OCR Text |
Show How Determined i6un$ An Drexel Won His t fashionable Red Cross I Pride 1 An Obstacle Race Romance -wi tk Cupid in tke Winning Saddle Xkat Proves Once M ore "Faint XTeart Neer Vq . Fair Lady Mr. Drexe! and His Bride at the Triumphant Conclusion of the Romance. Mr. Drexel Went to the-Wedding the-Wedding on Crutches but Dropped Them for a Cane During the Ceremony. ined Youn$ V I r T Obstacle Race m . 4 omance with J-, Jl jupid m the v .nning Saddle ';;5f S- it Proves Once r , ' : -e "Faint Heart ' llf Mrs- Jhn R- Drexe1. Formerly ... : W Miss Elizabeth Thompson, in A T5! PPtt, , ' ? Her Red Cross Uniform. f 4 llljllr' , must get over and f'"" x': a serve her country. ''T'- ' v V' ,.M; Then all of a sudden a', ' ''!&': W something happened, .V' jf rfjF so they say. to Miss Miss 'fja Mrs. John R. Drexel, &. ' ' ' , Betty's little heart! Thomson ; the Fashionable . It fluttered outrage- oraP on , . ;N ously whenever Mr. ana M1SS (; a- Society Maiden, Drexel's name was Marion fer? 'J Mother of the Groom, ,-nentioned. and its Tiffany lW .W Who Was at Least One of the Minor Obstacles of the Romance. owner even be- j th 'J gan to think kind- Easter ' ' . short, he spent eighteen out of the All this was done so that he ly of Mrs. Drexel! On top of parade ' . t ' $ M wS past twenty-one months trving to might benome strong enough to be all this, a cable mentioned JacKs win her over. In the end. just last acceptable to the-French Array. If pluck in sticking to a dangerous onrutn , February, his mother took Alice to Elizabeth meant to nurse the sol- post, and Miss Betty's heart turned Avenue California, saving, as she left, that diers, well, she mieht have a whack a somersault. At that, she cabled just , she would withdraw her opposition at him. Then this country de- "Jack," and home he came. The After t j if "Jack" would consent to spend tlared war, and Drexel hunted engagement was announced almost r.$ ; V two months on his ranch in Mon- East and offered himself to the immediately and it was then that .ttt tana before his marriage, these army, the navj-. the Aviation Corps. Mrs. Drexel betook herself V est. HadSaitj Wm ' )' two months to be devoted to "think- By all he was turned down and, oh. Well, "Jack" went to his ranch. "Yes" g"4 ing things over " how his romance faded! Betty was but spent mighty little time think- "Jack" went to Montana, but deeper than ever in her Tied Cross ing things over. Instead, he start- : f that is ahead of our tale. During work and her eyes looked vague ed in corralling horses for the rexei. fj the months that eiaDsed between whenever Jack spoke of love. United States Army. He broke THE interestng romance of young Mr. John R. Dexel, son of trie John R. Drexels, of New York and Newport, and Miss Elizabeth Thompson, daughter of the late James Beaton Thompson, of Philadelphia, is one of those that, will give inspiration to the most discouraged lover. It is not only proof of the truth of the old saw that "faint heart ne'er won fair lady," but of two other wise sayings as well: "Love laughs at locksmiths" lock-smiths" and "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again!" Mr.. Drexel, millionaire ranch owner and member of Newport's smartest set, believes in these sayings say-ings and so now does his bride, heiress of the Thompson millions and leader in Red Cross work in New York. For although born a Philadelphian, she came to New York when her widowed mother married De Forest. Grant, a well-known well-known New Yorker. The war enters into this love story. The romance began two years ago in June when Mr. Drexel met Miss Thompson at a house party in Goshen, New York. According to stories current among their friends, this was by no means the first meeting of these young people, but it was the first time that they became be-came conscious of each other And at this house party, which, by the way. was given by Robert Wilson Goelet, the first obstacles to a successful suc-cessful courtship raised their heads. , Vs the odlest son of his parents, the very wealthy Drexels. who had removed from Philadelphia to New York. John, or "Jack" as all New?7 port calls him, was able to have about everything that money could buy. But. alas, all the money in the world could not. buy him a rugged constitution. And it was this tragic state of affairs that first almost lost him his bride. On the 27th of April, as "Jack" Drexel received the congratulations con-gratulations of his friends, only his closest associates knew all that he had been through during the past, twenty-one months. And just what had he done, this slender young millionaire, who might have gone through Hfe doing nothing? He had made a girl love him, who d'.d not want to love him a tiny little bit: he had made the girl marry him when all the time she wanted to go to France and nurse our wounded Sammies; he had overcome great physical weakness on his part both the French and British armies refused him when he tried to enter active service over there: he had made his mother give up certain ideas of her own as to whom he should marry: he had made the Y. M. C. A. give him an important post near the danger line in France, where he stayed several months, and at the very last moment, mo-ment, when almost killed by a green horse he was breaking for the American army, he forced himself to come East and marry his bride literally on a broken leg. Small wonder that his bride was proud of him! What mattered it that be could only bobble to and from the altar, aided by a stout walking otlck and his best man's arm? Let us revert to Mr. Goelet's son's interest in the war that first attracted Drexel's attention There was a very jolly house party gathered gath-ered together in a week end, intent only on having a happy three days. And all the time Miss Betty insisted on sewing ugly little clothes for Belgian babies and talking war, war, war. Drexel, although turned down so cold by the Franco-Eng-jish Allies, was as keen as mustard about all war subjects, and very speedily he determined to chum it madly with the coy young creature .in pale pink. During those three days the determined de-termined Jack did his best to cut out every other man who attempted to be attentive to Miss Betty. This was all very well, but the young lady also had soniething to say; she gave no evidence of being eager to accept the exclusive attention at-tention of the Newport millionaire. She had lots of good friends, plenty of money and as good a social position posi-tion as the Drexels. Why then should she .be overly anxious to go twoing with Jack? And more than this, dozens of the men she knew in Philadelphia and New York were risking their liver daily over in Europe, and she, unknown un-known to all her friends, was fitting fit-ting herself to become a Red Cross nurse; therefore the delicate young man from the effete social circles of New York and Newport did not interest her. Underneath this more or less fragile fra-gile appearance, all unbeknownst to the lady, Drexel had a deep fund of grit and determination, and it was not long before she was listening list-ening eagerly to his account of life in France during the first two years of war. He had been there when war was declared. The house party over, young Drexel transferred his courting to New York. There he found that his mother and the mother of his charming ladylove were barely on speaking terms. Also his mother w..nted him to marry a certain heiress irt the Newport set. Now, every one knows that Drexels can marry where and whom they choose. They need neither added wealth nor social position; therefore there-fore Mrs. Drexel's desires were purely personal; not the result of any ambitions on her part. As for Mrs. Drexel's dislike of Miss Thompson, that, too, was purely personal, for Miss Thompson's Thomp-son's wealth and social position was on all fours with that of the Drexels. It was an amusing situation, situa-tion, and not at all tragical, and was due primarily to the fact, that, both matrons came from Philadelphia Philadel-phia ! The Drexels left the Quaker City when Alice and Jack were youngsters young-sters and set up a home in the most expensive ' section of New York. They took a Newport house and speo' money like lords. Mrs. Thompson, left a widow with a wat fortune, married De Forest Grant and came to New-York, New-York, settled down to raise her familv along strictly old time Philadelphia Phila-delphia lines. She made no attempt at-tempt to court society, for in Philadelphia, Phila-delphia, society courted her. In . the end, New York society passed by. When "Jack" told his mother of his love hopes, he found her adamant; ada-mant; in fact, to cut a Ions story Mrs. John R. Drexel, Formerly Miss Elizabeth Thompson, in Her Red Cross Uniform. must get over and serve her country. Then all of a sudden something happened, so they say. to Miss Betty's little heart! It fluttered outrageously outrage-ously whenever Mr. Drexel's name was ;tientiorted, and its owner even be- rron tr, h 1 n 1.' 1H II H . Mrs. John R. Drexel, the Fashionable Society Maiden, Mother of the Groom, Who Was at Least Or le of the Minor Obstacles of the Romance. Miss Thompson and Miss Marion Tiffany in the Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue Just After She Had SairJ "Yes" . A Mr. Drexel. short, he spent eighieen out of the past twenty-one months trying to win her over. In the end. just last February, his mother took Alice to California, saying, as she left, that, she would withdraw her opposition if "Jack" would consent to spend two months on his ranch in Montana Mon-tana before his marriage, these two months to be devoted to "thinking "think-ing thines over." "Jack" went to Montana, but that is ahead of our tale. During the months that elapsed between the house party and Mrs. Drexel's trip to. California, many things happened the one great outstanding outstand-ing thing being the winning of his love. It is not permitted to us to know all that he did. but we know that he began action by going to his ranch at Stnvensville. Montana. There he put himself through the hardest forms of physical labor, no horse was too rreen nor too bumptrous for bim to tackle; no bike too long for him to try; no task too difficult. Copvrl-fht. 191! All this was done so that he might, become strong enough to be acceptable to (lie-French Array. If Elizabeth meant, to nurse the soldiers, sol-diers, well, she micht have a whack at him. Then this country de-t. de-t. lared war, and Drexel hurried Blast and offered himself to the army, the navy, the Aviation Corps, by all he was turned down and, oh. how his romance faded! Betty was deeper than ever in her Red Cross work and her eyes looked vague whenever Jack spoke of love. Almost desperate, Drexel turned to the non-combatant service perhaps per-haps the Y. M. C. A. would take hiin. At all events, he could place himself him-self in danger somewhere along the line. The Y. M. C. A. did take him. and the first thing Betty knew her Jack, erstwhile invalid . and society man, was almost in the first line trenches. And then how she did hustle to finish her Red Cross course! She . by the Star Company Great Britain ly of Mrs. Drexel! On top of all this, a cable mentioned "Jack's" pluck in sticking to a dangerous post, and Miss Betty's heart turned a somersault. At that, she cabled "Jack," and home he came. The engagement was announced almost immediately and it was then that Mrs. Drexel betook herself West. Well. "Jack" went to his ranch, but spent mighty little time thinking think-ing things over. Instead, he started start-ed in corralling horses for the United States Army. He broke many of them himself, and on the surface was a husky young cowboy. cow-boy. At the end of two months, Miss Thompson wired him that the 27th of April would be the day. Instantly Drexel started in to pack, but there was one horse he simply must break before leaving his ranch. Something went wrong and Drexel was thrown and dragged several feet before rescued. One leg was badly smashed and several ribs stove in. And his wedding day but a rortnight away I Rights Reserved. Was he downhearted? No! He wired his Red Cross love to be ready, for he was coming to marry her, no matter how many hones were broken. And he did. Those who saw the accident thought Drexel would be killed, and picked him up fearing the worst. But only the best happened, if we believe be-lieve the happy Bridegroom. But at the very, very end one thing went wrong. Mrs. Drexel sent a gift of diamonds to the 18 bride, but did not. come East for the wedding. Neither did her daughter. Alice. So fate kept one little knock, after all, for the determined de-termined young bridegroom. And what are they going to do now this patriotic young couple? Well.- they will begin by raising horses for the army. And, who knows, perhaps in a short time Mr. Drexel will achieve his great ambition he may he accepted in some branch ot the active service! |