The Collinsville News. (Collinsville, Okla.), Vol. 12, No. 40, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 16, 1911 Page: 2 of 8
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ISe THIRD
DEGREE
c/4 Narrative
--
^Metropolitan
Life
By CHARLES KLEIN and
ARTHUR HORNBLOW
ILLUSTRATIONS BY RAY WALTERS
(Coprrlfbt, 1UUU, by U. W. Iillllnghuiu Company.}
4
SYNOPSI8.
Howard Jeffries, banker's son. under
the evil Influence of Robert Underwood,
n fellow-student at Ynle, leads a life of
dissipation, marries the daughter of a
gambler who died In prison, and Is dis-
owned by his father. He tries to get
work and falls. A former college chum
makes a business proposition to Howard
which requires $2,000 cash, and Howard
Is broke. Robert Underwood, who had
been repulsed by Howard's wife, Annie,
In Ills college days, and had once been
engaged to Alicia, Howard's stepmother,
has npnrtments at the Astrurta and Is
apparently In prosperous circumstances.
Howard recalls a 1250 loan to Underwood
that remains unpaid, and decides to ask
him for the $2,000 he needs.
CHAPTER III.
The handsome townhouse of How-
ard Jeffries, the well-known banker, on
Riverside drive, was one of the most
striking among the many imposing
millionaire homvs that line the city’s
splendid water front Houses there
were in the Immediate proximity
which were more showy and had cost
more money, but none as completely
satisfying from the art lover’s stand-
point It was the home of a man who
studied and loved the beautiful for its
own sake and not because he wanted
to astonish people with what miracles
his money could work. Occupying a
large plot on slightly elevated ground,
the house commanded a fine view of
the broad Hudson. Directly opposite,
across the river, busy with steam and
sailing craft, smiled the green slopes
of New Jersey; in the purplish north
frowned the jagged cliffs of the precip-
itous Palisades. w
Tne elder Jewries, aristocratic de-
scendant of an old Knickerbocker
family, was proud of his home and
had spent large sums of money in
beautifying it. Built in colonial style
of pure white • marble with long
French windows and lofty columns
supporting a flat, rounded roof, sur-
rounded by broad lawns, wide-spread-
ing shade trees and splashing foun-
tains, it was a conspicuous landmark
for miles. The Interior was full of
architectural beauty. The stately en-
trance hall, hung with ancestral por-
traits, was of noble proportions, and
a superb staircase, decorated with
statuary, led off to tastefully decorated
reception rooms above. To-night the
house was brilliantly illuminated and
there was considerable activity at the
front entrance, where a footman in
smart livery stood opening the doors
of the carriages as they drove up in
quick succession.
Mrs. Jeffries' musieales were always
largely attended because she knew
the secret of making them interesting.
Her husband's wealth and her fine
house enabled her to entertain on a
liberal scale, and she was a tactful
and diplomatic hostess as well. She
not only cultivated the right kind of
people who were congenial to each
other, but she always managed to
have some guest of special distinction
whom every one was eager to meet
Her own wide acquaintance among
the prominent operatic artists and her
husband's influential position in the
world of finance made this policy an
easy way of furthering her social am-
bitions. She would always invite
6ome one whom she could present as
the lion of the evening. One week it
would be a tenor from the opera house,
another time a famous violinist. In
this way she managed to create a lit-
tle artistic salon on the lines of the
famous political salons in which the
brilliant women of the eighteenth cen-
tury molded public opinion in France.
Alicia knew she was clever and as
she stood adatiring herself in front of
a full length mirror while awaiting
the arrival of her guests she congrat-
ulated herself that she had made a
success of her life. She had won those
things which most women hold dear
—wealth and social position. She had
married a man she did uot love. It
was true, but other women had done
that before her. If she had not
brought her husband love she at least
was not a wife he need be ashamed
of. In her Paquin gown of gold cloth,
with sweeping train and a jeweled
tiara in her hair, she considered her-
self handsome enough to grace any
man's home. It was indeed a beauty
which she saw in the mirror—the face
of a woman not yet 30. with the fea-
tures regular and refined The eyes
were large and dark and the mouth
and nose delicately molded. The face
seemed academically perfect, all but
the expression. She had a cold, cal-
culating look, and a cynic might have
charged her with being heartless, of
stopping at nothing to gain her own
ends.
To-night Alicia had every reason to
feel jubilant She had secured a so-
cial lion that all New York would talk
about—no less a person lhan Dr.
Bernstein, the celebrated psycholo-
gist, the originator of the theory of
scientific psychology. Everything
Beemed to go the way Bhe wished; her
musieales were the talk of the town;
her husband had Just presented her
with the Jeweled tiara which now
graced her head; there seemed to be
nothing In the world that Bhe could
not enjoy.
Yet she was not happy, and as Bhe
gazed at the face reflected before her
In the glass she wondered If the world
guessed how unhappy she was. She
knew that by her own indiscretion she
was In danger of losing all Bhe had
won, her position In society, her place
In the affections of her husband,
everything.
When she married Mr. Jeffries It
was with deliberate calculation. She
did not love him, but, being ambitious,
she did not hesitate to deceive him.
He was rich, he could give her that
prominent position In society for
which she yearned. The fact that
she was already engaged to a roan for
whom she did care did not deter her
for a moment from her set purpose.
She had met Robert Underwood years
before. He was then a college boy,
tall, handsome, clever. She fell in
love with him and they became en-
gaged. Aasshe grew more sophisticat-
ed she saw the folly of their youthful
infatuation. Underwood was without
fortune, his future uncertain. While
in this uncertain state of mind she
met Mr. Jeffries, then a widower, at
a reception. The banker was attract-
ed to her and being a business man
he did things quickly. He prqposed
and was accepted, all In the brief
time of—five minutes. Robert Under-
wood and the romance of her girlhood
were sacrificed without question when
it came to reaching a prompt decision.
She wrote Underwood a brief letter
of farewell, telling him that the action
she had taken was really for the best
interests of them both. Underwood
made no reply and for months did not
attempt to go near her. Then he met
her in public. There was a reconcilia-
tion. He exerted the old spell—on the
married woman. Cold and Indifferent
to her husband, Alicia found it amus-
ing to have her old lover paying her
court and the danger of discovery only
gave the Intrigue additional zest and
charm. She did not lead Underwood
to believe that he could induce her to
forget her duty to Mr. Jeffries, but
she was foolish enough to encourage
a dangerous intimacy. She thought
she was strong enough to be able to
call a halt whenever she would be so
disposed, but as is often the case she
overestimated her powers. The in-
timacy grew. Underwood became
bolder, claiming and obtaining special
privileges. He soon realized that he
had the upper hand and he traded on
it Under her patronage he was In-
vited everywhere. He practically lived
on her friends. He boriowed their
money and cheated them at cards.
His real character was soon known to
all. but no one dared expose him for
fear of offending the influential Mrs.
Jeffries. Realizing this, Underwood
continued his depredations until he
became a sort of social highwayman.
He had no legitimate source of In-
come. but he took a suite of apart-
ments at the expensive Astrurla and
on credit furnished them so gorgeous-
ly that they became the talk of the
town. The magazines and newspa-
pers devoted columns to the magnifi-
cence of their furnishings and the art
treasures they contained. Art deal-
ers all over the country offered him
liberal commissions if he would dis-
pose of expensive objets d art to his
friends. He entered in business rela-
tion with several firms and soon his
rooms became a veritable bazaar for
art curios of all kinds. Mrs. Jeffries’
friends paid exorbitant prices for
some of the stuff and Underwood
pocketed the money, forgetting to ac-
count to the owners for the sums they
brought The dealers demanded resti-
tution or a settlement and Underwood,
dreading exposure, had to hustle
around to raise enough money to
make up the deficiency in order to
avoid prosecution. In this way he
lived from day to day borrowing from
Peter to settle with Paul, and on one
or two occasions he had not been
ashamed to borrow from Mrs. Jeffries
herself.
Alicia lent the money more because
she feared ridicule than from any real
desire to oblige Underwood. She had
long since become disgusted with him.
The man’s real character was now
plainly revealed to her. He was an
adventurer, little better than a com-
mon crook. She congratulated her-
self on her narrow escape. Suppose
she had married him—the horror of
It! Yet the next Instant she was
filled with consternation. She had
allowed him to become so intimate
that It was difficult to break off with
him all at once. She r^lized that
with a man of that character the in-1
evitable must come. There would be ]
a disgraceful scandal. She would be!
mixed up In It, her husband’s eye*
would be opened to her folly, It might
ruin her entire life. She must end It
now—onco for all. She had already
given him to understand that their
intimacy must cease. Now he must
Btop his visits to her house and de-
sist from trapping her friends into his
many schemes. She had written him
that morning forbidding him to come
to the house this evening. She was
done with him forever.
These thoughts were responsible for
the frown on the beautiful Mrs. Jef-
fries' be’^weled brow that particular
Saturday evening. Alicia gave a sigh
and was drawing on her long kid
gloves before the glass, when sudden-
ly a maid entered and tendered her
mistress a note. Alicia knew the
handwriting only too well. She tore
the letter open and read:
Dear Mrs. Jeffries: I received your let-
ter telling me that my presence ut your
house to-night would bo distasteful to
you. As you can Imagine, It was a great
shock. Don’t you understand the liurm
this will do me? Everybody will notice
my absence. They will jump to the con-
clusion that" there has been a rupture,
and my credit will suffer Immediately
with your friends. I cannot afford to let
this happen now. My affairs are In such
condition that It \ym be fatal to me. I
need your support and friendship more
than ever. I have noticed for some time
that your manner to me has changed.
Perhaps you have believed some of the
stories my enemies have circulated about
me. For the sake of our old friendship,
Alicia, don’t desert me now. Remember
what I once was to you and let me come
to your reception to-night. There’s a rea-
son why I must be seen in your house.
Yours devotedly,
ROBERT UNDERWOOD.
Alicia’s face flushed with anger.
Turning to the maid, she said:
"There’s no answer.”
The girl was about to close the
She at Least Was Not a Wife He
Need Be Ashamed Of.
door when her mistress suddenly re-
called her.
“Wait a minute,” she said; ‘Til
write a line.”
Taking from her dainty escritoire a
sheet of perfumed notepaper,^ she
wrote hurriedly as follows:
"If you dare to come near my house
to-night l will have you put out by the
servants.”
Quickly folding the note, she
crushed it into an envelope, sealed it,
handed it to the girl, and said:
“Give that to the messenger.”
The servant disappeared and Alicia
resumed her work of drawing on her
gloves in front of her mirror. How
dare he write her such a letter? Was
her house to be made the headquar-
ters for his swindling schemes? Did
he want to cheat more of her friends?
The more she thought of all he had
done, the angrier she became. Her
eyes flashed and her bosom heaved
with indignation.- She wondered
what her husband, the soul of honor,
would say if be suspected that she
had permitted a man of Underwood s
character*to use his home for his dis-
honest practices. She was glad she
had ended it now, before it was too
late. There might have been a scan-
dal, and that she must avoid at any
cost. Mr. Jeffries, she felt certain,
would not tolerate a scandal of any
kind. „
felt something
brush her cheek, She turned quickly.
It was her husband who had entered
the room quietly. ,
“Oh, Howard,” she exclaimed, peev-
ishly; “how you frightened me! You
shouldn't startle me like that.”
A tall, distinguished-looking man
with white mustache and pointed
beard stood admiring her In silence.
His erect figure, admirably set off In
a well-cut dress coat suggested the
soldier.
What are you doing alone here,
dear?” he said. "I hear carriages out-
side. Our guests are arriving.”
"Just thinking,L that’s all,” she re-
plied, evasively.
He noticed her preoccupied look
and, with some concern, he demanded:
“There’s nothing to worry you, is
there ?’’
“Oh, no—nothing like that,” *be
said, hastily.
He looked at her closely and she
averted her eyes. Mr. Jeffries often
wondered if he had made a mistake.
He felt that this woman to whom he
had given his name did not love him,
but his vanity as much as his pride
prevented him from acknowledging
It, even to himself. After all, what
did he care? She was a companion,
she graced his home and looked after
his creature comforts. Perhaps no
reasonable man should expect any-
thing more. Carelessly, he asked:
“Whom do you expect to-night?”
"Oh, the usual crowd,” replied
Alicia, languidly. "Dr. Bernstein is
coming—you know he’s quite the rage
Just now. He has to do with psychol
ogy and all that sort of thing."
“So, he’s your lion to-night, Is he?”
smiled the banker. Then he went on:
“By the by, I met Brewster at the
club to-night. He promised to drop
in.”
Now it was Alicia’s turn to smile.
It was not everybody who could boast
of having such a distinguished lawyer
as Judge Brewster on their calling
lists. 'To-night would certainly be a
success—two lion's instead of one.
For the moment she forgot her worry.
“I am delighted that the Judge is
coming,” she exclaimed, her face
beaming. “Every one is talking about
him since his brilliant speech for the
defense in that murder case."
The banker noted his wife’s beau-
tiful hair and the white transparency
of her skin. His gaze lingered on the
graceful lines of her neck and bosom,
glittering with precious stones. An
exquisite aroma exuding from her per-
son reached where he stood. His
eyes grew more ardent and, passing
his arm affectionately around her
slender waist, he asked:
“How does my little girl like her
tiara?”
“It’s very nice. Don’t you see I’m
wearing it to-night?” she replied al-
most impatiently and drawing herself
away.
Before Mr. Jeffries had time to re-
ply there was a commotion at the
other end of the reception room,
where rich tapestries screened off the
main entrance hall. The butler drew
the curtains aside.
“Mr. and Mrs. Cortwrlght,” he an
nounced loudly.
Alicia went forward, followed by
her husband, to greet her guests.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
HAD THROAT
TROUBLE SINGE
CHILDHOOD
All TreakMflts Failed. Relieved
by Penaa.
Mrs. Wm. Hoh-
mann, 2764 Lincoln
Ave., Chicago, 111.,
writes:
"I Buffered with
catarrh of the bron-
ohlal tubes and had
a terrible cough ever
since a child.
“I would sit up In
bed with pillows
propped up behind
me, but still the
cough would not let
mo sleep. I thought
and everybody else
that I had consump-
tion.
“So reading the
papers about Pe-
runa I decided to
try, without the
least bit of hope that
It would do me any
Mrs. Hohmann. g00(L But after tak-
ing three bottles I noticed a change.
My appetite got better, so I kept on,
never discouraged. Finally I seemed
not to cough so much and the pains in
my chest got better and I could rest at
night
“I am well now and cured ofachronlo
cough and- sore throat I cannot tell
you how grateful I am, and 1 cannot
thank Peruna enough. It has cured
where doctors have failed and I talk
Peruna wherever I go, recommend it to
everybody. People who think they
have consumption better give it A
trial."
Hanging on the Wall.
"The way pictures are bung makes
such a lot of difference in the appear-
ance of a room,” said an interior dec-
orator a few days ago. “That fact is
thrust upon me nearly every day. I
go into some parlors where the pic-
tures are hung so high that all per-
spective is lost, and the celling seems
to be hopelessly high. Other folks
hang theirs so low that It hurts your
spine to look at them, In addition to
straining your eyes, spoiling the
beauty of the room and taking from
the value of the picture.
“All pictures should not be hung on
the same level, as they so often are,
yet all should be as nearly on the
level with the eyes as possible. If
square and oblong pictures are alter-
nated Irregularly with round and oval
ones the best possible effect is gained.”
TOO MUCH FOR THE CORPSE
Exhibition of Meanness That Galvan-
ized the “Dead” Irishman Into
Indignant Life.
“Don’t be mean In your offerings,"
said T. P. O’Connor, in a plea in New
York for the Irish cause. "The Irish
can’t stand meanness.
“No, no; the Irish can’t stand mean-
ness. Take O’Grady’s case. You know,
in Ireland, some 60 or 70 years ago,
when a poor family lacked a coffin
they made the corpse beg for it.
“This custom, alas! sometimes led
to imposture. Thus, Thirsty O’Grady
and his friends wanted money badly
once, and O’Grady was assigned to
act the corpse. So they laid him on
a bier outside the door and they put
a pewter plate beside him for the
pennies.
“As O’Grady lay there, so still, with
closed eyes, an old woman stopped
and dropped sixpence into the plate.
Then she began to take out change.
A penny, tuppence, threepence she
took out, and O’Grady couldn’t stand
such meanness. Corpse as he was, he
said:
“ ‘Arrah, now, don’t mind the
change.’ ’’—Washington Star.
World’s Supply oi Ivory
_1— *--—
Ten Thousand Elephants Slaughtered
Yearly to Meet the Demand for
the Product.
In spite of the great demands of
the arts and trades for Ivory, the quan
tity Imported at Antwerp. London and
Liverpool, the principal markets of
the world, remains almost constant
The total was 484 French tons In 1888
and 469 tons in 1908. In the years
between It has been as high as 688
tons, in 1900.
Antwerp was unknown as an ivory
market 20 years ago, but now sur
passes London in the size of its trade,
owing to the opening of the Congo i
region.
Occasionally tusks are round weigh
fng 150 pounds, but one of 50 pounds i
is considered a fine specimen. The la* I
Oti the Stage.
“We’ve got to get somebody to play
this light part.”
“Why not the electrician?"—Balti-
more American.
Even a stingy man loosens up when
asked for advice.
in both India and the Congo forbids
the export of tusks weighing less than
six pounds.
But even allowing 100 pounds a
pair, the amount taken to Europe in
a year mfeans the death of more than
10,000 e’ephants, probably twice that
number, for many elephants are killed
that yield no Ivory, females, for In-
stance.
The price varies from 91 to |3 a
pound, according to quality.
Much Money In Junk.
Much money Is made by the sale
of old rope and string. Thousands
of dollars are netted by the buying
and selling of old fishing nets alone;
but the amount Is a mere bagatelle to
the cash that is turned ov^r In the
handling of old cordage at the docks.
RESULTS OF FOOD.
Health and Natural Conditions Come
From Right Feeding.
Man, physically, should be like a
perfectly regulated machine, each
part working easily in its appropri-
ate place. A slight derangement
causes undue friction and wear, and
frequently ruins the entire system.
A well-known educator of Boston
found a way to keep the brain and
the body in that harmonious co-opera-
tion which makes a joy of living.
"Two years ago," she writes, “being
in a condition of nervous exhaustion,
I resigned my position as teacher,
which I had held for over 40 years.
Since then the entire rest has, of
course, been a benefit, but the use of
Grape-Nuts has removed one great
cause of illness In the past, namely,
constipation, and its attendant evils.
generally make my entire break-
fast on a raw egg beaten into four
spoonfuls of Grape-Nuts, with a little
hot milk or hot water added. I like
It extremely, my food assimilates, and
my bowels take care of themselves.
I find my brain power and physical
endurance much greater and I know
that the use of the Grape-Nuts has
contributed largely to this result
“It is with feelings of gratitude that
I write this testimonial, and trust it
may be the means of aiding others in
their search for health.” Name given
by Postum Co., Battle Creek, Mich.
Read the little book, “The Road to
Wellville ” in pkgs. “There’s s Rea-
son,”
Ever reaS the iVit* letter? A aew
•m appears treat time «e time. They
•re aeaalae, tree, am* tall at *----
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Wright, W. L. The Collinsville News. (Collinsville, Okla.), Vol. 12, No. 40, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 16, 1911, newspaper, February 16, 1911; Collinsville, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1172488/m1/2/: accessed April 25, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.