OCR Text |
Show His Reformation By H. IRVING KING by McClure Newspaper Syndicate. WNU Service D UTriERFORD ALLTXGTON was a high-brow. Also he was a bit of a prig. Rutherford took but little Interest in society, in which his mother moth-er shone and his father basked. His interests centered upon science, art, uplift work, exploration, literature he took them all in turn as a horre a hurdle in a steeplechase and got over them as quickly. "1 do wish, Rutherford," said his fond mamma, "that you would settle down. Here you are twenty-five years old and ever since you left college you have been on a perpetual intellectual spree. Paul Clifford, who was graduated gradu-ated at the same time you were, got to hitting up the synthetic and they I sent him to a sanitarium where they j cured him. I wish there was some institution in-stitution we could send you to and have a cure effected of your particular complaint." To Rutherford slang was anathema. He looked a solemn reproof at Jlrs. Allington which settled into a scowl when the up-to-date lady carelessly lighted a cigarette. "Mother," said he solemnly, "do you think cigarettes are good for you at your age?" "At my age!" almost shouted Mrs. Allington. "What do you mean? Iam not old and as long as the beauty parlors keep open I don't intend to be. Oh fudge ! There, run along." That night she said to her husband, Mr. Allington, whom she had nicknamed nick-named Buddie, "Buddie, what can we do with Rutherford? He gets on my nerves. I wish he would marry marry a girl like Clara Hampton ; she might reform him." "Not a chance," replied Buddie, "Clara would scare him to death." The Clara Hampton alluded to In this little family dialogue was modernvery. mod-ernvery. There wasn't a daring trick of this most daringly tricky age, socially considered, that she was not up to. Rutherford shied off from her every time they happened to meet socially. j Still he had to admit that she was a handsome creature, perfect in her health and exuberance of spirits. "If she only had more brains," he sighed, "if she would drop her aimless ways and take a serious view of life what a wonder she would be!" And then he would sit musing, picturing to himself a Clara transformed into a girl such as he would have her one who would be a proper and congenial partner for a serious-minded man of brains such as he himself. Then the idea struck him that he might be able to reform her. With this highly commendable missionary mis-sionary thought in his head Rutherford began to go out more and more to social functions, never missing one at which he knew Clara was to he present. pres-ent. And so far from avoiding her, as he had formerly done, he now sought her out. Clara surprised him by the extent of her information on matters deep and erudite of which he had supposed her entirely ignorant. That pretty head of hers was not empty after all. And it was his Influence, he felt with a glow, that was bringing out all this latent intellectuality. Here was a field in which he saw that he was a predestined pre-destined influence for good. And in order that he might better exercise his heneficient power he neglected no opportunity op-portunity of being beside her. Into that maelstrom of society which he so heartily detested he plunged with the resolute spirit of a martyr and having hav-ing got there found, to his surprise, that he rather enjoyed it. It was Clara, now, who was always dragging in the high-brow stuff and insisting in-sisting on discussing it. Rutherford even got slangy in his talk, dropped his "gs" "after the manner of the hunting set," and found he could talk society fiddle faddle with the host of them. His frivolous parents were in ecstacies. Then one day he proposed to Clara. It would he much easier to reform her, he thought, if she were his wife. "Rutherford," replied Clara. "I will marry yon on one condition that you give up the frivolous and aimless life which you have been leading for the past six months." "Who me?" gasped Rutherford. "Yes," replied Clara; "only yesterday yester-day I heard you called an empty-headed, sporting, society sap. The man I marry must have some serious purpose in life. Xow here Is my proposition. We will be married and go off to Yucatan Yuca-tan arid explore the ruins of the Mayan cities. You can make a name for yourself as an authority on lost Mayan civilization." "It will be rather dull won't it for I you?" faltered Rutherford. "Not a bit," she returned. "I am j fed up on this society stuff." I It was rattier a wrench for Ruther-i Ruther-i ford; hut there was Clara, right bo-' bo-' fore him and was she not worlh any sacrifice that' you miht mention? "Splendid" said he with sudden con-I con-I viction : "prehistoric American arch-1 arch-1 eolngy has loner horn one of my liMi-! liMi-! hies. With his favoriie h Miy and the ; girl of his honrt. wlmt more can a iran i want In this world?" Ami th"n t!;ny became Just like any nthT two lovers, j in society or out of society, t: ; i; li brow j or low hrnw. I |