Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-08-05

so keen that she insisted on having a
hand in the preliminaries. There was
something about the partnership that
appealed to Monty.
terfered with the opening of the per-
formance, but Monty consoled her with
the promise that the opera and Its
democratic audience should follow.
During the day Mrs. Dan had been
deep in preparations for her banquet,
but her plans were deliberately conceal
ed. They eliminated at o'clock in the
Cova. not far from the Scala, and the
dinner was eaten in the garden to the
sound Of music. Yet it was an effect Of
simplicity with which Mrs. Dan sur
prised her guests. They were prepared
for anything but that, and when they
were served with consomme, spaghetti
"a concession to the chef-and chops
and peas, followed by salad and cof-
fee, the gratitude of the crowd was
quite beyond expression. In burst Of
enthusiasm Subway Smith suggested
testimonial.
Monty complained bitterly that he
himself had never received ghost OF
testimonial. He protested that it was
not deserved.
why should you expect it?" exclaim.
ed Pettingill. "When have you risen
from terrapin and artichokes to chops
and chicory? When have you given us
nectar and ambrosia like this?''
Monty was defeated by unanimous
vote, and Mrs. Dams testimonial was
assured. This matter settled, Peggy
and Mrs. Valentine, with Brewster and
Pettingill, walked over to the Scala
and heard again the last two acts Of
"Aida." But the audience was differ
ent, and the applause.
The next day at noon the chauffeurs
from Paris reported for duty, and five
cleaning French devil wagons steamed
off through the crowd in the direction
of Venice. Through Brescia and Verona
and Vicenza they passed, scattering
largess of silver in their wake and
leaving trail of GREATNESS wonder.
Brewster found the pace too fast, and
by the time they reached Venice he had
a wistful longing to take this radiant
country more slowly. But this is pure
~ business trip" he thought, "and
can't expect to enjoy it. Some day I'll
come back and do it differently. l
could spend hours in gondola if the
blamed thing We're not more expensive
by the trip"
1t was there that he was suddenly
recalled to his duty from dreams of
moonlight on the water by a cable
gram which demanded 1924 before it
could be read 1t contained word for
word the parable of the ten talents
and ended with the simple word
Zones"
CHAPTER XIII.
VHE summer is scarcely good
time to visit Egypt, but Monty
and his guests had desire to
i see even little of the northern
coast of Africa. 1t was decided, there
fore, that after Athens the Filter
should so south. The yacht had met
them at Naples after the automobile
procession--a kind Of niumphal prog
ress-was disbanded in Florence, and
they had taken a hurried survey Of
Rome. By the middle of July the
party was leaving the heat of Egypt
and finding it not half bad. New
York was not more, than a month
away as Brewster reckoned time and
distance, and there was still too much
money in the treasury. AS Septer Der
drew nearer he got into the habit
of frequently forgetting Swearengen
Jones until it was too late to retrace
his steps. He was coming to the
death struggle as he termed it, ard
there was something rather terroriz-
ing in the fear that 1.-The million might
die hard" And SO these last days and
nights were glorious ones, if one could
have looked at them with unbiased,
untroubled eyes. But every member
Of his party was praying for the day
when the Filter would be well into
the broad Atlantic and the worst over
At Alexandria Brewster had letters to
some Englishmen and in the few en-
tertainments that he gave succeeded
once again in fairly outdoing Aladdin.
A sheik from the interior was a
guest at one Of Monty's entertain
ments. He was a burly, hot blooded
fellow, with densely populated
harem, and he had been invited more
as curiosity than as one to be hon
ored. AS he came aboard the Filter
Monty believed the invitation was
moro. than justified. Mohammed was
superb, and the women Of the party
made so much of him that it was small
wonder that his head was turned. He
fell desperately in love with Peggy
Gray on sight, and with all the COM
posture Of q potentate who has never
been crossed be sent for Brewster the
next day and told him to "send her
around" and he would marry her.
Montys blood boiled furiously for a
minute or two, but he was quick to see
the wisdom Of treating the proposition
automatically. He tried to make it