“What Is the Fetish of the Fair Young Woman of the Footlights That Makes Western Croesus Lay His Heart and Gold at Her Feet?” —New York Tribune headline My heart is not for sale! —Song lyric, 1905 “Gee! But This Is a Lonesome Town” —Song title, 1905 Throughout the following year, as Harry pursued his fallen Angel-Child in earnest, miraculously maintaining his temper and tempering his obsession with White (even paying for Evelyn to take another trip to Europe to study art and music, this one scrupulously supervised by a hired chaperone for the entire time), the papers were filled with speculative headlines. One read: “$80,000 or Espoused to a Fair Young Daughter of Thespis.” The public wondered how much of a sacrifice the Pittsburgh playboy was willing to make on behalf of the Broadway beauty. But Harry had routinely exceeded his $80,000 monthly allowance since that time when his myopic mother had first threatened him with disinheritance should he pursue his broken dream girl all the way to the altar.
