The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-04-12
Chapter 24
TEDDY DECLARES HIMSELF

most miserable days Jacquelint could remember.
 She tried to forget Teddy and tf plunge into the wairl of life. Bu she found that to spend none. recklessly and in solitary grandeu was not in the least amusing ant not very exciting.
 She went to the Savoy for din ner. She went to the opera, whlcl happened to be on. She did no like operas, and wondered vaguel what they were all about. But sh knew that distinguished people al- ways went to the opera; so she went. And she went to three the atres-and was frightfully bored. She could not understand it. Try as she would, she could not recap ture the rare thrill of that one evening in the distant past, when she had dined at the Savoy ano gone to the opera afterwards at the cost of ten pounds.
 She spent a great deal more now and could not get the least thrll out of it. She had always beer finder the impression that people who moved in these walks of life could never possibly be bored No" she was beginning to wonder
 She went to fancy dress ball al Coyent Garden, and felt like a iosl soul in the wilderness. Severa young men tried to be agreeable te her at the hotel, but Jacqueline snubbed them effectively.
 What was the matter with her. She did not know. The only way she could get little hectic pleas ure was by buying frocks and hats and beautiful lingerie. And sh' had to make a little of this go long way, because 1t was a shock iuely expensive business.
 She spent TO pounds this way and on top of this had shock when the hotel people presented hel with a bill for over 40.
 But she did not care. She wrote checks and saw her little fortune dwindling with indifference.
 What did it matter? If this was the life of the wealthy--of thost magical people who sat about there was nothing in it, and the sooner it came to an end the bet ter. Why was Teddy Montros' staying away from her?
 After all, perhaps, it was TOT ths best. Her money was nearly al an end. At the rate she had peer going it would not last anotnel two weeks. Then she would nave to disappear quietly and compleeeiy The explanation came on th' third day after the visit of MT McAllister. It was in form ol letter.
 My Dear Jacqueline:
 i've got to run away, ana haven't got the pluck to come and tell you so face to face as 1t were. If I did I'm afraid l should say lot of things l didn't intend to say.
 T am going to say one oi them now, anyway. l love you .Jacoueline. That's why I've got to run away. But I want you to know before I clear. Not that it does any good, Of course hut when a fellow loves a glri as I love you, he sort of wants her to know, even if there IS nothing that can be done aoout it-nothing useful mean hope you don't mind.
 II feel that I am writing this like a congenital idiot, but its the best I can do. l loved you the first time I saw you' Jac- oueline. and it has come 10 stay When you came into that room on the night of the raid and called upon me 10 clear the road for you, so 70 speak, well, felt as if you naa been sent into the world just for me, and that I had been sent just to clear the road TOT vou And that's what I'd like to do if things were different-to walk by your side through iie and wipe your troubles out oi the way, or as many of them as 1 could.
 If things had been different [ believe I could have done u, or at any rate I believe I could have made you happy BuV things mostly don't break as won want them to. You are a rich girl, and am just about m the everlasting rocks.
 .Naturally, you wouldn't nave anything to do with mel mean not in the permansn' sense. sense And you would be r,sns ls. 9sT T hadn't blown everything skv high by making an immo,, n,s tai saI ass of myself with the oio @ ua. well I think. could nave