Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 February 1912 — THE GIRL from HIS TOWN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE GIRL from HIS TOWN

By MARIE VAN VORST

HkstntMM by M. G. KETTNER

SYNOPSIS. Dan Blair, the 22-year-old son of the iAfty-uallllon-doUar copper king of Blairtown, Mont., is a guest at the English .home of Lady Galorey. Dan’s father had been courteous to Load 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 to 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 intro'duces himself and she remembers him. He learns that Prince Ponlotowsky 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 laßMtehffllto. tmr She-sates Dan to build a home for disappointed theatrical people. Dan visits Lily, for the time forgetting Letty, and later announces his engagement to the duchess. Letty refuses to sing for an entertainment given by Lily. CHAPTER XlV.—Continued. On the threshold of her door he asked her to let him know when she weald sing In Park Lane, and In touching her hand he repeated that she must count on Mini. 'With more tenderness in his blue eyes than he was himself aware, he murmured devoutedly: “Take care of yourself, won’t you, please?” As Blair passed from the sittingroom into the hall and toward the lift, Mrs. Higgins came out hurriedly from one of the rooms and joined him. “How did you find her, Mr. Blair?” “Awfully seedy, Mrs. Higgins; she needs of a lot of care.” "She won’t take it though,” returned the woman. "Just seems to let herself go, not to mind a bit, especially these last weeks. I’m glad you came in; I’ve been hoping you would, sir.” “I’m not any good though, she won’t listen to a word I say.” It seemed to surprise the dressing woman. ‘Tm sorry to hear It, sir; I she would. She talks about yotMJft- . on" ■ He cplored like a school-boy. “Gosh, it’s a shame to have her kill herself for nothing.” Reluctant to talk longer with Mrs. Higgins., he added In spite of himself: “She seems so lonely." “It’s two weeks now since that human devil went away,” Mrs. Higgins said unexpectedly, looking quietly into the blue eyes of the visitor. “She hasn’t opened one of his letters or his telegrams. She has sold every pin and brooch he ever gave her, scattered the money far and wide. You saw-how she went on with Cohen, and her pearls.” Dan heard her as through a dream. Her words gave form and existence to a dreadful thing he had been trying to deny. "Is she hard up now, Mrs. Higgins?” he asked softly. And glancing at him to see just how far she might go, the woman said: - “An actress who spends and lives as Miss Lane does is always hard up.” “Could you use moiiey without her knowing about it?" “Lord,” exclaimed the woman, “it wouldn’t be bard, sir! She only knows that there is such a thing as money when the hills come and she hasn’t got a penny. Or when the poor come! She’s got a heart of gold, sir, for everybody that Is in need.” He took out of his wallet a wad of Botes and pnt them in Higgins’ hands. '“Just pay up some bills on the sly, and don’t you tell her on your life. I don’t want her to be worried.” Explaining with sensitive understanding: "It’s all right, Mrs. Higgins; I’m from her town, you know.” And the woman who admired him and understood him, and whose life had made her keen to read things as they were, said earnestly: “I quite understand how it is, sir. It Is just as though it came straight from ’ome She overdraws her salary months ahead.” “Have you been with Miss Lane long?" “Ever since she toured in Europe, and nobody could serve her without tteiog very fond of her indeed.” Dsn pot out his big warm hand eagerly. “You’re a corker. Mrs. Higof ~ .t jiT. ’ - > h'V t ■ ■

excuse to the duchess. At the opposite table Dan saw Prince Poniotowsky, writing, as well. The Hungarian did not see Blair, and when he had finished his note he called a page boy and Dan could hear him send bis letter up to Miss Lane’s suite. The young westerner thought with confident exaltation, “Well, he’ll get left all right, and I’m darned if I don’t sit here and see him turned down!” Dan sat on until the nagereturned and gave Ponlotowsky a verbal message. “Will you please come upstairs, sir?” And Blair saw the Hungarian rise, adjust his eye-glass, and walk toward the lift. CHAPTER XV. Galorey Gjvqs Advice. Lord Galorey had long been used to seeing things go the way they would and should not, and his greatest effort had been attained on the day he gave his languid body the trouble to go in and see Ruggles. “My God.” he muttered as he watched Dan and the duchess on the terrace together—they were nevertheless undeniably a handsome pair—“to think that this is the way I am returning old Blair’s hospitality!” And 'he was ashamed to recall his western -experiences, when in a shack in the mountains he had watched the big stars come out in the heavens and sat late with old Dan Blair, delighted with the simple philosophies and the man’s high Ideals. “What the devil does it all mean?” he wondered. “She has simply seduced him, that’ all.” He got Dan finally to himself and

without any preparation began, pushing Dan back Into a big leather chair, and standing up like a judge over him: - . "Now, you reblly must listen to me, my dear chap. I shan’t rest in my grave unless I get a word with you. Yous father sent you here to me and I’m damned if I know what for. I’ve been wondering every day about it for two months. He didn’t know what this set was like or how rotten It is.” “What set?” The boy looked appallingly young as Gordon stared down at him. There wasn’t a line or wrinkle on his smooth brow or on bis lips and forehead finely cut and well molded—but there were the very seals of what his father would have been glad to see. The boy had the same clear look and unspoiled frankness that had charmed Galorey at the first. He had been a lazy coward to delay so long. “Why, the rottenness of this set right here In my house.” And as the host began to see that he should have to approach a woman’s name In speaking, he stopped short, his mouth wide open, and Dan thought he had been drinking.

"You are talking of marrying Lily,” Gordon got out. “I am going to marry her.” “Yqu musn’t." Blair got up out of his chair. It didn't need this attack of Galorey’s to bring to his mind hints that had been dropped that Galorey was in love with the Duchess of Breakwater. It Illuminated what Galorey was saying fast and Incoherently. “I mean to say, my dear chap, that you musn’t "marry the Duchess of Breakwater. Look at most of these European marriages. They all go to smash. She is older than you are and she hal lived her life. You are much too young.” "Hold up, Galorey; you mustn’t go on, you know, i Your know I am engaged;. that’s all there is about It. Now, let’s go and have a game of pool” Galorey had not worked himself up to this pitch to break off now at a fatal point “I’m responsible for this, and by gad, Dan, I’m going to pnt you on your guard.” •You are, responsible for nothing, Galorey, and I warn you to drop it” “You would listen to your father If he were here, wouldn’t your *

”1 don't know,” said the boy slowly Then followed up with an honest “Yes, I would.” Gordon caught eagerly, “Well, be sent you to me. Your friend Ruggles has gone off and washed his hands of you, but I can’t.” Lord Galorey walked across the room briskly and came back to Dan. “First of all, you are not in love with Lily—not a bit of it. You couldn’t be —and what’s more she is not in love with you.” Blair laughed coolly. ‘‘You certainly have got things down to a fine point, Gordon. I’ll be hanged if I understand your game.” —- Galorey went bravely on: “Therefore, if neither of you are in love, you understand that there is nothing be? tween you but your money.” The Englishman got his point out brutally, relieved that the impersonal thing money opened a way for him. He didn’t want to be the bounder and the cad that the mention of the woman would have made him. The boy drew in an angry breath. “Gosh,” he said, “that cursed money will make me crazy yet! You are not very flattering to me, Gordon, I swear, and Lily wouldn’t thank you for the motives you impute to her.” “Oh. rot!” returned Gordon more tranquilly. “She hasn’t got a human sentiment in her. She’s a rock with a woman’s face.” Dan turned his back on his host and walked off into the bifliard-room. Galorey promptly followed him, took down a cue and chalked it, and said: "“Well, come now; let’s put it to the test.” Blair began stacking the balls. “How do you mean?” “Well, when you have had time to get your first news over from Ruggles,

tell her you have gone to smash and that you are a pauper.” “I don’t play tricks like that,” said the westerner quietly. . “No,” responded Galorey bitterly, “you let others play tricks on you,” The young man threw his cue smartly down, his youth looked contemptuously at the worldly man, and he turned pale, but he said In’ a low voice: “Now, you’ve got to let up on this, Gordon; I thought at first you had been drinking. I won’t listen. Let’s get on another subject, or I’ll clear out.” Galorey, however, cool and pitiful of the tangle in the boy’s affairs, wouldn’t let himself be angry. "You are my old chum’s boy, Dan,” he went on, “and I’m not going to stand by and see you spoil your life in silence. You are of age. You can go to the devil if you like, but you can’t go there under my rooh without a word from me.” “Then I’ll get out from under your roof, tonight.” “Right! I (ion’t blame you there, but, before you go, tell Lily you have lost your money, and see what she is made of. My dear chap’—he changed hiß tone to one of affection —“don’t he an ape; listen to me, for your father’s sake; remember your whole life’s happiness Is In this game. Isn’t !! worth looking after?" ~~f~ r “Not at the risk of hurting a woman’s feelings," Bald the boy.(TO BE CONTINUED.)

“And What’s More, She’s Not in Love With You.”