Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-09-08

"Oh, confound it," exclaimed JACK,
brusquely. You needn't run over her
points as if she were horse; don't
want TO buy her"
| AS matter of fact, he had only
caught the last word or two, for while
| Arkroyd had been talking he had been
/ thinking of that other beautiful girl
not doll, with teeth and a smile, but
an angel, pure and ethereal-a dream
hot fascinating heiress.
! But her." exclaimed Arkroyd.
Listen to him! Don't tell you she's
worth million?"
"And I'd make her Countess of Dial.
rymple tomorrow If she hadn't penny,
and would have me-" said Dalrymple.
TRY her" said Jack, CURLY.
mo use, my dear Savage" he said,
tugging at his incipient fringe of down
ruefully She won't have anything to
say to yours truly, or TO any one Of us
| for that matter. She only smiles
when we say pretty things, and shows
her teeth at us. Besides, the title
wouldn tempt her. She's got one al
ready. Don't tell you she's one Of
the Earlsley lot? No; we've all had a
try, even Arkroyd. He even went so
far as to get fellow to write poem
about her in one of the society four.
nails, and signed 1t "A. H.. but she told
him to his face that she didn't care for
poetry 1t was a pretty piece, too
wasn't it, Ark?''
"First-rate," said Arkroyd, with as
much modesty as If he had written it,
But 1t was all thrown away on Lady
Bell"
"On whom?" said Jack, waking up
again.
"On Lady Bell-Isabel Earlsley is
her name. You're gool.gathering to-
night, Jack"
"Oh, Lady Bell, is it?" said Jack,
carelessly. go ahead. Anything
else?"
NO that's all, excepting that III
wager n cool thousand to a china
orange that you'll change your tone
when you see her, Savage"
Perhaps" said Jack. but your de
Iscription doesn't move me; not much,
Ark. You're not good at that sort or
thing. 1t isn't in your line The
only things you seem to have remarked
are her smile and her teeth"
Savage, you are, as usual, blunt
not TO say rude. Let lis have another
bottle Of CliquOt."
IppIy ghnnly big banI hbf
bottle came up, and he sat and took
his share in silence and, indeed, al
most unconsCiously For all the at
tcntion he paid to the chatter of his
two friends they might not have been
present.
His thoughts flew backward to the
shady grove Of Warden Forest, to the
girl who, like a vision Of purity and III
nocence and loveliness, had hoated
like dream across his life.
He gave one passing thought to Len,
too, and his story.
1t was a strange coincidence that
they should both have met their fafes
at one and the same time, or nearly }.
He would have thought it stranger
still If he could have lifted the veil of
the future and seen how closely the
web of his life was woven with the
wool not only of una's, but of Laura
Trcherne, and also Of Lady Bell
Earlsley,
All unconscious he had turned a lear
Of his lire's book and had begun a
new chapter in which these three wo-
men were to take a part.
But he sat and drank the champagne,
knowing nothing Of this, and am
sorry to have to say it-he was rapid
~ arriving at that condition to which
il Is dangerous to be within a mile of
that fascinating fluid When man
passes from state of halffeVorish
rcstlesanoss ana dissatisfaction to one
Of comparative comfort, and that by
the aid of the cheering glass, it Is time
to put the cheering glass aside and 90
home,
Jack did not 30 home; on the con
trary, he went isto the bilIiard-room,
AID CltQuot followed as matter of
course
For time Jack had managed to for
get everything excepting his promise
to Len; he would not enter the card
room, but he stuck to pool and cham.
payne