Judge — July 11, 1914 — page 11: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ft ° d y AEE + unusual liability to great- Pleased at Last By J. A. WALDRON HEN our friendship ends,” said Hendrick Van Ilden, 1 Pe cart be foolish!" replied Hareld Henry. ‘Foolish? you know her."” . “said I had met her. It’s the first favor I've asked of you. You say “What is her name? ; ‘s[mogene Farrar. She has resumed her maiden name, was the Countess something or other. Divorced.” “Well, why not introduce me? “I'd rather not, old man She f. Everything seems to be rather “Then [Il introduce my informal here.”” aa ; And Van Ilden turned in the direction of a stunning young It was one of those nonde- woman, sitting alone at a table. script resorts frequented by persons of varying so- cial grades, It had fea- tures of a cafe, a dancing hall, a refectory and a theater, and incidentally illustrated the three-ring- circus-like swiftness of life that wants every- thing at once. Some came to see, others to be seen. Some indulged in dances long since taboo in the best society, al- though the best society had once affected them as ‘‘smart,’’ and o hers came to watch the dan- cers. Many from smaller cities here acquired part of an education that dif- ferentiated them from the untraveled back home. There were also human spiders about the place, because there were so many human flies, Henry was a young giant whose protecting interest had saved Van Iiden from many fresh- man dangers at college, simply from good nature awakened by Van Ilden’s er terrors than the fresh- man usually encounters. Henry and Van Iden had met infrequently since, for their tastes and their paths did not run parallel. They had just met by chance at this resort. Hendrick Van Ilden, of the fifth counted gen- eration, came of a family self-contained and ex- clusive. His very face illustrated this, for he i Lie “MRS. VAN ILDEN EXCLAIMED WITH a JOY THAT DELIGHTED HEX HUSBAND” had no profile to speak of; and his habits had made him a mark for others at college. Back somewhere in the dim past, before his family had paid much attention to genealogy, one of his an- cestors may have been a pirate, for the remoteness of the wealth of the family had been beyond search. The pirate may have been succeeded by descendants who refined themselves in- creasingly, while they added to the hoard. Hendrick, the only survivor, had all the money and was the last word in the ele- mental sense of ‘‘breeding.’” Before he was of age, like others of his blood, Hendrick came to the conclusion that the earth revolved upon its axis chiefly that he might have days and nights in regular succes- sion. Millions of other persons on the earth had nothing to do with the case. He had looked about a bit with the idea that it would be a good thing for him to marry and perpetuate his exclusive kind; yet he had decided that it would never do to marry with emotion left out. No young woman he had seen up to the moment when he noted Miss Farrar on the ave- nue had caused a quick- ening of his pulse. She put him in a flutter as she glanced at him, ap- parently knowing who he was, and it was all over. He followed her to the bazaar of modern leisure and at once introduced himself after Henry had declined to introduce him. Within a week the en- gagement of Hendrick and Imogene was an- nounced. Marriage al- most trod upon the heels of this, and the news- papers had another live topic. The new Mrs. Van II- den seemed quite unemo- tional. She accepted everything lavished upon her as due. And she managed that absolute gifts of great value from time to time should be added to a pre-nuptial gift of, almost royal worth, Hendrick despaired of his ability to surprise her to the point of gratitude or appreciation. But he told her one day that the next should see at their door for her a new limou- sine of a luxury not before known, and she smiled. cg comicbooks.com