Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-02-25
The Fighting
Chance. sssS !; y:
Copyrights the Curtis Publishing
w.
Copyright 1908, by the Curtis Publishing Company.
Copyright, 1906 by Robert w. Chambers.



er's presence aboard for an hour or
two
The Ferrals were at Shotover with
their fest installment Of guests. Syl-
via was there. Quarter expected, be-
cause Kemp Ferrall's break with him
was not social one, and Graces real
affection for Sylvia blinded neithc
her nor her husband to the materiu
and social Importance of the intimacy
Siward was not invited. Neither had
an invitation to him been even dis
cusscd in view OF what Grace was
aware of and what every body knew
concerning the ImplacAhle relations cN
listing between him personally anG
Howard Quarter.
Bridge yachting and motoring wer,
the August sports. The shooting sc
had not yet arrived, Of course fact
! there was still another relay e1pectc
| before the season opened and brougil
the shooting coterie for the first tW
weeks. But Sylvia was expected
last through and hold over with II bric
interlude for 4 weeks end Mt LenoN
So was Quarter. md Grace. Away
animated by a lively but harmless
malice, hoped to heaven that Plank
might arrive before Quarter left.
"Oh, to see them together in a small
ROOM she sighed ecstatlcally in Syl-
Was ear. I'D certainly poke them up
II they only turned around sulkily in
1 %h, S,f no, rut M nvincph
desire to lie down"
What u mischief maker you are!"
said Sylvia listlessy.
There seemed. i'll fact, little to inter
est her that summer ut Shotover
House Her interest, too, in people
had seemingly been extinguished.
Once or twice she did inquire as to
Marion's whereabouts and learned that
Miss Page was fishing in Minnesota
somewhere, but would return to Shot
over when the shooting opened Some
body, Captain Voucher perhaps, men-
toned to somebody in her hearing that
Siward was still In New York.
The hot month dragged ON. Quar-
rier came. Agatha Cuithness arrived q
few days later-scheme Of the Fer
rails involving 4Alderdene-but the ST.
| wanoa did not come, and Plank re-
| manned invisible. Leila Mortimer ar
rived from Swans Ilarbor toward the
middle of the month, offering no In
formation as to the whereabouts OF
what Major Belwether delicately des-
| ignated as her Legitimate" But ev-
erybody knew he was Mt last to be
crossed Off and struck clean out, and
the ugly history Of the winter, now so
impudently corroborated ut Saratoga.
gave many hostess the opportunity
long desired.
Cad" said Aldcrdene, shes we'll
rid of him.
"A suit before a referee would settle
him." unused Voucher. HE hasn't Il
leg to stand on. Lord, the same cat
that tripped up cphen Siward!'
Fleetwood's quick eyes glimmered
for an instant in Quarters direction.
Quarter was in the billiard room, out
of earshot, practicing balk line prob
lens with Major Belwether, and Fleet
wood said: The same cat that tripped
I'D Stephen Siwurd. Yes. But who let
her loose?'
ut was your dinner You ought to
know" said Voucher bluntly.
II do know. He brought her." nod
ding toward the billiard room.
"Belwether?'
"No," yawned Fleetwood.
| MI v
one Of the governors? Oh, say, that
was rather rough on Siward, though.
Sylvia, passing the hall, glanced in
through the gunroom door with an alb
sentminded smile at the men and their
laughing greeting as they rose with
uplifted glasses to salute her.
"The sweetest Of ALL observed a
man, disconsolately emptying his glass.
1 ooh, irony. What a marriage"
Beverly Plank had no time for any
thing outside Of his own particular
business except to so every day to the
big, darkened house in lower Fifth
avenue where the days had been hard
on Siward and the nights harder.
Siward, however, could walk now,
using his crutches still, but often stop
ping to gently test his left foot and
see how much weight he was able to
bear ON it, even taking tentative step
or two without crutch support. lie
drove when he thought it prudent to
use the horses in the heat, usually
very early in the morning. though
sometimes at night with Plank when
the latter had time to run his touring
car through the park and out into the
Bronx or Westchester for breath OF
air.
But Plank wanted him to go away,
get out of the city for his GONZALES
cence, and Siward fatty declined, de-
manding that Plank permit him to do
his share in the fight against the Inter
county people.
When it was that he first began to
like Plank very much he could not ex-
actly remember. He was not perhaps
aware of how much he liked him.
Plank's unexpected fits Of shyness, OF
formality, often and often amused
him. But there was a subtler feeling
under the unexpressed amusement
and, beneath all, constantly increas-
ing substratum Of respect. Too, he
found himself curiously at ease with
Plank as with one born to his own
caste. And this feeling, unconscious,
but more and more apparent, meant
"a; 1n$ had