Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-03-06
By BOOTH TARKINGTOr
coDyrisht. 1902. by $ $. Mcclure Co.
CHAPTER X.

II q - |
|SNW3| their eyes for any fool to gaze
~ upon, but three was the num-
Der of those who told their love before
the end of the first week of Mr.. Ca
rewe's absence, and told it in spite of
Mrs. Tanberry's utmost effort to pre-
serve, at all times. conjunction be-
tween herself and Miss Betty.
Miss Carewe honored each of the lorn
three with few minutes of gravity,
but the gentle refusal prevented never
Il swain from being as truly her folloy-
er as before, not that she resorted to
the poor device of half dismissal, the
everyday method of the schoolgirl firt,
who thus keeps the lads in dalliance but
because, even for the rejected, it was
delight to be near her. For that matter,
1t Is said that no one ever had enough
of the mere looking at her. Also, her
talk was enlivening even to the lively,
being spiced with surprising turns and
amiably seasoned with the art of badl-
mage. To use the phrase of the time,,
she possessed the accomplishments, an
antiquated charm now on the point of
disappearing, so carefully has it been
snubbed under whenever exhibited.
She sketched magnificently. This is
the very strongest support for the as
sertion: Frank Chenoweth and Tap
bingham Marsh agreed, with tears of
enthusiasm, that "magnifcently" was
the only word. They came to this con-.
clusion as they sat together ut the end
Of long dinner, at which very little
had been eaten, after days picnic by
the river. Miss Carewe had been of
their company, and Tappingham and
Chenoweth found each his opportunity
in the afternoon. The PARTY was small
and no one had been able to effect
total Inconsistencies of the maueuyers
of the two gentlemen. Even Fanchon
! Bareaud comprehended lauguidly,
though she was more blurred than ever,
and her faraway eyes belied the me-
chanical vivacity of her manner, for
Crailey was thirty miles down the river
with fishing rod neatly packed in a
, leather case.
! Mr.. Vanrevel, of course, was not in
vited. No one would have thought Of
asking him to join small party Of
which Robert Carewe's daughter was
to be member, but it was happiness
enough for Tom that night to lie hid
den in the shrubbery looking up at the
| stars between the leaves while he lis
tened to her harp and borne through the
open window on enchanted airs the
! voice Of Elizabeth Carewe singing
robin Adair.''
1t was now that the town INDUCED
its liveliest spirit Never an evening
lacked its junketing, while the happy
folk of Rouen set the early summer
| to music Serenade, dance and song
for them, the light hearts, young and
old making gay together. 1t was all
laughter, either in sunshine or by can
delight, undisturbed by the far thun-
| der below the southern horizon, where
Zachary Taylor had pitched his tent,
upon the Rio Grande.
One fair evening soon after that ex-
cursion which had proved fatal to the
hopes of the handsome Tappingham
and Of the youthful Chenoweth it was
the privilege of Mr.. Thomas Vanrevel
to assist Miss Carewe and her chaperon
from their carriage as they drove up to
a dance at the Bareauds'... This good
fortune fell only to great deserving, for
he had spent an hour lurking outside
the house in the hope Of performing
such offices for them.
Heaven was in his soul, and the
breath departed out of his body when,
after moment Of hesitation; Miss
Betty's little lace gauntleted glove was
placed i'll his hand, and her white Slip
per shimmered out from the lilac
| founces of her dress to fall like ben
| ediction, he thought, on each of the
| carriage steps.
It was the age Of garlands. They
wreathed the muses., the seasons and
| their speech, so the women wore
wreaths in their hair, and Miss Betty's
that night was Of marguerites. "Read
| your fortune In them all,'' whispered
Toms heart, "and Of whomsoever you
wish to learn every petal will say, 'He
| loves you; none declare he loves you
pot!'" 4
She bowed slightly, but did not speak
to him, which was perhaps better re-
ception than that accorded the young
man by her companion. "Oh, it's you,
is it?" was Mrs. Tanberry's courteous
observation as she canted the vehicle
in her descent. She looked sharply at
| Miss Betty, and even the small glow Of
the carriage lamps showed that the girls
cheeks had flushed very red. Mr.. Van
reyel, on the contrary, was pale.
They stood for moment in awk-
ward silence, while from the lighted
house where the flying figures circled
came the waltz, II Dreamt That l
Dwe-helt In Ma-har-ble Halls" Toms
own dreams were much wilder than
the gypsy girls, he knew that, yet he
spoke out bravely:
"Will you dance the first two with
| me?"
Miss Betty bit her lip, frowned, turn
ed away and, vouchsafing no reply,
walked toward the house with her
eyes fixed on the ground; but just as
they reached the door she flashed over
him a look that scorched him from
head to foot and sent his spirits down
through the soles Of his boots to exca-
yate grotto in the depths of the
earth, so charged it was with wrathful
pity and contempt.
yes" she said abruptly and follow
ed Mrs. Tanberry to the dressing room
The elder lady shook her head SOL