Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-18

his estate. aside from bonds and gilt.
edge securities of the coupon-tree vari-
ETY., was well wrapped up In the indus.
trial life of Philadelphia and it's metro
politan district there was an iron works
near Coatesville, a shipyard near vii.
mington. textile mills in Kensington
and other manufacturing enterprises
scattered throughout the city and its
outlying districts.
Monte Crispen had been old Mont.
gomery's open door in the world Of
pleasure. Boy, youth and man--Monte
had stirred life with a golden spoon.
Each morrow trod upon the heels of
yesterday in some function of ease and
luxury, Uncle Montgomery was a
money we'll that never went dry. At
college Monte had an allowance that
! would have kept a racing stable. After
he had failed to graduate the pampered
youngster went abroad, where his in.
| eXhaustible checkbooll surrounded him
| with fawning friends and cringing
servants.
That Monte had managed to retain
/ the lucidlty of brain, the coolness
necessary to observe the facts around
him, and the tact to repel without of.
fense those who advanced with greedy
| hands outstretched, was the marvellous
feature of his urbane personality. He
had motored in France, punted on the
Thames, and been a regular at Monte
Carlo. Although he had plunged into
the night life of every foreign capital,
he still possessed that quiet air of dig
nifty that is the hallmark of good
breeding. His voice was low and his
manner winning.
1t was true that Monte Crispen had
fed wanderlust until Philadelphia
wearled of reading about his escapades.
In Honolulu he had hired 200 jinriki.
shas to give shore holiday to the sail.
ors of an American cruiser; in Cairo
he had scandalized aristocratic English
residents by serenading the Sphinx one
moonlight midnight with a native Egyp-
tian band of musicians. and crowd
of Arabs he had trained to sing the
chorus OF Hail! Hail! The Gangs All
Here" and paid to do it. Never once
word of protest from Uncle Mont
gomery.
His homecomings grew less frequent
He was known the world over as Monte
Crispen. the American spendthrift He
wooed mad pleasure in every cline.
Once a year Monte dropped off the
rear end of parlor car in Broad Street |
Station and, entering his uncle's blue |
limousine. was driven to the old Mont.
gomery residence in Walnu. street. near
Rittenhouse square.
Here in the gloomy dining room uncle |
and nephew partook of an annual |
Christmas dinner, a function that old |
Montgomery insisted upon. Monte knew |
that failure to appear meant an end |
to his income. over the cigars old /
Montgomery would tumble feebly in
his waistcoat pocket. and then draw
forth the miniature portrait of beau
tiful lady. "Your mother, my boy. and
a wonderful woman" he would say, and
no more Monte never forgot the haunt
ing eyes of the woman of the miniatures;
the lovely Jane Montgomery who had
married the dashing Captain Hazard
Crispen, OF the American diplomatic
service, and followed him, within a
week, to the grave in Rome. both dying
from an Italian fever.
Having rapidly traced Monte Crispen
through the maze OF the past. we must
hasten back TO the roof of the Bellaire.
Blitz Hotel, and lift the drop curtain
on current events.
Monte turned toward the arrow-bullt
yet elderly Andrews, his uncle's lawyer.
now returned for his answer, and said:
Tell me. among Unele's effects, did
you run across the miniature portrait
OF a lady?"
Yes: I have It SAFE