The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1911-09-14
CHAPTER II.
The Duchess Approves

The Duchess Approves.
His attentions to the Duchess of
Breakwater had not been so conspicu-
Gus or so absorbing as to prevent the
eager mothers-who, true to her word,
Lady Galorey had invited down-from
laying siege to Dan Blair. Lady Ga
1orey asked him:
Don't you want to marry any one
of these beauties, DAM" And Blair,
with his beautiful smile and what Lily
called his inspired candor, answered:
Not on your life, Lady Galorey!"
And she agreed: 81 think myself
you are too young"
! No. Dan refuted, you are wrong
there. shall marry as fast as can"
His hostess was surprised.
why, l thought you wanted your
fling first"
And Dan, from his chair, in which,
with book, he had been sitting when
! Lady Galorey found him, answered
cheerfully:
"Oh, don't like being alone 1 want
to go about with some one / should
like fling all right, but want to
fling with somebody as l co.
The lady of the house was not a
| philosopher nor an analyst. She had
certain affairs of her own and was en-
crossed in them and lived in them AS
far as Lady Galorey was concerned
the rest of the world might go and
hang itself as long as it didn't do it
at her gate-post. But Blair couldn't
Leave any one Indifferent to him very
long, not unless one could be indiffer-
ent to blaze of sunlight; one must
either draw the blinds down Or bask
In its brightness.
She laughed. You're perfectly deli
cious! You mean to say you want to
be married at once and let your wife
fling around with you?"
Gust that"
How sweet of you, Dan! And you
won't marry one of these girls here?"
Don't fill the bill, Lady Galorey"
"Oh, you have sweetheart at home,
them"
"All Off" he assured her blithely,
and rose, tall and straight and slender.
The Duchess of Breakwater had
come in, indeed she never failed to
when there was any question of find
ing Blair.
Dan stood straightly before the two
women of an old race, and the Amer
lean didn't suggest any line of noble
ancestors whatsoever. His features
were rather conglomerate; his mus
cles were possibly not the perfect elias
tic specimens that were those muscles
whose strain and sinew had been
made from the same stock for genera
tons. He was, nevertheless, very
good to look on. Any woman would
have thought so, and he bent his blond
head as he looked at the Duchess of
Breakwater with something like be-
nevolence, something of his fathers
kindness in his clear blue eyes.
Neither of the noble ladies vaguely IN
derstood him. His hostess thought
him "a good Sort" not half bad, a
splendid catch, and the other woman,
only a few years his senior, was in
love with him. The duchess had mar
ried AT eighteen, tired of her bargain
at twenty, and found herself a widow
at twenty-five. She held a telegram
in her hand.
We've got the box for Mandalay to-
night at the Gaiety, and let's motor
in"
Only Lady Galorey hesitated, disap-
pointed
TOO bad had specially arranged
for Lady Grandcourt to drive over
with Eileen. / thought it would be a
ripping chance for her to see DAN"
When at length the duchess had sue
ceeded in getting Dan to herself to-
ward the end Of the day in the red
ROOM after tea, she said:
$50 you won't marry a London
beauty"
And rather coldly Dan had an
swered:
why, you talk, all of you, as If
had only to ask any girl of them, and
she would jump down my throat"
Don't try it" the duchess answered.
unless you want to have your mouth
FULL"
Dan did not reply for a second, but
he looked at her more seriously, con-
scious of her grace and her good
looks. She was certainly better to
look at. than the simple girls with
their big hands, small wits, long faces
and, as the boy expressed it, utter
lack of get-up" The duchess shone
out to advantage.
"Why don't you talk to me?" she
asked softly. "You know you would
rather talk to me than the others"
"Yes,"' he said frankly; they make
me nervous"
"And don't?"
/ NO. he said. 81 learn a lot every
time we are together"
Learn" she repeated, not particu-
1arly fattered by this. what sort OF
things?"
! ooh, about the whole business" he
returned vaguely. "You know what l