Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-03-27
THE -~~
Masquerade
By KATHERINE CECIL THURSTON,
Author Of 1.-THE Circle" Etc.
Copyright. 1904. by Harper & Brothers
By KATHERINE CECIL
.uthor of 1.-THE Circle" Et

'Hullo, ChlIcotAw be 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 should be blind as
well MS 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 a
diversion he looked out along the cor
ridor. 81 believe we are waiting for
something" he exclaimed. Whats
this?" 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 well as
his speech was suddenly suspended.
The man in front Of him let his eye
glass fall from his eye. then screwed
1t In again.
"Jove," he exclaimed, there comes
our sorceress! It's like the progress Of
a fairy princess 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. agreeably con-
scious of the hum Of admiration she
aroused, came Lillian Astrupp, sur
rounded by little court. Her delicate
face was lit up; her eyes shone under
the faint CLEAN of her hair; her gown
of gold embroidery gwept round her
gracefully. She was radiant and tri-
umphant. but she was also excited. The
excitement was evident in her laugh, in
her gestures, in her eyes. as they turn
ed quickly in one direction and then
another.
Loder, gazing in sItupefaction over
the other mans head saw 1t--felt and
understood 1t with mind that leaped
back over space OF years. As in a
shifting panorama he saw q night Of
disturbance and confusion In faroff
italian valley-a confusion from which
one face shone out with something Of
the pale, alluring radiance that filtered
over the hillside from the crescent
moon. 1t passed across his conscious
ness slowly, but with slow complete.
ness, and in its light the incidents Of
the past hour stood out in a new as
pect The echo Of recollection stirred
by Lady BramfelHs voice, the re-echo
of it in the sisters tones; his own
blindness, his own egregious assurance
ali struck across his mind.
Meanwhile the party about Lillian
drew nearer. He felt with instructive
certainty that the supper room was its
destination, but he remained motion
less, held by species of fatalism. He
watched her draw near with an un-
moved face, but in the brief space that
passed while she traversed the corridor
he gagged to the full the hold that the
new atmosphere, the new existence,
had gained over his mind, With IN I'M
looked for rush Of feeling he realized
how dearly he would part with it.
AS Lillian came closer the meaning
Of her manner became clearer to him.
She talked necessarily, laughing now
and then. but her eyes were never
quiet. These SKINNED the length Of the
corridor, then glanced over the heads
crowded in the doorway.
"I'll have something quite sweet,
Geoffrey," she was saying to the man
beside her as she came within hearing.
'.You know what I like q sort Of snow.
fake wrapped up In sugar" AS she
said the words, her glance wandered.
Loder saw It rest uninterestedly on a
boy yard or two I'm front of him, then
move to the man over whose head he