Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-29
CHAPTER ".

s
James Carey, to whom Samuel
Leighton had written for his new
| chauffeur's reference, was wise
enough to make no protest to David
De LANES scheme.
In his heart he was rather glad
to learn of it. From a distance he
! had watched this son of his old
friend-for Carey and David's father
had been boys together.
David's mother had died when he
was a baby. Her husband had known
how to make money, but he also had
also known how to spend it reckless
| ly. At the time of the fathers death
the only son was twenty years old.
When the debts were all paid and
the funeral bills settled, very little
remained of what had been a COM
/ Portable fortune.
! 1t was then that Miss Jeanne De
Laine proposed that her nephew
make his home with her.
Il will help you financially, my
dear Davey," she had said.
| But David was firm in his deter
mination to stand on his own feet.
He had succeeded in working his
way through college. and had Sc
cured a decent but not very remun-
erative position, which he held un-
| til the outbreak of the war. Then
he enlisted.
All this James Carey knew, for he
had corresponded with David from
time to time. He had gloried in
what he called 1.-The boys spunk"
| in not accepting his aunt's offer to
support him. Now that David had
written him of the terms of Miss
De LANES will, he gloried still more
in the stand taken by his young
friend. Anything that David had
asked of him he was willing TO 40.
Therefore, If the lad wanted TO pc
an ordinary chauffeur, Carey would
send his possible employer such
letter as an ordinary chauffeur would
want written to the man FOR Whom
he hoped to work.
A Favorable Report
Il know the young man about
whom you inquire" Mr.. Carey wrote
to Mr.. Leighton. II have known him
from his boyhood. He is industrious,
honest, trustworthy, and has no bad
habits. Were 1 in need of someone
to drive a car, I would not hesitate
to employ David Smith"
A copy of this note was enclosed
in James Carey's letter to David.
Here is what 1 am mailing to
your new employer" he wrote. II
hope it is what you want. am
proud of you. Indeed, l have always
been proud of you. You are quite
right to prefer to work under an
assumed surname. Baltimore and
New York are not so far apart after
all. and De Laine is not a common
name. I am never afraid that you
will dishonor it-but just because
you do honor it, you want to avoid
its becoming the subject of curious
comment.
Write me when you can, and
when you make enough money to
take a trip South make me happy
by coming here.
'I may add that I am glad you
never met the young woman to
whom your poor rich aunt was so
anxious to see you married. l use
the word poor advisedly, for 1 have
sincere pity for any one who
thinks that love can be bought. (You
see, / am an old bachelor very
old one-so have romantic notions
stilD.
"I suppose I should pity the girl,
| too. Not because she did not sue
ceed in marrying you. but because
she has so little delicacy as to be
party to a scheme to trap young
man. Your aunt had the excuse of
! her love for you and her affection
for the girl. The girl herself had
no excuse except a desire to get
married. You are fortunate never
! to have met her"
"Ye gods." David De Laine sprang
to his feet when he read this con-
1
/ and down his hall room. II did not
mean to give the dear old chap the
| impression that Aunt Jeanne's pro-
tege was aware of my aged rela-
tive's plans. / must write him that
the girl may have known nothing
of them. Butt wonder if she did 2"
He stopped in his very limited
walk. He had always taken it for
granted that Desfree Leighton had
been innocent of the scheme that
his aunt was intent upon. Now 1t
occurred to him that If Miss De
Lame had talked so freely to her
nephew of Desiree she might have
talked as freely to Desiree of Davey.
In that case the girl must have
loathed the thought Of him-if she
was a nice girl. And of course she
was!
He told himself this fiercely. His
employers daughters face came be-
fore his mental vision. II she was
Desiree Leighton. she was incapa-
BILE of planning to marry any man.
What Difference Anyway?
i Then he brought himself UP
sharply. What difference did the
girls attitude make to him? Never
theless. he decided to write to Mr..
Carey and thank him for his letter
and suggest to him that probably
the girl in question was absolutely
innocent of the net that had been
spread for her.
If she suspected 1t. how che must
hate the man who had been picked
out for, her.
! The thought waa not pleasant TO