The Natchitoches enterprise., 1921-01-20
friends and begins a brilliant career

travagant beyond his means and neg
lccting his studies, he becomes deepl!
in debt and is "plucked" in his degre,
examination though many a fellow HI
has despised for dullness or crushed
in debate passes with honors.
UnSelfish, he would leave the gayes
party to go and sit with sick friend
and vet, 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 fiushes 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 il 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, MiNs Blanche Amory, young
lady, and his son and heir, little Frank
Clavering. Blanche has fair hair,
dark eyebrows, long black lashes
cit
feet, and constant smiles showing
sweet pearIy teeth and deep dimplcs.
Sir Francis himself is n 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 q good.
kind soul. iiiiterate 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 Altamoat, with
strange influence over Sir Francis and
power to get money from him.
Pen becomes cnamOred Of Blanche,
writes her love poems, and meanwhile
she leads him on only to drop hii.i
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 Ine, 4 lave no heart-I dc n9t
love you but am ready to marry yOn
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 il |
chambers at the Lamb Court Temple |
and makes friend Of and rooms with |
George Warrington, an older graduate
OF "OXbridge." In London Pen leads |
a life not of study, but Of ioviality,
though not Of vice. He is too lefty to
stoOp to vulgar intrigue. When re-
duced to his last few pounds, Pen, by
help, gets a poem ac-
cepted In a magazine, is given books
to review. becomes contributor to
the new Pail Mall Gazette. writes the
popular novel walter Lorraine and
becomes we'll OFF and well known. His
uncle is proud Of him, gets him invi-
Rtl8nS ati8nScts ts dIns g il high via sSefety ana
les, 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
saying. ut is as easy to get
q rich wife as poor One," and en-
courages MIN 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 large dowry for Miss
Blanche. Finally, in lieu Of any better
she accepts Pen.
The secret OF Colonel Altamont's In
fluence 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
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 schcolmate FOker, rich |
through his fathers death, now in
stalled In Miss Blanche's affections.
Still, the fair Blanche confidentially |
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 |
knew and yet concealed it from him.
For this lack of confidence he leaves
the fckle Blanche, so that there is
only one wedding at Clavering and
that not at the barenet's hall. 1t turns
out that Altamont, alias Amory, a.!
ready had wife living when he W ent
through the form of marriage with the
future Lady Clavering; so after all,
Sir Francis and she are legally hus-
band and wife.
Sir Francis reforms. Miss Blanche
goes abroad aad marries In Paris q
count with doubtful title. Pen Is
elected to parliament on his own
merits, the new railroad buys some
Of PENS lands and greatly increases
tho Ralun 0f the rest 90 he Is well off