Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1923-07-19
PART Z.
Moral Emblsma

Moral Emblsma
Please don't skip this description Of
Robert Hervey Randolph--six feet
straight up and down. broad Of shoui-
der and narrow Of hip. sandy-haired.
blue-eyed. nose slightly up-ended and
wearing q saddle Of faint freckles,
clean shaver. well groomed. very cor.
rectly dressed, and twenty-six years
old. Let II 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 Miss
Madge Van T.. who was sitting In q
huge leathern chair half facing the
fire in the open CRATE, one leg very
much under her. the other waving q
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 a gentleman; there are
times when you are wholly adorable.
but. nevertheless. Tn 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. II
says everything that is In your heart
Of gold before your brain has time to
tinkle q bell"
Look here. Madge." said the pained
Mr.. Randolph: "are you making fun
of my face or Of my brain or Of
bothr
my dear" said Miss Van T. quite
graveiy, "Tm not making fun Of you in
any way whatsoever. I'm merely tell
ing you how Iovable you are. so that
you viii understand how serious 1t IL
when I say that I've decided not to
love you any more"
"B-but how can you help IT." STAN
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 It's mistress to
the defense Of this disingenuous young
man. and she was obliged to swerve
her eyes from his and draw q long
breath before she answered.
IT can. because I WILL" she said, her
face paling. "Oh. Bobby. can't you
wake up7 Look round you and come
to earthl 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 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 person1 Tell
me that"
WELL" said Madge, her face hard
ening. II will. It's long story, not I'm
words but In generations. The Van
TeIliers 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 n rotten
stave called the old Order Listen To
this. Bobby: The new New York IL a
fever. and I've caught II. I want a
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; I want nv
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 hundred thousand a Year, he
asked very softly.
Il don't know" she said slowly.
I've been going into the subject
rather thoroughly. and a hundred thou.
sand would be running II on a pretty
close margin. BY the way. Just what
Is your allowance under that crazy
VIII
Ten thousand" said Bobby.
"weIl," said Miss Van T., there you
are! Just enough to keep you CON-
fortably In debt, and you want to
marry me on I'll II wouldn't be quite
so out Of the question II you knew you
were going to have IL forever. but you
don't. II may be cut OF"
ANY day" said Bobby promptly.
TT isn't likely, after all these years.
but II may"
"weil. there you are!" Miss Van T.
repeated herself. I'm not altogether
q 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. II you
had never gone on as super for q dis