The evening world. Newspaper, June 17, 1916, Page 6

O9DOHHVDDOOHOOOOS) FOURTH THE soc IAL VORTEX ? EPISODE ¢ r . (Copyright, 1916, by Adelaide M. Hughes.) LORIA went corridor of the as if blindfolded young heart not even to be recog Metropolitan. through the glittering throngs in the It was a cruel humiliation to her gnized by the man she had waited for through five eternal years, the man she had loyally considered Pevself engaged to all that time, But Freneau was not long in finding out his mistake, Gloria hed run away from her father to run to Freneau, only to run away from bit In turn, OM Stafford, looking for Gloria, encountered Freneau, shook him warmly by the hand, and asked: “Have you seen my daughter?” Then he realized with a shock that the man Frencau was engaged to his guehter, and that the respite of five ye Stafford glowered at the handsome young enemy of @oria’s heart was due. hig happine: ta was up. The mortgage on But Freneau had suddenly realized that Gloria was Gloria, He made her. H haste to pursue Btafford box and put up her absurdly ag they escaped ove purdly large tears Freneau deftly turned his slight into a compliment: 1 was 60 dazzled when I saw you that I couldn't “Miss Stafford-—G speak, You were tre hair up and all this grandeur mine, aren't you? joria! You're still mine mendously pretty as a on, you're—you're @ goddess, And you're aught her just as she paused at the door of the small handkerchief to catoh the ab. her pink petal cheeks, ~as a kid; but now, with your His impetuous charge staggered her, but she was too deeply hurt to for- Five him at once. few rather than with anger. Pie cursed his stupidity and turned He joined a group of men eway. gpated in a box, among them his partner, Frank Mulry, who was beaming like @ full moon wrapped wp in broadcloth and white linen. Feeneau began peering about the heuse through his opera glasses. He fastened them on Gloria where she gt brooding bitterly, The first great meeting with hi lover had failed to lve up to the dreams she had been gherishing for five yours. ‘Her father leaned over and tried to interest her in the opera. “‘Boris Godunow’ is my favorite @pera,” he said, “and Amato is in splendid form to-night.” But Gloria hardly heard the so- ;-@erous orchestra or the fhundering ehorus. The music was Mttle more te her than « loud wind blowing about her the asies of her dead tomance. By and by the opera glasses went poving idly along the boxes. They guddenty Grought Breneau before her with @ Sump. Me ecemed very near end Ge tenses of bis opera gtasscs were like eyes staring into her own. fe could mot help emiling, back Into his appealing smile. Indeed, when he began to signal her to meet Aim in the corridor she was tempted te consent. To the girl just out ef school that would be a frightful adventure, more exciting than her wanderings in the Everglades and her capture by the Seminoles. She ehook her head at Freneau and turned io see what her father thought of her flirtatiousness. She (aw why he liked “Borie Godunow” ge much. He had never slept better. jow, with her chaperon gone to and, it looked to Gloria as {@ Providence meant that she should Pursue the adventure. Bhe did not know that Lois Stafford, pated in David's box, was taking in tpese wireless signals from one side @f the horseshoe to the other. She 4 not see how Lois glowered at Freneau's alluring grin; how fiercely @e frowned when Freneau rose and Agft the box, and how frantic she was when Gloria prose and left hers. For @loria, seeing Freneau go, hesitated oly a moment, then rose and stole away, too, leaving her father In a Peaceful slumber which all the @lamors of the Russian opera could Bot disturb. Outside the Stafford door Freneau waited in ambush. He was rewarded by the appearance of Gloria, He was wo delighted that when she asked him why he had motioned to her to meet him he could think of nothing Wetter to say than: “I thought you She shook her head dolefully and punished him with sor- In spite of all he could sa) closed the door almost on his fingers, and vanished, she slipped into the Thore's the buffet might be hungry. upstairs.” Gloria smiled and understood and accepted the challenge. She said she was famished. The corridors and the massive stairway were empty at this time and they scampered up to the refreshment room like children. Gloria was enchanted by the array of cakes and became hungry in the presence of the feast. She poked her finger at the most toothsome. “Give me this, give me this: one of these, two of those, and a chocolate and pistache ice cream—and some lemonade.” Love had evidently not ruined her young appetite. Freneau led her to a table and they began to renew old acquaintance, She renewed ber five-year-old expression of gratitude to him for resoulng her from the Indians, and he had neither the courage nor the honesty to admit that it was not he but Doctor Royce who had fought the chief to a Iiestill. Frenewu and Gloria hed many things to discuss, but he did not tell her all the mischief he hed been up to in the five years’ test. That went without saying. They did not know that the room filled up with a chattering mob when the curtain went down, nor that the chattering mob disappeared when the curtain went up again. Gloria prattled on, munching her cakes and ice and sipping her lemon- ade, Suddenty she felt her ear eeized in a familiar grasp. Her father had wakened with a start when the or- chestra stopped playing. He had blinked abput in the sudden bright lighta and missed his daughter. She Was lost in the mazes of the opera house, He was tempted to offer a reward for her, as he had when she decamped into the Everglades, He decided to rearch first for her himself. He found the estray in tho deserted buffet, spooning up the lust of her ice cream and the best of Fre- nes.» flatteries. He dragged her out of heaven, She fought him all the way down the stairs, but he would not let her go. He would not let Fre- neau come near. At the next intermission her father tagged along like a younger brother. Refore she could get to Freneau, her sister-in-law, Lols, captured him, Lois rebuked Freneau fon his atten- tions to Gloria and reminded him of his oaths of fidelity to her own un- faithful self. He made light of his in- terest in Gloria and was avowing his devotion to Lois when her husband appeared at their elbaws, ‘They masked their confusion as best ld and Freneau sauntered 6Or. GLORIA WAS BESET BY WOOERS; SHE TRIED TO DODGE THE GNATLIKE away. David glowered after him and glared at his wife. He had not for- gotten that Freneau had been his Tival for Lois’s fickle heart before they were married. He did not dream how deeply she was involved with Freneau now; but tho first seed of muspicion was sown. Lois's father, Judge Freeman, had not fprgotten Lots’s early infatuation for the young broker, who had a gift of making woinen reckless. He saw how David was miffed. He saw also how Gloria tried to reach Freneau, only to lose him in the crowd. The Judge was trained in observing human nature. Hoe even ventured to speak to Gloria. “I wouldn't think too much of that Froneau follow if I were you, Gloria. “But you aren't me, are you, Judge?” Gloria answered impudently, and the Judge retired, mumbling: “No! I'll have to admit that Then Plerpont came up and com- pelled Gloria to go back and listen to mere opera, when she wanted to hear Freneau's glorious voice, When the last curtain fell and the multitude flooded the corridors she did not get a glimpse of him. Her father kept watoh over her and Gloria went home amazed at the cantankerous meddle- someness of parents in love affairs, She told her father that he ought to be in better business than playing the demon chaperon, but he only smiled. She was all he had and he wanted to keep her to the last moment. He wanted also to make some investiga- tion of Frenau's behatior and his ro- liabilty as a son-in-law, He had not ACQUAINTANCE, SUITORS. heard much about him, but that little was not good. oe 8 © © @ © @ ‘The naxt day a rescuer appeared in unexpected guisa Her aunt, the great Hortensia Stafford, called to see her, raved over her beauty and hailed her as a graduate from the ranks of siridom, “You must have @ coming-out party,” ehe sald, “and take up the duties of womanhood.’ Plerpont violently insisted that Gloria was only a child. But he was only a fatber and merely a brother to Hortensia, so she waved him aside asa nuisance. Gloria embraced her fervently and thought her an angel. She changed her mind when it came to sending out the invitations for the debut, for Aunt Hortensia was a stickler for eocial selectness and she loved to blue pencil doubtful names. Gloria made out a list of those she wanted. There were dozens of girl friends and a few young men she had known from childhood. She wrote among these the name of Richard Freneau with loving flourishes. Aunt Hortensia ran him through with one straight thrust of her deadly blue pencil. Gloria protested, but Hor- tensla answered: “I don’t know him. I don’t wish to know him. You have no time to know him. Who is he?" When Glorla started to tell her she would not listen, and Plerpont had one cheerful moment. Glorta, how- ever, would not let her lover be snubbed so arrantly. She knew that argument with this imperative rela- tive was worse than useless, so she merely nodded her head in obedience and set about to cirourhvent her, flut- tering about again while her aunt re- turned to her own list. Gloria an- nexed an invitation, an envelope and 4@ pen, and the deed was done. An in- vitation to Mr. Richard Freneau re- posed in the basket with those all ready for the mail, and with elab- orate Innocence Gloria danced over to her ignorant relation. When that invitation was received at the office of Freneau & Mulry it seemed like a message from heaven to the almost broken brokers. The busi- ness was in fearful shape and they were about ready to close up shop unless some miracle should occur to tide them over. Mulry had been pacing the floor, discussing ways and means; Freneau was disgustedly beating a tattoo on the desk when the office boy entered with the mail, On the top lay the large envelope, Opening It, Freneau read that Mr, Pierpont Stafford and Miss Gloria Stafford requested the pleasure of his company at a debyt dance on a certain afternoon, Freneau proudly showed to to Mulry Mulry blew “What right a long whistle and said have you got to get "1 saved he Mulry laughed, Freagau tuld life," Freneau replic Ab, go on." When bie Version of thy slory, -E EVENING WORLD, SATURDAY, JUNE 17, 1016 OOOO OO} O00 000000000000 COCO OOD OED as | GLORIA’S ROMANCE [From the Motior the Motion F siure Grerna of the Same |Name Produced by George Kieine and |Featuring Miss Billie Burke vividly describing how little Gloria had been lost in the Everglades of Florida and taken prisoner by a tribe of Seminoles, and how Freneau had tracked her through the wilderness @nd saved her from the young chief who was determined to make the girl his squaw, Freneau's language bad all the vividness that only fiction achieves. But Mulry still laughed: “You never saved a kitten from a poodle.” He knew Freneau. Freneau was furious, but Mulry looked him up and down with a con- temptuous admiration, Thon, sober- ing quickly and, taking the invitation from Freneau's hand, ho slapped him on the back and said: “The main thing is that she thinks you saved her, so it’s her turn to save you, Marry her quick! We can bor- row a big wad on your father-in- law’s mere name,” Freneau saw the point and prom- ised. His triumphant smile did not last long. His mind shifted back and forth ike a shuttlecock, weighing all the chances, There was his entanglement with Lois. What a double-dyed fool he had been to flirt with Gloria's ter-in-law! How very carel him! She might spoil everything, She would be bound to see and know something of his courtship. He felt sure he could win Gloria over again as he had won her heart five years before, provided he could still pose in the light of a courage- ous and faithful suitor, But Lois must be kept from ruining every- thing. His best chance lay in speed, he thought, and his ability to keep Lois quiet. His face cle red a his mo! charming smile was tur oM "AIL right. We'll marry her." a ee 6 6 * Standing at the head of the fa- mous Stafford stair, in line with her aunt, her girl friends, and Lois, was the most exquisite debutante of the season, Aunt Hortensia had seen many in her long life, but she heaved a small, polite sigh of great and contentment as lanced ov the imperious youn ure at her side. , Miss Stafford had insisted that simplicity be the keynote of her niece's attire at this afternoon re- ception 4n her honor, but the cun- ning of the dressmaker had con- trived to cause the appear of simplicity over a most complicated study in beauty line, Yet above the wealth of fabric the Joyous youth of Gloria shone forth transcend: The house was so 1 with flowers sent by admiring friends and hopeful suitors that the affair was like @ merrymaking in the gigantic conservatory, At the foot of the steps stood a footman, r ndent in powdered halr, with silk stockings, Ted velvet coat, and knee breeches. At the edge of the receiving line the old butler, Griggs, kept calling each guest's name clearly and dis- Unctly, so that the hostesses need not puzzle their wits over who was who. Gloria's heart pounded proudly be- neath her chiffons, It was not half had to be a young queen in one's own palace and at last to be considered ® real part of it. Yet as guest after Buest was presented to her aunt she save each only an instant’s gractous- ness, then her eyes went beyond and her ears strained for the magical name of her tdol—Freneau. She did, indeed, give a little extra honor to one old friend. As Doctor Royce mounted the stairs Gloria ran forward from the line to greet him specially, She presented him to her aunt, and his heart glowed warmly with Gloria's welcome. Aunt Hor- tensia’s keen eyes lit up with pleasure 4s she greeted him too, for something about the look of his eye and the grip of his hand gained her worldly wise favor. But Gloria's affection for Royce was not love, and when he turned back to her for a word he found her distraught. He sighed and passed on to Lois, waving her little hand to some one in the ascending stream of guests. When Doctor Royce had ehaken hands with the rest of the hostesses he saw Freneau already holding Gloria's hand, There was an expres- sion of ownership on his face, and he made no bones about incidentally holding up a line of indignant guests. Royce saw the look of adoration in Gloria's countenance, and he burned with righteous jealousy. From this time on through the en- re afternoon Royce made himself a Nemesis on the trail of Richard Fre- neau. Through the ballroom, the tearoom, the library, and conserva- tory Royce followed the Gloria hunt- ing man, He could not do much, but he hoped to shame Freneau a little, and he put all his contempt into his eyes whenever Freneau's attemptg to get a word alone with Gloria became too flagrantly expressive, The chase was watched also by another—the terrified, consciance- haunted wife of David. Lols had given up her peace and happiness and her respect of self tor the prize that she now saw being taken from her, She felt no repentance, but only a helpless rage. Gloria had couuted on dancing the first dance with Mr, Freneau. She was so beset with wooers that he could not reach her. He was not the only man in New York willing to make love to the helress of the Staf- ford wealth, who was, incidentally, dowered in her own right with a beauty and magnetism that would The Fifth Episode in the Serial “GLORIA’S Will Be Published SATURDA ROMANCE” » June 24 Scenario and Novelization By Mr. and Mrs. Rupert Hughes Standing at the head of the stair was the most exquisite debutante of the season, Gloria’s heart pounded proudly beneath her chiffons. It was not half bad to be a young queen in one’s own palace and at last to be considered a real part of it. after guest was presented she gave each only an instant’s graciousness, and her ears strained for the magical name of her idol, Freneau. have meant a fortune to any girl Gloria tried to dodge the gnat-like sultors: “May I have this dance. The next? Tho one after that, then?” They followed among the pillars about the ballroom floor. They cor- nered her at last, and Doctor Royce confronted her, She was about to take him in desperation when she saw Freneau at her shoulder. He was the man of men, but a sudden shyness overwhelmed her. Her bethrothal to him had not been ratified again, and she was afraid to let every ono see her choose him. Her humid eyes caught sight of her father, who was smiling in the hope that there was security in numbers. She made a dive at him and mado him her beau. Everybody admired her tactful choice; but Pierpont knew more about investments than about the fox trot, and he had more rheumatism in his muscles than grace. He made a sorry figure in the crowd of dancers, and finally col- lapsed in Royce’s arms. Gloria gig eied. “T turn him over to you, doctor Royce laughed till he saw that she surrendered herself to Freneau, Then he frowned. He was in a miserable dilemma. He could see that Freneau cast a apell over the young soul of Gloria, and he knew him to be un- worthy of the girl's trust. Royce knew that Freneau was a cad. Ho had stolen from Royce the fruits of his victory over the Indian chief. Royoe had fought for Gloria and for ‘his own life while Freneau carried her off. And now Royce wanted to save her from Freneau as he had saved her from the Seminole. But, alas! this was quite another matter, for Gloria did not want to be saved, Royce could not bring himself to declaring the truth of the matter, for he could not endure to exploit his own prowess. He knew enough of the world, too, to know that if he went to Gloria with m of her cavaller he would only add to Fre- neau the charm of persecution. He was in the presence of a complication of dangerous symptoms, and he did not know how to act to prevent their developing into a plague of troubles, He could only do what he could to keep Freneau assured that his con- quest of the young girl's heart would not he oppos Suddenly a careless glance at Lots gave him a start. Sh was in such distress that he moved to her to offer his help. She was watching Freneau dance with Gloria, She saw how content they were together and her heart turned sick. But before Royee could reach her a determined youth cut in on Gloria's dance with Freneau and dragged her from his arms for the rest of the dance, Then Freneau hurried to Lots, Instantly Lois was better, smiling once more, for now it was she whom Freneau encircled with his arm and piloted through the skipping and gliding traffic on the ballroom floor, Freneau held Lois tightly and whis- pered to her honeyed les. He ex- Yet as guest plained that he had to be potite to Gis hostess and that Gloria was a dear child, but, of course, she was nothing to him, while Lois was all in all, And Lots believed. Bad women are, of course, tigger fools than good women; otherwiee they would be wise enough te be good, But, being fools, it fe not strange, perhaps, that they should be 80 easily fooled. They can eeMom be- Neve or disbelieve truly. The intuition upon which they so confidently rely constantly plays them false, and be- Nef becomes the servant of wish, That dance over, the god-like young heart breaker betook himeelf again to the trail and followed the Stafford millions. Gloria had had enough of the guests, She wished that they would all go home, Instead, they were till pouring in. The slam of the doors of their cars could be heard even here, as motor after motor rolled up, emptied {ts human contents on the marble steps and rolled away. What Gloria wanted now was a folitude for two. Freneau was more than willing Sectng a young man coming to Whom she had promised sevegal dances and given none, Gloria fled among the crowd, motioning Fre- neat to follow. She led the way through the dense wilderness of the conservatory to a marble bench, ap- propriately placed at the foot of @ fountain where a little old marble cupid presided. ‘The trysting place was evidently popular, for Glorla fushed one br 0 lover when sbe parted the branch She did not recognize the young man and woman who scurrted away, but she understood their longing for quiet and would have apologized it tow hod Hngered., But .ow that they Were cone she amiled at Freneau and invited |..m to sit beside her. “This 1s the nearest to the Ever glades we have,” sho said. He lost no time in preambles. He began vria, dear, I've waited five years t this moment, and I want you to know that my ent’ heart has never for ona mo There was a rustie of palm leaves and the swish of skirts. Some one was invading their Eden. He sighed: “No Gloria whispered: ever mind; come out to our country place to-mor- row and I'll take you for a sleigh ride behind my ponies. And I'll drive.” Freneau chuckled es ho under- stood. He drew closer to the delect- able witch, only to see over her shoulder the eyes of an earlier witeh. It was Lois. Fearing that Gloria might see her she retreated. But Doctor Royce had followed too, and ho had seen Lols's face as she watched the lovers. He understood now the fever that he had noted on her face a while before. He understood too that ho had an ally in his battle nat Freneau's “prosperity with ‘oria--not an altogether destrable ally, but all allies are welcome in love or war. And this was both, (To Be Continued.) “GLORIA, DEAR,” SAID FRENEAU, "I'VE WAITED FIVE YEARS FOR Tris MOMENT,”