Show i L STORY J THE GIRL from HIS TOWN By MARIE VAN VORST illustrations by M. M G. G KETTNER U- U Copyright 1810 by bT Tho To MerrUl C Co ss s SYNOPSIS Dan Blair th the year old son eon on of ot the fifty dollar copper king of or Blairtown Blair Blair- town Mont Is a guest Ruest at tho English home oJ of Lady Gl Dau's Daus father had hat been courteous l to Lord during his hia visit to tho United united States and the courtesy y Is now being returned to th the voting voun man The Tha youth has hns nn an an Ideal girlIn girlIn girl In hIs s mind Tie lie m meets ets Lily Duchess of Breakwater a beautiful widow who I Is attracted b by his Immense fortune ant and take takes a II liking 1 to her When Dan was t n a bov boy a girl sane a solo at a n church and he had never ver forgotten her The Ga- Ga Lily Jy and Dan attend a London theater where one Lett Letty Lane Is the star Dan recognizes recognizes' r eco her as QS the girl Irl from his town fown an and going oln behind th the scenes introduces Introduces Intro Intro- duces himself and an she sho r remembers him HP HI learns that Prince Is suitor and to Letty Lord Tord GaJor Ga Ga- Jor lorey y and a R. friend named d Ruggles determine determine deter deter- mine to protect the westerner from Lily and other fortune hunters Young Youn Blair goes to pee Ace Lily he can talk of nothing but Letty and this an angers ers the Duchess Duche s. s The westerner finds Letty from hard work but sh she recovers and Ruggles and Dan Invite her to supper She asks Danto Danto Dan Danto to build bund a home for tor disappointed theatrical theatrical the the- al people Dan visits Lily for tor the time forgetting Letty and later announces announces announces an an- his engagement to the duchess Letty refuses to to sing to for an nn e entertain entertain- ert ln- ln ment I en bv by Lily Jy tells Dan that all aU Lily cares ares for Is his money and It Is disclosed that he and the tho duchess have hae been mutually In love for tor years jears cars Lett Letty sings at an nn aristocratic function Dan escorting escorting- her home Dan confronts and Lily together tog Later he In Informs informs In- In forms Letty that his engagement with Lit Lily is broken asks the singer to marry him and they t e become engaged Ru Ruggles les thinks the westerner should not marry a I. I public singer and endeavors to Induce Lett Letty to give him up She runs away r fearing she Is not good enough for tor Dan sad ind Ruggles makes the latter believe she has abandoned his love Finally Dan ands Letty In Paris CHAPTER Continued r Are Are you ou alone he persisted I have got to know arrow Higgins is with me Oh God he cried wildly how howan an ian you joke with I me ale le Dont Don't you youre you're breaking my heart But she did not dare to be kind to lira knowing It would unnerve heror heror her or or the part she h had d promised to play He sat gripping his hands tightly log Together ther his lips white When I 1 leave you ou now he said brokenly I tm going to find that devil of a Hun Hun- larlan and do him up Th Then n I am joing g to t tackle Ruggles Why what's poor Mr Ruggles' Ruggles got o do with it Dan cried scornfully For Gods God's sake lake dont don't keep this up You know the rot he told you I made him con fess ess He has had this mania all along money money being a handicap he was ivas bent on trying this game with ome girl to see how It worked He continued more passionately I 1 dont don't are a rap what you marry me for fOI Letty or 01 what you have done or been I think youre you're perfect and Ill I'll make you the happiest woman in the world i She said Hush hush Listen dear deal listen little boy I am awfully sorry but it wont won't do I never thought it would You'll get over it all right though you dont don't you cant can't believe me now I 1 cant can't be poor you ou know I really couldn't be be poor He interrupted roughly Who says you'll be What are you talking about Why Ill I'll cover you with jew jew- jewels jewels jewels els sweetheart if I have to rip the earth open to get them out She understood that Dan believed Ruggles Ruggles' story to have been a cock cock- bull and oneY one Y You ou talk as though you could bu buy me Dan Wait listen She put him back from her Now I If you wont won't be quiet Im I'm going to stop my car cant He repeated Tell me are you nl alone ne In Paris Tell me For three days clays I have wandered and searched tor or you everywhere I have hardly eaten a thing I dont don't believe I have slept a wink And ho told her of his his' weary search She listened to him part of the time her white-gloved white hand giving Itself up to the boy part of the time both hands hand's folded together and away from fromI I him her arms crossed on her breast her small shoes of coral kid tapping the floor of the car Thus they rolled r I leisurely along th the road by the Dols Are you alone In Paris Letty LeUy And she said Oh what a bor bore you are Youre You're the most obstinate crea crea- ture Well I am alone but that has nothing to do with you A glorious glorious' light broke over his face his relief was tremendous Oh thank God he ho breathed and and she said his uis name with difficulty difficulty Is is coming tonight tonight tonight to to- night from C Carlsbad The Tho boy threw Une back his bright head t and laugher wildly Curse him Tho The very ery name makes me want to commit a crime He will wm go over oyer my body to you You hear hearme hearme me Letty I mean what I say People had already remarked them themas as 58 they passed The actress was too well known to pass unobserved but the ae he was vas Indifferent to their curiosity wr orto to the tho existence of anyone but this tr b- bi I i j t lr 1 1 l' l v J y J 1 I 8 Blair who had not opened n a paper since he came to Paris did not know that LeU Letty Lanes Lane's flight from Crom London had created n. n n scandal In the theatrical cal world that her manager was suing her and that to be seen with her driving driving ing in the Dais Bole was a conspicuous thing Indeed She thought of It how how- over I am going to tell the man to drive jou you to the gate on tho other side of the park where Its It's quieter we wont won't wont bo be stared at at and I want you to leave me and let mo go to the Meurice alone You must Dan you must let me go to the hotel alone He laughed again In the same strained fasl fashion lon and forced her hand to remain in his Look here You dont don't suppose I Iam Iam Iam am going to let you go like this now that I have seen you ou again You dont don't suppose I am going to give you up to that Infamous scoundrel You have got to marry me Bringing all her strength of or character charac charae- I ter to bear she exclaimed exclaim d I expect you think you are arc the only person who has asked mo to marry him Dan I Iam Iam Iam am am going to marry Prince He Is perfectly crazy about me Until that moment she had not made him think that she was Indifferent ent to him and nd the Idea that such Buch a at athing athing t thing ing was possible le w was s too much for foris his is overstrained heart to bear Dan cried her name in a voice whose appeal appeal ap ap- ap- ap pc peal l was like a a. hurt creatures creature's and andas andas andas as the hurt creature In Its suffering sometimes springs upon Its torturer he flung his arms around her as she sat in the motor held her and kissed her then set her lier free and as the tho motor flew along tore open the door to spring out or to to throw w himself out but clinging to him slid shoo prevented his his his' mad act She stopped the car along the edge of or orthe the quiet wooded allee Blair saw that he had terrified her She covered her beating heart with her hands and gasped at him that he was crazy crazy and perhaps a little little lit lit- tle tie late his dignity and self-possession self returned I I I am mad he acknowledged more 7 s I y I I I r jIl j IT ii r j. j Il E 4 I ck 4 i i. i r rAre Are You Alone 1 He persisted He-persisted I Have Got Gotto to Know I calmly and I am sorry that I frightened frightened frightened fright fright- ened you But you OU drive me mad Without further word he got out and left her agitated leaning t toward ward him and Blair less pale palo and thoroughly thoroughly thor thor- the man lifted his hat to herand her herand and with unusual grace bowed goodnight goodnight goodnight good good- night and good Then rushing as asbe asle s she he be le had come he walked off oft down through the allee his gray figure in n his lis gray clothes disappearing through the he the vista of meeting trees For a moment she stared after him her eyes fastened on the tall slender beautiful young man Blairs Blair's fire and ardor his fresh youthfulness his protection protection pro- pro and his chivalry his ardent devotion devotion devotion de de- de- de touched her profoundly Tears I fell ell and one splashed on her white I glove Iove Was h he rea really realy ly going to ruin his life Ufe The old ballad The rhe Earl of Moray ran through her head And Ions long ma may his lady Jady look from the castle wall Dan b had bpd d neither title nor according oJ to o Rugg Ruggles es had he any money and she he could m marry rry the prince Wince but Dan as he walked so fast away misery snapping at his heels heels' as he went stamping through the woods seem seemed d glorious to Letty Lane and the only one she wanted in the world What if it anything should happen to him really What If it he should really start out to todo todo todo do the town according to th the fashion of his Saxon Anglo-Saxon brothers but more desperately still Sh She took a card from Crom rom the case in the corner of the car scribbled a few words told the man to drive around tho the curve and meet the outlet of the path by which Dan had gone When she saw him within reaching distance she sent the chauffeur chauffeur eur across the woods s to give Mr Blair her scribbled word and consoled herself with the belief that Dan wouldn't go to the tho dogs or throw row himself in the tho river until he had bad seen her again I CHAPTER CHAPTER At Maxims At the Meurice Miss Lane gave strict orders to admit only Mr Blair to her apartments She described him aim No sooner had bad she drunk her ber t cup of tea which Higgins gave nor her hor than sho she began t to expect Jan Dan He Ho didn't come Her dinner without much appetite she ato ate alone in her salon saw a doctor doc doc- doctor tor lor and made him prescribe something for the tho cough that racked her ber chest looked out to the warm bright gardens of the fading into the tho pallid palUd loveliness of sunset Indifferent to everything in the world world except except Dan Blair She believed she would soon be Indifferent to him too then everything everything every every- thing would be bo done dono with Now safe wondered had he really gone had gone had he done what he threatened Why didn't he come At twelve o'clock that night as she sho lay among the tho cushions of her sofa dozing the tho door of he her parlor I was pushed In She sprang up with witha a cry cry of delight but when tow ky came up to her she exclaimed Oh you ou And tho the languor and boredom with which she said his hla namo nama made the prince laugh shortly Yes I I. I Who Vho did you ou think It was Cynically and rather cruelly he looked down at Letty Lane and admired d tho the picture she made small exquisite her blond bead head against the dark ark velvet of the lounge her gray eyes ees Intensified by the fatigue under them hem Just got In from Carlsbad came carne directly here How do How do de-do You look you ou know know know- he scrutinized her through his single eyeglass most eyeglass ass ass- most ost frightfully seedy Oh Im I'm all right She left the sofa for she wanted to prevent his nearer approach Have Haye you had any supper Ill I'll call Higgins No no sit down please will you I want to know why you sent to Carlsbad Carlsbad Carls Carls- bad for forme me Have Havo you come to your our senses He was as mad abo about t the beautiful creature as a man of his temperament could be Exhausted by excess and bored with life she charmed and I amused him and in order to have nave have her with him alwa always s to be master o of her caprices he was willing to make male any sacrifice i Have you sent off that imbecile boy And at her look he stopped and shrugged You need a rest my my child he murmured practically youre n neurasthenic neurasthenic neu neu- u. u and very ill Ive I've wired to have hav the yacht at Cherbourg Cherbourg ItI It'll reach there by noon tomorrow She was standing listlessly by the table A mass of letters sent by special special cial dal messenger from London after her telegrams and cards lay th there re in a a pile Looking down at the lot she murmured All right I dont don't care care He concealed his triumph but before before be be- fore rore the look had fad faded d from his taco face she saw it and exclaimed Dont bo be crazy about It it you know You'll have to p pay y high for me you know what I mean He answered gallantly My Iy dear child Ive I've told you ou that you would be bethe bethe the tire most charming princess in Hun Hun- gary Once more she accepted Indifferent Indifferently ly All right tight all right I dont don't care are not not c-not not and and she snapped her lieI fingers but I like to see you pay pay Frederigo Take Tale me to Maxims Maxims Max Max- ims He demun demurI demurred d saying she was far too toom ill m but she turned turner from Crom him to call Higgins determined to go If she had to go alone and said to him violently Dont think Ill I'll make your life me easy for you your Frederigo Ill I'll make it wretched as wretched wretched- and she held out her fragile arms and the sh sleeves fell tell back bacle leav leaving ng them barcas bare bare bare- as wretched as I am myself But she was lovely and he said harshly Get yourself dressed Ill I'll go change chang and meet y you p at tho the lift lift lID 10 BE CONTINUED |