Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-12-25
AN EVENTFUL
CHRIST MAS
1t Unites a Pair of
Lovers.
By WILLARD MALTBIE

SOAul (aoRai 0Ol0alO At laCnlt -OuC
came into his ancestral estates. AS
for family responsibility. his inner
itanee was large; landed property
and money were inyersely small. In
his fathers time the schloss that had
been in the family for hundreds of
years had passed into the possession
of IN American millionaire. When
Caspar received his inheritance it was
the remains of everything the family
hard owned turned into uoiey and in
American currency amounted to about
$4,000
The young man concluded that he
might as well avail himself of the
only other asset in his possession-an
entry into the court circle of Berlin
The funds at his command would en-
able him to keep such Il position
through one season. after which he
would go to some country where he
would not be known and make u liv-
ing the best way be could.
Had he realized that he would great
ly need this money Ia the new field.
that its possession would be a great
advantage to any one knowing how to
handle it. doubtless he would have
foregone this plan of a brief career In
the gay world at Berlin and held on to
his funds. But Count Caspar was as
ignorant of business as a child. and>i it
is quite probable that, considering this
ignorance. had he retained his inner
itance. he would not have had the
slightest knowledge of how to use 1t
to advantage.
So 1t was that one autumn Count
Caspar Gotwald appeared In Berlin,
presented his credentials and made his
appearance in that exclusive society
presided over by the kaiser and the
kaiserin. He was the handsomest man
In the court circle that winter, the
most entertaining conversationalist and
the best dancer. All the women were
in love with him. Yet, singular as it
may appear, be seemed to have no fac
ulty for bettering his financial condi-
ton by marrying a fortune. which he
might easily have done.
For this there was a reason. Among
those who entered Berlin society that
year was an American family named
Rathbone. Winifred Rathbone then
saw the gay world for the first time
as a young lady. Her father was a
retired banker and rich. The young
count mel her and was conquered.
servient to her beck and call. But
when the. spring opened he was not be-
trothed to her and had thrown over
half a dozen women any one of whom
would have been glad to marry him.
After the departure of the fair Wini-
fred. Baron Geralt. n of Count Cas-.
paris intimate friends who knew of
his necessities. took him to task for
having wasted his opportunities.
"Since you could not get the Ameri-
can. why did you not take one of the
other women who were dying for
YOU
q did moi ask Miss Rathbone to
marry me"
Did not ask her?'
NO In America they do not make
marriages as we do here. 1t is con
sidered beneath a man who has moth
ing to ask a woman of wealth to mar
~ him"
Then why did you not ask the Bar.
oness Richter?"
Il did not wish to marry the bar
oness. and | do not know that the
baroness wished TO marry me-"
."Caspar. you talk like a fool"
Nevertheless | am Il gentleman, and
my ancestors have been honorable
men. | cannot offer myself and my
poverty to any woman in whose oun
try a man without the means of sup.
porting himself is demeaned by TAX
ing q rich wife"
WELL concluded the baron. ''since
you won't marry the American be.
cause you are poor and will not marry
one of your own countrywomen who
is rich | don't see what you are going
TO do"
Il am going 10 Americn 10 lose my.
self among the N%0.o1Od0O people there
are there"
"How will you make a Iiving?"
by doing anything | can find TO do
What. II count work?r
Il shall drop my title | shall be
OdSIdT
Count. you are mad Drop this nor
sense. Marry the Baroness Richter
True. she is forty and homely. but she
has a fortune that will enable you to
maintain the position to which you
were born. But if you prefer n of
the others with blood of lighter hue.
there is Fraulein Adelaide
do not compel me to say that do
not want any of these N My
mind is made up Within ii month !
shall have been forgotten in Berlin.
The Rathbone family of Chicago
we're preparing for Christmas 1t hap
pened that some persons who had en-
tertained them in London were On their
way to India via America and the Pa