Evening star., 1924-10-12
BY J. A. wALDRON.
ct WONDER. dearest, if you vi

ever marry anv Of your suitors"
II wonder"
The query was Patience Crystals.
The echo was Beatrice Denham's.
You don't seem to like DENLY Oar
rail-"
NO. Brokers are queer-too sophis-
ticated. DENLY mixes business with
sentiment, and his sentiment has the
odor Of the cabaret"
Well, what is the matter with the
Rev. Clarence Chubbe? a handsome
man. with fine charge, popular, and
all that"
But with a very limited viewpoint.
And do you think you could tell from
the grounds in a teacup the fortune
of an outsider who might marry into
the church? Every blessed single
woman in his congregati tion has marked
him for her own, with the prejudice
of every mother TO the same end. Be
sides. the Rev. Clarence has already
hinted as to the great work he could
do-with money"
You surely like Ballard BALDWIN.
I've seen that, dearest"
Who couldn't like a man about
town? I mean as an occasional diver
sion. Ballard is like cocktail, stimu-
lating for the moment. And he tells
such amusing stories. And he has all
the graces that gild attention. But
he is like some professional actors. He
OverplayS his role. AS a steady thing
I am afraid he would be an aff1iction,
dear"
Are you really interested in any
one? You have so many How about
the Hon. Percival PonSonby-Bagge? :?
What a great social opportunity he
offers! And how eagerly many women
would grasp 1t! Come, dearest. con-
fide in me. Has he been at all sem
timental?"
quite. But I've parried. I want
to see a little more of him.
Then you have a tendency ."
He amuses me. If should marry
"A feminine failing, but matrimony
soon satisfies it,
Beatrice laughed. But mine is nom
essential. It's only a curiosity to dis
cover whether the Hon. Percival Pom
sonby-Bagge ever discards his mon
ocle.'
What a trif7er you are, I don't be-
lieve it. You'll marry him yet" An
auto horn sounded. Here he is now"
And Patience. after a glance to the
roadway, went toward the hall, while
Beatrice for moment sought a mir
ror.
ScTHE Hon. Percival was a week end
i guest. 1t was his first visit to
Glory Grange, though he had been a
caller at Beatrice's town house. He
came in looking bit upset as Beatrice
met him.
"Aw-aw-is your chauffeur a racing
man." he asked, with smile, after
greetings.
"Oh, that wasn't my chauffeur, who
is i'll. That's John Rudd. One Of the
family. Why?
"Aw-aw-aw-I say. But he did
come along. At various points along
the way I really thought I should
bounce out OF the tonneau, don'tchu-
know!" And the Hon. Percival in
dulged something as near a smile rs
his habit permitted. His most pro-
nounced demonStrat tions of mirth
sounded like normal preliminaries to
merriment.
Beatrice had been widowed two
years. She was all that any suitor
could wish. She was a beauty. and in
a monetary sense a capital prize. Some
thing significant Of her temperament
was seen in a clause in John Dem
hams will, which left her his all with
out qualification. He had enriched her,
as he said in that instrument because
she had made him happy. He was old
and she was young, and they had been
married three years. Glory Grange, a
magnificent country place, half castle
and half chateau, was but a part of
her holdings.
Patience Crystal, Beatrices aunt
and companion. was a handsome spin
ster who had let matrimonial chances
slip from sheer timidity. And the
longer she studied matrimonial vari-
ations about her the more satisfied
she seemed with her state. Yet she
assiduously spurred Beatrice toward
matrimony.
John Rudd, substitute chauffeur and
zone of the family" had been John
Denham's favcrite nephew. He was
a polytechnic graduate. and had sur
veyed, Handicapped and in mechanical
details brought Glory Grange to
state of perfection. He could asxt
DenbyF Darrall at golf, and invariably
humilitated the Rev. Clarence Chubbe
at tennis. the clergyman's only spor-
tive dissipation. And he was as en-
tertaining as Ballard Baldwin. With
all the rest Rudd was a delight to
the eye. and when that evening he
led a successful game Of bridge
against the distinguished guest, Pa
tience thought that II such a young