Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 September 1909 — The Man From Home [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Man From Home

A Novelization of the Play of the Same Name

By BOOTH TARKINGTON and HARRY LEON WILSON

SYNOPSIS. CHAPTER I.—Daniel Voorhees Pike, * rising young Kokomo (Ind.) lawyer, hears that his ward, Ethel GrangerSimpson, Is to be married abroad te the son of an English earl. Her father was his nearest friend and he has long loved ths girl. He goes abroad to arrange with her the business matters connected with her marriage. ll—Ethel Granger-Simpson and her brother Horace, have become anglomaniacs and are spending much of their late father's fortune in travel and entertaining. They become intimate with Lady Creech, the Earl of Hawcastle, his son, Aimeric St. Aubyn, and Comtesse de Champfgny, an adventuress and associate of the earl's. They are at a hotel at Sorrento, Italy. Ethel promises to marry the son because she craves a title. Ill—The Russian Grand Duke Vasili Is shortly to arrive at the same hotel Incognito as Herr von Grollerhagen. IV—The Earl of Hawcastle Is In need of money and wants his son to get a huge settlement of money at his marriage to Ethel. An escaped Russian bandit is located at Sorrento. V —For some reason the comtesse fears the alleged bandit Is one Ivanoff. Aimeric tells his father Ethel has accepted him. Vl—Horace agrees to persuade his sister Ethel to settle $750,000 on Aimeric. Vll—Ethel tells Horace of her delight at the prospect of her coming marriage into the ancient family of the St. Aubyns. VIII—Von Grollerhagen arrives with Daniel Voorhees Pike on foot, their auto having broken down. IX—Harold, Ethel and the Hawcastle party are disgusted with what they term the “American manners” of Pike. She tells Pike of her identity, as he had failed to recognize her In her European clothes and European deportment. X —Pike refuses to consent as her guardian to her settling $750,000 on Aimeric, and Ethel Is enraged at him. Xl—The Russian refugee meets Pike, and the latter shows him a place to hide from the Italian police. Von Grollerhagen aids Pike to do this. XU The fugitive tells Von Grollerhagen and Pike how he came to be sent to the Siberian mines. Horace falls In love _ the adventuress the comtesse. Xlll—Pike tells Ethel that he can never forget how she used to sing “Sweet Genevieve" back home in Indiana. XIV —Hawcastle tells Pike that he will have him put in jail for sheltering a fugitive from Justice unless Pike gives his conA?, E Jhel's marriage with Aimeric. XV—Pike learns that Hawcastle has had a checkered career in St. Pettersburg and that he stole the wife of Ivanoff the Russian fugitive. XVI—Von Grollerhagen is revealed as the Russian grand duke. Hawcastle and the comtesse (Ivanoff’s faithless wife) are confronted by Ivanoff, and they are horrified the discovery of their awful secret. XV IT—Hawcastle flees to Naples. CHAPTER XVII. FACE TO FACE. IF the roof of the building had collapsed and had left the. persons there assembled In the room confronting death itself, there could have been no more complete astonishment. It was Horace who first appreciated the somberness of the crouching, terror stricken woman upon the floor. “Helene!’’ he whispered, but Pike stepped forward and waved him back. “You stand back!” said the lawyer. “She’s his wife!” And at the words Horace fairly staggered. Daniel went on, pointing to the cringing llawcastle, “And there’s his best friend.” The words seemed to rouse some of the fighting St. Aubyn Instinct In the earl, and. his eyes flashed. “It’s a lie!” he cried hoarsely. “I never saw the man in all my life before.” “The lady seemed to recognize him,” said Pike grimly. “I guess you won’t have to jab your memory too hard. It’s only ten years to St. Petersburg, Mr. Glenwood!” “Aimeric. go for the police!” ordered the earl. “No, no!" cried the countess. “1 can’t stand it!" Pike laid his hand upon Ivanoff’s shoulder and spoke loudly: “Call ’em in! We’re ready!” Aimeric, with a frightened glance around, stepped to the doors and threw them wide, calling as he reached the passage: “Tell that officer to bring his men here!” He turned and again entered the room, and Pike's face lit up unpleasantly as he looked at him, then softened ns he turned to Ethel. “I want you always to remember that I consider it cheap nt the price,” be said. There was a quick step without, and Von Grollerhagen entered, followed by Rlblere. For an Instant he glanced about the circle and then spoke In a clear, ringing voice. “There will be nb arrests tonight, my friends.” he said, and at the words Hawcastle sneered openly. “This man goes, too!” he declared violently. “Call those carabinieri!” he reiterated to Aimeric. Von Grollerhagen smiled sweetly and raised his hand deprecatlngly. “The officer is not there. You see. the carabinieri have been withdrawn?’ He turned to Daniel. “For you, my friend. I have relinquished my incognito.” Pike stared at him uncompromisingly, and the German turned to Lord Hawcastle. “This man Ivanoff,” be said, “is in my custody.” For a moment the two men measured each other, and then Hawcastle burst out violently: “By whose authority? Do you know you are speaking to the Earl of Hawcastle?” Von Grollerhagen smiled. Rlblere stepped forward and addressed Hawcastle directly. "More respect, sir!” he cried. “You are addressing the Grand Duke Vasili of Russia!”

Hawcastle paled and fairly staggered into the arms of his son, who reeled from the shock. The others stared uncomprehendingly, and Pike looked up with a curious frightened look upon his lean face. Quite slowly be moved to the table and rested a hand upon it and with the other caressed his chin. His eyes were looking straight ahead, and he murmured in awestruck tones: “Good Lord! And think what—why, I’Ve been calling him—doc!" The grand duke perceived the agitation on Pike’s face and came forward to take his hand. “My friend,” he said gently, “it has been refreshing.” He spoke to Rlblere. “I shall take the man Ivanoff’s statement in writing. Bring him to me with you.” He turned on his heel quickly and went off through the door on the other

side of the room that led to his private chamber. When be bad gone Rlblere touched Ivanoff on the shoulder as a signal, and the stricken man arose. One glance he cast upon the guilty woman, who shrank so shiverlngly Into n corner as he gazed upon her, and then said: "I would not touch you—even t« strangle you!” and then to the thunderstruck Hawcastle he said: “God will let me pay my debt to the Earl of Hawcastle!” In an instant he was gone, aud Hawcastle, pale with rage and anguish, strode forward to Pike, who was spilling. “Why, you”— the earl began, but Daniel raised his hand. He spoke softly, even genially. “Oh, I bated to hand you this, my lord,” he said. “1 didn't come over here to make the fine flower of Europe any more trouble than they’ve got. But I had to show John Simpson’s daughter, and I reckon now she ain’t wanting any alliance with the remnants of Crecy and Agincourt.” From the other side of the sofa, where she had been sobbing on her brother’s shoulder, Ethel came tremblingly. “I have no choice,” she said slowly. “You see, I gave Aimeric my promise when I thought it an honor to bear his name. Now that you have shown me

that it Is a shame to bear it the promise is only more sacred. You see, the shame is not his fault, is it? You—want—me—to—be —honorable—don’t— you?” When she had finished Daniel was leaning well back on the table. “Your father and mother—both—came from Missouri, didn’t they?" He sighed heavily, and she hung her head. Hawcastle looked toward the open door of the room and touched bls son upon the shoulder. When they had reached the door the earl looked back and shook his fist at Tike. “You haven’t heard the last of this, curse you!” he said and disappeared quickly. Lady Creech, who had been in a semi-swooulng condition, came suddenly out of her trance and gazed sharply about her. “Don’t mumble your words," she said sharply and rose to her feet. With a \vltherlng glance at Pike she turned to Ethel. ’•Come, my dear,” she said. “This terrible place Is not for you. Let us go.” Horace came suddenly to life and closed his drooping jaw. He stepped forward and faced the old lady.

“My sister will remain for a time. Lady Creech,” he said. “I will look after-her—in the future.” Lady Creech put up her lorgnette and stared at him and with a haughty sniff left the room with the air of a conqueror. Pike gazed after her whimsically. “There goes the last of the empresses," he said and looked down at his feet. i Twice Ethel essayed to speak, and twice she | ut < ut !i; r hand in bls direction. and lx fl: ti ::es she failed Then, with a <-!i< l:inSt little sof*. she picked up her f.ress and fairly ran from the room. Ilcrr.ce folic ■< <! her qutekly. and still Pike stood there in an attitude of incomprehension. The point he had striven for had failed. He had shown this girl the true rottenness of the people she had tried so hard to ally herself with, and the knowledge had failed to move her. His brilliant plan had recoiled upon his own head and had resulted in more firmly implanting a sense of duty in her heart. He saw no way out now. At first it had been a desire—now it had become a duty, and he wondered if he had the right to withhold from her her patrimony. It was not until be saw a dark figure with a bag in its hand walk quickly down the steps and out through the entrance garden, not until he had heard the creak of carriage springs and the muttered directions and then the crunch of the wheels, that he awoke. He called a passing servant— Mariano, it proved it be—and questioned him. “Who was that?” he asked. Mariano bowed deeply. “It Is milor’ the Earl of Hawcastle,” he replied. “He has gone to keep the appointment lie have made some days since at Napoli, it is said.” (To be Continued.)

“You are addressing the Grand Duke Vasili of Russia!"

“It is milor’ the Earl of Hawcastle.”