Show U IT I I f r r 0 h n r r k t if t J i Ji i 3 r 4 J P j i 1 0 1 i l rj lt Y r i fi 1 1 r r R u j r r 1 L t tr r r 1 I if L Ws f 1 4 to t JO JOI u f er I w JO b t rt J st 7 J JI I I Ci r J 1 7 M Mn 1 I i t I IIII 0 i n I rI H 1 l 1 I t ss r III t f p i J k I y 1 TS an awful shock to suddenly sudden fall heir heiry y lo to 0 fi five million doll dollars particularly when liTS JV r jou ou have hate to marry mart marr a man mart seen before in order to get it r Eleanor Elcanor Floyd was a normal healthy girl who had ha never known nerves s now note nowhere here herc she was ryas on the vcr verge g c of collapse with every newspaper man loan in in New Nety Orleans banging on the thc front door Her tier mother was w quite q qinto title helpless plunged as they were into this astounding condition of affairs She was an m invalid and amI received the news as she did everything else in her life Ii patiently and sweetly But Eleanor for tor four had been too wholly alive alic desperately trying years cars to pluck from a perverse Talc fate enough cn ugh golden 1 sheaves to support her double burden Now No when the burden was so astonishingly lifted Ji ted she staggered and went down The Thc bombshell came in itt the guise of a long and formal document from Mrs Mary tar lawyers rs in in New NewYork York Mrs Irs Mary ilIr Hingham was W lS dead and had left tier her fortune of fi five fic c million dollars to Eleanor the daughter of her old oM friend Sarah Floyd and to John II 11 I Morton nephew of her deceased husband with the condition that If did months they within three they were to marry m not the money was to go so to an orphan asylum She c ac atc as her reason for Cor desiring this that th lt John and Eleanor were the two whom she most therefore she wanted anted them to lo love each other Just like an old woman I IThe IThe The lawyers letter explained that both were ex cx expected expected P to be he in New York fork in two weeks after the films filing filin of the will There they the were to be introduced and three months allowed for Cor them to decide their theft fate and the fate fait f of the five millions Enclosed with a sub substantial substantial check for expenses Eleanor made a determined effort to bring brin her thoughts thou s into a normal channel but they the were racing if she had been in tit such a mad tangle that she felt as taken up a P in a balloon and pushed out into space She rich millions I had known that Aunt Mary was And she had never dreamed of anything like a gift gilt coming to her even with w th a condition Aunt Mary had been liberal to the Floyds in in some ses respects P She paid for Eleanors education in in a school so superior that thrown in contact with wealthy girls N the economics she had to practise se were maddening was not supplied So when Eleanor came out of school chool she put her hand to the plow and md for four our years had taught little fingers to tinkle out melodies on the piano to lo the accompaniment ac accompaniment accompaniment of o One two o three one two o three oc occasionally occasionally varied by Wrong finger dear de lr At tit home she he practised h tour hour ur after hour and dreamed of Europe and a career Sometimes she did a concert for a friend on a newspaper then went back to teaching those wrong little fingers with a lighter heart hearl But she had had no notime notime notime time to think of men Wren except in an abstract friendly ort sort of ray wa and to be he thrown at the head of MJ John JohnH H Morton in this offhand manner startled her herShe herShe She knew absolutely nothing about the man loan Aunt Mary Alas often said John Morton Alorton tikes likes this or John Morton once did that but the words had no especial t meaning for Cor her She knew he was ryas a civil engineer of off downin in Mexico somewhere trying to lo put through a i canal in some absurd little place It would be a marvelous achievement if f he did it but of his looks and personality she had never ne r a hint She had been twice to New York to visit Aunt Mary Alary and Od Aunt Mary Alary had been innumerable times tunes to New Nety to o visit isit them but John Morton had never appeared on the horizon But the awful overwhelmingly immediate problem was ryas the clamorous insistent mob of newspaper men to tobe tobe todis be disposed dis p of Mrs Airs Floyd d patiently P and su refused to ko sec see them Eleanor simply Finally she had an inspiration She had heard Billy White Whitt of the Lexicon tell of the theW way tray W l reporters sometimes cleverly managed to fo see sec people teho ho want to be seen Billy always saw the per person peron person son on he was ryas sent to sec he told her so so she would send for Billy Dilly and 1St l t him cope with his kind lie mix mix up professional conscience conscience and friend friendship friendship friendship ship and she needed advice If he h were real good goo she lie would let him liim print in his paper a thoroughly dignified with her in which he could say I am go going ing IO to New York at the request of my dear deceased adopted aunt Goodby Good by At Pilly nills s suggestion su Bg estion 1 and with Billys Bill s hd help P she was sneaking out of New Orleans ns like Jike a criminal at night She had so far eluded reporters for Billy managed to convey conCY the impression to his rivals that Miss Floyd had already gone one to New York His 1 is paper was the only one in in town own that thal say so 50 but somehow that passed unnoticed No doubt he did some tall lying and although to Eleanor it was ras 1 s all for friendships sake she hc but believe that he saw sate a a beat be L for his hi paper at the end of his pencil Fair exchange e and alt all all that th t you OU know klov Billy she said slId while thy they were waiting for the train Im not going to be ridiculous so you jou may call this an tote inter interview view But do make it dignified di Dont DOIt say S lY Ive gong gone gonto to marry the man you sec ee I dont know 1 now whether I Ishall shall chall or not nat Those five millions arc awfully tempting but oh hes got to suit me mc and end we arc starting starling b in to get set acquainted I qu under un cr such awful ons Im Ym sorry I 3 cant can t give gle you ou his Ius picture but Ive It e never seen one ex except except except a painting in Aunt Marys in N New TI of a l fat a very vcr fat baby with i ith his hi chubby cheek on his chubby Land Ian Theres one of me me there ditto and md you O ou sec see how liow slinky I am m now il so sa you you can cant risk a l lt t Look after liter nip my m mother and when h n I decide the fate of those millions Ill telegraph you ou v Thanks Thanks said id Billy Id just like to add dd a bit of J dlce If any one asks you who you y ou are arc give g c a wrong wron g 1 name or get interviewed in spite spilt of yourself If L any an one o e corners you ou say 53 you ou arc are Eleanors Eleanor s Floyds best best friend Hope you ou get through all ll right Goodby Good by l She he awoke the next morning and sat sa up in her Iter berth t with a start Something was tt s creaking and an jolting joking and unusual Then Theil the very cry er air breathed sounds strange she lay by back baek contentedly She waked cd up to a l rushing day of toil where the very minutes sometimes represented so many man precious nickels and md dimes but there were tt hours and hours J rest no responsibility and a l sense of luxury that she torrid could indulge herself m in to her hearts content She loved loed luxury and mu she had had bad so little of it il ill She smiled to herself at the idea id of considering the box of a berth luxurious but brit it was the lack act of responsibility res P the rest and change that gave her ber the illusion She had lo to face fact a l problem later late lateon on but that was tt as months ahead ThrE day was teas to be beall bl all her own At breakfast she found herself scaled opposite a woman with a little girl who stared at her a moment and then said formally How do you OU ott dot do doHer doHer Her first thought was a newspaper woman oman wc t man then she recalled something familiar in her She re rc remember member when and where she had bad met her so she merely smiled and bowed fIr I dont think you remember me mc the lady said I come from New Orleans too loo You taught Mrs Har Harrisons Harrisons I little girl Sirl I met you there one day Her heart was thumping in m in a panic for fear her name would come out She did want front ant to be left lct alone for this one out day She glanced up and looked out the th window across the car Her eyes rested for fora a second the merest fraction of a second on a cut manly face fact a pair of smiling sm ling gray eyes a quizzical mouth and md a magnificent head covered with a n shock of brown broun hair Bair Perhaps she would not have known she he saw sate the man mm if at that psychological psych logical moment he been beens s saying lying come from Mexico I wonder if by any shadow of a chance she thought he hc knows John H Morton Marton your our name the little girl was asking She drew dray in in her breath and plunged out with Smith Mary Smith It was wab the only name she could think of suddenly like that The Thc smiling gray eyes ces were attracted in her direction tion lion and the name sounded horribly distinct in the unaccountable un unaccountable unaccountable accountable silence that seemed to fall upon the car carThe ea The Thc ladys brows showed just a tiny puzzled wrinkle then they cleared Pardon she said swirl I 1 recall Somehow I quite remember it tt was Smith I am Mrs Irs Carle Carleton Carleton Carleton ton She ran the conversation into sociable little remarks about the country through which they the were passing passin the tt weather cather the trip and all the time Eleanor was turning over ocr one thing in tit her mind That man over oer there comes from Mexico When she returned to her tier section she settled seal d down ilott n with a mild interest in the flying e and an her low rs Later on she fished from her ter grip a couple of new books but she was teas in m no humor for reading because you sec see there was teas the gentleman from Mexico opposite hidden behind a newspaper It was awfully distracting Hc He might know knots John I H I Morton she found Cound her herself herself self thinking Then Th n she laughed at the idea of course it was absurd ab absurd surd She even know that he hc came from Mexico It was only the end of a sentence she sh had caught c But she keep from noticing him out of the t e tail tait of her eye ee He really was vas different he hc fairly exuded vitality a sort of with the lid hd down Occasionally he ran his fingers around inside his collar as if rf he were unused to it and jet ct he wore his Ilis clothes well She was a bit exasperated at herself herscH but bul she just help overhearing aring a remark he made mad to a man mm that hed been four days on the train and he guessed guesser they thc were getting pretty close to New York Y orl now noes Pretty close dose Heavens 1 I IThe The Thc little Carleton girl came in from another car to 10 See her Eleanor answered innumerable questions They discussed dancing school and cats and dogs and an fairies The Thc gentleman across the way aay seemed amused His newspaper sagged leaving an art attractive c picture sticking out from the underside of it The Thc hula Hub girl went over ocr iLe Lc me see sec that picture if you please sociably The Thc gentleman was very vcr nice and nd polite about it His little visitor stayed sta ed there some time discussing blue skies and water and trees and fairies tattles 1 l lEleanor Eleanor was amused too and very formally very casually one ant or two tyro remarks passed between the gen gentleman and herself When t the little girl went back to her mother the gentleman went with her and when he returned Eleanor thanked him as if ii he had hoc con conferred conferred conferred a personal favor They were almost acquainted At Al Atlanta Eleanor asked a tin tiny formal question concerning the exact time and if they were late She had made up her tier mind a dozen times about that Morton question She would lead up to lo it of course with a J little conversation about the country It seemed per perfectly perfectly perfectly easy but her lips always closed tightly lightly at it the thelast last instant I She was restless r tre s so was teas the stranger for as s the train switched backhand back and forth she noticed him out Olt on the side of the track letting Idling off energy in a swinging stride Once he looked up and caught her eye She Slit withdrew her glance calmly calm and gracefully but when the car passed on she dove headfirst into her book with a t startled expression and later found something amusing there When she went into luncheon awful shock the only vacant scat was teas as opposite him She was shown to that thatis as is a matter of course She took it What else could she do doNow doNow Now rott it takes a great deal of grace to sit opposite adean a dean cut manly face smiling gray eyes and a quizzical cal mouth and look as if you dont notice them and not look too much that way tray either cither bc he he h had haJ spoken to her once or twice with the little tittle girl g rl as and had answered a polite olite question lion The gentleman passed the menu His expression really was all the circumstance She tried to adjust herself rhile slit she studied the card Then something compelled her Ier to look at the man mart His 1 eyes were questioning an interested expression was news dawning danning on his face fact his lip parted She wanted to o 0 run she slit knew he was wa going to speak to her He did Pardon me mc he its said n but do you it seems scents rather a ridiculous thing to ask merely merel because you jou come from irom New Orleans but do you happen to know Miss Aliss Eleanor Floyd hloyd t I Her senses seemed suddenly to leave c ve her much as asif asif asif if she had run plump into a stone stoat wall put But she slit man managed managed aged lo to answer him nt in an assured way tray I 1 do I II I m ni her best friend The world is is a small place after all he Ile said id as if he had been arguing with himself about it I sup suJ suppose su pose then youve youe heard of me roc perhaps I Im John Morton The rocket burst in the middle of the table anti and the th sparks spans flew When then she came c ne to she was steadying g gher her gaze ze through the window u Yes es Ive heard of oJ jou ou she replied with a milc milca a very cry slight smile So here was the man she had hat to lo accept along alon with wit those five million dollars She dared to expect anyone half so It was never like that in real life lift Naturally N Im curious and arid if you dont mind I would like you jou ou to tell me about her He Ile liL liked cd the smile Put Flit it in question for fo Id really not know kno where whereto to begin I wonder I suppose I 1 ought to ask first if pretty A man ought to want avant to marry a pretty woman dont you think It always whew s count when a girl is a lot of oJ other nice things do you jou think And rind then theres always such a difference of opinion as to what is beauty I think awfully pretty What do you think r hI 1 V Intellectual 5 J JI r III I think thin so Clever i Some people consider her sp 59 spa The Thc smile was w s very apparent now note Accomplished l shed She p plays la s the t h c piano pl like an angel ansel angelI an t tI cl I adore music r So docs she x Thc Th picture is quite perfect he said You like lilac her dont you your ou Immensely You see sec my best hest friend I II 11 I suppose just as as curious about me md Naturally since she has collected her senses enough to think Awful to have a man thrown at you Oll that way I 1 Awful to be he thrown at a man 1 l she corrected Have to marry him whether you jou want to or ar not Well you see sec ec she sh have hac to toNo toNo |