10
THE BEE: OMAHA, MONDAY, JULY 31, 1916.
Gloria's Romance
By Mr. and Mrs.
Rupert Hughes
The Floating Trap
XoTtllMd train tto Mottom Ketnra Bnu of slut Some Inn lj
avoirs atloina.
raATvmnro m itotxb stab, kiss billzb bttbeb.
Copyright, 1J18. by Adelaide M. Hughes.
FOURTEENTH INSTALLMENT.
"Think heaven, noboby knows of
.jrour escapade," Pierpon Stafford was
just saying to his daughter Gloria,
She had declined to be frightened by
his scowl and had almost won him to
smile across his breakfast coffee cup
when his eyes fell on the headlines of
the morning paper. He nearly went
over backward. The butler, who was
stealing a glfrnpse of the headlines
over hts master s shoulder, nearly
west over forward.
Pierpont threw the paper down in
a rage. Gloria picked it ur, and what
' she read eased her mischievous smile
"with one whisk. This is what she
read:
POLICE NET
GLORIA STAFFORD
Millionaire's Beautiful Daugh
ter, Recent Debutante, Is
Caught in Raid on East
Side Dance Hall.
Dr. Stephen Boyce
Battered in Brawl.
Gloria was stupefied. She sat in a
daze while her fDther went through
the other papers. Equally hateful
headlines or worse were in all of
them. He pushed them before her.
She pushed them to the floor. Then
brother David came in, his hat and
overcoat still on. He carried a bundle
of papers, too. He was furious.
Gloria meekly waived him and his
papers away.
. fierpont giowerea at ner. uaviu
eat down and glowered at her.
The miserable silence was invaded
by the second man who appeared and
reported:
; "If you please, sir. there's an army
of reporters at the door."
Uloria threw up ner nanas in sur
render. David sprang to hu feet.
Pierpont pushed him back and stalked
out in a towering fury. He ordered
the newsnaoers raiders ott. iney
bombarded him with questions. He
had to take refuge in the house. He
returned to the dining room livid with
Wrath. He ordered the servants out.
He thundered at Gloria.
"Now vou see what would have
happened if you had told the police
about your delirium i
He stormed on, oioria trying vainiy
to break in. At last he was exhausted
and she spoke:
"But. daddv. it was no delirium. 1
saw poor Dick murdered. Last night
proved it, for I saw the man who
killed him. Why did the judge let
him go. Why don t you want mm
captured?"
Pierpont stared at her, then took
her to the window and pointed to the
crowd of reporters. He shook the
newspapers under her eyes, saying:
f My one and only reason for silence is
this publicity I it is norrioiei
. To one of Gloria a training and po-
ition the reporters were almost more
perilous than the police.
Uloria apologized anu incu w
soothe her father by promising him
that she would lead the most quiet of
, i ,L...ftA tlnu.nl, V. J. TY. ( ih
uvea uisrtiusi. uwui" w"w
mental reservation that nothing should
atop her pursuit of her lovers stayer.
could not possibly wait I She banged
the receiver on the hook and ran
through the telephone book until she
found the number of a large men's fur
nishing establishment. A dainty gen
tleman answered the telephone. His
voice revealed awe, then delight, when
he learned who was addressing him.
"Send me several of everything a
boy has to have," Gloria demanded.
When the clerk ventured to ask what
his measurements were Gloria an
swered: "Measurements? How do 1
know? Do you have to have them?"
When he said he did Gloria called
for her maid, a pencil, a tape measure,
a piece of paper, and ran to the ser
vants' quarters. She was about to
enter one of the doors when she
caught a glimpse that made her re
treat. Old Griggs, with coat off, sleeves
rolled up, and a towel for apron, was
just lowering the boy into the steam
ing water. He dropped the boy with
a splash and, whirling, flung him
self against the door. He spoke
through it in a shocked manner, mo
tioning the boy to hide in the suds.
Gloria explained. Griggs opened the
door a little and clutched the tape
measure. He took the boy's dimen
sions and called them out to Gloria,
who repeated them to her secretary
jiiaid. Griggs had to thrust his arms
into the water two or three times to
reach the boy's knees and heels. He
was most unhappy.
Gloria ran back to the telephone and
resumed negotiations with the clerk.
When he had transcribed the numbers,
he promised to deliver the goods in a
jiffy. A jiffy is a long time to a boy
just out of a tub, and when Griggs
explained to Gloria that Stas' entire
wardrobe consisted of a Turkish
towel and two safety pins, she had
more thinking to do, She solved the
problem by sending her maid to fetch
a pair of her silk pajamas.
By and by there was a knock at
the door, and Griggs carried in Mas
ter Stas. The pajamas were worlds
too big for him, but he was almost
unrecognizably improved white and
pink with curls of gold and the eyes
of a cherub. The laundries do not
always send things back better than
they went, but Stas had gone in a
grimy pauper and he came back a
prince. Gloria embraced him, called
to the maid for a pair of her satin
mules for his bare feet, and took him
in her lap and combed his curls. He
was her new doll, and she wept a lit
tle into those curls to think that she
would never have a child of her own.
She remembered her own childhood
and the nursery where she and her
brother had been indulged in every
toy that money could buy or ingenu
ity invent.
She hastened up to the great room
which she had not visited for years.
Poor Stas had never had any nursery
besides the streets or any toy except
some pitiful makeshift. He did not
really know how to play. Gloria had
to teach him. He was an apt pupil
with the horn and the drum. He
pounded and blew until Gloria cov
ered her ears. He tried to climb the
hobby horse with the drum still on.
He got off head first on the other
side, but he soon mastered the fierce
steed.
His attention was attracted by a
picture of Indians on the walls. They
a ?Ud?eZ 'window'a? two Forlo' f T doing , " ."c.lp-t.ngo about 'a
2?LA tl,Z .tSSlir!. un thV ? d?ivelwhit "P''ve- Stas wanted to know
!.UrJ lSl$ rLA'Z Ull about it He had thought Gloria
as if they had wandered irom inc
liirna and were lost. Thev were the
waiter, Casimir, and hia little boy,
Stas, whom Gloria had befriended at
the night court She had forgotten
them and now they arrived at the
most inopportune moment Caaimir
had Gloria's card in his hand. He saw
'the reporters and grew uneasy. He
pushed through and rang the doorbell.
Gloria insisted on their admission and
greeted them warmly.
T Pierpon stared at the ahabby waiter
in rfimiMt. He looked at his watch.
He started to go. Gloria nabbed him.
She told him that she had promised
the waiter a job. Pierpont said he
had no jobs for waiters. Then he or
dered Gloria to lunch with him at the
Bankers' club.
"The very idea," she exclaimed.
l"Ctt Casimir a job there."
"In those clothes?" Pierpont ex
claimed. i : "Buy him a new outfit," was Gloria s
otution.
r Pierpont was enraged, but she had
her way as usual, and he motioned
the waiter to come with him. Cas
imir kissed Gloria's hand. The boy
tried to follow him and clung to him
in terror. Gloria knelt down and call
edto the boy. Stas ran to her and let
"Casimir go with Pierpont.
Gloria led the child to the window.
'.They waved good-by to their two par
ents, ao different in character and es
tate. Gloria laughed aloud as she saw
her father issue from the house with
Casimir, brush through the gnatlike
reporters, and motion Casimir into his
car. She was educating her father to
be as democratic as she was.
.Tha boy Stas looked about the room
.aa if he were in heaven and Gloria
the winged angel that flew there with
;him. He threw his arms around her
acrain lest he fall back to earth. The
butler in horror took the boy's dirty
hand from Gloria's shoulder and tried
to cleanse it on a napkin. It black
ened the napkin, but the hand was not
visibly bleached.
Gloria laughed, put the boy in a
chair at the table, and called for fin
ger bowls. The butler brought two.
Gloria called for soap and a towel.
Thia was appalling. The butler almost
mutinied. Then she washed the child's
hands with the soap in the finger
bowls. They turned out to be sur
orisinorlv white.
She drew a wet towel' down his
cheek and it left a white canal. . She
laughed again, but more soberly. She
pondereed a minute, then made up her
i j i .1. - ,....(..
mina ana muuuiicu iu inc , uunci.
."Griggs, what he ' needs is a bath.
Yon mav give him one." c
J Old Griggs muttered and shook his
head. Gloria gave him one of the
looks she ruled her father with. "Run
'Jong now, while I telephone for a
comolete trousseau for him."
. Griggs groaned. Stas did not want
to leave Gloria, but she kissed him,
' carefully selecting the clean streak on
, his face, and assured him that Griggs
ant a nice man. She watched. while
Griggs led the boy by one dean finger
4e the servants' wing and one of its
bathtubs. Then she ran into her own
-oom. She called up her father' tailor,
'..only to learn that it would take three
weeks to make the boy s clothes. He
M f oo
IN THE MAJESTIC BLUE DINING ROOM OF THE BANKERS' CLUB GLORIA FOUND CASIMIR AL
READY INSTALLED.
cause the streets were sparsely popu
lated. The street sloped sharply
down to the river. Moored to the
wharves were a number of huge, cum
brous barges. To one of these the
Trasks clambered. They went down
into it through a cabin door.
Gloria was in a plight. She had
traced her fugitive to his home. But
his home was about to move. A
tough-looking tugboat with a tough
looking crew was already fastening a
towline to the barge. There was no
policeman in sight anywhere. The
men loitering about the barges did
not appeal to Gloria as desirable
Samaritans to ask for help.
Another of Gloria's impulses stir
red her feet almost against her will.
She ran along the wharf, crossed a
plank to the Trask barge, and went
to the cabin hatchway. She heard
voices of anger coming up. The girl
was upbraiding her father for desert
ing her and accusing him of a fur- J
ther crime. She was crying hysteri-.
cally:
"You killed him. He is dead and
you killed him."
The old man denied the charge
with frenzy. "He laughed at it, awore
that he was innocent. The girl was
already persuaded and this so en
raged Gloria that she darted down
the steps and cried out at Trask:
"You did kill him. I saw you."
(To Be Continued.)
Advice to Lovelorn
an angel before, but she grew still
more wonderful when he learned that
she had never been honored by being
tied to a stake. She saved herself a
little by explaining: "I might have
been worse than tied to a stake if I
hadn't been rescued by Mr. Fre I
mean, Doctor Royce."
Then she fell into such a deep medi
tation that Stas could hardly recall
her to finish the story. It was not
yet ended when the butler and the
second man marched in with two tow
ers of pasteboard boxes Stas' trous
seau had arrived.
Now there was excitement, indeed,
and Gloria and Stas forgot the mere
Indians in the thrill of dressing and
being dressed. Gloria began to fear
that she had adopted a hopeless top
when she saw how Stas strutted in his
finery. In his knickers and frilled
shirt, his starched collar, silk tie, pat
ent leather shoes, and derby hat, he
looked like a pocket Beau Brummel.
And then her rapture turned to alarm.
The boy began to cough, to turn red
ana purpic in wc imc, emu w
with paroxysms.
' U, dear! U, dean tjioria moaned ;
"he's had a bath, and it's given him
pneumonia. The doctor! Quick, I
must get him to the doctor I'
Dr. Stephen Royce was trying to
practice the proverb, "Physician, heal
thyself.". He was dressing the
wounds of battle he had received the
night before in Gloria's defense. He
was plastering nis nst ano approving
it for its good work when a caller
was announced. It was Lois Staf
ford. She had repented of her affair
with the dead Freneau and was try
ing to live it down. Idleness was
both temptation and distress. She
wanted to know if there was not
some work she could do. Royce told
her that there were always poor peo
ple in plenty and lonely sick. He
gave her the address of some of his
patients who would never pay, but
whom he treated with none the less
care.
As she was leaving she met Gloria
coming in with the boy. Royce wa
disgusted because Gloria looked an
gry. He should have been delighted
at the hint of possible jealousy. Gloria
coldly informed him of the boy's
bath and its terrible consequences.
She made the boy cough for the doc
tor. Royce did not seem to be as
much impressed as Gloria had been.
He set the boy to laughing and got
mm to put out ma luiiguc uy malting
faces at him which the boy mocked
Then he' said:
"It's nothing. Just a little tickling
in the throat, ehr
"I guess so," Stas confessed. "I
am tickled all over."
' He . gave the boy a ( jujube for
medicine and turned to Gloria. She
asked him again why he had tried to
deceive her about the delirium.
"Why don't you tell me the truth
now? What is Lois to you?"
Royce protested that Lois was
nothing, to him and that a doctor has
his secrets like a priest. Gloria was
furious. She gathered up the child
and was about to storm out, but she
paused, meditated, whirled, and went
to him impulsively. ' v. .
"Forgive me. You saved my life
twice. You fought for me then, why
against me now?"
He answered sadly, i am not
fighting against you, Gloria. Some
day you will know it, but not from
me."
Gloria went out sadly and Royce
indulged in a little delirium of his
own, cursing his luck in managing
alwnvft in have his devotion misun
derstood. He was glad that Lois re
peated his liaison with freneau, put
he wished that she had chosen some
other person for father confessor or
some other time to call.
In the majestic blue dining room
of the Bankers' club, Gloria found
Casimir already installed. Pierpont's
influence had secured the engagement
for him and money had provided the
neat costume that changed Casimir
almost as much as StaS had been
changed. The captain waiter placed
a cushion on a chair for Stas and mo
tioned Casimir to lift him into it.
Casimir had not yet recognized his
own boy, disguised as he was with
a bath and rich men's clothes. But
Stas recognized his father and hugged
him with vigor to the amazement of
Aunt Hortensia. who had been in
vited to the luncheon so that she and
Pierpont might agree on some new
interest for Gloria. They agreed to
postpone the task till after luncheon.
By that time Gloria had flown, and
she never did learn what Aunt Hor
tensia meant to propose.
As the luncheon neared its last
course, Casimir was beckoned out by
:nu.lnnkinff waiter. When he
returned he was evidently suffering a
great emotional strain, ne maae
klnrfr and was so excited that
when Pierpont rebuked him Gloria
took pity on him and asked him what
the trouble was. The captain was
.i RVir a waiter to have personal
troubles during a meal was as bad
as for a soldier to stop a battle to
write a letter home. But Gloria was
"she who must be obeyed.
Casimir told her that he had just
received word that his wife had been
nt hack from the hospital, ne
broke down and clung to the weeping
Stas.
Gloria could not understand. She
said: "But I should think you would
be glad to have your wife sent back.'
"No, no," sobbed Casimir. "Poor
people who are going to die are sent
away trom tne nospnai so mcy win
not die there.
Gloria was furious. She proposed
to investigate the hospitals and turn
nut th fiends in charge. Meanwhile
she insisted on going to casimir s
home and taking Casimir with her.
She paused only to telephone Doctor
Royce to meet her there. He was
difficult to understand as a man, but
as a doctor he was ideal. So Gloria
dashed away with Casimir and Stas,
while Hortensia and Pierpont held up
their hands in despair of her.
When Gloria's chauffeur and foot
man heard the address she gave them
they thought they had misunderstood
She repeated it in most positive tones.
They raised their eyebrows in a way
that insinuated, "What next?"
Coincidences do happen now and
then in real life not quite so often
or so gracefully as in fiction, and
yet once in a while. In fact, coin
cidences make life what it is. And
so it chanced that the murderer of
Dick Freneau, whom Gloria had fol
lowed from the night court, had found
a hiding place in the same block
where Casimir lived.
Gloria recognized the region as
her limousine turned into it. She
recognized the saloon and dance hall
where she had found and lost her
man. But she did not recognize the
murderer's daughter in the crowd that
gathered about the unusual limousine
when it drew up along the garbage
cans. .
Nell Trask was looking for her
father, and she paused to see the fine
lady descending from the palace car.
In Nell's arms was the child of Rich
ard Freneau, a beautiful creature like
its father. Gloria, hurrying through
the crowd, could not help pausing to
admire the baby and to tweak the lit
tle finger it upheld. There for a mo
ment the two women paused with
Dick Freneau's child between them:
and neither dreamed that the other
had ever heard of him. Gloria passed
on into the tenement and Nell went
to seek her father.
When Gloria was led up and up a
gloomy staircase to the one dismal.
barren room which Casimir and his.
wtie and their child had had to call
home, she felt that she had no right
to romplain of any woes that had be
fallen her.
a iic sick iiiuuicr was oucsiretcned
on an old bed by a dark window. A
neighbor's wife, who introduced her
self as Mrs. blattery, thank you
kindly," was sitting by her. Casimir
ran to his wife, and gasping with ter
ror at her appearance, dropped on his
knees, bhe embraced mm with long
white arms so gaunt that thev fright
ened Gloria. Stas ran to the other side
of the bed and clambered up. His
mother turned, stared at him, and
only realized after a long look that
he was hers. Then she gathered him
to her poor bosom with a sob of
pitiful rapture. '
Mrs. Slattery rubbed off a chair
with her apron and invited Gloria to
rest herself, but Gloria went to Casi
mir's wife. The wretched woman
clutched her hands and held them to
her cheek, while Stas and Casimir
both explained to her who Gloria
was. They told her what miracles
Gloria had performed and they,
plainly hoped for another, but Gloria
was filled with a dread that money
would be useless here. She promised
glibly, but her heart felt helpless.
Dr. Royce came at last and she
had some hope that he might redeem
the life of the victim of life. He made
his examination and spoke cheerfully
enough, but Gloria was sure from his
tone that he was lying, too. She led
him out into the hall to question
him. He shook his head gloomily.
Gloria protested.
"But surely there must be some
way to help her I"
"Not in this cavern," Dr. Royce in
sisted. "Of course, if she were in the
country somewhere in the air under
the. sky but what chance has she
of that?"
That was so easy that Gloria
laughed aloud. "Oh, if that is all, I'll
furnish the air and sky. I'll take them
all up to our country place at once.
You get them ready. I'll go tell my
father that we are expecting guests.
"But what will he say to-"
"What does it matter what he
says?" said Gloria as she ran back
into the dingy hall to scatter good
news like flowers. She ordered Royce
to attend to the details of transporta
tion and hurried away to inform her
father that she had invited three
strangers to his country estate. Glor
ia's feet skipped down the stairway
and she was humming as she stepped
into the limousine and told the foot
man. "The officel"
The car started and was checked
almost at once by a tangle of trucks.
Gloria, looking about impatiently
caught sight of Nell Trask and her
father just leaving the opposite tene
ment. She was dumbfounded. As
she gazed, they were lost in the
crowd. She saw that the car could
not be turned around. Every mo
ment was precious. Impulse told her
not to lose this precious chance. She
obeyed impulse.
Without pausing to inform the
chauffeur, Gloria opened the door,
dropped out, and ran after the
Trasks. She picked them up again
after a while. She saw a policeman.
She resolved to order him to arrest
the criminal. As she hesitated, she
saw Trask stop and tenderly relieve
the weary Nell of her baby's weight.
He fondled and nuzzled the child
with a grandfatherly foolishness.
Gloria turned away from the police
man. She followed at a little distance,
wondering what to do. The best thing
would be, she felt, to find out where
he lived. She followed for blocks.
The Trasks climbed the stairs of the
elevated. Gloria went up after them.
She took the next car on the same
train. It seemed that they would ride
on forever. Far uptown they got
out. Gloria got out. She trailed
them at a greater distance now be-
Marriare Announcements.
Dear Mtas Fairfax: We have been se
cretly married for almost two years and
are now desirous of announcing our mar
riage. Can you advise Just how to do this?
Is there any form of announcement which
could be sent to frionds, togethor with "at
home" cards? IN DOUBT.
The bride's mother or nearest liv
ing relative is the one to announce
the marriage. Any stationer will give
you the proper form of engraved an
nouncement. Send them out as if the
marriage had occurred just now, but,
of course, date them properly. At
home cards may be included.
Insane Jealousy.
Dear Miss Fairfax: A cousin of my fian
cee Is soon to be engaged to a young man
who used to pay attention to my fiancee
before I met her. For some reason my
fiancee gave this young man up and he
promptly started to court her cousin. He
Is very friendly whenever he sees my
fiancee. I protested against this friendship,
but my fiancee does not like to give up
seeing her cousin (and this young man who
comes to see his friend very often).
I am sure my fiance loves me, but It
makes me unhappy to hear about them or
see them, and we both therefore suffer a
lot. and quarrel. T. MORGAN.
You are unreasonable, selfish and
jealous a bad combination, don't you
think so too, now that I have put it
bluntly? Why shouldn't your fiancee
see her former friends? If you have
so little faith in the woman you love,
you will make a nightmare of your
marriage.
Chaperones Are Needed.
Dear Miss Fairfax: A certain young man'a
club, consisting of six men, has rented a
bungalow for the summer at one of the
seaside resorts and have invited aome of
their girl friends to visit whenever they
feel Inclined. These people are all very
friendly, having known each other's fami
lies for at least four years. Would it be
proper for these girls to go to the bunga
low on a week-end party over Saturday
night; the bungalow to be occupied only
by the girls? PERPLEXED.
It would be highly improper for
the young women of whom you speak
to visit these boys at their bunga
low unless they are chaperoned. I can
see no reason why the parents of
some of the young people or a mar
ried couple could not arrange to go
with them. Any other course would
result in unpleasant comment, which,
I am sure, you would all prefer to
avoid.
Visiting an Invalid.
Dear Miss Fairfax: Would it be consid
ered correct for a girl to visit a man suf
fering from Injuries and confined to a
private ward In a hospital? And In the way
of a token or her sympathy what might
she bring him. PUZZLED.
There is no reason why you should
not visit a sick friend, just as you
would go to see a girl who was suf
fering. A book, flowers, fruit, or bet
ter still, a little bit of home cookery
would be perfectly appropriate offerings.
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NEW YORK
World's Famous Hotel
Opposite Central Park
at 59th Street
ok to All Theatres and
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SUMMER
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Wrilt jet Rtunttkn 7Woy
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ROOMS WITH BATH J3.50 UP
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