Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 February 1912 — THE GIRL from HIS TOWN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE GIRL from HIS TOWN

By MARIE VAN VORST

■zrtrztiiz. hy IL G. KETTNBt

E>* MmiU OeJ S • SYNOPSIS. Dan Blair, the 22-year-old son of th* flfty-mlUlon-doUar copper king of Blalrtown, Mont., la a guest at the English home of Lady Galorey. Dan's father had been courteous to Lord Galorey during Ma visit to the United States and the oourtesy is now being returned to the young man. The youth has an ideal girl U 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 star, Dan recognizes her as the girl from his town, and going behind the scenes introduces himself and she remembers him. He legrns 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 but Letty and this angers the Duchess. The westerner finds Letty ill from hard work, but she recovers and Ruggles and Dan Invite her to supper. She asks Dan to build a home for disappointed theatrical people. Dan visits Lily. CHAPTER Xlll^—Continued. "Hello, you,” she nodded to Dan. "I am awfully sorry not v to have shown up at five. Just got your note. Just got In at the hotel; been out of town all day.” Dan saw that none of the people in the room was familiar to him, and that they were out of place in the pretty brocaded nest One of them was a Jew. a small man with a glass eye, whose .fixed stare rested on Miss Lane. He had kept on his overcoat, and his derby hat hung on the back at Mi* head “Give Mr. Cohen the box, Jligglns,” Miss Lane directed, and bending forward, brought her small face close to the glass, and her hands trembled as she handled the rouge stick. Mr. Cohen In one hand held a string of pearls that fell through his fat fingen, as If eager to escape from them. Wigginz obediently placed a small box in his hand. "Take it and get out of here,” she ordered Cohen. "Miss Lane has only got five minutes.” Cohen turned the stub of his cigar in Ids mouth* unpleasantly without taking the trouble to remove it “I’ll take box." be said rapidly, "and when, 1 get good and ready I’ll get out of l)sre, but not before.” "Now see here,” Blair began, but Miss Lune, who had finished her task, motioned him to be quiet “ ' "Please go cut, Mr. Blair,” she said. "Please go out. Mr. Cohen Is here on buMnesa aml I really qan’t see anybody just now.” Behind the Jew Higgins looked up at Dsn and he understood —but be didn't heed her warning; nothing would have Induced him to leave Letty Lane like this. Tm not going, though. Miss Lane* he said frankly. *Tve got an appointment with you and Em going to stay.” As he did so the other people In the room took form for him: a blind beggar with a stick In his hand, and by his side a small child wrapped In a shawl With relief Dan saw that Poniotowsky was absent from the party. Cohen opened the box, took its contents out and held up the jewels. "This,” he said. Indicating a string of pearls, is all right. Miss Lane, and the ear-drops. The rest Is no good. I’ll take or leave them, as you like.” She was plainly annoyed and excited, and, as Higgins tried to lace her, moved from her dressing-table to the sofa in a state of agitation. "Take them or leave them, .as you like," she said, “but give me the money and go.” The Jew took from his wallet a roll of bank notes and counted them. "Six,” he began, but she waved him taek. - - "Don’t tell me bow much it is. 1 dont’ want to know.” "Let the other lady count IL” the Jew saMLa "I don’t do business that way.” Dsn, who had laid down his overcoat and hat on a chair, came quickly forward, his hands In his pockets, and standing in front of the Jew, he said "Now you look hams ” Letty Leno threw the money down on the dressing-table. "Please,” she cried to Dan, "lot me have the pleasure ot sending this man out ot my room. You etn, go, Cohen, and go in a burry, too.” The JeW stuffed the pearls in his pocket and wentby Dan hurriedly, as tboogh Be feared the young man intefided to kelp him. But Dan stopped flris dealgoes through 1 want yon to tell mo why you are—” Tana Brake In* "Mv eracious Heavens! Cant I even sell my Jem-

els without being bossed? WMt business is it of yours, Mr. Blair? Let the man go, and go all or you—all of you. Higgins, send them out.” The blind man and the child stirred, too, at this outburst The little girl wore a. miserable hat, «. wreck of a hat in which shook a feather like a broken mast The rest of her garments seemed made of the elements — of dirt and mud —mere flags of distress, and the odor, of the poor filled the room: over the perfume and scent and smell of stage properties, this miserable smell of stage properties, this miserable smell held its own. “Come, Daddy,” whispered the child timidly, “come along.” “Oh, no, not you, not you,” Letty Lane said. Job Cohen crawled out with ten thousand pounds’ worth of pearls in his pockets, and as soon as the door had closed the actress took up the roll of notes. “Come here,” she-said to the child. "Now you can take your father to the home I told you of. It is nice and comfortable —they will treat his eyes there.” “Miss Lane —Miss Lane!” called the page boy. "Never mind that,” said the actress, “it is a long wait this act I don’t go on yet.” Higgins went to the door and opened it and stood a moment, then disappeared into the side scenes. Letty Lane ruffled the pile of banknotes and without looking drew out two or three bills, putting them into

the child’s hands. “Don’t you lose them; stuff them down; this will keep you and your father for a .couple of years. Take care of it You are quite rich now. Don’t get robbed.” The child tremblingly folded the notes and hid them among her rags. The tears of happiness were straggling over her face. She said finally, finding no place to stow away her rlcfies. "I expect I’d best put them in daddy’s pocket” And Dan came to her aid; taking the notes from her, he folded and put them inside the clothes of the old beggar. “Miss Lane,” said Higgins, who had come in, “it is time you went on." “I’ll see your friends out of the theater,” Blair offered. And as be did so, for the first time she looked at him, and he saw the fever in her brilliant eyes. “Thanks awfully,” she accepted. “It is perfectly crazy to give them so much money at once. Will you look after it like a good boy and see something or other about them?” He thought of her, however, and caught up a great soft shawl from the chair, wrapped it around her tenderly, and she flitted out, Higgins after her, leaving the rest of the money scattered on her dressing-table. “Come along,” said Blair kindly to the two who stood awaiting his orders with the docility ot the poor, the obedience of those who have no right to plan or suggest until told to move on. “Come, I’ll see you home.” And he didn’t leave them until he had taken them in a cab to their destination—until he had persuaded the girl to let him have the money, look after it for her, come to see her the next day and tell her what to do. Then he went back to the theater and stood up in the rear, for the house was crowded, to hear Letty Wing It was souvenir night; there were post-cards and little coral caps with feathers as bonbonnieres. They called her out before the curtain a dozen times. and each time Dan wanted to cry "Mercy” for her. He felt as though this little act had established a friendship between them; and hia hands-clenched aa he thought of Poniotowsky, and he tried to recall that he was an engaged man. He had la idea prat Letty Lane was looking for him through the performance. She finishedin a storm of applause, and flowers were strewn upon her, and Den found himself, tn spite of his resolution, going back into the wings.

This time two or three cards were sent in. One by one he saw the visr tors refused, and Dan, without any formality, himself knocked at Letty Lane’s small door, which Higgins opened, looked back over her shoulder to give his name to her and said to Dan confidently, "Wait, sir; just wait a bit.” Her lips were affable. And in a few moments, to Dan’s astonished delight, the actress herself appeared, a big scarf over her head and her body enveloped in her snowy cloak, and he understood with a leap of his heart that she had singled him out to take her h° me - She went before him through the wings to the stage entrance, which he opened for her, and she passed out before him into the fog and the mist. For the first time Blair followed her through the crowd, which was a big one on this night. On the one side waited the poor, who wished her many blessing, and on the other side her admirers, whose thoughts were quite different. Something of this flashed through Dan’s mind —and in that moment he touched the serious part of life for the first time. In Letty Lane’s motor, the small Electric light lit over their heads and the flower vase empty, he sat beside the fragrant human creature who London adored, and knew his place would have been envied by many a man. "I took your friends to their place all right," he told her, “and I’m going to see them myself tomorrow. I advised the girl not to git married for.

her money. Say, this rs awfully nice of you to let me take you home!" She seemed small in her corner. “You were great tonight,” Dan went on, "simply great! Wasn’t the crowd crazy about you, though! How does it feel to stand there and hear them clap like a thunderstorm and call your name?” She replied with effort “It was a nice audience, wasn’t it? Oh, I don’t knows how it feels. It is rather stimulating. How’s the other boy?” she asked abruptly, and when Dan had said that Ruggles had left him alone in London, she turned and laughed *a little. Dan asked her why she had sent for him today. “I’m mighty sorry I was out of town," he said warmly. "Just

“How Does It Feel to Stand There ■nd Hear Them Clap Like a Thunder Storm and Cali Your Name?” to think you should have wanted me to do something for you and I didn’t turn up. You know I would be glad to do anything. What was it? Won’t you tell me what It was?” * “The Jew did It for me.” And Dan exclaimed: "It made mo simply sick .to see that afdmal in your room. I would have kicked him out If I hadn’t thought that it would make an unpleasant scene for you. We have passed the Savoy.” He looked out of the window, and Letty Lane replied: "I told the driver to go to the Carlton first.” (TO BE CONTINUED.) Don’t get acquainted too easily bo ewse it isn’t so easy to get umo

"Take It and Get Out of Here,” She Ordered Cohen.