nOMiJ AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION1
19
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION SERIAL.
A Fool and His Money
By
Ooo, Barr
McOutclieon
Copyright, 1013,
By (Jeo. Barr
McCuUbcon.
" ! i f ( ! 1
rworiM or riicvioun
J INBTAU.Ur.riTB.
J In laa opening Inilatnmnle of "A
Fool ,, in, ,mpr(.. (lMi Urr Mr.
t Ptllftieon's f,.tmi( n.), aerial
J rlghli for whit), U,T !, plruiy
eblalne.l f,,r h, nlB, a .-rm
Jfslne lleellon. ws Utrn of John
f jtellautr Hui.rl, the joun nun wh
I'lllnr IhU slorr. II ! Just
wrlllan hit rirtt notct, i! al lha
mioo ilm. has rlln hair lo an lnv
uisnie fortune l.( him br bli uncle.
After a tlill u limlun, Hmeit
leeea rp ln, r ),nnl,,
After finding an old world town. he
dletrrre in entlent raslls, which e
5' l',r',1,,' ''"" ' Austrian ruunt.
jVlth Ms rlrr, lornnke, he
teWe HititMlan of Ilia luimeoa
structure, which It tn4 W bo
tenanted n7- ),r the rareleVcr and
fcls family, k rMitnltka Later HmaM
finds women who H In poMrealen
of a lm of ih, ,... that It barred
e Jo him, Hha crania brief InWriltw,
but flu,., t ),,,. The etrvente
e appear lu t In lean wllh hrr. aid
Huierl In quiidar. l.elrr ha
i mull hrr ami la ritiralrd by
hrr wit and beauty. Ho tlade that
she la ilWurrxl from worlhleia anil
e elnmlii Austrian Omul, who waa
awarded lh ruatiidy of Ilm lady'e
rblld. The Count demand a mllllno
dollars fmin lila rich .vturrlran father
4' In law, whrn ha w.,nd rir II iii The
e mother abducts I lie rkllil anil selects
the railla aa a hiding plre Hraarl
faara trouble wllh Ilia aulhiritlrs,
tul ilaa lo atuil lh fair illrurrra,
alihunth iha warn Mm uf lha
! itanrrr A namttr of Tlaltara mVra
" II dlfflrnlt lo Ifv arrt lha prra-
rnro of tbo (,'uunlta In h ra .
!' tiarlallr aha haa Irnn arm f
8 uiu. uf lha iny, whii aro mi'
Mrloua l.ul haa fall'd lo Mrnllfr
4 hrr. (In cul. familiar wllh raatla.
4 lmil minta apon Nmail ami Ih
OmnlrM nnawarrt Th woman
4 riiaira - hut alama a iloxr hrlilml
tr. Ttio UIor aurrl Xmarl of
an 'Mrtcu wllh lh wlfr of hla
h valrt llnallr lb ari Irktra anil
Huiarl la irllrtnl.
' & -t "f "J- "i- J ' ? '
II.OOKi:0 In fit tlio 1iHr. Over In hl
roriirr ly Ik wIiuIiim' I'iKtoiiiy1r
hi nt irk, lila liuiky flj;iirt liimrh
nl nvtr I Iik Key lHinnl, liln IicikI ruvrlii
cil In elmi'la frutii ii liuf.v iIk-, for nil llip
vmrlil like ii uilxinl mnutlirrlni; hi it
(ihii low lylnc HiiinUr. Klu'i'tn of paprr
.rcrn Htri'Mn nlioiit tint door. 1vimi na
1 rlixiil tlicru licfltatliii;, lie rnmr to
tli Vint of u klii'ot nnil Jorknl it nut
of tlm marhliio with Mirli n rfaoundit.K
iiuip thttt tlin iioi Htiirtlcl me, Up
twin Iihviiii; Iho tiinc of hl lifii!
1 rlnlo nwtiy, uiinillltii; to tirrnk In
uK)ii tlil joyful ortfy.
Coiirnil, Kritinlni; from cnr to rnr,
win wnltlni; for mo nulmilr by lictl
room iloor into In Iho ilny, lie Mnhitnl
mo with uiuimul conlinllty,
"A note, in ul ii licrr," valil ho, nml
Immlixl me u iliilnty little H'rl j;rny
rnvrloo, lie wuilrd vrlillo 1 reuil the
IiiIkmIvi'.
"1 klm'ii't lm hotuo for dinner, Con
rnd," nld I, my oycn iij;luw. Tell
huwki'K, will yoiif" .
llu bowed mid tkm1 lilmfclf nwny;
omeliow ho oecmed to hna i;rowu
younger by d(enden. It nn In tlm nlr
to ho ynuiiK mid rnro-frec. I rend Iho
nolo again mid felt almost boyUli,
Then 1 wont ul) lo my room, cot out
my KNyot rnlmont without Jitimo or
eoinpunctlon, drcMii with raprfinl ro
Kurd for lively effect", and hlod mo
forth to carry lunihino Into the utter
mat rrer-u'eii of my eaitlc
Tlio C'ountrM wclfomed mo with a
rndinnt imiile. Wo nhook )indn.
" Well, ho hail Rone," Haiti 1, drnw
ing a drop breath.
Thank the Ixird," anld he, and
then I knew that tlio ymphony wn
complete. Wo all had sung it.
It uiuit not be upioid for an ln
atant that I had been guilty of neg
lecting my lovely charge during that
canon of travail and despair. No, In
deed! I had vliited her everj day aa
a natter of precaution, 8 he required
a eortiiln amount of watching.
I do not heeltato to euy at thii time
that Kho Hcemed to bn growing lovelier
every day. In A hundred littlo way
In wan changing, not only In appear
unco but lu wauuer,
Now, to bo perfectly frank about It,
I can't explain Just what thcio littlo
chnngeii were that In, not lu no many
worde but they wero qulto at pro
nouncotl on they wore lubtle. I may
risk mentioning an Improvement lu hor
method uf handling ice, Bhe wai not
tnklng qulto no much for granted n
nhr did nt firnt, Hho wan much moro
humlilo and ronaldernto, I remarked j
initrnd of liulylng mo Into thing": hIio
mm- cajoled inc; limtnul of milking dq
mnnd upon my patinirii and gcucr
nHy, eho rather henltntvd nlioiit put
ting mo to tho -nit trouble. Hho
wiiKii't eo nrrognut, nor n hnrd to
iiinuiigt1. In a mitnlioll, I may any with
iximr pntlnfartlnii, rim wan beginning
to aliow it mirpriatiig nmoiint oi rrnjicrl
fur me mid my (ipiuioim. Where onco
aim had donn na flio pleaecd, che now
did only after linking my ndvieo and
pormiiiKioii, both of whii' 1 gnvn freo
ly ns a gentleman nhould. rundnmeu
tally flic win all right. It wna only In
a Kiiperfleinl anrt of way that alio fell
aliort of being ideal. 1 thought 1 could
nrf tho making of a very fine woman
In hcf.
I do not ' that die wa xrft-rt
or over ronld bo, but hn might rnme
i very Hour to it if eho went on imp'ov
ing nx nho did every day. Aa a matter
jnf fael, I found an imineuao amount
I of unnlylirnl plenauro in oludyiiig the
leliangon that nttendeil the mclamor
pluxM. It M-emcil In my eager imngi
i notion Unit lin waa being trnnrlnlnl
before my er; developing into u wrl
una, HTiKilile, utiaelflah Ju'lTon with a
i aoul preparing lo mount higher than
i aelf. Her oleo acemed to be Nifler,
aweoteri tho anlirleal nolo lad ill"
appeared almoM entirely, and Willi it
'went the furred raillery that had bnen
I to pronominal .t the beginning of our
i iiciUiiintmiri
I Her dot t inn lo lloaemary wan won
ilrrful to vr. It tho way, while I
I thinlx of It, the child wax quite ador
able. Nhc wan I en ruing to pronounce
my name, and gelling nearer nml near
er In It eery day. At the lime of
j whlrh I now write tdn wan culling me
(Willi great cnthiniiRitm), bv Jin name
jnf "(logo," which, ridiirod ta liborigi
'mil American, tneatiH "Man with the
Htrong Arm Who Carrie Itaby. "
"It in very nice, of yu to nak me
, to dine with you," aanl I.
I "Inu't It about time I waa doing
' Komethlng for jou in return for all thai
you have done for met" alio inquired
gaily, "We are having n particularly
nice dinner thin evening, and 1 thought
you'll enjoy n change,'
"A chtingof" nald I, with n laugh.
"Ah if wo hatcn't been eating out
of tho name kettle for illicit!"
"1 wax not referring to the food,"
hr imid, mid I wim very projierly
aquelclicd.
"Nevcrthelean, i peaking of food,,"
wild 1, "It may iuterext jou to know
that I expected to have rather a wimp
tuoua repnnt of my own to celebrate
tho deliverance. A fine plump pheaa
ant, prepared a la (War, corn fritter
like mother urod to make, potntoen
plenrd "
"And u wonderful alligator pear
nnlad," he interrupted, her eye danc
ing. 1 Mined. "How lu the world did oti
guccat "
Kho laughed in ptiro delight, mid 1
began to undrrataud. Hy tho lird
Harry, the umarlug crealuro waa in
ltlng me to eat my own dinner in her
nallo maugerl "Well, may I be hanged!
Vou do beat tho Dutch!"
HIio wan wearing a wonderful dinner
gown of Jriah lace, and nIio fairly
epnrklcd with diamond. There wna
nn ornament ju hrr brown hair, how
over, nor wero her littlo pink ears made
hideoua by earring. Her faco wua a
juwol aufficient unto Itnelf. 1 hud
never ccn her In un evening gown be
fore. The effect waa really quite ravlnli.
Ing. A I looked at her atnndiug there
by tho big rak table, I couldn't help
thinking that the Count was not only a
Beoundrcl, but all klmln of n fool.
"It a nccoafary for mo to bribe all
of your ecrvnnte, Mr. Smart," nhc Raid,
"You did not offer tho rascals
money, 1 Lope," I astd iu n horrified
tone.
"No, Indeed I " Bho did not explain but
I know that money inn't ovory thing to
a Bcrvunt after all. "I hopo you don't
mind my borrowing your butler mid
footman for tho evening," alio went on.
"Not that wo really need two to nerve
two, but it seems so wuca jnorc flko a
function, as the nownpapora would call
It."
It wn my turn to uny, "No, In
deed." "And now you in tint comn In and
Mm Itonumnry good night," alio aaid,
glancing nt my great Amnturdnin clock
in tho corner.
We wont Into tho ntiriwry. It wn,
pnat Itoseinary'a Ik dt lino by nearly an
hour and tho youngster waa having
great difficulty In keeping nwako. Hhc
mnnogrd to put her anna around my
neck when 1 took hrr up from tho bed,
all tnrkrd away. In her warm little
nlghtlr, and aleepily presented her own
little throat tor mo to Mm, that par
ticular aot being where the honey
came from In her diaprnation of
aMeeU,
I waa full of exuberance. An Irrn
Mntihln Impulae to do a Jig aeized upon
me. To my own intonxe nmaxrment,
and to lilako'a horror, 1 began to dance
about tho room like a clumxy kangaroo.
Koacmnry alirieked ilellghtwlly into my
ear and I dnurcd the harder for that.
The Count ear, recovering from her aur
priae, cried out In lought'-r nml legnii
to clap time with her hauda. Illnke for
I got lieraelf nml atit down rather heavily
I on the edge of the bed. 1 think I lie
I poor woman 'a kneea gae way under
' her.
"Hurrah!" I ahonled to Kocmnry,
J but looking directly nt the Oiiiiiteaa,
i"Voro celebrating!"
Only Illlike 'b rewrveil Haid aomewliat
daiiiMuliig admonition brought me to
my fenae.
"I'lenae don't drop the child, Mr.
Smart," ahe imld. I had the great cal
iafartion of lieurinj, Kvnotmiry ery when
I ilcllxcrod hrr up toltlnke and atnrtrd
to aluik out of the mom In the wake
of my warm cheeked hoMraa, t
"Ymi would be a wonderful father,
air," raid lllake, rrlentii.g n little.
I had the gMr to any, "Oh,
pshaw1" and then got nut -while the
illiialon waa atill alite. (A 1 So Mini
liefer, I do not like n erring baby.)
It waa the moM wonderful dinner in
tlio world, notwithstanding it wnt
served on a kitchen tablo moved into
tho living room for the occasion. Im
posing cmidelubra ndorurd tho four
eornera of tho tnble and the wry brat
plate in the cnatle waa put to um.
There were roea In the center of the
board, a huge bowl of abort -temmed
Mareehal Niel beaullea. Tho Countoiu'
chair waa pulled out by my atntcly but
ler, llnwkea; mine by the almost equal
ly Imposing footman, and we fared
each other acroiut the bowl of rosea
mid lifted an American cocktail to tho
health of tlio-o who were about to ait
down to the feast. 1 think it waa one
of the beat cocktail I've ever tatvd.
The (ounteaa admitted having made it
, herself, but wasn't quite Mire whether
! alio uaed the right ingredient or the
j correct proportion. She naked mo what
I thought ol it.
"It ia tho lHat Manhattan I've ever
tailed," said I, warmly.
Her eyrH waxered. Also, I think, nrr
faith in me. "It waa meant to bo a
Martini," alio said sorrowfully.
Then wo both ant down. Was it ik8
alblo that tho corners of llawkra'
mouth twitchedf I don't suppose 1
shall ever know.
My sherry waa much better Oian I
thought, too. It waa deliriously oily.
Tho champngnof Hut that enmo later,
no why anticipate n joy with reaPta
lion atarlng ono In tho facet
Wo begun with n marvelloiiR bora-
d'oeuvrra. Then a rlear t-oup, u fiah
aaper, a Why rhnpaodiaef Let It be
suffirient If I say that in discussing
tho Aladdln-liko fenat T aecretly and
faithfully promised my chof n mntoriul
Inrreaao in wagra, 1 had never aua
peeted him of being audi a geniua,
nor myaelf of being such a l'antegruc
linn disciple. I must mention tho alli
gator pear ealad. For three weeks 1
had been trying to buy alligator pears
in tho town hard by. Theso came from
l'arlrt. Tho chof had spoken to mo
about them that morning, asking mo
when I had orderod them. Inasmuch
as I had not ordered them at all, I
couldn't satisfy his curiosity.. My first
thought was that Klsio llasrard, ro
monitoring my fondness for the vege
table It is a vegetable, Isn't It! had
sont off for them in order to eurprieo
mo. It seems, how over, that I'Jaio had
nothing whatever to do with it. Tlio
CountCM had ordered them for mo
through her mother, who was iu I'nri-J
at tho time. AIo ahe had ordered n
quantity of Parisian strawberries ol
tho hot-house, ono-frnne-aiiicco variety,
and a basket of poaches. At tho rlik
of being called penurious, I confon
that I was immensely relieved when I
learned that thrao precious jowel in
tho simile of fruit hail leon paid for
In advance by tho opulent mother of
tho CuuntcsM.
"Have I told you, Mr. Hmart, that I
am expecting my 'mother here to visit
mo week after nextt"
Hhc tactfully put the question to mo
at n time whrn I was so full of con
tentment that nothing could have de
pressed me, I moat ronfeaa, however,
that I waa guilty of gulping my cham
pagne n littlo noisily, Tlio question
enmo with the aatad count;.
"Vou don't say so!" I exclaimed,
qulto cheerfully,
"That ia to sax, she ia coming if
you think you can mnnngc it quite
anfely."
"I manage itf My dear Countra,
why sX'uk of managing u thing that is
ao obviously to bo desired!"
"Vou don't understand. Tan you
smuggle her into tlm raatlo without any
ono knowing a t M iik about itf Vou see,
alio ia being watched every luluuto of
tlitl time by detectives, spios, K-crtt
agonts, lawyers, and Heaven knows
who rise. Tho instant alio leave 1'aria,
bang! It will be like the atarter's shot
iu a race. They will bo after her Ilka,
a streak. And If you are not Vnry, vsry
clover they will play hub with every
thing." "Then why run tho risk!" 1 ven
tured. "My two brothers are coming with
her," she aaid reassuringly. "They
ure such big, strong fellows that"
"My dear Count ess, it isn't rtreiigth
we'll need," I deplored.
"No, no, 1 quite understand. It Is
cunning, strategy, caution, mid all that
sort of thing. Hut I will let you know
in ample time, mj that you may be pre
pared." "Do!" I said gallantly, trying to bs
eiithliftiuatie.
"Vou arc so wonderfully ingenious
at working out plots and conspiracies
In your book, Mr. Smart, that I am.
confident you can manage everything
beautifully."
Dlatchford was removing my salnd
plate. A spnam of alarm came over me.
I had quite forgotten tho two men. Tho
look of warning 1 gave her brought
forth u merry, amused smile.
"Don't hesitate to sicak befora
lllntchford and Hawkes," aho said, to
my astonishment. ''They aro to bo
trusted implicitly. Isn't it true,
Hawkeat"
"It Is, Madam," said ho.
(To bo continued.
(toe or Oar Hcue.
TIME YET TO BUILD YOUB
HOME BEFORE WINTER.
With our plans aad your hastrntt-
aesne-buildiag li an easy matter. (
We fumtih the lumber, trim, doors, wit
dow, rut and ntuauerrU ta fit our laas.
Also finish, fialnt, italn, hardware, UastM
or Interior wall-board. Just follow our plans
and a permanent, substantial and attractlrt
home will be jours. Your own Ideas cas
hed out. CaUlofua of plans free. Writs
todar. t
READY BUILT HOUgE
COMPANY
0 Bres4wr, PorUsad, Orecen.
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