The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-03-26
Il II ii tt II II II:
= THE SHADOWS
# OF THE +
- (0RD|LLERA;;# =:
II Or, The Magnolia Flower. II.
~ BY VIRGINIA LEILA VENT. -
- - x
e CopYR1GKT, 1900
By ERWIN WARDMAN.
Il II II II II II: II
CHAPTER VII.

with dark half circles under her eyes
and all her pretty color gone.
TOO many long walks, too much vio-
lent riding and that sort Of thing. I've
overdone it, she explained to Mrs.
Morris. But she added, seeing the look
of distress on that lady's face, IN
soon freshen up-you'll seer
She did And when the season open
ed she became most popular; she was
here and there and everywhere. The
piquancy of her foreign favor gave her
an additional attractiveness. Her So
cial triumphs now for the first time
fully awakened the important De
Witte to her charms, and he wondered
at his former comparative apathy.
AS to Llama, the awakening distress
ed her greatly. He was his mothers
idolized son; she, Llama, was her pen
niless protegee. When her happiness
came to be weighed in the balance
against his it was no open question
which would tip the scales. And she
was beginning to feel something al
most like repulsion for the man, i'm
maculately groomed and tailored as he
was. His continual low whispers and
gazing eyes, the dulcet tete-a-tetes
when the family were out, the tanta-
lizing passages as he waylaid her on
the stairs of an evening-all these
brought her trouble and unrest. All.
were all men self seeking?
Margaret Maitland and Llama had
become fast friends, as their first meet
ing promised. The experiences OF the
summer had brought them closely to-
gether. 1t was the day after Anna
Abbott's wedding. at which both the
girls had been bridesmaids, and Mar
garet, who was not feeling well, was
lying down in her boudoir, propped ur
with cushions. Llama had dropped in
for a few moments chat, but, finding
her friend indisposed. had taken OFF
her wraps and decided to pass the aft
ernoon with her.
Anna looked every inch the bride
didn't she?' said Margaret; ''pretty
flushed and tremulous. l. hope shell
be a g8od little wife to Charles. he's 81
desperately fond of her. And She:
such spoiled, petted creature"
Llama acquiesced in all these things
playing idly with her big muff, which
lay on chair beside her. Somehow
her heart was heavy today. 1t wa
"Lohengrin's Wedding March" which
had fetched the heaviness. she said Il
herself Yesterday when the strain
had reached her ears in her usua
senseless fashion she had felt her lip
tremhle, and great, foolish sob nearl.
had broken up from her throat.
But of this she said no word. Sh
began to tax instead of the guest
who had been at the wedding, of tn
stream of men and women. old AM
young, people with great deal o
manner and not much else. 1t amuse
her to see the faultlessly dressed me-
caressing their hats, grinning vacuous
~ and clacking out set phrases and
hear the women gossip turbulent
about such things as the shop window
could bring to view any day, fror
Alaskan seal garments at one end t
jeweled barbarities in buckles at TIL
other. With turquoise blue fantasies i
millinery coming somewhere in be
tween.
They talked of these people Fl
awhile until Margaret, rising impet
ously and letting an unregarded Gus
ion fall to the floor beside her, said:
LLAMA, I'm sick of it all-this thiI
I they call society. It's only the clio
clacking of gristless mill, who's
noise more than anything else pr
claims its own emptiness"
Zone must imagine to like it, put
Llama, smiling archly. THAT lis no
one learns. This is how one cou
wish things to be, and this is how the
are" She crossed one slim finger ov
another as she laid out the case. B
we must imagine to like them a
Mop
Margaret watched her silently. Tht
she reached over to a table at the he;
of her couch and picked up an OPP.
pamphlet. 1t was a little essay WI
ten in the preraphaelite vein and q
gued against the prosaic outward fl
niture Of modern life and the sprea
ing Of ''the hideous town." She -four
the place she wanted and read:
"Say what you will, we are lost Oh
dren, and when alone and the dar
ness begins to gather we long for t
close relationship of the brothers al
sisters we knew in our childhood al
cry for the gentle arms that once roc
ed us to sleep We are homesicll am
this sad. mad rush for wealth al
place and FL The calm of t
caunt1z- - s,.aI Iyn fai, would