The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Gay Adventure, by Richard Bird

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Title: The Gay Adventure
A Romance

Author: Richard Bird

Illustrator: E. Vaun Wilson

Release Date: October 1, 2010 [EBook #33823]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE GAY ADVENTURE

A ROMANCE

By RICHARD BIRD

_Author of_ THE FORWARD IN LOVE

WITH FRONTISPIECE BY
F. VAUX WILSON

INDIANAPOLIS
THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY
PUBLISHERS

COPYRIGHT 1914
THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY

PRESS OF
BRAUNWORTH & CO.
BOOKBINDERS AND PRINTERS
BROOKLYN, N. Y.

_TO BETTY_

_My book the Critics may abhor--_
_The Public, too. But, all the same,_
_This Page at least is Golden, for_
_It bears the imprint of your name._

[Illustration: It was Beatrice at last!]

CONTENTS

I THE IMPOVERISHED HERO AND THE SURPASSING DAMSEL

II BEHIND THE SCENES

III CONFIDENCES

IV BREAKERS AHEAD!

V THE PLOT THICKENS

VI THE HISTORY OF HENRY BROWN

VII MR. HEDDERWICK'S FIRST ADVENTURE

VIII A TALE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

IX ENTER TONY WILD

X HOW TO DRESS ON NOTHING A YEAR

XI AT THE HAPPY HEART

XII CROSSED ORBITS

XIII RATHER STAGY

XIV A RISE IN THE WORLD

XV A CHANGE OF LODGING

XVI A LETTER AND SOME REFLECTIONS

XVII OFF WITH THE OLD LOVE

XVIII TONY AT WORK AND PLAY

XIX THE PLOT AGAIN THICKENS

XX THRILL UPON THRILL

XXI THE THORNY PATH

XXII A TELEGRAM AND SUNDRIES

XXIII STILL RUNNING

XXIV CERTAINTY--AHA!

XXV THE GOD OF THE MACHINE

XXVI THE USUAL THING

THE GAY ADVENTURE

CHAPTER I

THE IMPOVERISHED HERO AND THE SURPASSING DAMSEL

Mr. Lionel Mortimer was a young gentleman of few intentions and no
private means. Good-humored, by no means il