Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-02-22

tween those hours consecrated to the
rites of the table and the card room.
He drove four, but found that it
numbed his arms and that the sea air
made him sleepy. Motor cars agreed
with him only when driving with a.
pretty woman. Forced through ennu1
to fish off the rocks, he soon tired Of
the sea perch and rock cod and the
malodors of periwinkle and clam.
Then he took up his headquarters in
the reading room on the chance of his
wife's moving elsewhere, which she
did, unobtrusively carrying Captain
Voucher with her in sudden zeal for
billiard practice on rainy mornings
now too frequent along the coast.
Mortimer possessed that mysterious
talent, SO common among the financial
" insolvent, for living lavishly on an
invisible income, but, plan as he would,
he had never been able to increase that
| income through confidential gossip
with men like Quarter or Belwether
or even Ferrall. What information his
pretty wife might have extracted he
did not know. Her income had never
] yisibly increased above the vanishing
point, although, like himself, she de-
MED herself nothing. One short, lively
| interview with her had been enough to
drive all partnership ideas out OF his
head.
He was always studying women.
Years before, Grace Ferrall had snap
ped her slim fingers in his face, and
; here at Shotover the field was limited.
Mrs. Vendenning had left. Agatha
Caithness was still pale and reticent
puzzle. Rena, Kathryn and Eileen
tormented him. Marion Page coolly
au fait yawned in his face. There re-
NAMED Sylvia, who, knowing nothing
about his species, met him halfway
with the sweet and sensitive Difference
due a somewhat battered and infrm
gentleman of forty-eight, until sleek
aside from Major Belwether spoiled
everything, as usual for her, leaving
her painfully conscious and perplexed
between doubt and disgust.
Meanwhile the wealthy master Of
Blacks Fells, Beverly Plank, had found
encouragement enough at Shotover to
venture on tentative informality. There
was no doubt that ultimately he must
be counted on in New York, but no.
body except him was impatiently cor
dial for the event, and SO at the little
house party he slipped and slid from
every attempt at closer quarters until.
rolling smoothly enough, he landed
without much discomfort somewhere
between Mr.. and Mrs. Leroy Nor
timer. And it was not question as
to (which would be good to him." OBJ
served Major Belwether, with his mis-
leading and benevolent mirth. "It was
which would be coolest quickest"
And Mrs. Mortimer, abandoning Cap
tain Voucher by the same token, dis
played certain warning notices per-
fectly comprehensive to her husband,
and at first he was inclined to recog-
nize defeat
But the general unsuccess which had
so faithfully attended him recently
had aroused the long dormant desire
for general review of the situation
! with his wife-perhaps even the fur
tive hope Of some conjugal arrange
ment tending toward an exchange Of
views concerning possible alliance.
The evening previous, to his intense
disgust, host, hostess and guests had
retired early in view of the point
shooting at dawn, for not only was
there to be no point shooting for him,
but he had risen from the card table
heavily hit, and, besides, for the first
time his apples and port had disag. eed
with him.
AS he had not risen until midday, he
was not sleepy. Books were an aver
sion equaled only by distaste for his
own company. Irritated bored, he
had perforce sulkily entered the ele-
vator and passed to his room, where
there was nothing on earth for him to
do except to thumb over last weeks
sporting periodicals and smoke himself
stupid.
But it required more than that to en-
! snare the goddess of slumber. He
walked about the room haunted Of slow
thoughts; be stood at the rain smeared
pane, fat fingers resting on the glass.
The richly favored cigar grew distaste-
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