Show 7 3 11 I 1 A L STORY R Y I 1 R L rom nowfe by MARIE VAN VORST by M G copyright 1010 1910 by the bobbs merrill co CHAPTER I 1 win dan blair tho fact that much he said bee because uso 0 of f his unconscionable slang was incomprehensible did not take from the charm of his conversation as far as the duchess of breakwater was concerned the brightness of his expression ills his quick clear look upon them his beautiful young smile his not too frequent laugh ills his now new gayness as the duchess called ills his spirits his supernal youth his difference credited him with what nine tenths of the human hitman race lack charm his tone was not too crudely western neither did he suggest the ultra cast with which they were familiar american women wont went down well I 1 enough with them but american men were unpopular and when the visitor arrived lady gallrey dill did not oven announce him to the party gathered for the first shoot 11 tho vero in thear tho armar mpr hen the n ninth f nth gun 9 a young chap feet of him blond as the wheat cleaby set up and very good to look at came in with lily duchess of breakwater lady palfrey Ga Pa lorey his hostess hp greeted them oh here you are are you lord M mersey ersey sir john she mumbled gumbl e d the rest of the names of her companions as though she did not want them understood then waved toward the young chap calling him mr dan blair and he as she hesitated added from blairtown Blair town montana and give him a gun will you gordon lady galor gallrey ey spoke to her husband 1 I discovered mr air blair blaar edle edie th the 0 duchess announced and he even evan know there was a shoot on for t today 0 day Pan iancy I 1 cyll 1 I guess dan blair said pleasantly ill take a gun out of this bunch and he chose one at random from several indicated to halh by the gamekeeper k ceper 1 I got get my best luck when I 1 go it blind righta thanks so BO lady malorey Ga lorey torey I 1 know there was to be any shooting until the duchess lot it out to himself lie he thought with good na aured amusement afraid ill spoil their game record maybe and wont out along with them following the insular noblemen like a ray of ajun un smiling on tho the pretty woman who had discovered him in the grounds where ho he had been poking about by himself where in heavens name did you corral word of his bis own tho dear boy edith how did he got get to park or in fact anywhere any whore just as he be la Is fresh from eden thought id lot let him take you by surprise dearest you find dan 7 down by tho the garden house feeding deeding the rabbits on his big knees like a little bay his hands full of id just dome como a drop cropper per myself on the I 1 mare hoate she fell im fm sorry to say edle edie and hacked her knees quite a lot one of those disguised ditches you know I 1 was coming along leading her when I 1 ran on your friend the young duchess was as aa a willow very brunette with a beautiful discontented face im going to show dan blair off lady gallrey responded going to give the debutantes a chance placidly nodding the duchess lit a cigarette ond and began quoting from dan beairs blairs conversation 1 I fancy he wont let them worry him hes too busy V 1 I you mean that youre going to keep him occupied 7 the duchess notice this Is he such a catch neither of the women had walked out with the guns the duchess had a bad foot and lady gallrey never went anywhere she could help with her husband she abw drew her chair up to the table in the morning room to which they had bad both gone after the departure of the guns and regarded with satisfaction a quantity of stationery and the red leather desk appointments point ments sit down and smoke if you like lily im going to fill out some lists no thanks im going up to my rooms and got parkins to massey this beastly foot of mine I 1 must havo have fallen on it but tell me first is mr blair a catch lady gallrey had opened an address book and looked up tip from it to reply something like ten million pounds heavens I 1 disgusting the eldiest young man west of r some river or other at any rate he told me last night that it was clean money I 1 dare say the river Is responsible for its cleanliness but that fact seemed to give him satisfaction the duchess was leaning on tho the table at lady Galo reys side dans father took gordon all over the west that time he went to the st states ates for a big hunt in the he got to know mr air blair awfully well and liked him the old oid gentleman bought a little property about that time ilmo that turned out to be a gold mine with persistency the duchess sold said how ayou know tt Is clean money edith not that it makes a rap of dl difference f she laughed prettily but how do you know that he is rich to this horrible extent lad lady gallrey put down her address book impatiently does he look like an ail impostor the other returned even the archangel fell my dear edith well returned her friend this one is too young to have fallen far and she shut up her list in desperation the duchess sat down on the edge of the lounge and raised her expressive eyes to lady gallrey Ga lorey who once more looked at her ber sarcastically lind and went on gordon liked tho the old gentleman tie he was extraordinarily generous quite a type they called the town after him Blair blairtown town that is where the son halls from ho he was a little lad when gordon was out and mr blair promised that dan should come over here and see us one atly and this 1 she tapped the table with tier her pen seems to bo be the day for ho he came down upon us in this breehey way without even sending a wire just turned up tip last night gordons mad about him his father has been dead a year alib an d he is just twenty two good heavens murmured the duchess lady gallrey opened her address book again gordons got him terribly on his mind my dear he has forbidden any gambling or any bridge as long as tho the boy Is ia with us her companion rose and thrust her hands into the pocket of her tweed coat she laughed softly t then lien went over to the long window whore where without across the pane the de early winter alts were hying hieng chased by a furtive sun UP gordon said thattie that the boys f father athe r treated him kllc a king and that while the boy Is hero here he Is going to look out for him over her shoulder the other throw threw out coldly you speak as though ho he were in a den of thieves I 1 know gordons X honor was so fine As for mo me 1 I dont gamble you know lady giloroy had decided that lalys lilys insistent remaining gave her a chance chailee to fill tier her fountain pen slip she was therefore carefully squirting in the ink and she flus flushed lied at tier her friends last words 1 lady gallrey herself was the best bridge player in london and cards were her passion she did not remind the lady in the window that thoro there wore were other games besides bridge but kept both tier her ton tongue tic and her temper after a little silence in which the women followed each her own thoughts the duchess murmured ill toddle upstairs edle lot let you write where did yau you say wo we were going to meet the guns for food at the gate by the white pastures therell be a cart and a motor going whichever you like around two right her grace nodded I 1 ill bo be on time dearest and lady gallrey with a relieved 4 feeding the rabbits an his knees like a little boy sigh hoard board the door close behind tho the duchess duch esa wiping her fountain pen delicately with a bit of chamois sho she murmured well dan blair Is out of eden poor dear if he be mot met her by the gate A fortu fortun neof elof a round ten million pounds was a small part of what this young man had come into by direct inheritance from the copper king of Blair blairtown town montana for once the money figure had not been exaggerated but lady gallrey did not know about the rest of dans inheritance the young man whistling in ills his rooms lit in the bachelor quarters of park house dressed for dinner without the aid of a valet when lord gallrey had asked him where his man servant was dan had grinned gosh I 1 have one of those johnnies hanging around mo me never did have I 1 can put on my stockings all right there was a chap on the boat beat I 1 came over in who lot hla his man put on his stockings can you beat that blair had bad laughed again 1 I think it if anybody tickled my feet V Y that way I 1 would bo be likely to kick him in the th e eye dressing in ills his room ho he whistled under ills his breath a song from a newly popular comic opera and ho he intoned with a clear young voice a line of tho the wo word rd a 1 I should ott go to mandalay Man dalny out through lits his high window if ho be lind had looked he be would have seen tho the misty sweep of tho the park under tho moonrise rise and fine shadows that the leaves made in the veiled alget but he lid did not look out ue ile was dressing for dinner without a valet and giving a great deal of care to bl hia toilet for foi the first time he was to dine in the house or of a nobleman and in the presence af a n duchess not thid that it meant a great deal to him lie ho thought it was funny in dan beairs blairs twenty two years of utterly happy days ills his one grief had been the death of his father As soon as the old man had died dan had gono gone off into the brockles with ills his guides ail and not shown up for months when he be came back to blairtown Blair town as lip he expressed it lie he packed his grip ant and beat it while ills his shoos shoes were good tor for the ono one place lie he could remember his father had suggested for him to go Blair blairtown town was very much impressed when tho the heir came in from the with a big kill and tho the orphans ease case did not seem especially disturbed d I 1 s but no one in the town know knew how the boys heart ached for the old man when dan was six years old ills his father had literally picked him up by tho the nape of tho the neck and thrown him into the water like a pup and watched him swim at eight he sent the boy off with a gun to rough camp then lie he took dan down in the mines with the men his education had been won in Blair blairtown town at a school called public aublib but which in reality was nothing I 1 more than a pioneer district 8 school on sundays dan dressed up and went with ills his father to church twice iwic 0 a d day ay and in the week days his father took hiru him to the prayer inee meetings tings and at sixteen dan went to college in california he had bad just completed his course when old blair died then no lie inherited invented fifty million dollars TO bli CONTINUED |