Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-09-26
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION SERIAL
A Fool and His Money

made Of herself in marrying him. I've
seen her hundreds of times driving about
alone in Vienna, where they spent two
winters, really pathetic figure, seorned
not only by her husband but by every
one else. He made it clear to his world
that she was not to be inflicted upon it
by any unnecessary act of his. She
came to see Betty and me occasionally;
always bright and proud and full of
spirit, but we could see the wounds in
her poor little heart no matter how hard
she tried to hide them. ! tell you, John,
they like us as women but they despise
us as wives. 1t will always be the same
with them. They won't let us into
their charmed circle. Thank God, | am
married to an American. He must re-
speet me whether he wants to or not. -
"Poor little beggar, said I, without
thinking of how it would sound to her;
% she has had her fling, and she has
paid well for it. -
"If her stingy old father, who per
mitted her to get into the scrape, would
come up like man and pay what he
ought to pay, there would be no more
pother about this busines. He hasn t
| lived up to his bargain. The-Mr.
Pless has squandered the first million
and now he wants the balance due him.
| A trades a trade, John. The old man
ought to pay up. He went into it with
his eyes OPEN and | haven t an atom of
sympathy for him. You have read that
book of Mrs. Burnett S, haven t you =
'The Shuttle3' Well, there you are.
This is but another example of what
fools American parents can be when
they get bees in their bonnets. -
She seemed to be accusing mel
81 hope she gets away safely with
the kiddie," said |, non-committally.
"Heaven knows where she is. May
be she s as safe as bug in rug.
"I shouldn It be surprised, said |.
The Billy Smiths and George Hazard
came up at this iuncture Elsie at once
proceeded to 90 into long series of
coniectures as to the probable where
abouts of Mr.. Pless's former wife and
their child. / was immensely gratified
to find that they were now undivided in
their estimate of Mr.. Pless and firmly
allied on the side of the missing coun'
tess.
| gathered from their remarks that
the young woman S mother and brothers
were still in Paris, where their every
movement was being watched by secret
agents. They were awaiting the ar
rival from New York of the father Of
the countess, after which they were to
come to Vienna for the purpose of max
ing a determined fight for the daugh'
ter S absolute freedom and the custody
of the child
Somehow this news gave me strange
feeling of apprehension, a sensation
that later on was to be amply justi-
fled.
| daresay an historian less punctilious
about the truth than l propose to be,
would. at this stage of the narrative, in
sert a whopping lie for the sake OF et'
feet, or "action," or "heart interest, -
as such things are called in the present
world of letters. He would enliven his
tale by making Mr.. Pless do something
sensational while he was about it, such
as yanking his erstwhile companion out
of her place of hiding by the hair OF
her head, or kicking down all the barri-
cades about the place, or fighting dual
with me, orwell, there is no end OF
things he might do for the sake of q
"situation. But ANA person of YER
acity and the truth is in me. Mr.. Piess
did none of these interesting things, SO
why should l say that he did2
He went away with the others at half
past eleven, and that was the end Of his
first visit to my domain. For fear that
you, kind reader, may be disappointed,
| | make haste to assure you that he was
to come again.
Of course there was more or less tur-
mol and--I might say disaffection-
attending his departure. He raised Cam
/ dfd fhie