Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-01-09
CHAPTER /.


stood alone. She had promised this
very extra to four insistent men, but
had excused herself to one after an
other of them, "Just for moment.
Just while powder my nose.
They had all seen her run up the
stairs in the main hallway; they had
not seen her travel steadily on
through the length of the hotel and
come down the ladder-like exit into
the garden. Why had she done 1t?
That was question that she herself
could not have answered but that did
not occur to her as a matter for solu-
tion so often had similar impulse
snatched her momentarily away from
d crowded world.
Andrea had past, but very little
history. She was the only daughter
of Lord Pellor of Pellor, land-poor
baron who could distribute five titles
among his five sons but very little
cash. AS a result Andrea had lived
the life. if life you can call it, of tab
ulated impoverished English gentle
women: Everything that the traffic
will bear for the men of the family
and for the girl just enough frocks at
her coming out to dissemble the bait
that clothes the hook that catches the
man with millions
During her first season offers had
come to her; not the measured adj
vances of buyers in the marriage mar
ket, for about the brow of such bud
ding maidenhood as had been hers
there hangs a guardian halo that
blinds the eyes of sane-aged men, but
the o'erleaping onslaughts of youth
maddened hearts.
It was in her fifth season that the
arbiters of her fate raised the shears
of destiny and clicked them. He who
fell to her lot was a man of humble
origin who had reached the ripe age
of fifty-eight without ever having had
time to marry. His life, with diff
ference, had been just as narrow, hide
bound and conventional as had hers.
The difference was that he had trav-
eled the stereotyped Dick Wilmington
trail to high finance rather than the
social highway. He had started out in
Africa with pack of cheap jewelry,
an open mind and an easy conscience,
and had emerged after twenty-five
years as one of the few Gentiles in the
combine that controls the worlds dia-
mond output. His wealth was so great
that ap ultimate peerage was almost
matter Of course. But as usual, an
aristocratic marriage had to come
| first
The contract was as coId-blooded as
any ever perpetrated by royal house.
Allowances, carefully graded, we're
stipulated to be paid at fixed times to
Andrea's parents and to each of her
| five brothers. She herself came in for
large and inalienable marriage set
Element and was further secured in
such details as to where the town res
idence was to be located as well as to
| the number and nature of the country
places which were to be maintained !!
When the document was finally COM
| pleted it was casually submitted to
Andrea for approval. Nobody dreamed
that she would doubt for a moment
that those in family authority were
most able to decide what was best for
her and nobody was right. She merely
SKINNED through the typewriter
pages of the prenuptial agreement, sat
isfied herself that vast sum Of money
was destined to the upkeep Of Pellor,
and dreamy-eyed with sudden memo
ries, nodded her adorable head in con-
sent.
All doubtless would have taken it's
appointed course had not the Euro
pean war put in its nightly discon-
| certing finger. Surprising things hap
pened in South Africa. Andrea's aft
anced sailed on twenty-four hours no
| tice. The diamond mines closed down,
took short nap, and then suddenly
awakened to the fact that America
alone was demanding as much of their
| product as had the whole world before
| it turned its entire attention to MAX
ing munitions and paying for them.
Andrea's betrothed found himself har-
messed to his job, possibly for the DID,
1dLlOH VI Tic wall <AS q 1CouAI II was
decided in family conclave that it was
incumbent upon Andrea to take adj
vantage of providential detail of two
Of her brothers on the NyasSaland ex-
peditionary force and accompany
them, surrendering st. Georges chapel
for quiet marriage in the colonies.
1t was blow, but the fact that the
entire set Of tapered allowances
would not start until the sacrifcial
ceremony had taken place more than
offset the loss in pomp. Andrea start
ed for Africa escorted not only by the
aforementioned brothers but by old
Aunty Gwen, hale and hearty at sew
enty in spite, or perhaps by reason, of
having been frightened out of many
years growth. So here they were,
Aunty and she, on the point of part
ing with the two boys at the last pos
sible port up the coast and whose in
habitants had seized upon the occasion
to give grand ball in the mode of the
English, who have ever danced, courted
and loved best when on the eve of
battle.
Andrea drew a long and quivering
sigh. Tomorrow the boys would
be gone. Tomorrow Aunty Gwen and
she would depart in state in the pri-
vate car her affianced, too busy to the
last for. the soft preliminarieS of love