The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1920-11-26

AS~Hh5 Ills SLuulcSS ne DecOIneS deeply
in debt and is "plucked" in his degree
examination though many a fellow he
has despised for dullness or crushed
in debate passes with honors.
Unselfish, he would leave the gayest
party to go and sit with sick friend
and yet, selfish, he forces his mother
to pinch herself to keep him in college
and he accepts Laura's savings to pay
his debts. He fees "Oxbridge' in dis
grace, though later he tries again and
passes his exams" with fair credit.
Coming home from college, Pen, now
young man of good figure, medium
height, blue eyes and auburn whiskers,
finds Laura grown from the simple
little girl, into TALL slim, handsome
young lady with large gray eyes, long
black lashes, pale face with rose tinge
in her cheeks which Pushes easily into
a deep blush.
Now comes on the scene Sir Francis
Clavering, Bart, who opens Clavering
Park, which has long been closed. The
papers few years before announced
his marriage with the rich widow of
the late J. Amory, esquire, from India.
He brings Lady Clavering, her daugh-
ter, Miss Blanche Amory, a young
lady, and his son and heir, little Frank
Clavering. Blanche has fair hair,
dark eyebrows, long black lashes
yelling brown eyes, slim figure, small
feet, and constant smiles showing
sweet pearly teeth and deep dimples.
Sir Francis himself is a weak crea-
ture, a gambler, fond of low company
and rapidly wasting his wife's prop
erty with constant demands on her
generosity. Lady Clavering, a good,
kind soul, illiterate and numbering the
kings English, is hardly more for
tunate in her second marriage than in
her first with the sailor and convict
Amory.
Shadowing the Claverings is a mys-
terious Colonel Altamont, with a
strange influence over Sir Francis and
power to get money from him.
Pen becomes enamored of Blanche,
writes her love poems, and meanwhile
she leads him on only to drop him
again for anyone with better pros
poets. When thus dropped, Pen offers
himself to Laura, but in half-hearted
way. Laura replies, "When next you
offer yourself, do not say as you have
done to me, I have no heart-I do not
love you; but am ready to marry you
because my mother wishes for the
match" After Laura's refusal, Pen
tires of the country and goes to Lon
don to study law. He settles in
chambers at the Lamb Court Temple
and makes friend of and rooms with
George Warrington, an older graduate
of "Oxbridge." In London Pen leads
life not of study, but of joviality,
though not of vice. He is too lofty to
stoop to vulgar intrigue. When re-
duced to his last few pounds, Pen, by
Warrington's help, gets a poem &C.
cepted in magazine, is given books
to review, becomes a contributor to
the new Pail Mall Gazette, writes the
popular novel walter Lorraine" and
becomes well off and well known. His
uncle is proud of him, gets him invi-
tations to dine in high society, and
introduces him, among, other celebri-
ties, to the great duke Of Wellington.
One night, the mysterious Colonel
Altamont, half drunk, forces his way
into the Clavering dining room in Lon
don and Major Pendennis recognizes
him as an Indian acquaintance. Soon
after this, he urges Pen to marry for
money, saying, ut is as easy to get
a rich wife as poor one" and en-
courages him to court Miss Blanche
Amory. Somehow the major per
suades Sir Francis to give up his seat
in parliament in favor of Pen and to
arrange for a large dowry for Miss
Blanche. Finally, in lieu of any better
prospect, she accepts Pen.
The secret of Colonel Altamont's in
fiuence over Sir Francis becomes pub
lie property and reaches PENS ears,
| for Altamont is none other than
Amory, the husband of Lady Claver-
ing. He was reported to have died,
but in reality is alive. This makes
the Clavering marriage invalid and
AhAoo -A1hOAJ hJLL " Tic IOElu1le
stead of young Frank. Pen then re-
fuses to benefit by the fortune or to
take the seat in parliament and writes
Blanche he is still willing to marry
her though he admits he does not love
her deeply. Later, when he calls, he
| finds his old schoolmate Foker, rich
through his fathers death, now in
stalled in Miss Blanche's affections.
Still, the fair Blanche confidentialIy
confesses to Pen that she would prefer
him if he could lay aside his absurd
scruples." This he refuses to do, so
the Foker and Amory wedding is ar
ranged.
Then Pen, freed from this merce.
nary alliance, finds his heart all the
while was really devoted to Laura, so
he proposes to her in earnest and this
time is accepted. Foker in turn finds
by accident the secret of Amory's sur
vival and what is worse, that Blanche
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