The Little River news., 1921-03-02
PART |.
Moral EmbIei,a

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 | Moral EmbIefna
 Please don't skip this description of Robert Hervey Randolph-six feet straight up and down, broad of shoul- der and narrow of hip, sandy-haired, blue-eyed, nose slightly up-ended and wearing a saddle of faint freckles, clean shaven, well groomed. very cor rectly dressed, and twenty-six years old. Let 1t be added that his eyes were placed just far enough apart to stamp him forever honest; he had an open and most prepossessing coun- tenance.
 At the moment of the start of this rapid yarn, he was standing in the Van Telliers' library, looking down in pained and flushed surprise at Miss Madge Van T., who was sitting in a huge leathern chair half facing the fire in the open grate, one leg very much under her, the other waving a satin-and-silk combination of foot and ankle in distracting accompaniment to her disturbing speech.
 Bobby" said Miss Van T., "you are darned good-looking; you're strong, straight, and gentleman; there are times when you are wholly adorable. but, nevertheless, I'm not going to the show with you tonight, or to the opera tomorrow. or anywhere any more. There, there. dear boy; you don't have to say anything. You have one of those faces that is absolutely beyond the aid of vocal organ. It says everything that Is in your heart of gold before your brain has time to tinkle bell"
 Look here, Madge," said the pained MT. Randolph: "are you making fun of my face or of my brain or of both?"
 My dear." said Miss Van T. quite gravely, "I'm not making fun of you in any way whatsoever. I'm merely tell ing you how lovable you are, so that you will understand how serious 1t is when say that I've decided not to love you any more."
 "B-but how can you help itY' stam- : mered Mir. Randolph, his tongue for once saying the same thing as his face at the same time.
 Miss Van T.'s breast fluttered as though rising against It's mistress to the defense of this disingenuous young man, and she was obliged to swerve her eyes from his and draw a long breath before she answered.
 q can, because will" she said, her face paling.~ "Oh. Bobby, can't you wake up? Look round you and come to earth! You are born and bred on Manhattan, yet you've never seen New York"
 "I guess you're right" said Bobby thoughtfully. Look here, Madge: why should I try to see New York, and why should we be talking ash-cans when Tve got you to look at in one of the most bewitching and abbreviated bits of dress goods that ever revealed completely adorable person? Tell me that"
 "Well," said Madge, her face hard ening, T will. It's long story. not in worde but in generations. The Van Telliers have lived in East Ninth street since the year one of the island That. is, they used to live here; now they hardly exist. They are merely an assorted lot of animated corpses that crawl out of their tomb periodically to take strange air, leaning on a rotten stave called the Old Order Listen to this, Bobby: The new New York is a fever. and I've caught 1t. I want a rainy-day car, a calling-car, and a touring car; I want dresses that will stab with envy the heart of every woman that looks at them; I want my Jewels to run to size and quality, and I want yacht just for the papers to AIk about, because I hate to ride in the smelly things"
 Bobby's eyes had grown rounder and wider as the list progressed.
 Do you think you could get along on hundred thousand a year7 he asked very softly.
 .T don't know" she said slowly. five been going into the subject l0lurt t1VxVux&A4y, anu d uuuuKcO LlOu- sand would be running It on pretty close margin. By the way. just what Is your allowance under that crazy will?"
 ~Ten thousand" said Bobby.
 .Well," said Miss Van F.. "there you arel Just enough to keep you com fortabIy in debt and you want to marry me on 1t! It wouldn't be quite 50 out of the question if you knew you were going to have it forever, but you don't. It may be cut off"
 sAny day." said Bobby promptly ~It isn't likely, after all these years but 1t may"
 *Well, there you arel" Mss Van T repeated herself. "rm not altogether pig, Bobby. Ten thousand with you thrown in Is enough to make any woman think three times, but the truth is you have been killed by too little and too much kindness. If you had never gone on as super for dis. xDpearipg heiress, you might have amounted to something by nov. h.