The Elk Mountain pilot., 1921-02-10
PART l..
Moral Emhlenna

Moral Embiems.
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. we'll 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
panied and flushed surprise at MIS-
Madge Van T., who was sitting in
huge leathern chair half facing the
fire in the open crate, 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. 1t
says everything that is in your heart
of gold before your brain has time to
tinkle bell"
Look here, Madge," said the pained
Mr.. 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 lit" stam-
mered Mr.. Randolph, his tongue for
once saying the same thing as his face
at the same time.
Miss Van It's breast fiuttered as
though rising against its mistress to
the defense Of this disingenuous young
man, and she was obliged to swerve
her eyes from his and draw 4 long
breath before she answered.
"T can. because I WILL" she said, her
face paling. "Oh, Bobby. can't you
wake up3 Look round you and come
: to earth! You are born and bred on
Manhattan. yet you've never seen New
York"
II guess you're right" said Bobby
thoughtfully. Look here. Madge: why
should 1 try to see New York, and
why should we be talking ash-cans
when I've got you to look at In one of
the most bewitching and abbreviated
bits Of dress goods that ever revealed
a completely adorable person7 Tell
me that"
"well." said Madge, her face hard
ening, 81 will. It's long story. not In
words 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 a strange air. leaning on rotten
stave called the old Order Listen to
this, Bobby: The new New York Is
fever, and I've caught It. I want q
rainy-day car, calling-car. and a
touring car; want dresses that will
stab with envy the heart Of every
woman that looks at them; want my
Jewels to run to size and quality, and
I want a yacht just for the papers to
talk 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 a hundred thousand a year?" he
asked very softly.
81 don't know" she said slowly.
1--WE been going into the subject
rather thoroughly. md n hundred thou
sand would be running it on a pretty
close margin. BY the way. just what
is your allowance under that crazy
WIFI"
"Ten thousand" said Bobby.
WELL" said Miss Van T., "there you
are! Just enough to keep you COM
fortably ip debt. and you want to
marry me on I'll 1t wouldn't be quite
so out of the question If you knew you
were going to have 1t forever but you
don't. II may he cut Off
"Any day" said Bcbby promptly.
"It isn't likely, after all these years,
hut II may"
well. there you are!" Miss Van T.
repented herself I'm not altogether
pig, Bobby. Ten thousand with you
thrown in is enough TO make any
woiran think three times. but the
truth is you have been killed by toe
little and too much kindness. If you
had never gone on as super for dis
appearing heiress. you might have