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Show o iiHr. Wr :-rf- Wp'P J?VPO P711 ( npp f C f i?' .'-c- oh v nu,t ly ua a fin kjci 1 t. CANADA LM ' ". :' ''r? f""" ; ' Qi Game of Hicle-and-SeelT' ' "Love s e erican and Her SoUer o lat Sedg Q5.x 7i?AKCEV ' ' Miss Hott.on aCWJ f Miles Over Land and V -h. ,fH: .mZ 8&Vffi TUoun After Two Year. k MSV" ': 'Vfi : r;' and How the War -7e 1 Dl'U 1 . Ui S Ot D, Obsta.-lrs b e g a n -Jod Constantly In- i-Clj "C--i-m ( jtlf AM1 t lltSll-, rearing their head? in their path. . : U f terfered. .-Ht Cables from France ... r J0"1 V-'filt' HOtllef o Uif". "Will you fleas me!" she asked (?S A- rf: That He Has Leave and They Can Be Cfrlll 1 S -Tll- Jessie Bonnestelle, with whom she had lY Married in London. A She Leaves v Li11 iT o , i . i uffu (. V A Buffalo to Catch a Ship at New York. W US rontrnet to play in stoek in Buffalo. I I . B Is Delayed by Passport Troubles. - . .. "No," responded Miss Bonnestellc. VrVJoC' C A Congressman Fixes That. D She ... ' - . "Then I will "o over and get mar- -Ci?i Sails. E She Arrives Only to Find That He Has Been Ordered V . 7 - rjPd and eome rilit haek," said the would-be bride. Back to France. . F She Sails Home to Find That He Will , 11 ' 1 ' , . ' ati--H "Have von Be in England Again Presently. G-She Sails Back. 4-H Has - ' , - -. hen she bought her tieket the clerk asked . liaeyol Been Ordered to Canada, 5, and Their Ships Pass. H In London ..... " : '. " made arrangements about passports! She Learns That He Is in Canada. I She Sails Rack- Haiti r" i ' ' ..X " " T n-r liniiirht nhont nassDorts." .. ' s" How Miss Houston r.:-'"' Globe Trotted to . 1 .-"''" S" Meet Captain Widdi- . . ... ,. t S combe at the Altar, " jf and How the War A "soi Constantly In- . ' 1 terfered. i He Cables from France ;i J' That He H" Leave and They Can Be ' 'Jr Married in London. A She Leaves Buffalo to Catch a Ship at New York. B Is Delayed by Passport Troubles. C A Congressman Fixes That. D She Sails. E She Arrives Only to Find That He Has Been Ordered Back to France, 1. F She Sails Home to Find That He Will Be in England Again Presently. G She Sails Back. 4 He Has Been Ordered to Canada, 5, and Their Ships Pass. H In London She Learns That He Is in Canada. I She Sails Back Home Again, Just as, 6, He Is Sailing to Join Her in London, g He Reaches London to Find Her in New York. THE story of the -war bride is a common tragedy of the world conflict, but the story of beautiful Jane Houston is a comedy of the times. For two years Miss Houston and her fiauce, Captain 'Wallace 'Wal-lace "Widdicombe, of the Pirst Loudon Regiment of Infantry, have been trying to get married, but have failed. Captain "Widdicombe may be regarded as having stood for two years on the shores of Europe with arms extended, saying: "0 eome to me, rny love." Miss Houston, as far as in her lay, responded. "L'm coming, darling." But the pair reckoned without military- red tape. Every step they took toward each other entangled en-tangled their feet in its baffling folds. Miss Houston kept five members of Congress busy getting passports for her. Once she crossed the ocean to meet her captain and be married in London. A storm at sea caused the vessel to be two days late. Her fiance's leave had expired. He had been ordered again to the front. --v Three times they arranged to meet in England to be mar- 1 r ried. As many times the captain's commanding officer refused re-fused him leave of absence. Miss Houston decided to join the Tied Cross, hoping that if she were also at the front an opportunity might come for them to marry. She offered her services to the Red Cross. The offer was declined. When he had gained the next long coveted leave of absence she failed to get a passnort. In Mississippi and Texas, where Miss Houston is well known and profoundly admired, hundreds of friends are saving with sighs: "Poor Janie!" Somewhere in France brother officers are slapping the Englishman's shoulders and saving in French or in English, "Buck up, old man. If you do have to wait until the end of the war that may not be long " But crouching in the trenches a bronzed Englishman looks rueful. And in her room in a smart Fifth avenue hotel a lnvelv Southera girl murmurs, "When will this awful ivar end'" It is significant, of the high courage in the souls of both that neither yields to despair. Into the mind of neither ever comes the thought : "Why love on, when we mav never again meet in this world!" Their youth, their love, their courage, Disbelieve Dis-believe will win in the end. Jane Houston is a charming brunette with the gracious manner man-ner and soft speech of the South. Her family is an old one, so old that it goes back to the line of the Henrys, kings of England. For by climbing the family tree you will see as one of its topmost branches the name, Anno Boleyn, the ill-fated queen in Henry VT11 's large and varied assortment of wives. But the branch from which v to begin climbing is not Houston, ""v but Callaway. Miss Houston was, ana sun is Winnie isie vai-laway. vai-laway. When her father left Mississippi, Missis-sippi, transferring his family to a thirty-thousand-acre ranch in Texas. Minnie had no thought of anything more serious than riding bronchos and branding cattle. But the family sojourns in Houston Hous-ton for shopping and theatre go-.ing go-.ing turned her thoughts to higher things, or so she thought. She determined that her sphere was not the thirty-thousand-acre ranch but. the few hundred square feet of the stage. Her family differing from her in the matter, she rode off the ranch one. day, not to return. re-turn. At least not until she should be established on the stage. That came sooner than her doubting family expected. She became a member of Margaret Anglin's company. Presently she joined John Drew's organization. This season she is leading woman for William Faversham in "The Old Country." But if she were asked which was the pleasantest engagement, she would instantly answer: "The first," and as surely as she made that answer she would blush. -" A. Game of Hide-and-SeelT"" oV 8 American and Her Solder c !3t Snd3 aCWrf of Miles Over Land aaj Aeart V After Two yars of T ly . - ' . 1 - ' .' ' '" : ' t :' ,J' ' ' :.: k ' T ... ; ; "; ! ' ' ' 1 i ' . - - . ; 1 '" . ' - ' ' . , , . ' .' X, , ..... ' sv" ... X . : I TC- . .v..: ., , v . . i ;": ..' " I ?: . : ; - V:'--. ::' ' : -.) , ': -: ... . . - ' j ' : j, '.: . : ; . .. r . a- ..: ' ':'..:. ' . . ..! X . " ; .-..." 1 ... . " ;: :, ' . , s . , v.. !.. i- r '.---.'Y-'!i- -....'. i --y . -vT . -.- v . -,. - ; s. . "i .s-;:.r.-fT'-5 . i t; v. - u :::-." ........- " -; -" -" ' ; j -.- . ; -; -T - ? .-." : ' - ' ' - ' " X. v " w " . v; . ' Xs ; Miss Jane Houston, Heroine of tne Extraordinary Love Chase That May . v !. i - Not Be Over Until the War Is. .i X,-. 'tr - 1 - : V - K " v.-.v -v? i- I" 1 ' f .- . ... --w ? -." ' - . ;'t $ ' ' t Ik i ' , V ' 't . f Another Portrait of Miss ri Houston, Still Hopeful o 3 Being a War Bride. Another Portrait of Miss Houston, Still Hopeful o Being a War Bride. For it was on the morning that she met Miss Anglm s company for a rehearsal re-hearsal of "Lady Windermere "s Fan" that l.lcstiny entered. She saw it across the stage. To other members of the company it was a personable young man, of English height, English Eng-lish manner, English moustache, even an English walking stick. Iu,t to her it wa.s Destiny writ in largo letters across the page of her liTc. "And he recognized my presence," she said to her girl friend. The same girl friend it wa.s to whom she confided when she went, homo after the first rehearsal, "I've met, t.ho finest, man I ever knew." Destiny cast "Wallace Widdicombe Widdi-combe for Lord Doinhey, and Jann Houston the name being borrowed for hev from the city nearest papa's ranch for the role of Lady Plym-dale. Plym-dale. Both recognized Destiny's handwriting on the wall, hut neither mentioned it, at first. Not, indeed, for a long time. Not, even on the long walks with which they covered the towns they visited on tour, walks that consumed three and four hours, and that generally gen-erally bnmgth them to a pretty wayside way-side inn for luncheon or tea. At Couyrlsht. I'.UT, by the Stnr Co, everv str.nd tins voung pair. he with his English love- lor the open road, she with her Western training for it, strode out to the country. And on these jaunts Cupid walked beside them. They talked of other themes than' Destiny. Of books and plays, of acting act-ing and war. When it was apparent that the war should not be a mere slight outbreak, but a bitter and protracted pro-tracted struggle the Englishman said : "I don't have to go, but I think that I should." The girl who walked beside him grew a shade paler beneath her tan, but. turned her great brown eyes upon him and said : "Then you should go." Jt is the part, of the soldier to fight, not to make. love. He did not, make the all important declaration until his ship was leaving Sandy Hook behind. Then ho sent it back by the pilot. The girl, who wa.s weeping tumultu-ously, tumultu-ously, received it, with joy. From that moment their plans for, and attempts at, marriage began. He sailed in the Spring two .years ago. Letters and cables arranged for their nuptials. "I have been promised prom-ised a four-day leave in the Spring," .npany. Creat Britain Itlphts Ucscrveci. he said. "If you s- ffj will come over we vs- A fcy' can be married." OK 'sAn Obstai-les began . rearing their head? in their path. j f "Will you release me!" she asked -C" Jessie Bonnestelle, with whom she had h'- a contract to play in stock in Buffalo. ( 'No," responded Miss Bonnestelle. VrC " "Then I will go over and get mar- XisV, ried and come right back," said the would-be bride. When she bought her ticket the clerk asked: "Have yoa made arrangements about passports!" "No, I never thought about passports." "You can"t go without one." "But will there be time! This is Saturday afternoon. I am sailing Tuesday." "I doubt it, but try." The subway bore her swiftly to the Bowling Green office, but not swiftly enough, for she faced a closed door. On Sunday she told a friend who had a friend who knew a Congressman of New Jersey. The Congressman promised prom-ised to try. He telephoned and telegraphed, telegraphed and telephoned. An hour before the boat sailed the passport had not arrived. "But I will go to the dock, anyway. If the passport comes, send it after me," said the determined bride. It arrived on the 11 o'clock mail. The sailing time was 12. A panting messenger mes-senger followed her to the dock. Ten minutes before the boat sailed it was placed in her hand, and the one messenger boy who had hurried was richer by a smile and a gold piece. Even the elements conspired against the pair. The first half of the voyage was calm as happy love. The third quarter was lowering. ' The fourth was tempestuous. Miss Jane Housto.n "rocked in "the cradle of the deep." did not fear the storm, though it was her first crossing. But her heart quailed when the captain said: "We'll be late landing, about two days." And so they were. A dejected and seasick young American girl landed at Falmouth. It was an ominous telegram that awaited her. "Detained at camp. Go to Ernest Denny's In London." Ernest Denny, the playwright, and his wife, were friends of both Miss Houston "made the best of it." Two hours from London the train was abruptly halted. "Zeppelins arc about. All lights must be put out," called the guard. In darkness the American girl walked about the train. An English girl, a nurse, walked with her. Together they looked at the strange meuacing shapes in the sky. "Like silver fish," thev agreed. .... Thev arrived at Paddington station at six in the morning. "I want a taxi," said the girl. "There are no taxis at this time " mumbled the sleepy station attendant. "But there must be Find me something." The flash of American spirit won. An old-fashioned hansom staggered near in the wake of a. rickety horse. Thus the American girl arrived at Mr. Denny's 1 l t - : "! J, l V I - , N 1 " : ' - v .- y-.,i-;-n ... ; -"- N; t ? - . .f V' ' f I-.. i Captain Wallace Widdicombe in the Uniform of the Service Whor.e Exi-pencies Exi-pencies Have Kept Him Travelling So Far and Fast That His. Bride-to-Be His Not oj Yet Succeeded in Catching Up with Him. home. Mrs. Denny clasped her in her arms. "There are seventeen letters and telegrams tele-grams waiting for you," she said. "They will explain. T)fcy did, all too plainly. The young soldier's leave had been shortened. The four days allowed him had been consumed by his journey and the storm at sea. He had been ordered back. "Then there is nothing more to be done but. go back by the next boat," lamented the would-be bride. And so, after a day of seeing the sights of London, she did. She onened her engagement in Buffalo. She filled it. But all the while cablegrams and letters were passing between the pair discussing new wedding plans. More attempts and failures followed. The map above is needed to depict their unsuccessful love chase. The Red Cross would not accept, her services. Her period of training had been too short. More experienced nurses were what were wanted at the front. That she was a girl who wanted to wed the lover somowhere in France was not. of great importance to the Red Cross. This disappointment was not long lived. "I expect to leave in the early Summer," he wrote. "I will come over as soon as my engagement en-gagement is finished," she wrote. But she reckoned without, the entrance of the Fnited States into the war. It was no longer possible to get passports. They are still watching and awaiting an opportunity. She has a photograph of him in his uniform whn'h she kisses goodnight good-night and places under her pillow. Jn the breast of the rough coat he wears '.n the trenches he carries the photograph of a big-eyed, lovely girl, in a worn walking suit. "It is my mascot and keeps the bullets away." says the Captain. And so they wait, and hope. |