The Natchitoches enterprise., 1920-12-30

party TO 20 and sit with a sick frient
and yet, self h. he forces his mothe
.. to pinch herself to keep him in colleg,
and he accepts Laura's savings to pa!
; his debts He fees "Oxbridge" in dis
grace, though later he tries again ant
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 Il tall, slim, handsome
young lady with large gray eyes long
black lashes, pale face with rose tinge
in her cheeks which flushes easily into
a deep blush.
Now comes on the scene Sir Francis
Clayering, Bart. who opens rlavering
Park, which has long been closed, The
papers Il few years before announced
his marriage with the rich widow of
the late J. Alnory, esquire, from India.
He brings Lady Clavering, her daugh-
ter, Miss Blanche Amory, Il young
lady, and his son and heir. little Frank
| Clavering. Blanche has fair hair,
dark eyebrows, long black Iashes
! yelling brown eyes, slim figure, small
/ feet, and constant smiles showing
sweet pearly teeth and deep dinples.
Sir Francis himself is Il weak crea-
. ture, gambler, fond Of low company
| and rapidly wasting his wife's prop
| erty with constant demands on her
generosity. Lady Clavering. q 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 inys-
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 a half-hearted
way. Laura replies, "When next you
offer yourself, do not say as you have
done to ME, L 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 q friend of and rooms with
George Warrington, an older graduate
of "OXbridge." In London Pen leads
a life not Of study, but Of joviality,
though not Of vice. He is too lefty to
stoop to vulgar intrigue. When re-
duced to his last few pounds, Pen, by
Warrington's help, gets poem ac-
cepted in a magazine, is given books
to review. becomes 2 contributor to
the new Pail Mail Gazette. writes the
popular novel Waller LoTra.n and
becomes we'll 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 Clayering 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, at is as easy to get
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 4 large dowry for Miss
Blanche. Finally. in lieu of any better
prospect, she accepts Pen.
The secret of Colonel Altamont's in
fuence 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 /
Miss AmOry heir to the fortune in I
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
Ter though he admits he does not love
her deeply. Later, when he calls, he
1ndS his old schoOlmate Foker, rich
through his fathers death, now in
stalled in Miss Blanche's affections.
Still, the fair Blanche confidentially
to Pen that she would prefer I
lim If he could lay aside his absurd 5
'cruples." This he refuses to do, so
he Foker and Amory wedding is ar
anged.
Then Pen. freed from this merce-
AIRY alliance, finds his heart all the 9
While was really devoted to Laura, so f
e proposes to her in earnest and this E
Ime IS accepted. Fol.cr in turn finds s
y accident the secret of Amory's sur
ival and what is worse, that Blanche
new and yet concealed it from him. j
or this lack Of confidence he leaves +
ne tickle Blanche, so that there is y
My one wedding at Clavering and s.
hat not at the baronet's hall. It turns
ut that Altamont, alias Amory, al
aady had wife living when he w ,nt 6
trough the form OF marriage with the
lture Lady Clavering; so after all. -
ir Francis and she are legally hus-
and and wife. n
Sir Francis reforms. Miss Blanche
pes abroad and marries in Paris c
'unt with doubtful title. Pen is :.
ected to parliament on his own =
erits, the new railroad buys som, q
Pens lands and greatly Increase
e value of the rest, so he is well OF =
I'd most happy with the adorable,
sil-11iaucd and devoted Laura. 81:
,pyrig'.t, 1919 by Post Publishing Gu
(TLe Boston Fost.) a: