The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1912-08-03
CHAPTER v.
At the Carlton.

lneTe are certain natures 10 WnOm
each appearance of evil. each form OF
delinquency is fresh surprise. They
are born simple, in the sweet sense OF
the word, and they go down to old
age never Of the world. although in a
sense worldly. If Dan Blair's eyes
were somewhat opened at twenty-five,
he had yet the bloom on his soul. He
was no fool, but his ideals stood up
each on its pedestal and ready to ap-
pear one by one to him as the scenes
Of his life shifted and the different
curtains rose. He had been trained
In finance from his boyhood and he
was born financier. Money was his
natural element; he could 60 far in
it. But woman! He was one of those
manly creatures-a knight-to whom
each woman Is sacred thing: a
dove, crystal-clear soul, made to
cherish and to protect, made to be
spoiled. And In Dan were all the
qualities that 60 to make up the I'M
selfish. tender, foolish, and often un-
happy American husband These were
some OF the other things he had in
herited from his father. Blair, senior,
had married his first love, and where
as his boy had been trained to know
money and its value, how TO keep it
and spend 1t, to save it and to make
1t, he had been taught nothing at all
about woman. He had never been
taught to distrust women. never been
warned against them; he had been
taught nothing but his fathers mem
DRY of his mother and the result was
that he worshiped the sex and won
dered e. the mystery
With Gordon Galorey and the 9TH
ers he had ridden, shot better than
they. and had played, but with Lady
Galorey and the Duchess of Break
water he was nothing but a child AS
far as his hostess was concerned, on
several occasions she had put to him
certain states of affairs, well, touch
ingiy. Dan had been moved by the
stories of sore need among the ten
ants, had been impressed by the ne
cessity of reforms and rebuildings
and on each occasion had given his
hostess check. She had asked him
to say nothing about it to Gordon, and
he had kept his silence. Dan liked
Lady Galorey extremely: she was
Jolly, witty and friendly. She treated
him as q member of the family and
made no demands on him, save the
ones mentioned.
In the time that he had come TO
now the Duchess of Breakwater she,
on her part. had filed him full of 9TH
er condolences. Into his young ears
she poured the story Of her disap-
pointment, her disjointed life. from
her worldly girlhood to her disillusion
In marriage. She was beautiful when
she talked and more lovely when she
wept. Dan thought himself in love
with the Duchess Of Breakwater. His
conversations with her had brought
him to this conclusion They had
motored from Osdene Park together.
and he had been extremely taken with
the pleasure of 1t. and with the fact
OF their real companionship. Two or
three times the words had been on
his lips. which were fated not to be
spoken then. however, and Dan
reached the Gaiety still unfettered,
his duchess by his side And then the
orchestra had begun to play "Manda.
lay" the curtain had gone up and
Lefty Lane had come out on the
boards. But her apparition did not
strike OF his chains Immediately, nor
did he renounce his plan to tell the |
duchess the very next day that he
loved her.
When with sparkling eyes Lady /
Galorey raved about "Mandalay." Dan |
listened with eagerress. Everybody |
seemed to know all ABOUT Lefty Lane.
but he alone knew from what town
lhe had GOMEZ