Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-09-12

ent to excite the en- ~ of every won.
an who set eyes on it. A tiara of dia.
lhonds gl1ttered on her head. a string
VI the same cold, sparkling jewels en-
nanced the soft Wilderness of her
throat and a line of diamond stars
sclhtlllated along the corsage Of her
oress. She wore no gems but dia-
lnonds, and had always refused to
accept anything else from her hus-
band. Perhaps she looked upon them
as the hard emblems of her life
she looked at herself for few mo-
ments in the glass, and smiled family
as she thought of the contrast between
this picture and the one she had seen
every day in her little white bedroom
at home. Her maid, French girl.
stood behind her with rapturous
look in her dark eyes.
Laura Tankerlane went down to
dinner, and the meal was pleasant
one FOR all parties concerned Lord
Portllngton brought with him an at
mosphere Of boyish genialty. Tanker
lane himself, proud of his wife's beau
" and of the evident effect it pro
duced on his friend was in the best
OF spirits, while Laura was only too
glad OF this change from the daily
tete-a-tete meal with her husband. and
exerted herself to appear as happy and
charming as possible.
When the meal was over, they
drove to the Colonnade, and entered
the DoX which Lord Portlington had
secured for them. The piece had not
yet commenced, but the more fashion
able parts of the house were nearly
full. new actress was appearing in
Paris that night. For weeks past the
papers had teemed with puffs and
paragraphs about her beauty, her gen
JUS, and the jewels which were rum
ored to have come from the scion of
royal house. She was not a French.
woman, and therefore Paris was
anxious to see her, and, if necessary,
olsapproVe OF her presumption in ap-
pearlng in a French play
All eyes were turned on the new.
corners, as they took their seats in the
box, Laura Tankerlane in the middle,
and the two men on each side Of her.
Tankerlane smiled grimly as he saw
the opera glasses turned on them. and
Kept in position for longer space
than courtesy or even curiosity de-
handed. A fierce Joy seized him as
he saw the eager looks of the men
and the envious glances Of the wom-
en-. He had paid long price for his
Wife-a price that was not to be
reckoned in sovereigns, but in mo
ments like these he was repaid.
1t mattered nothing to him that he
recognized two or three acquaintances
IN the house. He knew well enough
that they would wonder what relation
he bore to the beautiful woman by his
side. But he did not care what they
thought. Their curiosity would re-
main unsatisfed.
Laura was not in the least dlscon
posed by the amount Of attention she
received. Her Indifference showed
very plainly the change that her ma
ture had undergone since she left
Laverstone. 1t was hard to believe
that the daughter Of a simple farmer
could sit unmoved with the eyes of
fashionable Paris staring at her But
she returned their stare with we'll
bred composure, and took in all the
details of the women's dresses and
jewels, as though she were examining
row Of fashion plates Under or
binary circumstances such feat
would have been the result of years
of training. But there are moments
in our lives which count for more IN
the moulding of character than many
years
When the piece commenced, she
turned her attention to the stage. The
play was a modern drama, well writ
ten, vigorous, an artistic combination
of light and shade. Ten minutes after
the rise of the curtain, the Comtesse
de Larnac, played by the new Ameri-
can actress, was announced, and
rustic of expectation ran through the
house AS she entered, there was
burst of applause--the generous rec
ognition given by Partisan audience
to a foreigner.
Laura Tankerlanes lasses were
fixed on the face OF Mademoiselle
Jackson, and she did not notice that
her husband, who had been leaning
forward over the edge of the box, had
suddenly started to an upright posi-