots of fun!’’ And turning to him, Miss Lane said: “Six chocolate sodas running?” “Oh, don’t,” he. begged, “not that kind of jag.” She shook with laughter. “Are you from Blalrtown, Mr. Ruggles? I don’t think I ever saw you there.” r And the Westerner returned: “Well, from what Dan tells me, you’re not much of a fixture yourself, Miss Lano. ( You were just about born and then kidnaped." Her gay expression faded. And she repeated his word, “Kidnaped? That’s a good word for it, Mr. Ruggles.” She picked up between her fingers a strand 4>f the green fern, and looked at Its delicate tracery as it lay on the palm of her hand. “I sang one day after a missionary sermon in the Presbyterian Church.” She Interrupted herself with a short laugh. “But I guess you’re not thinking of writing my biography, are you?" And It was Dan’s voice that urged her. “Say, do go on. I was there that day with my father, and you sang simply out of sight.” (TO BE CONTINUED.)

"But I Am Thinking of Getting Married.”