Show 9 VAN RIAL STORY GIRL dd f rom alb fal TOWN by MARIE VAN VORST illustrations by bl G KETTNER copyright 1910 uy by the bobbs bobba merrin co 4 SYNOPSIS dan blair the 22 year old son of the fifty n dollar copper kins icing of blair town mont Is a guest at tho the english home of lady gallrey Ga lorey pans dans father had been courteous to lord gallrey during his visit to tho the united states and the courtesy Is now being returned to the young man the youth has an ideal girl in his mind he meets lily duchess of Bre breakwater altwater a beautiful widow who Is attracted by ills his immense fortune and takes a liking to her when dan was a boy a girl sang a solo at a church and he had never forgotten her the ga lorees lily and dan attend a london theater where one letty lano lane Is the star CHAPTER IV continued at tho the end of tho the tenor solo princess runs into the pavilion and there changes her dress and appears once more to dance before the rajah and to prove herself the ancer dancer he be has known and loved in a cafe in paris letty lanes dress in his dance was the clas classic sic ballot ballet dancers dancer sp white as the leaves of a lily she seemed to swim and float actually to to be breathed and exhaled from out her film gown ind and the only ray of color lit in her costume was her own golden hair surmounted by a small coral colored cap embroidered in pearls the actress bowed to the right and left ran to the right ran to left att glanced toward tile the duchess of breakwaters box acknowledged the burst of applause began to dance and finished her pas soul seul ind and with folded hands sang her song her beautiful voice camle came out clear r els as crystal water from a crystal rock tad her words were cradled lik like doves like boats on the boundless was beas from indias andias coral strand but thero there was no hymn tune to this song of lotty lanes in mandalay to the boy in the box however the words the tune the droning of the tiles flies on the window pano pane the strong odor of the hymn books and panama rans fans came back and the clear sunlight of montana seemed to steal into the gaiety as letty lane sang the duchess of breakwater clapped with frank enthusiasm and said she is a perfect wonder she oh she Is too bowitch bewitching ino 1 and she turned for sympathy to her friend who stood behind her his face illumined ho he was amazed his blue eyes ablazej ablaze his head bead bent forward he be was staring staring at the gaiety curtain gone down on the first act he laughed softly and the duchess k heard him sa say y good I 1 well I 1 should say she wasl ashes a girl from our town I 1 when the duchess tried to share her enthusiasm with dan he had disappeared he loft left the r box and with no difficulty made his way as far as the first wing can you get me an entrance ho he asked a man ho he had mot met once at and who was evidently an 1 I daro say show it dan put his hands on oil ducal shoulders and followed the nobleman through the labyrinth of tiles flies which of 0 em cm do you want to see old man dan without replying went forward to a small cluster of lights in ono one of the wings ho he went forward intuitively and his companion caught his arm oh I 1 say bay for gods sake dont go on like this but without lerote le rote afe dan continued tits direction A call bage page stood before the door and dan on a card over the entrance read miss lane the smell of calcium and paint and perfume and the auxiliary hung heavy ov on the air the other man saw dan knock kneel knock again and then go in unannounced dan blair opened the door of the dressing I room of the actress miss lanes dressing rooms were worth displaying to her intimate friends they were done with great taste in coral tint thit she might havo have been said to be in a coral cave under the sea as far as young blair was concerned As ho he came in he felt his ears deaden and the smoke of cigarettes grow grew so thick that he looked as through a veil the dancer was standing in the center of the room one hand on her hip and in the other hand a cigarette her short skirt stood out around her like a bell and over the bell fell a rain of pinkish coral strands she wore a thin slip from which her neck and arms came shining out and tier her woman knelt at her feet strapping on a little coral shoe blair shut the door behind him and began to realize how rude how impertinent ills his entrance would be considered but he came boldly forward and would have introduced himself as dan blair from Blair blairtown town but miss lane who stood at the entrance through the smoke burst into a laugh so bright blight so delightful that he was carried high up on the coral strands to the very beach she crossed her white arms over her breast and leaned forward as a saleswoman might loan lean forward over a counter and with her beautifully trained voice all sweetly I 1 she asked him 1 1 I hello cifello little boy what will you take blair giggled quick to catch her meaning and answered oh chocolate I 1 guess and letty lane laughed put out her white hand the one without the cigarette and said i got that brand on board so sorry will I 1 a cocktail do all sorts in bottles higgins fix mr blair a martini As the dresser rose from her stooping position the rest of letty lanes dressing room unfolded out of tb the 0 mist and smoke on a sofa covered with lace pillows blair saw a man eit is a girl from our town ting smoking as well he was tall and had bad a dark mustache it was prince whom dan had already met at the gallrey shoot prince Ponto miss lane presented him mr blair blaar of blair town mont bay frederick give mo me my cap will you it is over by your side bide ive got to hustle the nian man without moving picked up a small red cup cap vath a single plume from froin the sofa at his side in ill at another iother second letty lane had placed it on oil tier her head hand of yellow hair real yellow hair and not a doubt of it like sun shine not the color one gets from inside bottles her arms her hands flashed wit with rings pr priceless ce ess hashes as acs ics and the little spears pricked uan dail like illie sharl ahara needles its tile the nicest ever she was saying how on earth did you get gel in here though have you bought the gaiety theater im the moat most exclude girl on the stage who lot let you in her accent was english and oven that put her from him As ho he looked at her ho he understand how he be had ever recognized her if ho had waited for another act ho he would niti have believed the likeness real the girl lie ho remembered had both softened and hardened the rounded features were gone but all the angles were gone as well her eyes were as gray as the seas she was painted and her lids were darkened seen close she was not so divine as on the stage but there was still a more thrilling charm about the fact that she was real to think of any one from montana being here tonight staying very long mr blair between each sentence she directed higgins who was getting tier her into her bodice and how do you like mandalay it great she addressed herself to dan but she smiled on oil both the men with extreme brilliance you bet your life he responded 1 I 1 should think it was great rose indolently ho to had not looked toward the newcomer but had on oil the other hand tol lowed every detail of miss lanes dressing better take your scarf letty hand it to miss lane hs he directed higgins it is so damned drafty in these beastly wings he drew his watch out gathered up tits his long coat ming flung it over his arm and picked up his opera hat willen which lay folded on letty lanes dressing table tho the call page for the third time summoned miss la ne miss la ne and she took the scarf 1119 gins handed her and ala an it through her hands bands still beaming on dan dail come in to see me at the savoy on any day at two thirty except on matinee nee days put on your scarf taking it from her hands laid it across her white shoulders and she passed out between the two men light as a bird smiling nodding followed by the prince and the boy from montana the crowds began to fill the lately empty wings dancers chorus girls with their rustling gowns letty lane sald said to dan guess giess like my solo in this act all right its the best thing in mandalay now go along and clap me hard it gave him a now new pleasure for she had spoken to him in real american fashion with the swift mini mimicry lery that showed her talent dan went slowly back to ills his party As ho he took his seat by the duchess she said to him you went in to see letty lane do you know her know tier her and as dan answered the sound of ills his own voice was queer to him and his face hushed flushed hotly lord yes she used to be in tile the drug store in Blair blairtown town sold soda water to me when we were both kids adds whoever would havo have thought that she had that in her ile ho nodded toward the stage for letty lane had come on she sang in our church too but not lor for long who was with hor her in her dressing room the duchess asked blair answer an he was looking at letty lane sho she had come to dance tor for the rajah and in her arms she held four white doves each dove had a coral thread around its throat threat it was a number that made her famous the dove song set free the birds flow flew about her circling her blond head surmounted by the small coral colored cap tho the doves settled tt ledon on he be shoulders pecked at tier her lips wils was it Ponto the duch duchess repented repeated and dan told her a meaningless lie he 1 I 1 moot meet any one there and with satisfaction the duchess said T then en s she e has as thrown him rn over too ho he was the latest ani and the richest sh ae J dan stood motionless his eyes fastened on her Is horribly extravagant no man ji jal rich enough for her they say pont kotowsky a gold mine tho the doves had flown away to tho wings and been gathered up by tho the indian servants the actress on tho stage began tier her indian cradle song she came distinctly turning toward 1 the box party she had never sung like this in london before there tharo waw watt a freshness in her voice a quality in 1 her gesture a pathos and a sweetness that delighted her audience they fairly clamored for her waved and called and recalled dan stood motionless ti hla eyes fastened on an her hla his heart rocked by tho the song ho flo want anyone co cc speak to him ho wished that none of them would breathe and nearly as absorbed aji aa was he no one did speak I 1 TO DE BE CONTINUED |