Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-06-14
Love Syndicate, Limited
81 Gertrude Atherton.
CHAPTER l.


Five cadets sat about Il table in ;
room at West Point.
The eyes of four We're fixed curiouSly
on the face of the fifth, Il face which
melancholy had stamped with ten
fingers as her own. He was a pale
youth with large features, high bred
and intelligent His slight, nervous
figure was relaxed. He stared modify
at the table, oblivious, apparently, OF
his companions.
tom Van der Ruyter," said one Of
the men solemnly, you are in love-
Tom made no reply.
"A. Biddle is correct, Tom, said u
young man, with Il strong, lean face
and a rich western accent; you've got
it bad. You're as blue as paint. You're
not good for plated nickel these
three days And all for some two-bit
girl. Rats! Why don't you sail in and
get her or sail out and find another?
Barton, give him the benefit of some
of your New York horse sense. Wash
ington square will never listen to the
wild and woolly west
The man addressed was large and i'm
portant of mien. The inherited egotlsm
of a long line of successful business
men was emblazoned upon him. He
spoke in slow, ponderou! voice.
"Whack is right, Tom. There is
neither sense nor reason in being In
love to the extent of misery, for misery
means nervous dyspepsia. Now, there
Is no nonsense about me. My family
is not given to sentiment. When we
get ready 20 marry we explore the
field with deliberation. When we lind
a girl with qualifications which we ad-
mire, added to reasonable amount OF
money, we propose to her. l do not
recall the fact that any member OF
my family has ever made a mistake,
a lamentable one ut least. Nor do we
pull long face where we cannot get
the girl we have selected. We look
about for another, and patience is al
ways rewarded. No, Tom, you are
zoo young to think of marrying, any
way. AS you have no money ana are
not ordered yet, the most you could
accomplish would be Il long engage,
ment, so l should advise you
"Oh, pull up" cried Whack, you're
like patent medicine-full gross to
the cure. You've got the right idea,
why don't you put it in capsules? But
who's the girl, Tom? We are on to the
fact, now we want her name, size,
shape, and color Is she blonde.
brunette or neither? Is she pug or
classic? Does she say bird 'beerd,'
bard or 'bi-r-r ?de| Does she carry
herself with a swing that's out OF
sight? Does she mince? Does she
SLOUGH
Il know who it is" cried youth
who had not yet spoken, a youth with
the glow of the south in his face, its
mellow brogue in his voice. He lean
ed forward and flung his arm about
Van der Ruyters shoulder. "lts
Ethelberta Osborne"
The melancholy youth blushed to the
roots of his hair. Whack eXclaimed
The girl you met at Narragansetl
that summer, two years ago: Jee-
whillikens!'
you don't mean to say that you
are incoming about her yeti" said Bar
ton, DISCUS tedly.
my dear boy" drawled the Phila-
delphian, who was always known rs
A. Biddle, from the fact that his in
significant first name was Allen, his
pedigree as omnipresent as the poor.
You can do better than that. She
is a charming girl, | hear. and hand
some, but then she's no one in particu-
lar. Don't marry too far north of
Washington Square | don't say this
with any snobbish feeling whatever.
l speak as student of social mistakes
Here Van der Ruyter made his first