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ART ASHTOS and '
Yoik will ! ninrri
RhelniK in xt wci k as the cilniiix of
less tiii'KiMph roiiKinif.
Collins lest, won. lost nnd won th Kirl In
fivq days and thrn, ac tomp the oi ran from
the Ktrurl.i, tlx re llawlied liy wln li ss tele
graph tlirte letters that turned Collins from
the unhapplest younn nan In New York Into the " hap
piest man on earth." and started him flyltiK towards the
I.nrania. the next boit to sail, that he inlKht get near
enoiiKh to the plrl who wrote the three letters to, receive
the kiss which should, hy all means, accompany the word
'and which cannot be sent wireless.
The wireless romance commenced In New York years
and years mk when Hob Collins and Marv Ashton attended
the same kindergarten In tipper Fifth avenue. Ijiter Mary,
who had become transformed into Miss Ashton. went away
to Wellesley and Hob went to New Haven.
They still tell stories around Mory's of Hob nnd his
doings and carrylnRs on, and the Yale faculty records con
tain mention of his n.-'tne In connection with certain in
quiries of which the public knows nothing.
Couldn't Outgrow His College Age.
Put at any rate Mob came hack to nis home a man, a
graduate, ready to take up his life w..rk, and instead of
taking it up he remained chiefly Interested in football and
track events and the eight oared race, which, it is said
by those who know. Is bad for a man after he has left
the school. About that time, too, Mary was finished."'
She returned to her home, looking forward to social
triumphs and not backward to her school nays, and backed
by the family money nnd her own undoubted beauty she
at once stepped Into her place with a train of satellites.
Hob; big, husky, pipe smoking, careless Hob. who
couldn't outgrow his college period, one day met Mary
and the expected happened. Hob forgot track teams, he
forgot baseball, football, the crew. He even forgot Mory's
and the varsity and all he could think of was a healthy,
happy, sunbrowned girl the same girl with whom he
had played "good morning dear teacher" nnd "I put my
right foot In, I put my right foot out, I give my right foot
shake, shake, shake, nnd turn my self about" at kinder
garten. He remembered, strangely through the mist of,
years, the peculiar grace of that right foot and o the turn
ing about of the black haired, black eyed girl and he tried
to Imagine this same glorious young woman turning her
self about.
Became a "Pink Tea Boy."
So It came to pass that Hob suddenly forsook the Tale
club and his other "hang outs" and became a "pink tea
boy," much to the disgust of his fellows, who sucked
their bulldog pipes vigorously and discussed his downfall.
The story might have been an extremely ordinary one
only Miss Mary Ashton wasn't at all an ordinary girl. She
had Ideals of men and she had ideals of girls and Bob
somehow, didn't fit Into her ideals at nil. To be frank she
thought Bob was a useless member of society and, having
rushed out through the bngKRgn sheds Into Madison ave
nue, leaped Into his auto, which he had ordered by tele
graph and. Ignoring law. he threw on the power and shot
down the street swaying dixr.lly Into Korty-second street
and rushing down Fifth avenue nt a speed that caused
early morning pedestrians to lice In terror. Ten minutes
later the auto Hashed up in front of the Ashton residence,
and the family had gone. I'hll had bet n wrong about the
time of sailing. The man at the door was sure the boat
siilled nt n Instead of 10 o'clock.
There remained 12 minutes to reach Tier M In the North
river, and Hob started after the record. He would have
made the pier easily, but nt the Hroadwny and Twenty
thlrd street intersection a policeman pulled him down.
Seven minutes of raging, arguing, and pleading were
lost and then the auto started down Fifth avenue again,
hitting up the speed as soon as out of sight of the police
man who had caused the trouble. Hob was raging In
wardly, He swung down Fourteenth street, scattering t!i
crowds rushing to work, und tore down the Hudson. The
trucks and henvy wagons interfered with his progress ns
ho n en red the rlwr and. swinging across into Jane street
lie made the last rpurt. . The auto stopped with a Jar out
side the pier shed and Hob, leaping out, rushed throngfi
nnd to the pier itself. The lines had been oast off. the
gang planks drawn In, and amid the handkerchief sinking
crowd at the rail Hob failed to catch a glimpse of Miry.
Nor did sh see the excited man rushing around trying
to get a tug to take him to the liner.
1 Missed His Love by Two Minutes.
Half an hour later a chastened Hob started back up
town. He was snd and bitter.' He thought he had lost his
luvo by n two minute margin and. hp was tempted to run
ihm air
--Xn. ojj
J Jat
a lot of money of her own. the fact that he was rich was
of minor Importance to her.
I4t fall, u liile they were together on a yachting cruise
down the sound, H b asked Mary the question which he
had been pin n n inn to ask for several mouths und he re
ceived Si shock which upset hhn. She used two letters In
stead of three and Hob left the yacht at Newport without
explanation and, running up to New Haven Joined out with
the "gang." and was received with open arms.
The details of his proposal and Mary's refusal are un
knownbut evcrylxxly understood that she had rej-ctcd
him and It Is known most of them were sorry, for they
felt that the young people were well mated.
He Wouldn't Be a Friend to Her.
So Mory's knew Hob again and the Lambs rejoiced at
his return to the fold nor regretted that he hud ceased
bleating at the hem of a skirt and begun to turn into a
black sheep again. He did not write, or call, or go near
Mary's house again and the was hurt. She had offered to
be a friend to him. and he had rejected the offer.
one prlnclpul reu.in that Hob never went near the
Ashton resilience after that was the fact that a certain
Knglishn.un. of good family and in line for a title when
some gouty old relative died, had usurped his place in the
bouse. Of this Bob learned from other men and thereupon
proceeded to act like a sophomore with a new check from
home.
The faot of the matter is that Mary, having packed
Hob off about his business, suddenly awoke to th realiza
tion that, after all. Hob was the only man in the w irld for
whom she cured. The more sheSsaw of the smooth, well
dressed Knglishnian, with his uiet voice and soft manner,
the more she missed Hob's cheerful laugh and the sight
of his huc, awkward body sprawling over chairs.
No Sympathy from Her Brother.
An I. the night that the Kugbshnian asked her to b?
his wiiV she locked up ut him and tried to picture Bob's
Jolly face and enrly hair, and failed. She asked the Kn--lishman
to wait for his answer one week und that night
she lay wide awake thinking. At breakfast the next morn
ing her eyes were red and her brother I'hll, a freshman at
Yale nnd a great admirer cf Bob, mentioned the fact with
great brotherly fct-llux.
"Been crying your eyes out because you're gojng to
marry that big stiff of a Britisher, have you?" he said.
'I'hll!" remonstrated his mother.
"Well, she has." remarked the boy. "She's Just marry
ing him because she's at out with Boh. I don't Bee why
In thunder she couldn't murry him."
"I've not been crying and I'm not In love with Bob
and I haven't accepted Mr. Marsden yet," said Mary se
verely. "Aw, get out," said Phil. "If you haven't you're going
to."
"Philip." said his futher. "You should not speak that
way to your sister."
That ended the argument.
It happened that I'hil had run down from New Haven
to say good-by to his mother and sister, who were sailing
on Thursday for a visit to Northern Italy, and the English
suitor, discovering this, had changed his plans so as to
sail with them on the Ktruria. Mary had calculated at
first on escaping him during the voyage, but he had made
the arrangements before he proposed and she had known
that he would get his answer when three days out from
New York.
Mary had made up her mind. If Hob came to see her
again before she sailed she would say no to the EnlLC
man. If he failed to come she would say yes.
.4 .4
His Fate Depended on His Presence.
On W'ednesduy, the day before he was to sail, Phil
wus preparing to run back to New Haven, lie came plung
ing down stairs with his gulf bug and his suit case, gave
his mother and sister a bear hug and a kiss each and begun
to get ready to rush for his train.
"I'hll." said Mary a little tremulously, "if you see Bob
please tell him I am sailing tomorrow."
"Say, Sis." said Phil, hugging her, "why the thunder
don't you puss up that Britisher und marry Bob?"
"Please don't talk that way Phil," she said, a little
weakly.
"All right." said Phil, with a sudden bleu breaking
upon his mind. "I'll see old Bob tonight, und tell him to
trot along down here, that you're sorry"
'Thll Ashton! If you do anything of the sort I'll never
speak to you again," said Mary Indignantly.
"All right. Have your own way," said Phil. " I've
done 'my best to make you happy."
He fell back upon his brotherly dignity nnd. shortly
thereafter said good-by und ran off to catch his train.
.' .4
Her Brother Intervenes.
But Phil was determined. He scoured New Haven for
some truce of Bob and finally found him after midnight
with a crowd of fellows at one of the society houses. Phil,
being a freshman, could not enter, but his card brought
Bob hurrying out to the door.
"1 wanted to see you on Important business." an
nounced Phil.
"Fire away," said Bob.
"Let's take a walk so I can tell you."
They walked half a block and then Phil said:
"Bob. Mary's Just dying to see you ugaln. She sails at
10 o'clock this mornin:; on the Ktruria."
" Hid she say she wanted to see me?" demanded Bob,
grabbing him by the arm.
"No, she told me not to say so."
" All right, Phil, old man, thunks. I'll see you when
I get buck."
Like a shot Bob was gone. Half an hour later he was
rushing toward the Shore line station only to find his train
gone and two more hours to wait.
i It was 3 o'clock and no train until 6 He- must be in
N w York by 8 and the train would land him there, he
1..1.-W.
At ti an excited man climtsd on to the train and sat
pulling nervously cigar after cigar until the train boomed
across the viaduct, into the tunnel and rushed clanging
down into the station at Forty-second street.
.4 J
Wild Chase in an Auto.
Bob was ofT the front platform of the first sleeper be
fore the train came to a halt. Leaping across tracks be
down the policeman vho had stopped him.
That night friends who t-poke to Hob at the club went
away and said nasty things about Ids beastly temper.
Nor was that temper Improved the next morning or the
next, the day on which, although he knew It not, Mary
Ashton was going to say "Yes" to her Englishman.
At breakfast on Wednesday moriilm? Bob Collins was
reading a newspaper, or rather Jerkin;; It to pit ces and
filling In the intervals by abusing the waiter. Suddenly
his eye fell upon a word. I.Ike a man Inspired he leaped
to his feet and ran from the club breakfast room out to
the tl le, hones.
An Instant later he was demanding of the telephone
girl to connect him with the Cunard offices.
Hello, Hello," he said. "Is ttuie a wireless plant on
the Ktruria ?"
" Yes," responded the man at the other end.
"Thanks. That's all I want to know." said Hob and.
an Instant later he was hurrying across town to the offices
of the company.
As a result there flashed from New York to a station
on the New Knglatel coast this message:
"Miss Mary Ahlon. Ktruria Will you marry me?
Answer at club. Bob."
"That's tin' first wireless proposal I ever heard of,"
said the operator.
" It'll prevent a loveless marriage," remarked Bob.
Hour after hour Hob wandered miserably about the
club, Kvery ten minutes he walked up and looked sus
piciously at the clerk as if suspecting him of holding out
a telegram. He lunched alone In an agony of suspense.
Then he trletl to inquire casually for a telegram at the
olhee. after which he telephoned the wireless people to
See If any message ll id been received.
At H o'clock he gave up and went out for a walk, cut
ting all his best friends whom he met. He walked around
town for half an hour, then he was drawn back to the
club. t
" Message for you sir." said a boy as Bob sat down.
So Bob tore open the envelope und read: " Y-K-S."
He caught the Saturday boat.
