The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1914-07-24
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NOT MADE TO ORDER
By LOUIS D. LANCE.

! William Seattle was lonesome
man even as he had been lonesome
boy. All through his lonesome youth
he had the most ardent feelings to-
ward the girls with whom he came In
contact, but something in his retiring
nature forbade him to express these
feelings or to get on even friendly
terms with the objects of his admira-
ton and desire.
In the meantime he was most faith
full and efficient in business and pros
pered accordingly. At thirty he found
himself comparatively a rich man,
with boundless prospects before him.
But he was not satisfied. Far from
! it, he was restless. morose-savagely
angry with his fate.
What boots it that have success.
money, the respect and fear of men,
he said to himself, when | cannot
have the love of woman-the one great
thing have wanted all my life?"
you have not tried" replied his in
ner self, relentlessly.
81 cannot" he responded, savagely.
Mature left some void in my make
up, and try as | will, am tongue-tied
in the presence of women"
william Beattie, however realized
thoroughly the value of wealth, of hard
cash. He knew it's power over men
and women and in his business deal
ings he never made any mistakes In
dealing with women any more than he
did with men. 1t was only when he
attempted to put himself into personal
relations with women that he became
tongue-tied and impotent.
Finally at thirty he made great
resolve.
II can never win woman's love
that Is clear" he said to himself. And
womans love Is the only thing in all
the world that want l have
achieved business means. have all
he money I will ever need-and plenty
more coming. Nothing can stop that.
have never failed in a single enter
prise to which l gave my mind and
energy. Why not give this same
mind and energy to secure what !
want more than all elsa woman's
love. To feel soft arms about my
neck, to have languid eyes look into
mine, to have a clinging, yielding form
in my arms. To have children clamor-
ing about my knees-for all this |
would work harder. sacrifice more.
than | have ever done. In fact | would
give all have acquired and all hope
to acquire"
why don't you do something about
it," inquired his inner self, relent-
lessly.
81 am going to-" he replied, sharply
81 am going to devote all my energy
and brains hereafter to securing
woman to complete my life. Since l
cannot win a woman, | will start out
at the beginning and rear one for my
own purposes. I will buy a baby girl
and have her reared and educated for
the express purpose of becoming my
wife"
And with this determination he
started out. He haunted orphan asy'
lums and lying-in hospitals. He
sought the poor districts, where chill
dren are, of necessity. burden. 1t
was long before he found what he
wanted, but eventually he did find 1t
1t was in st. Anthonys orphan asy-
lum-and the face Of the little girl
child of five or six-attracted and
thrilled him. Her dark. passionate
eyes. her olive skin, her jetblack hair,
her 1.-THE young tigure-all gave prom
ise of glorious womanhood
Inquiry developed that she was the
daughter Of poor Italian girl Of mar
velous beauty, who had been brought
to the lying-in hospital across the way
by big-hearted stranger, with plenty
Of money. and an air which bespoke
blue blood. He had paid all her ex-
penses literally in advance, and then
had faded away and was heard OF no
more.
After her recovery, the young moth
err. being unable to take care OF the
child, had placed it in the orphan asy-
lum across the way. Beattie eagerly
sought the mother. Though worn by
years Of coarsening toll, and still more
coarsening associations, she still re-
tanned a remnant of passionate type
OF beauty which put Beattie's nerves
on edge and made his pulses bound.
Not at all intellectual was Anita Maj
foil not educated or refined or intel
lectual but she possessed all the
splendid Latin possibilities of love-
and showed it in every motion.
~If she we're sixteen instead Of thir-
ty, and fresh instead of being worn
out wreck. and young and pliable and
tractable, would marry her today and
defy the world"
He heard her pitiful story-the old
story Of a pretty and voluptuous young
Italian girl, debonair man of the
world-and a child without name.
Who the handsome stranger was who
flashed across her orbit for a brief
moment. and then passed on, she had
no sort of concertion, eXcept tina. Ia
was a gentleman. ana rnaJ MS dal-
lance by the wayside with her was a
distinct concession on his part, and a
cause for pride on hers.
Here was the proper combination.
The girl gave promise Of all her moth
er's Latin beauty-and 1t was fair to
assume she inherited some of the good
blood of the father.
A bargain was quickly struck, and
for a comparatively small sum-but
one which exceeded the mothers wild
est dream of avarice-little Anita be-
-ame the ward of Beattie. At once
he removed her from the asylum and
rlaced her in most competent hands