Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-08-27

L
he'll notice it. That is, whatever he
did on one side of the table l did on
the other, and he always lost and al.
ways won. I'm SO sorry. He didn't
Hook as If he could afford to lose
and he didn't keep on"
4 What young man do you mean? I
don't see him."
4 He's tall and we'll setup, with a
pointed brown beard and rather
cleaning eyes. No; he's gone she
added, stealing a glance to where hs
had been standing. "Ah, there he is
now; coming round the table. He's
coming this way. Don't look, he'll
know I've been speaking of him.
Come away. There's papa. Let us go
to him.
But 1t was too late. The unknown
young man and the Duke were al
ready shaking hands. with the cord
iality of long-standing friendship.
Paula tried to slip out Of her embar-
rassment by gliding round them and
taking her place beside her father.
He was talking to knot of people
she did not know, but she was near
enough to him to be under his pro-
lection, while not SO far from the
Duke as to escape hearing some OF
the remarks between him and the
stranger.
Through the hum Of movement and
conversation about her she caught a
sympathetic barytone quality Of voice
From the English precision Of his
enupciation and the American plata
: tiveness Of his infections, she guess
ed he was one of those fellow-coun.
trymen Of her own who have lived
or studied abroad. The Duke cate.
chised him freely, and he replied with
| the sort Of detail one gives to ones
friends.
: He had been working in Rome, and
; would have remained till after Eas
: ter, only that he had couple Of com
missions for portraits in Paris. Oh
yes; commissions did come in, bu,
very slowly. Perhaps 1t would be
: different some day. Yes, his mother
was quite accustomed to her blind
; ness now, but SO feeble that they
| might lose her at any minute. Marat
was well, and as usual, working hard
He was staying only day or two
, at Monte Carlo, just to break ths
/ journey from Rome. He hoped to have
) something in the next Salon, though
he had nothing ready net. Perhaps
!, If Lady Alice were passing through
, Paris, she would look in, and give hin
: the benefit of her advice.
Then came the question Paula wal
afraid Of. Would the Duke tell hin
! who was the tall young lady in !;
J. blue dress and black hat, who hat
r spoken to him on turning away from
the table? OF the reply she caugh
! only the end of the sentence-"ant
you must know her"
She felt herself flushing with en-
! barrassment but as the Duk,
! approached she knew the only digni
q fed thing to do was to turn and gree
$ him pleasantly.
. miss Trafford," he said, with u
r awkward air he always had at sue
q moments, 81 want you to know a YER
d old friend of ours, Mr. Roger Wir
e ship"
y "Mr. winship's face she laughed
S us perfectly familiar to me. Nv
!. been watching him from the othe
3 side Of the rouletta.table for nearl
!. half an hour"
It and you saw the ill-will Of tn
e gods against me, he returned easily
3. "But had the qualification Of know
l. ing that couldn't lose unless yo
g wo.. That was something"
Haven't we met before?" she asl
l. ed, with hurried change of topic.
r. "No; never"
I. The quick decisiveness of tone a
!; well as the curious CLEAN Of his eye,
I. in speaking the grief words, were d,
d tails she remembered afterwards.
= "And yet" she persisted, you
= - name is very we'll known to me. ~
:, heard it often"
h "That isn't impossible" he admi
N ted, with a forced smile, though 70
10 must have been very young
IN ri know I've heard of a Roger VIII
,a ship" she continued, as If searchin
le in her memory. "It must have bee
ot my father"
ar Probably" he interrupted, "but
TX was so long ago"
d. THAT it was your fathers nam
le and not yours that I've heard me-
toned. Were you going to say that
w 1T was long time ago." he r
,g peated, the forced smile gone. II don
* suppose that either you or l."
as He hesitated, and Paula saw that
e. would be best to let the subje,
d. drop. The Duke broke ip with a r
c. mark or two, and after few furth,
an words Winshlp babe them good-eve
ing and passed on.
What am I to do with all tn
ne money!" Paula asked, when she ar
ad Wiltshire were alone again.
ly "You might give it In charity" l
he suggested.
to "No; wouldn't do that. / couldr
CO give in charity money to which 1 fe
nd some one else had a prior clail
ad And, she pursued, with some hesit
ton, II suppose I was right in fame
Of ing that he is poor?"
ps "Oh yes; he's poor enough. He
" portrait-painter, and still has h
be way to make. Alice got to know hi
he and his sister when she took it in
lily her head to study art IN Paris. 81
'k- brings them over every now and til,
70 to stay with us at Edenbridge. {