Show y E ia THE hh HIS TOWN by MARIE VAN VORST matrau matr bu M G KETTNER rf UIO til alia bobb co J SYNOPSIS dan niala the 22 year old eon of the fifty million dollar copper king of blaar town mont Is a guest at the english home of lady gallrey pan a father had been courteous to lord malorey during lila visit to the united states and the courtesy la now being returned to the young man the youth has an ideal clr an fn bis mind he meets lily duchess of breakwater a beautiful widow who Is attracted by his immense fortune and hakea a tilting to her when dan was a acoy a girl sang a solo at a ch arch and lie had never forgotten her the ga lily and ban attend a london theater where one letty lane Is the star dan recognizes her as the girl from Us town and going behind the scenes intro himself and she remembers ham iio learns that I 1 rince la fultor and escort to letta lord oa lorey and a friend named fuggles deter to protect the westerner from lily and other fortune hunters young blaar boea to see lily he can talk of nothing but letty and ams angers the duches the westerner fanda letty from hard work but she recovers and and dan invite her to supper she asks dan to build a home tor disappointed the adrical people dan visits lily for the time forgetting letty and later announces his engagement to the duchess letty refuses to aang for an entertain nent given by illy malorey mil dan that all I 1 lly cares for Is his money and it Is disclosed that he and the duchess have been mutually in love for ears betty sings at an function idan escorting her home CHAPTER continued the boy walked briskly bacar of the kt weeps toward the little door behind which as he tapped he hoped with all r his heart to hear her voice bid him t como in but there were other voices in the room he rattled the door knob and letty lane herself called to him without opening the door c wm you go please mr I 1 cant see anyone tonight y he had nothing to do but to go A to grind his heel as he turned to A wear deeply against his late ecstasy was turned to gall the theater seemed horrible to him the chattering of the chorus girls their giggles their laughter as he v cassed the little groups all seemed weird and infernal and everything be ame an object of irritation As he went blindly out of the theater be struck his arm against a piece of stage fittings and the blow was charp and stinging but he was glad of the hurt without in the street dan took his place with the other men and waited a bitter taste in his mouth and anger in bis breast waited until letty lane fluttered down followed by Pon lotow ky and the fa 0 drove away the young man could have gone after running behind the motor but their was a taxicab at hand he jumped in it ordering the man to follow the car to the savoy there A the boy had the pleasure of seeing misa lane enter the hotel Pon lotow eky with her had the anguish of seeing them both go up in the lift to her apartments when dan came to himself ha heard the chimes of st martins ring out H t eleven he then remembered foi the first time that he had promised to dine alone at homo with the duchess j of breakwater gosh lily will be wild in spite of the lateness of the hour be hurried to park lane the familiar face of the man servant who let him in blurred before the young man s eyes her grace was out at the theater would wait then and he went into the small drawing room quiet empty reposeful with a fire across the andirons and irons tor the evening was damp and cool still dazed by his f dan I 1 really dont care a pin for IF the money dont alous passionate emotions he glanced about the room chose a long leather sofa and stretching out his length tell asleep there in the slept profoundly waking suddenly to find that he was not alone across the room the duchess of breakwater stood by the table ah was in evening dress her cloak and gloves on the chair at her side she laughed softly and the man to whom W T f r s she laughed on whom she smiled was lord gallrey raised himself up on the sofa without making any noise and he saw gallrey take the woman in bis arms the sight dlan i make the nance angry he realized instantly that he wanted to believe that it as true and as there was nothing theatrical in the young westerner be sprang up slang so much a part of bis nature that the first words that came to bis lips was a phrase in vogue look chos here he cried and came blithely forward his head clear his lips smiling the duchess gave a little scream and dan lounged up to the two people and held his hand frankly out to the lady that s all right llly go right on gordon please only I 1 had to let you know when I 1 waked up only fair I 1 guess I 1 must have been asleep quite a while the duchess of breakwater shrugged I 1 don t know what you dreamed she said acidly it you were asleep well it was a very pretty dream the boy returned and showed what a stupid ass I 1 ve been to think I 1 coulden couldn t have dreamed it when I 1 was awake I 1 think you are crazy the duchess exclaimed but blaar repeated that s all right I 1 mean to say as far as I 1 am con corned kl and gallrey Ga lorey in order to stand by his lady murmured my dear chap you have been dreaming but blaar met the englishman s gray eyes with his blue ones 1 I did have a bottle of champagne gordon i f T t K i 9 s I 1 lie made a few computations on 9 per lifted the pad to her with the figures on it round generous and full at home he said in we have what we call engagement parties when each fellow brings a present to the girl but this Is what we might call a broken engagement party now I 1 cant the boy went on give this money to you very well it won t look right we will have to fix that up some way or other you will hae to say you got an un cd inheritance from some undo in australia he smiled at Galore yi we 11 fix it up together his candor bis simplicity were 10 charming he stood before the two so young so clear so clean that a sudden tenderness for him and a sense of what she had lost what she never had bad made her exclaim dan I 1 really don t care a pin for the money I 1 dont but the hand she held out was seized by the other man and held fast gallrey said very well let it go at that you don t care for the money but you will take it just the same now don t for gods cake tell him that you care for him he made her meet his eyes athla time stronger than she gallrey forced her to be sincere she set dan free and he turned and eft them standing there facing each other ha softly crossed the room and looking back he saw them tall distinguished both of them under the lamplight enemies and yet the closest friends bound by the strongest tie in the world As dan went out through the curtains of the room and they tell behind him the duchess of breakwater sank letty lane fluttered down followed by a fact but it coulden couldn t make me bee what I 1 did see dan the duchess of breakwater broke in let gordon take you home like a dear you re really ragging in a ridiculous way adlair looked at her steadily and as he did so be repeated that a all right lily gordon cares a lot and the truth of the matter is that I 1 do not she grew very pale 4 would have stuck to my word ot course he went on but wed have been infernally unhappy and ended up in the divorce courts now this little scene here of yours lets me out and I 1 don t lay it up against either of you gordon she appealed to her lover why in heavens name dont you speak the englishman realized that while he was glad at heart he regretted that he had been the means of her losing the chance of her life what do you want me to eay lilya he exclaimed with a desperate gesture I 1 can t tell him I 1 don t love you I 1 have loved you god help me for ten years sho could have killed him for it I 1 can tell you dan it you want me to went on that I 1 dont believe she cares a penny for any one on the face of the earth tor you or mo old can son showed his business training ills one idea was to pet out and as he dlan t care who the duchess of breakwater loved or dlan t love he wanted to break away as fast as he could lie sat down at the table under the light of the lamp and drew out his wallet with its corn pact thick little check book the mil pass to moat 0 the things that he wants youve taught me a lot he said to the duchess of breakwater and my father sent me over here for that I 1 have been awfully fond of you too I 1 thought I 1 was fonder than I 1 am I 1 guess at any rate I 1 want to stand by one of my promises that old place oti yours court now got to be fixed up t down in the chair by the aide of the table she buried her face gordon gallrey bent over her and again took her in his arms and she buffered it CHAPTER axt A hand clasp it was one 0 clock blaar called a hansom and told the driver to tahe him to tho cariton and leaning back in the vehicle be breathed a long bagh iio looked like hla father but ho dlan t know it he felt old he wa a man and a tired one and a free one and the sense of this liberty began to refresh him like a breeze over parched sand he thought over what he had left for a second stopped longest in pitying gallrey Ga lorey then went into the cariton restaurant to order some supper tor ho began to feel the need of food he had not time to drink his wine and partake of the cold pheasant before be saw that him tha two people who bad taken their table were letty lane and the slender back was turned to blaar and his heart gave a leap of pain at the sight of the man with her and the cruel suffering began again dan gave up the idea of eating drank a whole bottle of champagne then pushed it away from him violently hold up ho told himself you re getting dangerous this drinking won t do so he sat drumming on the table looking into the air when those two got up to go however he would go with them that was sure he could never see them go out together again no no not ax his brain grew a bit clearer he sar that they were having a heated discussion between them and as tb room emptied finally save for themselves dan though he could not heat what said understood that he was urging something which the girl did not wish to grant when they left be rose as well and at the door of the restaurant the actress and her companion paused and dan saw her face deadly pale thera tears in her eyes TO BE CONTINUED acx |