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About The Omaha morning bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 22, 1923)
STELLA DALLAS By Olive Higgins Prouty. SYNOPSIS Stella Dallas separated from her hus band, and her daughter, laurel. IS. lire the “cheapest room" of a faahlnnahle hotel In Milhampton. In the parlors, where she (Isaacs much time reading, laurel overhears acornful references to her mother n :ide by social leaders in the hotel world Both mother and daugh ter are always smartly dressed when they go together to the dining room, laurel goes on a visit to her father In New York and he leaves her nt the home of Mrs Morrison, a friend, while ho Is away on a trip to Chicago. After seeing her dough te. aboard the train In Boston Stella goes to a cafe where she meets un old admirer, Alfred Mann, with whom kha attends a musical farce. (Continued from Yesterday.) The first night Stephen called on Stella, he had sat In the hammock alone, while Stella had curled herself up on the low step of the summer house, leaning her head against one of the upright posts, so that the searchlight moon could shine full upon her face, and her caller could observe from the darkness of the hammock how pretty she was. She was pretty—she was very pretty In those days. But it was not Stella's bright eyes and bright cheeks that Stephen Dallas thought about most, after that first call. It hadn't been quite dark when he arrived. Be fore he was sure that the red cottage was the house where Stella lived, he had noticed the morning-glories and wild-cucumber vines. When later' that first evening he discovered that Stella had planted the vinos herself, had built much of the summer-house, driven all the nails in the diamond lattice-work, done all the painting, It had set him to thinking. Out of a bundle of plasterer's laths and a handful or two of common little seeds, she had created a charm ing spot. As he leaned back in the Gloucester hammock, and gazed at Stella on the step below him. the simplicity of her setting, the absence from it of everything that required accumulated wealth to possess, had been soothing and comforting to Stephen, suffering as he was—suffer ing as he had been for the last year and a half. Stephen was young then, barely .Jf3. but for 18 months he had felt Clothing but the resignation of old age, and the bitterness of disappoint ed old age. It had never occurred to Stephen Dallas that disgrace, disas ter, utter and complete ruin, could befall him. He had taken it for grant ed always that he would fulfill, to a greater or less degree, his expecta tions for himself, and his family's and friend's expectations for him too. Whether as a doctor or lawyer, or business man of ability, he didn’t know which, before he went east to school, but in some capacity he would fill a position of responsibility In his home city. It had always been un derstood that when Stephen’s educa tion was completed, he would return to that home city, where he had been born, and where his father had been born before him, and continue to add honor to the family reputation.' It was a reputation to be proud of. The Dallases of Reddington, Illinois, were a respected and honored family. The Dallas house, built by Stephen’s grandfather, was quiet and unosten tatious in appearance, but sona, sub stantial—a big, square brick affair, painted dull brown. There was some thing ao solid and substantial about everything connected with the Dal lases. that people in Reddington sup posed them to be infallible, as Im mune to panic? and market fluctua tions as an oak to the varying antics of the elements. This attitude of the people toward the Dallases was partly responsible for tlMf ruin. Stephen's father prized and treasured his reputation for indestructibility. To a man of his special brand of pride, it was gall ing to allow his fellow citizens even to suspect that the roots of the oak tree were not as healthy as the proud and upstanding trunk signified. And so It was not until the great tree fell —was pulled over by its own weight, ***ind lay sprawling on the ground, a mammoth and pitiful wreck, for ev ery curious passer by to gape at— that the decayed and rotten condition of the roots was discovered by the astonished public. When the brief telegram from home reached Stephen (he had completed his college course by this time and had nearly completed his post-grad uate course—he had decided to follow In his father's steps and become a lawyer) the message gave no details. Simply stated the fact of his father’s sudden death and summoned him nome Immediately. It was not until he was within a few hours of Reddington that he learned ot the manner of his father's death. He read it in Chicago paper. ■ His father had committed suicide! He had locked himself up in his of fice downtown, one night, and shot himself with a revolver! “For a number of years,” the ar ticle stated, "Mr. Stephen Dallas, who was a lawyer and one of Redding ton's most respected citizens, has act ed as trustee for various estates, and sole legal and financial advisor for a number of charitable Institutions. It is feared that the various funds entrusted to him may have suffered and an Investigation of his affairs Is now under way.” Stephen learned upon his arrival home that the fears hinted at in the papers were justified. His one de sire was to escape, to get away from everybody and everything familiar as soon as possible, after the details of burial were d'sposed of. He had no forgiveness, no charity, for his father. He told his mother and his older sis ter Fanny that he wished they could dispose of the ruined thing-his father had made of the Dallas reputation as easily as they could dispose of the ruined thing he had made of his body. ' But no, the reputation they must wear tied round their necks for everybody to see, and stare at, and keep away from. Obliged as he was to bear his father’s name (why had his parents handicapped him thus?) he could never hope to succeed In any large way, he said; for who would ever trust a man with the name of Stephen Dallas? It spelled suicide and dishonor now. His mother tried in a weak, fem inine sort of way, Stephen thought, to excuse his father's act. He had never let them even guess at home, she said, that the big house and all the servants, the stable full of expensive cars, and the porportionate demands in way of clothes and entertuining, and contributions to varidus charit-' able Institutions, were eating into his capital—had been for years. "Borrowing"’ That is what his father’s friends and associates call ed it, when they talked to Stephen. They tried to soften the facts to him, these kind, old pitying men, who felt sorry to look upon the destruction of so young a man’s career, Stephen supposed. Well, there was one satis faction. Thank heaven, his father hadn't taken liberties with the leg acies left to him and Fanny by their grandfather, nor touched the solid securities packed away years ago in his mother's safe-deposit box. By scraping everything together, none of the estates which had been entrusted to his father need to suffer at all. The kind old men told Stephen that he and his mother and sister were under no obligation. Stephen was glad that his mother and Fanny felt, Just as he did, that the only thing for them to do was to wipe out his father's dishonesty as far as possible. Stephen was glad, too, that his mother and Fanny agreed with him that it would be unbearable to con tinue to live in Heddington. As soon as the big brown house, and the auto mobiles, and the servants were dis posed of, they would disappear as nuietly as possible. Fanny and his mother would go to Chicago and con ceal themselves there as best they could. There would be little for them to live on. Only the insurance policy. Stephen would, of course, get a Job somewhere, as soon as he could. Oh. no, he wouldn’t finish at the law school! He couldn’t afford the time. He never wanted to see the law school again! He never wanted to see any thing again, or anybody that recalled to him his old bright hopes and am bitions, he said. on, no, least or all Helen Dane, he shuddered, replying to his mother's timid reminder that Helen had sent her card to him, with a message written on it to come and see her. Stephen was thankful that there had never been anything serious be tween him and Helen. There might have been. It had seemed last sum mer as if there probably would have been, but now—never now! There was no girl in Reddlngton, no girl anywhere, whom he would ever ask to bear the name of Dallas. Stephen first heard of the Cataract Mills in Mllhampton, Massachusetts, through an advertisement in a paper. He answered the advertisement. He had never been to Mllhampton. He had no friends, no acquaintances there, that he knew of. It was well removed from Reddington. It would serve his purpose as well as any other place in the United States. His moth er begged him not to put the ocean between himself and her, when he had mentioned Australia or South America. Upon his arrival in Milhampton. Stephen hunted up a lodging-house In Cataract Village close to the mills, and hired a room. He worked hard for his $18 a week. ’But there was little joy In his work. Even the raise in his position, and pay, at the end of the first three months, gave him no thrill. What was the use of his rising in the world? Wasn't ob livion what he desired more than any thing else? Wasn’t the feature that he liked best about his new Job. the fact that it hid him, covered him up? None of the men who ate break fast and supper with him—who soft ened their bread-crusts in their coffee, and prepared their meat and potatoes as Stephen had seen the dog's meat and potatoes prepared at home, chop ped a’l up and covered with gravy— had heard of Stephen Dallas of Red dington. Success, too, in many raises, would mean exposure finally, opening up the old wound again. Stephen had suffered enough for a while. Stephen believed he would suffer always. But he didn't take into con sideration his youth. There is some thing about 23 that struggles and fights all by itself—never mind how Indifferent the soul, how sick the body—and accomplishes Its purposes and designs without help. The same month that Stephen's mother's age came to her rescue, Stephen's youth came to his. Early In September, be fore a year had passed since the Dal las oak had fallen, death delivered Mrs. Dallas from her suffering. It was two or three weeks before his mother died that Stephen had met Stella. He met her at a church-sociable, in the vestry of the Congregational church in Cataract Village. He lmii gone to the church sociable with the shipping-clerk at the mills, who had told him, with a wink, that he had met some peaches there at the laat shindy, and invited him to come along, if he wanted to. Stephen had neevr in his life before passed a whole year practically void of feminine socity. It so happened that the night be fore the shipping-clerk invited Steph en to the church sociable, Stephen had drifted into a musical show down town. The musical show started him to thinking about Helen Dane. All the way back to Mrs. Bean's lodging-house he had dwelt upon Helen's loveliness, longed again, for an hour with her. A wave of despair had swept over him. Helen Dane was miles away, barriered and forbidden now. Stephen had fallen to sleep in his bare. Weak bedroom very miserable and unhappy. But in reality his state of mind was healthier, more normal than it had been since his father hail died, and {hat plght Stephen's youth danced a little de lighted jig of triumph on the dingy pillow-case beside him as he slept. Stella Martin was an acknowledged belie in Cataract Village. Her lips were cherry-red, her cheeks peach blossom pink, and without paint and powder in those days. She hud, too, as her girl friends expressed It. "stacks of style.” Stella Martin could drape a straight piece of cloth about her hips and shoulders, and it would assume fashionable lines all by Itself! She far outshone the other young girls in Cataract Village. She was far better educated than the other girls. Stella had gone all the way through the high school, and graduated in a white dress with ruffles. When Stephen met Stella she was completing a course at the State Normal school on the other side of the river. (Continued in The Morning Bee. Household Suggestions. Good News for Housekeepers. “ Housewives should not keep their pots and kettles too clean, declare the homo economics scientists at Colum bia university, or they will waste fuel. These Instructions apply to the outside bottoms of the utensils and not to the inside. The results of a long series of ac curate experiments made on ordinary cooking utensils in the physics labor atories of Teachers’ college, Colum bia, by Prof. F. F. Good prove that utensils which have been "broken in” so that their bottoms are rough and smudged, use less fuel than new uten sils. The average efficiency of alumi num utensils when new was 38.6 and of enamel ware was 43.0—that is, the enameled ware was about 11 per cent more efficient. After blackening^ the bottom the efficiency of enameled ware went up as high as 44.7. Cover It at Home. The clever needlewoman can cover the faded ot soiled quilt with a pretty satlne or cretonne and make It look like new. It Just takes time and patience but saves money. Window Shopping for Xmas Gifts. A gay little elf with outstretched arms and wings will prove a happy addition to the nursery, particularly as his mission Is both practical and decorative. The arms and wings form a unique clothes rack that Is quite within reach of the child. A narrow neckband of black moire ribbon has an ornament of cut steel beads across the front. A desk set of painted wood has an antique finish that Is most at tractive. The background Is cream, with dull pink roses and garlands of blue ribbon. The set consists of a stand, holding two inkwells and a place for pens, a large blotter, and a box for writing paper. The “Howdy Duck'1 Is a gay little fellow painted yellow, who bobs his head quite socially when his small owner pulls him about. The blue stand with wheels that I* attached to the duck adds to the general gayety. A large fan made of black q trills, each tipped with brilliants is sure to add a decorative touch to any gather lng. A choker necklace of cut crystal Is particularly smart with the collar less dress. The beads are very large and brilliant. Chinese In Inspiration Is a vanity case of black set thickly with bril liants. The case is shaped like a nar row barrel and Is finished with long black silk tassel. These vanity cases are attached to bracelets and worn suspended from the wrist. The new ribbons have a charm all their own whether they are wide or narrow, bright or dull, sheer or opaque. Very new Indeed are rib bons with one edge finished with a border of steel beads; still others have a silver fringe along one side only. EDDIE’S FRIENDS The Fellow Who Talk Over the Fine* __ l A 60T T*4is EeOfoXA A 6UV "THAT KKIOWS A JOC.KES - ME SA»t> ) LAS ALL WOO ticrr ^ 1 Om * U APPS TMOO^HT* i ME CAM’T LO*»E - > V it's All Eiy.Eo f IZ2i/ r v ( well, |P we UJIMS C’LL ALfOOST BG.EAK EVJEM OM ^Tv\E SEASOM j ( UOQSE *4E^ET v OM ^ESTE^QAN ( WASU T COfAE vAOoJ SNuH 6iHT <t TO F-OAVV |//>r^7/7 (TOME. OM J MOO CAM ' vMiKi W\0R&^ JIEP.E ,fc\f WUi ^ '*** »>rT-y flATUW IWVIOII. tMC. '• One of America’s Great Stores1 ess Nash Co s/Hq Cfiris tmas Si ore for&vetySody Store Hours 10 A. M. to 9 P. M. Give Gift Certificates are certainly the most con venient and probably the most appreciated form of gift giving, for the recipi ent is at liberty to select from our wonderful assort ments in every department. $1.75 Prince Albert Smoking Tobacco $1.39 Freshly packed in at tractive glass humidor. Regularly priced $1.75. Main Floor GIFTS for the Boys Famous Keller Sweaters $5.00 to $10.00 All-wool sweaters in coat, plain, belted or pull over style. Made in plain or combination colors. Knit caps to match. All sizes. Boxed Christmas Ties, 75c Variety of silk and knit ted ties in complete assort ment of new color combi nations. Boys’ Gloves 75c to $5.00 Included are warm fur gloves, plain gauntlet, fine dress gloves, mittens in a variety of styles and leathers. I Kaynee Blouses $1.25 The colored stripes and checks in these blouses are guaranteed. Boys’ Belts and Buckles, $1.00 Genuine Ilickok cow hide belts with initialed buckles in neat Christmas boxes. All sizes. Boys’ Tim Caps $1.50 t These popular caps are shown in a variety of plain and heather mixtures. Priced, each, $1.50. Sporting Goods Ideal Christmas (lifts U Punching Bog* #3.If) $4 Boxing Glove* Stii.DS >5 Basketball* for outdoor u*o, nt ..#3.50 $ 1.60 Pogo Stick*.OHC Main I loot “Styleplus Overcoats $335° Values to $50.00 Unnatural weather conditions have forced these fine overcoats down, and the man who wants something better than just an overcoat will find in this group the one for which he has been looking. Ulsters, ulsterettes and English box back models, which are the predominating styles this season, are in single or double-breasted styles in all-around or half-belted models. Fash ioned of rich overplaids and plain or fancy mix tures. All carry the usual “Styleplus” guaran tee of satisfaction. Gifts He Wants From the Store He Likes » Bath Robes $3.49 and $4.95 Warm woolly robes are al ways an ideal gift for men. These are made of (food qual ity blankets in attractive pat terns. Men’s Mufflers _ $1.00 to $12.50 Mufflers of warm brushed wool, variety of widths and color combinations. Also silk mufflers in all tha wanted colors. Pajamas $2.35 to $6.50 Outing flannel pajamas with warm, fleecy nap. Trimmed with frogs and braid. In stripes and plain colors. Boxed Ties Each, $1.00 A large and varied assort ment of newest patterns are shown in these boxed tiea. -in- - .. ... i. i ' " ■ Men’s Ties, 23c 2 for 45c Men's four-in-hand ties in a large variety of patterns and colors. On sale Saturday at this low price. Moin Floor Sterling Silver Lined Containers $1.95 Sterling silver lined contain ers in one-fourth pint size, lineil throughout and guaran teed not to corrode. Special for Saturday only. Shaving Stands Nickel-plated imported shaving stands with double or single mirrors, shaving brush and soap cup. $1.98 $2.89 GeRafo™ety Stand with cup, Stand with cup, shaving brush shaving brush ar.u 39c and single mir- large olrgte mirror. A Geln Sa/,ty ror. Adjustable Stand. Raeor complete. Mala Floor | Jewelry Gifts for Men Cigaret Cases $2.75 to $48.50 ! Silver plate, engine turned. ! Sterling silver with 14-kt. ! gold inlaid stripe. Priced. | from .$2.75 to $48.50 * Match Boxes, $1.00 to $12.50 Silver plate and sterling sil ver. Engine turned or with two-tone effect, gold and •ilver. Priced from $1.00 to $12.50. Waldemar Chains $1.50 to $22.50 Green and white gold finish. Long links, pierced links and other style*. Priced from.$1.S0 to $22.60 Elgin Watch $13.95 7-jeweled movement in 14 karat gold filled case. Appro- / priate for man or boy. Priced | at .$13,95 1 Other Elgin Watcheg, $25.00 ' to $100.00 Ask Tray Sets, $6.00 Hammered sil ? ver with 6 small a a h ,/traya and " rack. Priced, set _$6.00 Men's Slippers Extra Special Men’s Felt Slippers Pair, 98c 500 pair of men’s fine felts, padded moccasin Soles. Blue, grey and khaki. Regular (1.35 value. Priced, pair, 98e. Men’s Slippers $5.50 and $6.00 Men's black and tmn fine vici kid Prust jdinnor* Men** Opera Slippers Pair, $3.95 Black and tan kid or call opera slipper*, flexible turn soles, all leather lined. Felt Slippers $1.98 to $2.50 Wool felt Everett and Hylo's, with soft moccasin soles. Golf Bag* $3.00 to $25.00 Dad may not he aide to rilay a hotter frame of jrolf hut he'll think so if his clubs are carried in a new irolf hair. Umbrellas $1.25 to $20.00 Something he seldom buys, but always finds useful: a most interesting selection is here. Gloves $3.95 Good quality mocha driving gloves, warmly lined with fur. Any man who is out of doors a great deal will appreciate a pair of these gloves. Hose $1.00 to $4.00 Wool hose or silk and wool hose for men are full fash ioned and may be had in all the wanted colors. Shirts $1.50 to $10.00 Shirts in novelty stripes and checks in plain fabrics and silks. All attractive patterns. Imported English Broadcloth Shirts $2.85 Broadcloth shirts in col lar attached and neckband styles. Plain white only. Regular >3.50 value. Smoking Jackets $5.00 to $35.00 Smoking jackets of brocaded velvet or novelty check ma terials, made with patch pock ets. Cowhide Bags $12.00 A very attractive Christmas pift and exceptionally low priced Cowhide hairs, hand fin ished and hand sewed. Full leather lined with solid brass hardware. Black or brown. $22.00 value. Men’s Handkerchiefs 3 for $1.00 Mon's whito Hnt'n hnntl ’icrrhicf?, somp with colored vovon borders. Specially iced. 3 for $1.00. 6 for $3.25 Men's white linen hand kerchiefa, extra fine qual ity, i*-inch spoke hems. Specially priced, 6 f*r $5 28 Main l looi Men’s Gifts of Leather For the Christmas jnft seeker for men we have made a careful selection of attractive merchandise. Salespeople will take special interest in helping to make proper selec tions. Military Brushes Cellar Begs Brief Cases Humidors Fitted and Unfitted Teilet Cases Soft Collar Casas Pocket Flasks Pketo Frames Drinking Cups Beverugo Carriers Cigaret Cases Hat and Cloikas Bruskas UatksrCeeds Sestlea Msm Fleer