The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-01-02


sonal acknowledgment Of his power.
Involuntary he drew nearer to her.
Lets get out of this crush
She made no answer except TO bend
her head, and it came TO him that, for
all her pride she liked-and uncon-
sciously yielded denomination. With
a satisfied gesture he turned to make
q passage toward the. door.
But the passage was more easily &c
sired than made In the few moments
since he had entered the supper room
the press of people had considerably
thickened until block had formed
about the doorway. Drawing Eve with
him he moved forward for a dozen
PAGES, then paused, unable to make
further Roadway.
AS they stood there he looked back
at her. What a study in democracy a
crowd always isr' he said.
She responded with a bright, appre-
ciatiye glance, as If surprised into
naturalness. He wondered sharply
what she would be like if her enthu-
siasms were really aroused. Then
stir in the corridor outside caused a
movement inside the room, and with
certain display of persistence he was
enabled to make passage to the door.
There again they were compelled to
halt But though tightly wedged into
his new position and guarding Eve with
one arm, Loder was free to survey
the brilliantly thronged corridor over
| the head of a man q few inches shorter
| than himself, who stood directly in
| front of him.
What are we waiting for?' he asked
good humoredly, addressing the back
| Of the strangers head.
The man turned. displaying a genial
face, a red mustache and an eyeglass.
"Hullo, Chilcotew he said. Hope
it's not on your feet I'm standing"
Loder laughed. NO" he said. And
don't change the position. If you were
an inch higher l should be blind as
well as crippled"
| The other laughed. 1t was pleasant
surprise to find Chilcote amiable under
discomfort. He looked round again In
slight curiosity.
Loder felt the scrutiny. To create u
diversion he looked out along the cor
ridor. II believe we are waiting for
something" he exclaimed. whats
thisT Then quite abruptly he ceased
TO speak.
Anything Interestingly" Eve touched
his arm.
He said nothing He made no effort
to look round. His thought as we'll as
his speech was suddenly suspended.
The man in front of him let his eye
glass fall from his eye, then screwed
it in again.
"Jove," he exclaimed, there comes
or sorceress! It's like the progress of
I fairy princess. l believe this is the
meaning of our getting penned in
here" He chuckled delightedly.
Loder said nothing. He stared
straight on over the others head
Along the corridor, agreeahly con
scious of the hum of admiration she
aroused, came Lillian Astrupp, sur
rounded by a little court Her delicate
face was lit up; her eyes shone under
the faint CLEAN of her hair; her gown
Of gold embroidery swept round her
gracefully. She was radiant and tri
umphant, but she was also excited. The
excitement was evident in her laugh, il
her gestures, in her eyes, as they turn
ed quickly in one direction and theI
another
Loder, gazing in stupefaction over
the other mans head, saw it-felt an(
understood it with a mind that leapeC
back over space Of years. As in {
shifting panorama he saw a night Of
disturbance and confusion in a farof
italian valley-a confusion from which
one face shone out with something Of
the pale, alluring radiance that filtered
over the hillside from the crescen
moon. 1t passed across his conscious
ness slowly, but with a slow complete
ness, and in its light the incidents O
the past hour stood out in q new as
pect. The echo of recollection stirre
by Lady Bramfelrs voice, the re-ech
of 1t in the sisters tones; his ow
blindness, his own egregious assuranc
all struck across his mind
Meanwhile the party about Lila
drew nearer. He felt with instinctiv
certainty that the supper room was il
destination, but he remained motor
: | less, held by a species of fatalism. II
watched her draw near with an I'll
moved face, but in the brief space tbs
passed while she traversed the corridC
! he gagged 10 the full the hold that ii
new atmosphere, the new existenc
had gained over his mind. With an III
looked for rush of feeling he realize
how dearly he would part with it.
! AS Lillian came closer the meanin
; OF her manner became clearer TO hir
: She talked necessarily, laughing no
: and then, but her eyes were nevt
quiet These skinned the length of Il
corridor, then glanced over the heaC
, crowded in the doorway.
"Tll have something quite swee
J Godfrey" she was saying to the ms
I beside her as she came within hearin
1 You know what like-a sort of snoy
$ fake wrapped up in sugar" AS 81
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