Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1910-12-29
CHAPTER l.

CHAPTER l.
THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA BY LORD
LovELAND.
"Y VEN the last resort has refus-
ed me-" Loveland broke the
news to his mother when he
- had kissed her.
"Miss Mecklenburg"
Eyes; I begin to realize that I'm a
sinking ship. The early rats are de-
sorting me or declining to come on
board. Clever little animals"
"You shan't SINK" protested Lady
Loveland, clasping the pretty hands
whence all save the wedding ring and
its guard had gone to pay a visit of
indefinite length to Messrs. Battenbor-
ough. 1.-The idiot. to refuse yon-with
her nose too!''
"She didn't do it with her nose, ma
ter. Her engagement to Doriana was
announced the morning after she'd Of
fered to be a sister to me. 1t was the
size Of her purse, not her nose, which
caught his eye. But sooner or later
, he'll beat her"
IT hope so. She deserves it for TAX
ing him instead of you. Oh. Val. what
a world!'
Don't grouse, mater. l might have
beaten her if I'd got her, and then
there'd have been a scandal. I can't
stand women with important looking
teeth and noses which throw their
other features into perspective. Be-
sides. Lillah Mecklenburg isn't as
young as she's painted"
$50 few women are nowadays, dear
est" sighed Lady Loveland, who in
living for her handsome son did not
trouble to live up to the past of her
complexion. "Oh, Val, it's hard you
should have to think Of such creatures!
But what are we to dol"
""That's just where 1 want your ad-
vice. said Loveland. who had come. a
long way to get it. for the distance
from London to the north of Scotland
is formidable when birds are out of
season.
Lady Loveland was lattered that
Val should ask for her advice, which,
when offered gratuitously. be had
never been known to take.
my advice!" she echoed sadly.
-"That's all l can give you now, al
though l did hope, dear boy, | must
confess. IL have been trying for
limericks. 1t was for your sake. and
I hoped to win large sums. l thought
of lines all night long, and l did send
in some splendid ones. a thousand
times better than those for which 9th
Ell people dreadful people. my dear.
with names like Hogson INT DObbs)
have won hundreds of pounds. gave
the editors permission to use my
name, DON would have thought Il
valuable advertisement for their pa
pers. But all I've won after the great
est efforts has been fifteen and six
an insult-while these Dobbs and Hog
sons-I believe the editors must be So
cialists. And the shillings for the
postal orders have counted up into
pounds. l am crushed with remorse."
'Never mind, dear: you meant it for
the BEST said Val, who cared more
for his mother than for any one else
in the w~orld-except himself And
that he made his exception was large
ly Lady Loveland's fault. for she had
brought him up to believe in but one
person of paramount Importance,
adjoining the universe-PercivaI George
Victor Edward Gordon, thirteenth
marquis of Loveland. 1.-The ships too
far under water to be raised with linn
ericks."
Dearest, is it bad as thatY"
Its as bad as anything can be.
Look ont of your window at the snow
falling. Well. that's nothing to the
way it's showing bills outside my win
dow. If you and can't think of
something to clear the weather ] shall
have to chuck the army"
What horrible creatures tradesmen
must bel" said Lady Loveiand. whose
opinions had come down to her crust
ed and spider webbed from the cellars
of the stone age. ITO think that we'd
have had power of life and death over
them If we'd lived a few hundred
years agol ] wish those times could
come back
1s.The world at large doesn't agree
with you"
"It oughtn't to be at large" replied
Lady Loveland without the smallest
idea OF n joke. tits reached q pretty
pass when Worms who make boots
and uniforms and''--
stAnd sen winaW.