East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1914-09-25
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION SERIAL.
A Fool and His Money

seen heI uuuuIeub VI IIulSb uIlHluB aDout
alone in Vienna, where they spent two
winters, a really pathetic figure, seorned
not only by her husband but by every
one else. He made il 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
she tried to hide them. j tell you, John,
they like us as women but they despise
us as wives. II 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-
spect me whether he wants 10 or not.
"Poor little beggar, said l, 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 I
lived up to his bargain. The-Mr.
Pless has squandered the first million
and now he wants the balance due him.
| A trade s trade, John. The old man
ought to pay up. He went into it with
his eyes open. and l haven I an. atom Of
sympathy for him. You have read that
book Of Mrs Burnett IS, haven I youf-
'The Shuttlei' Well, there you are.
This is but another example of what
fools American parents can be when
they get bees in their bonnets. y
She seemed to be accusing mel
~ 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 a rug.
~ shouldn I be surprised, said |.
The Billy Smiths and George Hazard
came up at this juncture. Elsie at once
proceeded to go into long series OF
onjcctures 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 brother:
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 &c
come to Vienna for the purpose of max
ing determined fight for the daugh
ter's absolute freedom and the custody
of the child
Somehow this news gave me a strange
feeling of apprehension, a sensation
that later on was to be amply justi
fled.
Il / daresav an historian less punctiliou:
about the truth than 1 propose to be
would, at this stage of the narrative, in
sert whopping lie for the sake of eff
feet, or "action,' or "heart interest,
as such things are called in the present
world of letters. He would enliven hi:
tale by making Mr.. Pless do something
sensational while he was about it, suel
as yanking his erstwhile companion out
of her place of hiding by the hair OF
her head, or kicking down all the barn
cades about the place, or fighting dua
with me, orwell, there is no end Of
things he might do for the sake of
"situation. But am a person Of yer
acity and the truth is in me. Mr.. Pies:
did none of these interesting things, sc
why should l say that he didi
He went away with the others at half
past eleven, and that was the end of his
first visit to my domain. For fear thai
YOU. kind reader, may be disappointed
make haste to assure you that he wa'
: to come again.
OF course there was more or less tur
moil and-I might say disaffection-
attending his departure. He raised Cair
with nv servants because they did thi'
and that when they shouldn't have dom
either; he (and the amiable baron) tool
me to task for having neglected to booi
, compartments for them in the Orien
Express; he insisted upon having