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. CHANGE OF FORTUNE
t By George Elmer Cobb.
& Daniel Forsythe considered himself
one of the most fortunate men in the
world when he became a partner with
fRoger Bell. He was-getting old, his
new business cares would be light,
and Bell was a money maker. Besides
that, young Denzil Bell and Lucia
Forsythe were engaged.
f It Avas' true that young Bell was by
no means the man the old business
v
I
"It Crushes. Me to Think of You,
v Lucia!"
veteran would generally have select
" ed for a son-in-law. The scion of the
Bells was idle, without ambition,
fickle and a spendthrift. As to Lucia,
Pshe had failed to find one ideal among
jthe fashionable young men with
v whom she was brought in contact in
, the social swim. She had arrived at
a marriageable age, however, and the
2 principal anxiety of her father was to
, see her "settle down," as he express
" ed it. She siglied a trifle, and the'u in.
her great love for her father she, de
cided to make a sacrifice of herself.
Then, rudely, unexpectedly, came
the darkest day in the hfe of old Dan
iel Forsythe. With a crash the great
house of Bell, Forsythe & Co. went
down in ruin. All of the Forsythe
fortune was involved. The Bells,
however, were notorious for having
ever "an anchor to windward." When
the creditors were settled with the
Bells flew as high as ever. Mrs. Bell
had a fortune of her own, and on
that the family could drift along very
pleasantly. The first thing shallow,
mean-spirited Denzil Bell did wag to
break the engagement with Lucia.
She had expected it and was devoutly
glad it had come about.
"We are paupers!" mourned her
father. "And now the engagement is
broken. It crushes me to think of
you, Lucia. I had so counted on your
trip abroad to finish up your art and
music. Now "
"Now .dear papa," cried Lucia, al
most joyously, "I am free to have my
own way, to really live, to be of some
actual use in the world. Yes, art
and music and very dear to me, but
thanks to your great goodness, I
know a good deal worth knowing of
both. I am going to try to share
those treasures, to impart my knowl
edge to the world at large."
"Even if the crash had not not
come," declared he? father, "it would
not have meantmuch to me, for I am
gradually breaking down in health."
"Nonsense!" cheered his hopeful
daughter. "A month up among the
pines with- Aunt Carrie will soon
drive away all such megrims Papa,
you have taken care of me all my
life now I am going to pay you
back."
Lucia was as good as her word.
She did not realize that the removal
of social restrictions, the absence of
matrimonial fetters, were elements in
the vast courage and ambition that
began to come into her life in a prac
tical way. " ,
Years previous Mr, Fbrsytfie fcad.
:An. mb.
