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"Here is Pretty Ina Claire, Looking Out the Stage
Door, and Charming Roberta Willard, One of the
Pedigreed, Looking Out of Her Expensive Lim
ousine. Which Will Vincent Astor Choose?" '
YOUNO Mr. Vincent Aator i stand-'
lng at the parting of toe ways
Before him stretch two paths,
each leading to. the marriage altar.
Which will he choose T Will he
marry the stage or society? The
stag door or the pedigree? Will
his handsome and patrician mother;
win? Will he go to England this
month and, sponsored by Mrs.
Astor, be introduced to the inner
shrine of England's smart set and
eventually marry a fashionable
maiden, or will he remain in this
country and marry Ina Claire, the
T'j-pretty little ' Quaker .; Girl
who made good la one night as a
comic opera Btar? ;.
This : a stupendous moment in -young
Mr. Astor's career. He must
answer this question and answer
quickly. He must make a quick de
cision, for the Quaker Girl's mother
says he must! ): ' 0
Mrs. Claire is her daughter's du-V
enna. She allows no triflers to ob
struct the Quaker Girl's pathway.
"If you are In earnest, Mr. Astor,
say so and perhaps I will let you
marry my Ina." Thus speaks Mrs.
Claire, guardian-in-chief to one of
the prettiest girls on the stage.
Yoc3g Mr. Astor IS in earnest
Very much so. He wants to decide,
but be cannot! He has taken to
" wearing daisies as his boutonnlere,
a fresh one every hour, and why?
Because at least once an hour he '
stops thinking and puzzling, pulls
cut his boutonnlere, snaps off Its
petals and mutters to himself. "
"Stage, pedigree. SUge, pedigree.
Stage, pedigree. Ye gods! Which
will It be?"
Young Mr. Astor's friends realize
that he is frankly and deeply in love
with Miss Claire. This romance
began last December in Boston.
With - several Harvard companions
Mr. Astor dropped in at the Park
Theatre, and, .to quote his nearest
chum;
"Vin was completely bowled
over."
He haunted the stage door, but
always Miss Claire's mother was
right at hand. At last the young mil
lionaire, the then future heir to the
Astor estates and ducats, had to
plead most humbly for a presenta
tion . to the fluffy . haired ' stage
. beauty. His devotion to the pretty
actress became the talk of New
York,. Boston and Newport His fa
ther heard of It nd, oddly enough,
did not interfere with this sample
of love's young dream. 'Perhaps he
thought it would fade, as several
other dreams of young Astor had in
the past , '
At all events, Colonel Astor sailed
for Europe en that trip which had
so tragic an ending, and Vincent
was left to fight alone. ' 1 , .
The dream has not faded. Of
course young Mr. Astor has had
many feminine fancies. He has de
voted himself in turn to Margaret
A: ews, the . only daughter of
Paul Andrews, of Newport; to Ro
berta Willard. the pretty daughter
of Colonel Joseph Willard; to Betty
Bands, the youngest daughter of
Mrs. , Fred Sands; to a blue-eyed
salesgirl in a Cambridge candy shop,
to Catherine Force, and to a golden
haired siren who sold neckties in a -Boylston
street shop In Boston.
Copyright 1912,
S ' MUM XS XU
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III
He was on very friendly terms
with all of these charming girla,
The only ones he has dropped since
his present romance began are the
salesgirls. He will' always be
friendly with the Newport girls. At
least until he marries. . He hates
to be accused of beln engaged to
ny of his girl friends.
"Every time I stop to speak to a
girl some one says I am engaged V
'by American-Examiner.. . Great Britain
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said young Mr. Astor not long
These many and varied-heart ex
periences prove that this young mil
lionaire, the, head of his family in
m .Mintrv. 1b verv democratic. On
the list of all the girls that he has
been supposedly In love with there
is no great heiress! Prom a finan-
viewpoint he . might as well
marry f the pretty Quaker; Girl as
Miss Willard,. Miss Andrews or Miss
Sands. ' . , .,'s .
Since his Infatuation for , Miss
Claire became Intense, and particu-
since the TiUnie .trageay.
young Mr. Astor has cut loose, from
his former love affairs. He is giv
ing no other girl any chance to con-,
elder herself "the one."
Is" enough . to turn my hair
he groans. "I can't go to
Newport and have luncheon with
dear little Betty Sands, I can't run
down to drink tea with the charm
ing Roberta, I cant go motoring
with Margaret of the big blue eyes.
too dangerous, tor I reauy
want to marry Ina, only Ir.a."
And so what does this much
troubled multi-millionaire do? He
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sees his Newport friends in the
mass! These -ffe parlous times for
him, poor fellow, with the one hun
dred million dollar, bank account!
. And can he have the beautiful Ina
all to himself? : Can' he spend long,
happy hours with her, by herself?
Alas, no ! Mrs. Claire never allows
him to see her daughter alone. She
sits like a stern Sphinx and knits
while the young millionaire , looks
burning words of love.
And what does the . Quaker Girl
say? ' She is a demure sprite of a
girl,, with a crowu of golden curls
and the happiest blue eyes in the
world.' Just here. Mr. Astor is being
plagiarized!'; ' ; t.
"Do I love Mr. Astor? What ' s i
curious' question to ask me. . Why
not ask Mr. Astor? Will I marry
Mr. Astor? Dear,' dear, how amus
ing you are. . Marry him? N Well, if i
don't love him, I won't marry him,'
and, anyway,. he has, too many, cares
and responsibilities on his shoulders
to talk of marriage just now." And
just then a big box of orchids was
delivered to the Quaker Girl, and a
rowt lovesome light gleamed in her
big eyes., VHum, hum!" she said.
"Speaking of love and marriage, I
certainly do love orchids!" v
And Mrs. Claire kept on knitting,
knitting.
Stage or pedigree! Which shall it
be? . ' .
Other millionaires have married
stage beauties and have been very
happy , "Pedigree," says young Mr.
. Astor, "is not ths greatest thing in
the world. : Love Is! I must rarry
only , where I love, and I love the
beautiful Miss Claire." ; . ,
, Will this love last? This question
does not bother the Quaker girl at
all! She Is, firmly convinced that
real true love always lasts. "I would
marry Mr. Astor if he had not a
cent if I loved him. My love can
not be bought .True love is never
for sale; but I do not say that I love
him! Has he told me that he loves
me? Now, just here let me tell you
something!' The only way you can
find out whether Mr. Astor ever tells
me. he loves me is to have a dicta
graph hidden near-by. He wont
tell, and neither will I." And with
a charming shrug the little Quaker
girl offers her tormentors tea with
lots of ice and lemon, and very little
sugar.
Mr. Astor's responsibilities are
well known. That he is the richest
. man of his age in America, is, of
; course, known to all the world. He
is still a student at Harvard. The
Titanic tragedy thrust great cares
on his shoulders and interrupted his
freshman studies. When he found
. himself in love with Miss Claire he
decided to give up .his college
career, but his trustees and his
mother urged him to continue. It
was his father's wish that he should
graduate from his own alma mater.
And so he returned to Cambridge
Just before the term 'closed. He
had to take special examinations, as
' all his class examinations were over
, With all his cares and responsi
bilities, and despite the ' several
tragedies that have saddened hi re:
. cent years, young Mr. Astor retains
a full quota of youthful spirits. He
is full of fun and enjoys his class-,
mates' jokes and pranks. He is very
much of a boy, and this boyishness
rather precludes the idea fo his
marrying very soon. ""
Considering his youth and his in
experience in the world of finance,
It is interesting to note that Colonel
Astor abolished the trusteeship that
hampered him all his. life. At the
age of twenty-one Vincent will be in
actual control of the great estates.
And for this reason, the girl he mar
ries 'will ' undoubtedly fare better
than the wives of his predecessors.
He can settle half, or three-quarters
of his fortune on her if he wants to.
Mrs. Astor, who, by the way, now
calls herself Mrs.' John Astor, sailed
for England early in June. She was
plainly very much perturbed over her
only son's romance. "I realise that
Miss Claire is a very attractive, very
beautiful girl. I realize that she is
in many respects just the wife for a
"young man, 'but your responsibilities
are great; your social position one
to be kept up at all costs, "ou must
marry a girl from your own class.
These were Mrs. Astor'r words
when she urged Vincent to join her
in England and spend six weeks
with her. And st first Vincent ex
; pected to take the path toward ped
igree. But when he looks at Miss
Claire's golden curls and into her
azure eyes, he hesitates and pushes
one step onward toward the stage..
He cannot hesitate long. His de
cision must be quick, for lire, Claire,
will not allow her little daughter to
waste her. time. . -. -
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