Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-18

a string too,-it's the parson or By-by,
Charley for her, as she has said a hundred
times. And when m married she says can
ring her doorbell all day long, hell never
open it enough for me to put my nose in. And
she'll stick to it. Ali" he sighed heavily and
attacked the pressed duck on his plate.
"Then, Victor" / whispered, "since Fay
is such noble girl, pure as she is beautiful,
and since you love her so, why don't you 60
straight to your mother and say to her
frankly, I'm a free American citizen-I
claim the right to choose my wife for my
self"
ITO Mother?" he replied in whitening
tones. you'd 60 to Mother and talk like
that, would you? If you think it'd be SO
easy, then try it for yourself only recon-
mend you to get rubber coat and life in
surance policy before you spring your little
SPIEL Watch me try it! I'd get rushed out
the front door, and not another nickel would
I get from her while she lives, and when she
ties. Her money? Fathers money-and
his only son beggar!" He applied himself
again to the champagne and his eyes seemed
to take on fearful look. NFor that's what
I'd be- Lii! What could do to earn my
living? l haven't been brought up to earn
it. l can't start out all over again like
Father. Hang it! he wasn't a gentleman,
and am. dress in sweater sometimes to
tease Mother; but, hang it! I've been to
Harvard, and I've got expensive tastes. l,
can't live in a beastly Harlem boarding
house and swing to strap every morning.
I'd rather be dead-or marry you. So here
goes!" And he put down his champagne
glass with deep sigh
ECHOED the sigh with full sincerity.
L AS had feared, Victor was but broken
reed on which to lean. After all, could not
blame him. What else could his fathers
foolish will and his mothers tyrannical
treatment make of him but this surly, grown
up child, without character or individuahty
of his own except to reach out in desper-
ate 1unge toward the fortune that should be
his? And, after all, couldn't blame Mrs.
Cobb, either: she thought she was acting for
his good as her own. Who knows? Perhaps
she was. And, in any case, l couldn't reasons
ably expect either of them to think of me.
Nevertheless, my case was too desperate
to be dropped without one more little at
tempt. @Victor," whispered, @of course
see that if you broke up this marriage, your
mother would never forgive you. But If L"
3If you broke it off, you mean?' said
Victor sharply. Suddenly his face changed,
the blurred eyes, the puffy, indetermlnate
features Lit with sharp look of life, drew
themselves to keen point of concentration,
the same look that l remember to have
seen on so many peoples faces, on Aunt
E1izabeth's for instance, or the rector's at
Brent when they speak Of @money." And
all in flash, beneath the Victor of moment
ago, whom 1 had thought to understand,
there existed another, however obscured by
habits of self indulgence and of dependence.
The Victor on whom looked now was the
rightful son of the father who had battered
that colossal fortune out of the world, and
the mother whose single handed ambition
had placed her where saw her tonight.
3Look here, Lili!" he said determinedly.
There's twenty-five million dollars, more
or less, in question-do you understand
that? Because it suits her purposes that
marry you, that's the sum that mother has
promised to hand over to me on our wedding
day,-half of Fathers fortune that ought to
have been mine when came of age. The
deeds are all prepared-to be signed and.
sealed on the morning of the tenth before
we drive to the church. Do you know what
that means, Lii? 1t means I II be man at
last" and he brought his fist down on the
table so that the people on each side of us
smiled discreetly as at lovers quarrel.
$50 there you have it, Lili," he concluded.
@At the beginning perhaps it wouldn't have
mattered; but now that things have gone
r - 4,