The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1913-06-28
CHAPTER X.
The First Bio Robbery.

The First Big Robbery.
BY the end Of the week Lone Oak
was like the old riddle: House full.
yard full" People were everywhere.
and day by day new motors appeared
with more. We presented the appea@-
ance OF a modish. prosperous summer
hotel. some OF the guests all season,
some only for week.
His Grace arrived with flourish,
preceded by fifteen trunks, his secre-
tary. his two Wallets, and the butler
the chauffeur brought him-and fol-
lowed by dozen newspaper men and
photographers. And we all learned to
bow and kowtow with the proper
shade of Difference due to duke who
could trace his ancestors back to the
eleventh century.
never SO much regretted my lack
of knowledge on How to Behave to
Duke" I. myself. resolved to lay in
books on the subject as soon as /
could get to town. but all the other
women went scurrying to novels
about dukes. Lydia Abercrombie even
memorized some bits Of conversation.
There was only one irreverent men,
Der of our household-Hap. He called
His Grace "Old Sport" to his face and
| His Nobs" behind his back and, with
| young Americans disdain Of cere-
mony and gold lace, cordially despised
| him.
In the confusion attendant upon the
arrival of so many and the continual
ly shifting crowds, simply couldn't
| uh hor
| they were husbands and wives, or SIS
ters and brothers; and SO on through
the combinations of relationship.
bought little red notebook and jotted
them all down-like the list you send
to a grocer-and every night Laura
would come in and go over 1t to see II
l had everything correct. The entries
were in alphabetical order after this
| fashion:
ABERCROMBIE-M two daugh-
| ters. Father week ends and holi-
days. Millions and family. Mother
thin; talk fat to her. Daughters
both pretty; Lydia good tennis.
bridge; Dorothy sings, looks good at
piano. Father wants to be next gov
| ernor.
AYER-Father. mother and Charlie.
More millions and family. Father
a corker, golf: mother stout. keep
OF; good bridge; Charlie a silly
| dear.
BLISS-(See Eligibles).
| CUTLER-Widow; beautiful; most ac-
complished woman l ever met; ex-
cellent French, golf. good bridge;
knew the duke abroad.
That was one page. and my notes
covered twenty. I had the eligibles In
department Of their own which
didn't turn over for Laura's incpec-
ton, because Of some remarks l had
entered in the line of my duty con-
cerning her future. And an attractive
list of girls, one Of whom was trying
to settle upon for Hap In the line Of
my duty concerning his future. Two
looked suitable for John Crownin-
shield, although I hadn't been engaged
to settle his future. Jane Bliss. who
was pretty and sensible-sounds like
a paradox-and Lydia Abercrombie.
who. next to 10 and Laura, was the
dandiest girl ever met; but he never
looked twice at any woman in his life
and was Just dear to all Of them. It
broke my heart to see him drifting.
classed my golf hends, bridge
fends, and SO on. for quick consulta-
ton and studied It as hard a. 10 ever
did her Practical Economy. I seeped
in so much about everything from ev-
erybody and everybody from ev-
erything that was like
sponge-squeeze me and I'd spout so
cial information. began to be able
to say casually. "Oh, sixty millions!"
and ceased to think was playing .
part in a society play where there was
q French duke In the cast. I whirled
in the scheme Of things. marveling ev-
cry instant that I didn't hy Of into
the afr from taneontial impStus,