Show Ie I I IC The Thirteenth By RUPERT HUGHES I C Commandment d- d men t f I Copyright by Harper ft Brothers in i DAPHNE DISCOVERS THAT HER MONEY WILL NOT GO FARIN FAR FARIN IN BUYING A TROUSSEAU IN NEW YORK Synopsis Clay Clay Wimburn a young New Yorker on a visit to Cleveland meets pretty Daphne Kip whose brother is in n the same office with Clay in Wall Nall street After a whirlwind courtship they become become become be be- come engaged CHAPTER III III Continued 2 2 Mr Gassett smiled Not old Wesley Wesley Wes Wes- ley Icy Kips Kip's girl 1 I I believe I did hear Miss Kip gip call her father Wesley Well Fell Id I'd like to help Wes out I suppose I might take a chance Do you Sou think you you can pay for the ring in ninety days Easily Wimburn would have promised to tear d n the world and rebuild It in ninety daysI days das I uI hall have to add a little to the i Arica rico for the risk and the accommodation tion Anything you like said Clay magal mag- mag al 8 gently en Call CaB It two hundred dollars Certainly I One could hardly S haggle over O an en engagement ring urn Ill ask you to sign a little document docu docu- ment With pleasure lie He would have signed an agreement to surrender a pound of his Ihs flesh Cla Clay Clap hurried out to find Daphne and fasten on her the glittering gUttering He might have taken further alarm from the immense and greedy rapture Daphne revealed at the sight of the petrified d dewdrop set in the golden circlet Women are all misers when it comes to diamonds Wimburn noted only the joy the bauble gave guye to Daphne and the pretty with which she poked poled out her slender finger and slid it into the fetter He felt that the kiss of I affiance was worth years of hard labor It was hard and bitter hitter to rend their cemented hearts in twain but he had to go fit at last She floated him to the station in the little car and waved him through the iron paling She was unimaginably unimaginably un un- un- un imaginably precious and acid pitiful as she stood there and and he he the wanted to blubber when the vestibule was slammed shut and the train slid out of the station like a n merciless snake He vowed that he would work with the strength of ten and pile up a fortune fortune fortune for for- tune In the bank for her But first he lie must pile up enough t to pay for that solitaire W Cia Clay wrote Daphne a rat fat at letter every ev ey- iry ery ry day He Be usually sneaked It in among his business correspondence and took great grent pains that It should never miss the Lake Shore limited at fi thirty five e- e hirty In the afternoon A delivery cial-delivery stamp put the letter In Daphnes Daphne's s hands every next forenoon But Dut after t the letter had gone he i equally remembered that he had omitted omitted omitted omit omit- I ted to include some message of fright fright- I II important So he had to to 10 send send her every night a night letter and md frequently of mornings he must fire off a day letter These cost only sixty cents apiece but often he had to send them In double or triple length For occasions where time was yet more unendurable there was the telephone tele tele- phone phone phone-a a pittance of three dollars and hn five twenty five nty-five cents for the first three minutes and a n dollar doUar arid and five cents I I for each additional minute or fraction I tIu tin reef would bring his lips to DaphIS Daphne's Daphnes Daphnes Daphne's nes ne's ear From the little rubber mouth of the receiver her voice came to him as from a a. distant star by Interplanetary communication The sense of remoteness remoteness remoteness remote remote- ness was unbearable She seemed to tobe tobe tobe be dead and wailing walling across eternity Clay was In complete dis dis- dis- dis tress His health wavered and his office office office of of- fice work suffered till it won rebukes and threats from his chiefs and comment comment com corn ment meat even from Bayard Kip who whon n never ver suspected and was never told of WImburn's infatuation for his sister With lovers lover's logic Wimburn persua persuaded persuaded per per- sua ed himself that the only onty one who could save hii him blIp from rom destruction was With Daphne With her married and all nIl and ensconced In a little nest In New NewYork NewYork York he be could stake take up his office tasks C 1 with a whole he heart rt So he lIe began to write and to telegraph and to groan across the living wire wilder and wilder cries for help belp Daphne wept back and repaid his longings in kind and suffered heartrending heartrending heartrending heart heart- rending ecstasies of yearning And finally she promised frantically to I marry him without further delay I With a n desire to economize In In pain she broke the double news to her two parents at the same time telling them both that she was engaged and that she was about to wed The They were stunned They had never experienced a suspicion of ot the acute state Mate of Daphnes Daphne's heart henrt affairs It 1 Is really astounding how blind parents ore are to their childrens children's activities and how bow much can go on under their noses noses without catching their heavy eyes Daphne easily browbeat her father and aud mother Into into consenting to her early marriage Her father groaned at tit the thought of ot the wedding expenses expenses expenses ex ex- but consoled himself with a sight Pisgah of the Canaan when the thelast thelast thelast last of his dear children should be living at another mans man's cost Mrs Kip made one stipulation I III wont won't let Daphne sneak away awny to NewYork NewYork New NewYork York and be married by a justice of the peace or a n coroner or whoever does such things In New York She must have a church wedding wedding and a ahome ahome ahome home reception Daphne accepted this un with one amendment I must go to New York to get my trousseau Of course said Mrs Kip Of course not I said Mr Kip Why not said Mrs Kip I The expense is the why not I 1 What's the use of spending a fortune on clothes The money that goes out for these honeymoons might better be turned into the wedding fund Lord knows Daphne will need dollars more than she ne needs ds duds if s ie marries that young fellow Daphne broke out in a revolt Oh but Ill I'll be glad to be free from this everlasting talk of money money money I J I hate it I hate to take it from you If it weren't for the disgrace disgrace disgrace dis dis- dis- dis grace Id I'd bring to you and mamma I wouldn't accept a cent Id I'd be mar mar- I I II I I ried in my old bathrobe Thank heaven Im I'm marrying a man who I doesn't hang onto every penny like grim death In her ber own heart she did not realize what a grievous wound she dealt the battered mattered old heart of her father till tm he sighed I was like him when I was his age Maybe hell he'll be like me when hes he's mine If I had been more of ot a n miser then I guess Id I'd be less of ono one no now Then Daphne caught the hunted hounded look behind his spectacles and flung herself flung herself hersel In his arms arDIS weeping weeping weep- weep ing ng Forgive me daddy Im I'm a little beast east to talk to you so I dont don't mean it t. t Im I'm just excited Ill I'll get only the simplest things and some day when Clay and I are rich Ill I'll pay you back backa backi a i He patted her and kissed her gawkIly gawkily gawk- gawk Ily ly and manlike having gained his point threw it away You get whatever is best and nicest Youre You're the girl In Ohio and youre you're going to have the tho finest inest wedding ever was seen in Cleve- Cleve land and And Ill I'll find the money al all allright allright right never you fear H He HC had hind just remembered a n bit of of real estate that had not yet been decorated decorated deco dec rated with a second mortgage He had bad bought it secretly with the proceeds of ofa a windfall That was his double life Instead of spending money surreptitiously surreptitiously on dissipations when he be had hada a bit of luck he sneaked out and Invested invested invested in In- vested It t in something he could borrow borrow borrow bor bor- row money on in a crisis The crisis never failed him So Daphne wrote to her brother that she was coming to New York to buy buya a trousseau for her wedding to the dearest boy on earth whose name she woul would not tell him Wm till she saw him Her letter crossed a letter from Bayard Bayard Bayard Bay Bay- ard who began it with his regular apology for his unavoidable delay In wrIting home Dearest Mother Dad and Sis Sis Received Received several sweet letters from you mother and ind meant to answer but been very busy These hard times s forced us to cut down staff and threw extra work on men re- re But business has been so 80 bad so long Ions It cant can't get any worse Bound to get better So Im I'm goIng coins to to-don't to don't dont drop dead yet yet yet- Im I'm going to get married Found the angel angel anjel an- an gel jel of ot tho the world Known It for a long longtime longtime time Ime been engaged a year waiting to get jet rich enough to place her where she belongs Not there yet but cant can't stand bachelorhood any longer Wedding date not settled yet but probably probably probably ably some time In June That would make a good song Some Somo Time In June Will let you know exact date Silence followed the document And there are few documents that mean so much to every family as that bearing bearing bear benr- ing the news that one of the children has gone into the world and found a amate amate amate mate and given up the ancient loyalty for the new CHAPTER IV The two old Kips sat brooding over their mystery The fruit of their almost almost almost al al- al- al most forgotten romance the little squalling helpless baby that had come cometo cometo cometo to them and strangely evolved Into a great grown man was now In the tolls toils of romance in his turn lie He had found In a far city somebody there that he loved better than his family or his friends or his freedom Daphne was delighted at first Then she realized that the news hews news of his marriage marriage marriage mar mar- would throw her own plans into disarray She sighed I suppose Id I'd better postpone my wedding till we get Bayard off our hands a fine Idea I 1 her father ex ex- claimed It was always a Joy to him to defer an expense Mrs Kip flung him a glare and Daphne rolled her eyes ces In distress but he redeemed himself himself him him- self sell with an unexpectedly graceful turn It lets us keep Daphne with us a n little longer Daphne wrote this new decision to Clay He sent back a letter that fairly howled with protest I When Daphne told her parents of ot Clays Clay's anguish they made light of It It was a n long long while since they had been young They had learned that marriages contain surprises that may sometimes b be postponed without misfortune Bayard did not write again for several several sev sev- eral cral days das This time he wrote to Daphne Dear Sis Sis Yours Yours of ot no dato date as ns usual received and beautiful contents noted I Ican Ican Ican can hardly that my little sis Is announcIng announcing announcing an an- Intention to join the procession and get married too Youre You're more sensible sensible sensible sen sen- sible than I used to think This is subject subject subject sub sub- to revision when I know who the lu lucky ky man Is Who Is ho Some Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland Cleve Cleve- land Appolo or however you spell It I suppose Before Defore I could write you a bombshell exploded exploded exploded ex ex- In the once office Heads of oC firm decided that since we cant can't sell any goods In America AmerIca America Amer Amer- ica might try England They want me to togo togo togo go over at once and see what can be done about establishing a selling agency In dear old Lunnon doncher know And so now I Intend to combine business trip vacation vacation vacation va va- cation and honeymoon In same voyage So we get married Thursday and sail Saturday Just time to get settled in our dove-cote dove before leaving Was worrying over not being able ablo to accept accept accept ac ac- ac- ac your kind offer to pay me a visit Then Ihen the blessed suggested suggested sug sug- c that her sweet to law should come to New York and make our oura a apartment her er home oIe hl she she shops I we wont von t get DECK back from irom honeymoon hike for tor six weeks at least You and mother Just settle down there until you Sulu Ou have finished shopping Will leave key and Instructions with superintendent The letter ended with the usual oceans of love and kisses and the usual haste It set the family to topon topon- dering Old Wesley Vesley was the first to speak and his train of thought startled the women So hes he's going to get married tomor tomor- row That's awful sudden Saves us buying a wedding present though 1 When he had recovered from the impact impact im im- im I pact of his Ills wife's look he saved himself himself himself him him- self again with a quick pleading suggestion suggestion sug sug- What I was thinking was wast was was- it t leaves more money for Daphnes Daphne's s 's trousseau The poor wretch had Imd grown used to seeing unexpected gifts of fortune float into view like soap bubbles drift close In Iridescent loveliness and then wink out leaving hardly a n damp spot As soon as he had bad bravely added what he had saved from his sons son's wedding wedding wedding wed wed- ding to what he had already voted to his daughters daughter's trousseau he was du mcd to learn that Daphne could not start East to buy clothes to get married narried In until she had bought some clothes to start East In And besides that she could not go East alone and her mother could not go with her un- un I f 9 i I w I 9 ft 1 l l 1 4 a Fine Idea Her Father Ex Ex- Ex- Ex claimed less leIs her mother had also some new clothes to tide her mother over tilt till tillier her ier mother could get to New York and buy some clothes to stay married In Wesley Vesley Kip went vent forth to peddle that second mortgage This was a commodity not easy to dispose of and und It took him a week or two to find a n purchaser and nd then he paid an ingeniously IngenIously ingeniously ingen Ingen- disguised usury for It But Buthe Buthe he lie got the cash When he came cahue home he proudly proud I announced announced announced an an- that Daphne and her mother could start for New York as ns soon as they'd a mind to They had a mind to as us soon as us their clothes were ready Ho Do accompanied them to the train He Be was not even to have the doleful luxury of seeing them spend his money But he put a brave front on his folly and his last words to Daphne Daphue were Have a n good time hone honey and if you see anything you absolutely got gotto gotto gotto to have just you get It And If the you got Isn't enough why Ill I'll get more somehow You can usually depend on your old dad to do his best He Be felt repaid when his beautiful child cried I III know I can 1 I you angel I and reached high and drew his head down like a n faithful camels He never told her that she was squeezing his eyeglasses Into his nose He Be managed not to sneeze at the exquisite agony of at her curls tickling his nostrils and she feasted his hungry ear with eager gratitude Daphne slept little that night in her Pullman pigeonhole she was too busy with her thoughts and the wheels made a banjo of the rails But she was glad of ot her insomnia Even better than sleeping well Is staying awake well The train was on time and rolled smoothly chariot-smoothly into the Grand Central Central Central Cen Cen- station Clay Wimburn was there thereby thereby thereby by special dispensation from the office Und land he had had the forethought to secure secure secure se se- cure a permit to come down to the platform He ITe told the station master that he lie had a crippled aunt to meet He ITe did not tell Mrs Kip that He |