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Show FOUND HER IDEAL Loss of Fortune and Social Standing Brought Love and Happiness. By GEORGE ELMER COBB. Daniel Forsythe considered himself one of the most fortunate men in the world when he became a partner with Roger Bell. He was getting old, his new business cares would be light, and Bell was a money maker. Besides that, young Denzil Bell and Lucia Forsythe were engaged. It was true that young Bell was by no means the man the old business veteran would generally have selected select-ed for a son-in-law. The scion of the Bells was idle, without ambition, fickle and a spendthrift. As to Lucia, she had failed to find one ideal among the fashionable young men with whom she was brought in contact in the social so-cial Bwim. She had arrived at a marriageable mar-riageable age, however, and the principal princi-pal anxiety, of her father was to see her "settle down," as he expressed it. She sighed a trifle, and then in her great love for her father she decided to make a sacrifice of herself. Then, rudely, unexpectedly, came the darkest day in the life of old Daniel Dan-iel Forsythe. With a crash the great house of Bell, Forsythe & Co. went down in ruin. All of the Forsythe fortune for-tune was involved. The Bells, however, how-ever, Were notorious for having ever "an anchor to windward." . When the creditors were settled with the Bells flew as high as ever. Mrs. Bell had a fortune of her own, and on that the family could drift along' very pleasantly. pleas-antly. The first thing shallow, mean-spirited mean-spirited Denzil Bell did was to break the engagement with Lucia. She had expected it, and was devoutly glad that it had come about. "We are paupers!" mourned her father. "And now the engagement is broken. It crushes me to think of you, Lucia. I had so counted on your trip abroad to finish up your art and music. Now " "Now. dear papa," cried Lucia, almost al-most joyously, "I am free to have my own way, to really live, to be of some ess. I I I liHf ti rm 0 rati "it Crushes Me to Think of You, Lucia!" actual use in the world. Yes, art and music are very dear to me, but thanks to your great goodness, I know a good deal worth knowing of both. I am going go-ing to try to share those treasures, to Impart my knowledge to the world at large." "Even if the crash had not come," declared her father, "it would not have meant much to me, for I am gradually breaking down in health." "Nonsense!" cheered his hopeful daughter. "A month up among the pines with Aunt Carrie will soon drive away all such megrims. Papa, you have taken care of me all my life now I am going to pay you back." Lucia was as good as her word. She did not realize that the removal of social restrictions, the abBenco of matrimonial fetters, were elements In the vast courage and ambition that began to come into her life in a practical prac-tical way. Years previous Mr. Forsythe had given his widowed sister a small home at Wareham and had secured a permanent per-manent pension to her. This was now; their refuge. Lucia found it to be a very humble home, indeed, but com fortable, cleanly kept, and, what made up for all other deficiencies, they were welcomed with true, heartsome love. Lucia had arranged in the city to do some illustrating for two publications. A music house, too, had agreed to pay her something for arranging songs, so she began her new life with quite an encouraging income. Her work did not take up -all her time, and she became immensely interested in the children of the poor factory workers work-ers of the town. "I declare, papa." she said, one day about six months after their arrival it Wareham,, "I believe I never knew what real happiness was until now. Think of it, this grand air and exercise ex-ercise have made you twenty years younger, the bank is willing to paj you well for a few hours of your time as adviser, I am earning a nice little sum, and oh! these dear little child ren. Mr. Page has' selected those who seem to have the musical and art instinct, and Saturdays I have four different free classes. You should see some of their drawings. I am really proud of them, and there is not one of my music scholars who would not give up a whole holiday to practice on the piano." The Mr. Page she had alluded to had come into Lucia's life quite prominently prom-inently of late. He had charge of a school supported by the manufacturing manufactur-ing plants at the edge of the town. The work was purely philanthropic. It was profound admiration for the way in which he had won the interest and love of his poor pupils, that had caused Lucia herself to long to be of assistance in co-operating to raise the social and educational status of the forlorn little ones. Lucia would never forget to her dying day one golden afternoon when she was strolling by the riverside with Harold Page, discussing new plans for the benefit of their mutual work. Suddenly Harold had sprung from her side. Then she saw that a little girl playing in a boat tied to the shore near the mill dam had fallen fall-en into the water. Just in time Mr. Page made a plunge that rescued the imperiled child from sure death. The little one was more frightened than hurt. When Page carried her to a grassy plot, Lucia sat down to care for the weeping child, and her rescuer hovered near by to soothe her with gentle words. "Oh, dear Mr. Page! You was so good, so grand to jump in and get all wet and mussed up, just for a bad, naughty little girl!" She was so grateful, so happy, that . she seized his hand. "She drew it close to that of Lucia, and kissed them both, and held them there so close together that Lucia blushed and Page looked embarrassed. It awoke Lucia to a quick comprehension of the fact that she had found her ideal at last. It nerved Mr. Page to speak out what had been in his heart for some time. "Tiaa ITnrcvrlio " ho Kalri flR theV walked slowly homeward, "anyboAy would be pardoned for the common belief that you are a princess in disguise, dis-guise, and really I was led to believe that you were the great heiress they said. But I have learned that your work here is real soul labor. I have something more in worldly wealth than my humble but glad position here would seem to indicate. Let me share it with you." And on such a dreamy, mellow evening, eve-ning, and with such earnest words from such a man, Lucia Forsythe could not Eay him nay. (Copyright, 1913, by W. G. Chapman.) |