Show L STORY THE GIRL from nom HIS TOWN By MARIE V VAN N VORST Illustrations by M. M G. G KETTNER 1910 0 by The Merrill Bobbs Co Cu 11 SYNOPSIS of the tho Dan Blair the year old son dollar million copper king of Blair Blair- lar- lar town town Mont Is a guest at the English home of Lady Dans Dan's father had hadt t been een courteous to Lord during his visit to the tho United States and the tho courtesy courtes la is now being returned to the oung young man The youth has an Ideal girlin girl girlIn In hi his mind He meets Lily Duchess of or Breakwater a beautiful widow who Is attracted b. b by his Immense fortune and takes a n. liking to her When Dan was a aboy aboy boy a n girl sang a a. solo at ata a church and he had never forgotten her The Ga- Ga Lily and Dan attend a n London theater where one Letty Lane Is the star Dan recognizes her as the girl from his town and going behind the scenes introduces Introduces Intro Intro- duces himself and she remembers him H Hr Hn learns that Prince Is suitor and escort to Letty Lord Ga Ga- lorey and a friend named RUggles determine determine determine deter deter- mine to protect the westerner from tram Lily Uly and other fortune hunters Young Blair goes Ios to see LII Lily he can talk of nothing but Lett Letty and this angers the Duchess The westerner finds Letty Ill m from hard work but she recovers and Ruggles and Dan invite imite her to supper i. i CHAPTER XI Continued Yes she accepted out of sight of wn and everybody 1 h ever Knew I vent went aWa away the next day She lifted her glass of champagne to her lips Ups Heres one thing I oughtn't to do she said but Im I'm going to just the same Im I'm Im I'm going to do everything I want this evening Remember Remember I let you drink six glasses of chocolate soda once She drained her glass glassand glassand glassand and her friends drank with her I like this soup awfully What Is it it- it lust Just to touching ching it with her spoon Why Ruggles hastened to tell her it jt aint a party soup its it's Scotch broth But somehow it sounded good goodon on the bill of fare I fixed tho rest of the dinner diener up for you and Dan but butI I let lett myself go on the s soup up i its it's s 's my mya favorite a I She did not eat It however although although although al al- al- al though she said it was splendid and that she was crazy about it Did you come East then Dan rian returned returned re re- re- re turned to what she he had been saying Yes that week went to Paris and andall ill all over the e place She instantly fell into a sort of melancholy It was easy to be seen that she did not want to talk about her ber past and yet that it fascinated her Just think of It he be exclaimed I never heard a word about you until un until un un- til I I. I heard you sing theother the other night The actress laughed and told him that he he had had made up for lost time and that thal he was a regular sitter now at the Gaiety Ruggles said He took me every night eight to see you dance until I balked Miss Lane Still its it's a perfectly great show Mr Ruggles dont don't you think s so 1 I I like It it better than any part I 1 ever had I am Interested about it for tor forthe the sake of or th the man who wrote it too It Its It's s his first opera hes he's an inva invalid fd and has hasa a wife and five kids to look after And Ruggles replied Oh gracious I feel better than ever having gone ten tell times although I wasn't very sore about It before Aint you going to eat anything She only picked at her food drinkIng drinking drink drink- Ing in what they poured in her glass and every time she spoke to Dan a alook alook look toole of charming kindness crossed her face lace lacean an an expression of good fellowship fellowship fellow follow ship which Ruggles noted with interest inter inter- est I 1 wish you could have seen this same author today at the tho rehearsal of the play Letty Lane went ent on Hes too i ill l to walk and they had to carry carri him In a chair We Ve all ll went round to tor r his apartments after the theater He 11 lives ves In three rooms with his whole family and hes he's had hac so so many debts and so much trouble and such a poor contract that he hasn't made much 4 out of Mandalay but I 1 guess guess he will out of this new piece He hugged and kissed me until I 1 thought he would break bicak my neck ceck i London had gone mad over Letty Lane whose hosse traits and contour were i the admiration 0 of the wor world at large and well known even to the newsboys newsboys news news- boys boys and whose likeness was as nearly as familiar as that of the of old Her face was oval and perfectly perfectly pert per per- t formed with the reddest o of mouths the mouths the most delicious and softest soft sort est est eat of mouths the mouths the line of her brows browst t clear and straight and her gray erest eyes eres t large and as Innocent and appealing ItU h L L ItU h L L as a childs child's under their long long lashes I they opened up like flowers It was wa wasI said that no man mail could withstand their thel I appeal that she had but to look to tomake tomake tomake make a man her slave and as more than once she turned to Dan smiling and gracious Ruggles R watched her mutely thinking of what he had heard hean this day for Cor after her letter came cam f accepting their Invitation he ha had taken pains to find OUt the things h he wanted warned to know It had not been bee difficult As 18 s her face race and form former were er vt public on every post-card post and In every photographers photographer's shop so the actress actress' actress actress' actress actress' ac ac- ac- ac tress' tress reputation was the tho property of the public As Ruggles repeated these things to himself he watched her beside eside the son of his old friend They were talk- talk rather ing-rather ng rather she was was and and behind the orchids and the ferns her voice was sweet and enthralling Ruggles tried to o appreciate his bill of fare while the two wo appreciated each each other It was strange to Dan to have her so near neal and so approachable His sights of her off orr the stage had been so slight and fleeting On the bo boards she had seemed to be an unreal creation made for or the public alone Her dress cut fe fearlessly low displayed her lovely young bosom soft bosom soft bloomy white as asa asa asa a shell shell and and her head and ears were as delicate as the petals of or a white rose ose Low In the napo nape of her neck her golden hair lay lightly and from its ts soft masses fragrance came to him Ruggles could hear her say Roach came to the house and told my people that hat I had a fortune In my voice I Iwas Iwas Iwas was living with my uncle and my step aunt and working In the store And that same day your father sent down a check for five hundred dollars He said It was for the little girl with the he sweet voice and It gives me a lot lotof lotof lotof of pleasure to think that I began my lessons essons on that money The son of old ld Dan Ban Blair said earnestly earnestly earn- earn estly Im darned glad you did did Im Im I'm darned arned glad you did Letty Lane nodded So am I. I But with some sharpness I dont don't dontee see ee why you rou speak that way Ive I've earned arned my way I made a fortune for Roach all right You mean mean the man you married Married Married goodness goodness gracious what made you think that I She threw back ack her pretty head and laughed laughed laughed-a a V V is 3 f t x v JL I V- V Cx l r ft A i j f e r rt rt t t L 1 Y Jd d J rY 97 lf 1 I 1 He Took Me Every Night to See You Dance Until I Balked Miss Lane I laugh augh with the least possible merriment merri ment in It Oh Heavens marry old Job Roach So they say that do dohey they they hey I 1 never heard that thaL I hear a alot alot lot ot but I 1 never heard that fairy tale S She e put her hands to her cheeks which had grown crimson not true Dan swore at himself for his tactless tactless tact- tact less ess stupidity Ruggles had heard both sides She was adored by the poor and as far as as rumor knew she spent thousands on the London paupers and th the Westerner Westerner Westerner West West- erner who had never been given to reveling in scandals and to whom there was something wicked in spew spewing ing ill of a woman no m matter whom she might be listened with embar embar- embarrassment embarrassment to tales he he had been told in answer to his other questions and turned with relief to the stories of or Letty Lanes Lane's charity and to the stories of her popularity and her suc suc- cess They were more agreeable but they couldn't make him forget the rest and now as he looked at her herf f face ce across the bouquet of orchids and ferns It was with a sinking of heart a great pity for her and still sUll a decided decided de de- de enmity He disapproved of her ber down to the ground He didn't let himself think how he e felt Celt but It was I for the boy Ruggles was not a manof manof man of the world in any sense he lie was simple and Puritan in his judgments and his gentle nature and his big bigheart bigheart bigheart heart kept him from Pharisaical and strenuous measures He had been led ledin ledin ledin in what he ho was doing tonight by a diplomacy and a common sense cense that few men east of the Mississippi would ha have ve thought out under the circum circum- stances Tell TeU Mr Ruggles he heard Dan say to her tell him tell him tell him And she answered I was telling Mr Blair that a as he heis heis heis is so frightfully rich I want him to give mo me some Bomo money Ruggles gasped but answered quietly quiet quiet- ly Well hes he's a great giver Miss Lane 1 I 1 guess ho he Is If hes he's like his father father father fa fa- ther she returned I am trying to I get a lot though out of him and I when you asked mo me to dine tonight I IsaId Isaid Isaid said to myself Ill accept for It will willbe willbe be a a. good time to ask Mr Blair to help me out In what I want to do I At Ruggles' Ruggles face she smiled sweetly and and said graciously Oh dont don't think I 1 wouldn't have haye come anyway But Im I'm awfully tired the these e days and going out to supper r Is just one thing too much to do I want Mr Blair she said sald turning to Ruggles as If it she knew a a. word from him would make the thing go through I Ito to help me build a n rest home down on the English coast for girls who get discouraged in their art arL When Whon I think of the luck I have had and how these things have been from the beginning and how money has just poured in why she said ardently it just makes my heart ache to think of the girls who try and fall who go on on for a little wh while le and have to give up You cant can't tell she tell she nodded to Ruggles Rug Rug- glos as though she were herself a matron of forty you forty you can not tell what their temptations are or what comes up to to make them them go to pieces Ruggles listened with interest I haven't thought it all out yet but so many come to me tired out and discouraged and I 1 think a nice home taken care care of by a a. good creature like my Higgins let us say would be a perfect blessing to them They could go there and rest and study and just think and perhaps she said slowly as though while she spoke she saw a vision of a tired self for Ifor whom there had been no rest home homo and no place of retreat perhaps a lot of them would pull through In a different way Now today today she she broke her meditative meditative meditative tive tone short short I I got a letter from tram froma trama a hospital where a poor thing that used to sing with me in New Y York rk I Iwas was dying with consumption all all gone I to pieces and discouraged and there Is where your our primroses went ent to to- to she nodded to Dan Higgins took them Yo You dont don't mind And Blair with a warmth in his voice touched by her pity more than by her charity said Why they grew for you Miss Lane I dont don't care you do with them Letty Lane sank sanJi her head on her hands her elbows leaned on the tho table tible She seemed suddenly to have lost Interest interest interest In in- terest ev even n in her topic She looked around the room indifferently The orchestra was softly playing The Dove Dovo Song from Mandalay and very softly under her breath the star hummed it her eyes vaguely fixed on some unknown scene soone To Dan and to Ruggles she had grown strange The music her brilliancy her sudden Indifference Indifference indifference In In- difference put her out of their comman commonplace com corn man place reach Ruggles to himself II thought with relief She doesn't care one rap for tor the boy anyway thank God She's got other fish to land And nd Dan Blair thought Its my Infernal Infernal infernal In In- fernal money again But he was waa generous gen erous at heart and glad to be of service service service ice to her and was perfectly willing willingto to be touched for her poor Then two or three men came up and joined them She greeted them Indolently bestowing a word or look on this one or on that all fire and light seemed to have gone out of her and Dan said You are tired I 1 guess I had better better better bet bet- ter take you home TO BE DE CONTINUED |