V*
THE YALE DEMOCRAT
he Thirteenth Commandment
By RUPERT HUGHES
Copyright by Harper A Brothers
DAPHNE AGAIN TURNS TO CLAY, BUT AS THEY PLAN FOR
THE FUTURE A NEW BLOW FALLS.
, Synopsis._('lay Wlmburn, n young New Yorker on a visit to Clcve-
jnn(ji meets pretty Daphne Kip, whose brother Is la the same office with
Clay In Wall street. After a whirlwind courtship they become engaged.
Daphne goes to New York with her mother to buy her trousseau.
Daphne’s brother. Bayard, has just married und left for Europe with his
bride, Leila. Daphne and her mother Instull themselves In Bayard’s flat.
Daphne meets Tom Duane, mnn-ubout-town, who seems greatly at-
tracted to her. Daphne accidentally discovers that Clay Is penniless,
except for his salary. Baynard and his wife return to New York unex-
pectedly. The three women set out on a shopping excursion and the two
younger women buy expensive gowns, having them charged to Bayard.
Bayard Is furious over the expense, seeing hard times ahead. Daphne,
Indignant, declares she will earn her own living and breaks her engage-
ment'with Clay. Through an Introduction by Duane, Daphne Induces
Rehen, a theatrical magnate, to give her a position in one of his com-
panies. Her first rehearsal Is u fiasco, but Reben, at Dunne’s request,
gives her another chance. Sudden Illness of Miss Kemble, the star,
gives Daphne her chance, but her acting Is a disinnl futlure. She Is con-
soled by Tom Dunne.
CHAPTER XII—Continued.
—9—
Satan or Raphael had whispered to
her an Invitation to revisit the scene
of her late humiliation with Clay. With
Dunne’s magic parse there would he
no danger of a snub from the waiters;
with his own car there would be no
risk of footing It home.
Then an Imp of mischief spoke for
her and su'd, ‘‘All right!”
Dunne t >ld the chauffeur and the
car shot like a Javelin from the lighted
street Into the deep forest-night of
Central pnrk.
What would Clay say? But, after
all, he had failed her la a crisis. Per-
haps he had turned his heart else-
where. Men were Impatient, vindic-
tive, fickle.
When Claremont was reached and
Duane handed Miss Kip ont In; noted
that her hand was hotter than his own
and a little quick to escape, her face
was flushed and her lips parted ns If
with excitement. lie assumed that
the speed of the ride and the tang of
adventure were to blame.
While the waiters were serving the
supper and while he was attacking it
with the frank appetite of honest hun-
ger she recounted the evening's dis-
aster as calmly as if It were the story
of somebody else. In fact, she was
standing off and regarding herself with
the eyes of an alien. We change so
fast that the persons we were yester-
day are already strangers, and their
nets the acts of distant relatives. Her
calm was really the numbness of
shock. The anguish would come to-
morrow.
"I can’t understand myself at nil,”
Daphne said. ”1 went through every
one of the motions, but I couldn’t
reach the audience once. I was like n
singer with a bad cold singing In a
foreign language—you don’t know what
the song is all about, but you know
that It never quite gets on the key.”
“You mustn’t be discouraged."
"Oh, yes, I must! I couldn't ho an
actress la a thousand years. Mr. Bat-
terson told mo so himself.”
Duane felt the truth of this, but It
hurt him to huve her feel It. It of-
fended his chivalry to realize how Im-
polite fate could lie to so pretty a girl,
lie hated to see her reduced to the
necessity of proving how plucky sho
could be. He tried to find no escupe
for her. He said:
"You’re far too good for the stnge.”
“I don’t believe that for a minute,"
she protested. “But I’ve got to flml
something I can do.”
“May 1 help you to decide?”
"If you only would! But I’m getting
to be a nuisance.”
“You are a—a—to me you are a—
well, you're not a nuisance.”
He dared not tell her what she was,
especially ns the waiter had set the
hill at his elbow and was standing off
in an attitude of ill-concealed Impa-
tience for the tip, which Id knew
would be large. Mr. Duane always
gave the normal ten tier cent and a
hit extra. He tipped wisely hut not
too well, knowing that an extravagant
tip wins a waiter’s contempt almost
more than none at all. The head waiter
fairly cooed "Good night” and almost
gave them a blessing.
The starter hud Mr. Dunne’s car
waiting for him at the curb and lifted
his lmt with one hand as lie smuggled
a quarter away with the other. He
stepped in to lay the linen Inprobe
over their knees with reverence, closed
the door exquisitely and murmured,
“Good night!”
The car was an aristocrat; It float-
ed from the curb with u swunllke
sweep.
Daphne thought of Clay and herself
plodding homeward. She seemed to
see them or their wraiths staggering
disconsolately along. She felt very
sorry for them. Here was n chance to
save one of them—both of them. In
fact; for In taking her financial bur-
den from Clny’s shoulders she would
ho twice strengthening him. If she
were to accept Daane ns her husband
then her problems would he solved—
and Clay would he free of her.
To ho Mrs. Torn Dunne; to step Into
the society of society; to lift her father
and mother from a position of meek-
ness In Clevelnrid to a post of distinc-
tion In New York ; to solve nt once nil
the hateful, loathsome, belittling rid-
dles of money; to he the bejeweled and
feted and Idolized wife and mistress of
this young American grand duke; to
buy that impossible trousseau, or bet-
ter ; to live In n New York pnlnee in-
stead of a flat; to go nbout in her own
limousine Instend of an occasional tax-
icab; to be fortune’s dnrllng Instend
of a member of the working clnsses,
struggling along with bent neck under
a yoke beside u discouraged laboring
man!
When the car reached her building
she was resolved to see Dunne no
more. She could not tell him so. After
all, he lmd been everything thnt was
courtesy and charity. It would hardly
have been polite to treat him with ab-
solute Indifference. Duane got down
and helped her out and took her to
the door, which was mciced nt this late
hour. While they waited for the door-
man to answer the bell she was pay-
ing him his wages:
"You are wonderfully kind. I had a
gorgeous evening. You snved my life.”
She had said more than she Intend-
ed—If not more than he hud earned.
“Then may I call soon?”
“Of course."
“Tomorrow?"
”1—well, I’ll let you know.”
“Fine! Telephone me nt— I’ll
write It out for you. I’m not often nt
the club where you found me, and my
number Isn’t in the hook.” He wrote
ou Ills card his telephone address and
gave It to her as the doorman ap-
peared.
He murmured, "Don’t forget.” She
murmured, "I won't." Both snld
“Good night.” Then the doorman gath-
ered her iu and hoisted her to her
lowly eyrie. It was very different
from where she would have gone ns
Mrs. Duane.
But when she was in her room she
tore his curd to pieces—nfter she had
looked nt it. She stared nt her image
In the mirror. She hated what she saw
there.    5x^-
She vowed to break her promise to
Tom Duane. She vowed to forget his
telephone number. But It danced
about In the dark long nfter she lmd
closed her eyes.
The next morning she overslept even
beyond the extra hour the Chivvlses
permitted themselves and the stranger
within their gates on Sundays.
When Daphne appeared at break-
fast, trying not to yawn, Mrs. Chiv-
vls greeted her with a voice ns cold
and dry us the toast, and ns brittle:
“You were rather late getting In
last night—or this morning, rather."
Daphne’s nnswer was not an expla-
nation, but it was better:
“Oh, I know It, Mrs. Chlvvls, but I
lost my position last night. Yes! I
played the principal part and killed It,
find now I'm not going on the stage uny
more."
Mrs. Chlvvls was touched. "You
poor child ! It really Is—Just too bad !
She pondered, then she brightened:
"I'm sorry you’re disappointed, but I’m
glad you’re not to be In the theater.
It must be very wicked."
“It’s mighty difficult," said Daphne.
Mrs. Chlvvls thought a moment
more, then she said:
“Did I tell you?— No, I don’t be-
lieve I did—you were away—but Mr.
Chlvvls gets his vucatlon next week.
He’s got to take It when his turn
comes. The man who was going now
couldn’t be spured, so we have to leave
Tuesday. I’m going, of course, so I
can’t give you your menls. Yap can
get your breukfusts In the kitchenette.
Of course I’ll allow off whatever Is
right.”
“Oh,” Daphne snld. “I’ll be ull right,
I guess.”
Daphne had not realized how much
she depended on Mrs. Chlvvls till now.
She was to be left alone nt the very
time when she was most In need cf
society. The whole world wus forsak-
ing her.
CHAPTER XIII.
When the Chivvlses had gone Daph-
ne assailed the task of composing her
letter of resignation from Iteben’s em-
ploy. It was not easy to resign with
dignity and the necessary haste.
She sent It off by messenger. It was
none too prompt, for Reben had al-
ready dictated a very polite request
for Daphne's head. When he received
her letter he recalled his stenographer
and dictated a substitute for his first
letter. In tills he expressed Ills regret
at learning Daphne’s decision to re-
sign ; the former understudy had come
hack from the road, he said, and would
resume her work. He begged Daphne
to accept the Inclosed check for two
weeks’ salary In lieu of the usual no-
tice, and hoped thnt she would believe
him faithfully hers.
Daphne felt a proud Impulse to re-
turn the fifty dollars. She wrote a
letter to go with It. She looked ngnln,
und saw It was the first money she had
ever earned. She hated to let It go.
She decided to frame It and keep It to
point to In nfter years as the begin-
ning of her great fortune.
Late In the afternoon, when the
western sky was turning into a loom
for crimson tapestries nlmost us rich
as her own dreams, she went to her
brother’s apartment.
There the New Girl found the Old
Woman In the throes of finance. Leila
vV
“Oh, Did I Do That?" She Asked,
Looking Over His Shoulder.
had brought her cheek book and her
hank book to her husband. Her uf-
fatrs were In a knot.
He laughingly offered to help her.
She was hurt by bis laughter, but not
hn f sc deeply ns he wus by bis dis-
covery of her monetary condition. He
had established her bank account In
a mood of adoration, a precious sacri-
fice on the altar of love. She bad not
cherished it, but scattered It heed-
lessly. And money was peculiarly
precious now In the final agonies of
the hard times, when only the fittest
of the fittest could survive the last
tests. Credit was the water Task, and
dollars were tile bard biscuits of u
boatload of survivors from a wreck.
Land might be reached If they held
out, but self-denial was vital.
Bayard gazed at Leila with wonder-
ing love and terror. She was both
divinity and devil In his eyes. He
groaned;
“Are you trying to wreck me? You
know how hard I’m working and how
much I need money In my business
and how much It means to your future,
but you wou’t stop buying and charg-
ing uml burning my poor little earn-
ings. We discharged a stenographer
yesterday because we wanted to suve
her salary of fifteen dollars—and
here’s a check for a pulr of shoes for
you that cost sixteen.
"But tell me one thing more before
I’m carted off to Bloomlngdnle In a
straltjacket. Why, in heaven’s name,
why—admitting you Just had to have
thnt pitiful little pair of Rhoes—why,
when you wrote the cheek, didn’t you
subtract It from your balance Instend
of nddlng it? I ask you!”
“Oh, did I do thnt?” she asked, look-
ing over his shoulder. “So I did I” and
she put her cheek close to his and
giggled.
He shook his head in Imbecile infnt-
uatlou, and drew her uround Into his
arms.
That was what Daphne overheard
when the maid let her In. She found
Leila resting In Bayard’s lap.
Bayard did not tell Daphne what his
conference with Leila had been. He
simply closed the check Iwtok nnd the
hank book nnd snld to Leila: “I’ll send
the bank my check for thirty-eight
cents and ask ’em to close their ac-
count. They’ll be mighty glad to
do It.”
“And so will I," said Leila. “It was
awfully hard work keeping trnck of
every little penny. I’d much rather
have a regular allowance la cash ev-
ery week.”
"All right!” said Bayard. “We’ll try
thnt—next week.”
Daphne was not told what all this
talk was about, but she made a fair
guess, though she pretended not to.
She told about her failure and her
future and Leila praised her courage
and her optimism. They dined cheer-
fully and Bayard decided that the best
preparation for the hard work ahead
of him would be an evening of gnyety.
He Invited his wife nnd Ills sister to
go with him to the Winter Garden,
where the typical “Sunday conceit” of
New York was given.
CHAPTER XIV.
Then the Chivvlses came back from
their vacation unexpectedly early. They
had found the hotels expensive und
Mr. Chlvvls was afraid that his Job
would be snatched from him If he
were not there to hold it down.
Clay called on Daphne that evening
nnd the Chivvlses retreated to their
own room. But as they could be over-
heard it was evident that they could
overhear, and the lovers found no
chance to say nny of the things that
frightened their souls.
One evening Daphne snld to Clay In
ns low a voice ns he could hear; “Mrs.
Chlvvls Is growing uneasy, honey,
about our being together every eve-
ning. I told her we were engaged, but
she didn’t seem convinced. I’erhups
you would let me wear that beautiful
engagement ring ngnln. I was a fool
lo give It hack to you. May I have It
or—”
Cln.v blenched In misery. “I—I’m
nfrnld I— You see, I hadn’t paid
much on It; and last week 1 had an In-
sulting letter from the jeweler. He
threatened to sue me and notify my
firm, nnd I—well, I had to send It
back.”
lie was so downcast thnt she an-
swered with mock cheer:    “Oh, that’s
nil right, honey; It doesn’t mntter.
After all, It’s only u ring. And we
have each other.”
“Bnt we haven’t each other. This
way of living Is driving me crazy. I’ll
he nil right as soon ns these hard
times nre over nnd I enn make some
commissions. But It's so dismal to
wait. Couldn’t we get murrled nnd
live on m.v salary?”
"I could If you could.”
He caught her In his arms so vio-
lently thnt she squealed.
The next day Clay telephoned to her
Ids firm had just offered him the
choice of accepting half Ids sulnry or
turning In his resignation. It was
really Impossible for two to live on
half of what was hardly enough for
one.
Dnpline cried a long while In her
room. She got out her list of ways to
earn fifty thousand dollars ngala nnd
cried over thnt.
There Is milch foolish nnd futile pro-
test against tho nowadays woman who
goes Into business outside her home.
But the fact Is thnt It Is her business
that began It. Her business left the
home first nnd she Is merely following
it to the places where new conditions
nnd Inventions have centralized and
mechanized It.
New conditions have taken her
distaff and her wnshtuh and her cool:-
ery and gossip Intu the woolen mills
nnd steam laundries und restaurants
and telephone exchanges. She has had
to go thither to do her necessary work.
Even the entertainers, the singers,
dancers, tellers of stories, who used
to stir the seraglios and the castle
halls have been gathered Into opera
houses and theaters nnd into vnude-
vllle nnd moving picture palaces.
Daphne, having no gifts for spin-
ning, cooking, or laundry, tried the
theater. Her old-fashioned lover pro-
tested, nnd she went, anyway. But
she was not suited to the theater, nnd
she retreated with nothing to show for
her expedition except her shuttered,
pride nnd the flfty-dollar check for
two weeks’ salary.
Daphne began anew to hunt for
work; work, the thrice blessing that
kills time and makes money and tames
passion. But the world seemed to be
full of every other trouble except
work. Even had she been skilled, as
she wus not. It would have availed her
little, since skilled laborers were be-
ing turned off by the thousands. And
unskilled laborers were being turned
off by the tens of thousands.
Clay had snved nothing against the
rainy season. lie had found his salary
too small for his courtship requisites j
now thnt his salary was halved his
courtship had to he reduced to the
minimum of expense.
Bayard and Leila had more money
to spend, and they made ambitious-
voyages. But Daphne and Clay must
swelter with the other stay-at-home
millions. Clay denied himself even the
two weeks’ vacation allotted to him.
Bayard took Ills, however, and carried
Leila off to Newport, where they
hoarded humbly, If expensively.
While they were gone, nt their sug-
gestion, Daphne moved down Into
their apartment. It was large and
beautiful, nnd, as Clay said, It was.
"not Infested with Chivvlses.”
Now nnd then Clay quarreled with*
Dnpline because of her obstinate de-
termination to have a trade of her
own. Then they made up. And quar-
reled anew—lovers’ quarrels, summer
storms that break the sultry tension
of the air and make pence endurable.
Bayard came buck alone. Leila
hud decided that It was better for
her health to stay nt Newport till
the cooler weather came nnd her
summer wnrdrobe lmd been worn out.
So Bnynrd joined the army of
town-tied husbands, the summer wid-
owers. He went back once a week
on furlough to spend n Newport Sab-
bath with his wife. Ho became one
of the Friduy-uight-to-Monday-raorn-
tng excursionists. There was leisure
enough In his office.
He insisted on Daphne’s keeping
her room in his apartment, and of
evenings he affixed himself to her
and Cln.v nnd made their company a
crowd. But they welcomed him ns a
chaperon of n sort. Also, he paid Ills
way with liberality, except for occa-
sional spasms of retrenchment, when
he economized atrociously. He pre-
dicted thnt good times would never
come again. The whole world had
gone to pot and would never come
out.
Suddenly he changed his tune; sud-
denly the whisper went about that
hard times were ending.
In his bachelor days, when Bnynrd
was growing In commercial stature
like n young giant, he lind regarded
his business with all the warmth of
a poet. His office building was his
Acropolis nnd his office the peculiar
temple of his muse; and her name
was Profit. He thrilled like a poet
(o the epic Inspiration of a Mg sale,
and he knew n Joy akin to the poet's
revision of Ills scansion if lie devised
a scheme for reducing overhead
charge or wastage.
Bayard, led on by the visions
of riches to be won in Wall
street, draws all his savings
from the bank and begins spec-
ulating in stocks. Then at far-
off Sarajevo rang out the shot
that plunged the world into the
frightful nightmare of war.
Bayard was among the first
casualties. Read about it in the
next installment.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Wolves!
Tempering the wind to the shorn
wolf Is not scriptural, not even pro-
verbial doctrine. Let nny render
make the application for himself.—
Brooklyn Eagle.
W. A D. Rose of Benton Harbor l»
Introducing tobacco culture Into Mich-
igan.
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