Show 1 larser N icia ty th SYNOPSIS dan ulner the 22 year old son bon of 0 aba fifty dollar topper copper king of 0 blair town mont la iri a guest at the eng 11 horne home of J ihly gallrey Ga lorcy lorey dans father had been courteous coutte ous to lord galares during his visit to the united states and tile courtesy la Is now novy being returned to tile the young man inan th youth has an ideal kill girl loung in his mind lie ile meets llly lily duche duchess 8 of breakwater A beautiful widow who la Is attracted by hla hit immense fortune and takes taken a liking to her ber when dun was ft boy a g carl rl saing a solo nt at a church find he had never for forgotten gatten her the on ga lorees lily and dan attend a london theater where one atty lane Is 19 tile lie pr nr dan ban recognizes her ns as the girl from ills his town and going behind tile lie mcm s introduces duces and sho ahe remembers hill lie ho learna that prince Pon lotosky if I 1 suitor and escort to lord gal aft horev and a friend named ruggles determine to protect tile the westerner from IAN and 0 other th e r fortune hunters young blair goes j to see lily he carl can tails or nothing boc but ut letty and till this S angers the duchess the tha lestr westerner wes erner finds Letty till trum hard work but she ehe recovers rec overa CHAPTER X continued dan altered bla indolent pose and sat eat forward out dut I 1 am thinking of getting married he said 1 I hope its to the right girl dan and with young assurance blair an it will be if I 1 marry her I 1 know what I 1 want all right 1 I hope she knowd kno wet what she bhe wants wanta dan how flow do you mean you or your money you have the damnedest daro darn edest handicap my boy blair flushed ill get to hate the whole thing he said ferociously it meets me everywhere bonds stocks figures figurea dividends coupons deeds its too much ho he said suddenly with resentment its too much tor for me why sometimes I 1 feel a hundred years old and like a hunk bunk or of gold ruggles in answer to this said why that reminds mo me of what a man remarked about your father once etwas t was the same english chap your father bought tho the claim of speaking of blair he said to md you know theres all kinds of metal bars and when you cut into ato them some Is bullion and somes coated with alum at ftp anum and theres others that when you cut down cut but a a clean yellow all along abong the line if as you say you nei feel like a hunk of metal it aint bad if it is that kind its got to stop atop coming in between me and the woman I 1 marry all right though dan did not pursue his subject further for bis his feelings about the ibe duchess were too unreal to give him the sincere heartiness with which he be would have liked to answer ruggles he went over to the window and with his bis hands bands in his pockets stood looking out at the fog ruggles at the table opened the cover of the book of Al mandalay andalay and took out the four checks made out to lady galoney gallrey and which he had forgotten he hurriedly thrust them into his pocket come away dannie he said cheerfully lets do something wild I 1 feel up tip to do most anything with this miserable fog down on me if it had any nerve it would take some form or shape so a man could choko choke it back ruggles blow his nose violently theres nothing to do said dan in a bored tono tone 4 why dont you see who your telegram Is from ruggles asked it proved to be a suggestion from gordon gallrey that dan should meet meet him at five at the club what will you do rug weep sleep said the westerner se serenely refie im nearly as happy in london its as I 1 am in philadelphia it its a tour four now and I 1 cant sleep more than four hours anyway lets have a real wild time dannie dan looked at him doubtfully doub dully but ruggles eyes were keen what kind hind of a time do you mean lets ask the gaiety girl for dinner for supper after the theater letty lano lane she go why not she Is awfully delicate it Is all she can do jo to keep her contracts ile ho knows that ruggles thought lets ask her and see bee lie he went over to the table and drew out the paper come on and write ana ask her to go out with us to supper see here rug this for strange in it phe fhe IP from our state and it if you dont hustle and ask tier her I 1 am going to ask 1 her ar su all alone dan was puzzled as ho he sat eat down to the table reflecting that it was perfectly possible that old ruggles bid bad juliet n prey to the charms of an actress nc tress sho come of courso course he wrote a formal invitation without thinking very much of what ho he said or how folded and addressed his note what did you say ruggles asked eagerly why that two boys boye from home want wanted ed to give hera her a supper well said eald ruggles Ru egles if the an awer comes while you are at the club ill open it a iund nd give the orders think shell come 1 I 1 donot responded dan rather brutally ashes got others to take tier her out to supper you hot bot your life well weil theres none of them as rich BB as you ara area fl reckon dan and the boy turned on him violently see here josh if you speak to me again of my money when theres a woman in the question ile he did not finish his threat but snatched up his cout coat and abd hat and gloves and went out of the door slam ming it after him mr air ruggles Hu ggles profound ind and happy snore was cut short by the page boy who fetched in a note with the savoy got it with wilh blair asked when lie he camo came in and ruggles responded that lie he carry lovo otters letters around tn in hla his dress dresa clothes they could tell by the interest in the room doolit when the ahe tic actress tress was coming and both men roso rose as letty lane floated lh in at flood tide with a crowd of last arrivals slid she was not dressed this evening with tile ho intention that ahat her dark sim of should bo be conspicuous the 1110 cloak which dan took from tier her shod the per perfume fuline of and revealed tile woman lu in a blaze of spark ling pail lettes lettea sho she seemed mado made out alit of sparkle spa r kle and her blond head from which a bright ornament shook was wag tile the most brilliant thing about tier her though her dress from hem to throat glistened with discs of gold like moonshine on a starry sea the actress took look of surprise when she saw ruggles indicated that she ehe had find n not ot expected a boy of his ago the other boy she asked well this Is s the nicest supper party everl and you are awfully aPS Tully good to invite roe me patted his bis shirt front and adjusted his cravat my izay iden idea ho be told her all the blame on me ine miss lane charge it up to mol dan here had cold feet from the iio he sald you rome ome r she la laughed deliciously I ile did much faith has baa he miss Lano drew her long gloves off touched the orchids with her little hands on which the ever present rings lashed flashed and went on talking to ruggles to whom she seemed to want to address her conversation im simply crazy over these mowers flowers the older man showed his pleasure my choice again t waked up myself and chose the bunch blame me again ditto dinner mine from start to finish hope you it like it I 1 ap 0 ir J a but I 1 am ain thinking of getting married stamping anthe on the back ruggles opened it not wit badt emotion dear boy it ran 1 I yet thanked you for the primroses prim roses they were perfectly sweet there Is not one of thera them in any of at my rooms and ill tell tali you why tonight I 1 am crazy to accept for supper h she had evidently struck out her bended i ended refusal and closed with im coming but dont come after me at the gat gaiety ety please ill meet you at the carlton after the theater leater ti chos the other ober boy boyl al 11 L L f 1 I theother Tho other boy read the note not with ith arlt ffitch difficulty for it was badly written ten rell hell have hav e to stop sending her flowers and going every night to the theater unless ho he wants a row with the duchess he bo said dryly and with a certain corta iii interest in hla his role ruggles rang for the hea head d welter waiter and with tile the niana help ordered his bis first fl rat midnight supper for fair an actress CHAPTER XI ruggles gives 0 a dinner the bright tide of worldly london hows flows after and andl around aroud midnight into the various restaurants i ants an and d supper rooms and as well ili through rough the corridors and halls of the carlton at one 0 at the small tables bearing be a ring a groat ex es pensive bunch ui W orchids and soft terns ferns josh ruggles in a now new evening dress sat sa waiting for cpr i hla his party dan ban had bad dined with lord gallrey Ga bit lorey and the two men had gone out together afterward and ruggles had bad not seen the b boy oy to give him film letty lanes note would have added some montana peas and some chocolate soda boda water only I 1 thought you might not understand the joke miss alias lape lane beamed on him although he be was ivas unconscious of it sho she was not fully at ease he was waa not the kind of man she had e expected ad acted to see accustomed to young follows fellows alk like the boy and their mad devotion aclelia ac ans k t tomed to inen men with whom sho could bo be tho the big bluff middle ared aged ge gentleman nan with his painfully correct tie his rumpled iron gray hair and hi his s deference to 0 o her though an unusual diversion was a little embarrassing oil oh I 1 know your our dinner Is ripping mr air Rug ruggles glos im on a diet of milk and eggs myself and I 1 expect your order older take in those but fit at tile his fallen countenance she hurried to say bay oh I 1 have told you that it I 1 been intending to break through and with childlike anticipation she clapped tier her hands handa and said were going to havo havn lots of fun ju just 9 t th think 1 they dont know what that means here in london they say helpa of sport you know she imitated the tha accent maliciously its ita just we americans who know what lots of tun lun Is it near tier her dan beairs blairs young eyes were drinking in tile the spectacle of delicate beauty beautifully gowned of soft skin glorious hair and he gazed like a child at a pantomime under hla his breath ho he exclaimed now with effusion you bet your ufa life wo we are going to have lots of faunl and turning to him blin alias lane said six chocolate sodas running oh dont he begged not that kind of jag she shook with laughter are you from mr hug agles I 1 dont think I 1 over saw you there and the waste westerner returned well wall from what dan tolls tile me youre not much ot at a fixture yourself miss lane you wore were just about born and then her gay expression faded and she repeated hla his word a good word for it mr air haggles Hu ggles she picked up between her fingers a strand of the green fern and looked at its delicate tracery as it lay on tho the palm of her hand 1 I sang one day after a missionary sermon in the presbyterian church she interrupted herself with a short laugh dut but I 1 guess youre not thinking of writing my biography are you and it was dans voice that urged her say do go on I 1 wan there that day with my father and you sang aang simply out of sight eight TO BE CONTINUED |