Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-06-16


were like two players at chessboard
Vandraken felt that he was progress
ing faster and farther than he mean
to. The fire-game was not working gu
according to rule 1t gratified hi.
vanity that Lady Poher, the beauty
of the season, should be interested il
him, and make him feel that 1t was his
personality which inspired it. At the
dance he had formed the opinion thai
she was flirtatious, and that their at
fair would end in laughing kiss and
a shower of roses and bon-bons to
shoW that it was appreciated. He had
engineered several episodes of the
kind. He did not know that Lady
Kitty was guided by unerring intui-
ton In her unconscious efforts to lead
him into deeper waters. He did know
that she was unlike any other girl
he had come in contact with, and
Won Farsenheim was not there to ex-
plain that his disconnected soul, on
the same star as the girls, was try
ing to reach him through hers.
Lady Kitty had daring candour,
picked up from her mother, which
was very telling. II am beginning to
think, Mr.. Vandraken," she said, at
last. that you can't sparkle on tea.
It was champagne you reintilated on
at the dance, wasn't it?''
II imagine it was your own mood.
We were much more on the surface Of
things You can't build up waltz
movement. from every chord"
IT tell you what" said Kitty, sit
ting up straight on the SOFA "I am a
champion fcrtune-teller. Let me read
your hand"
Vandraken would have liked to re-
fuse. He had an idea that this was
another attempt to get behind the
mirror. But it would appear absurd
to refuse to let pretty girl hold his
hand when she offered, and anyway,
she probably knew nothing about
palmistry.
AS matter of fact, she didn't know
much about the lines, but she was so
highly intuitive that she got wonder
fully correct impressions from peo-
pies hands. The lines seemed to
pat her in touch with their magnet
Ism.
What delicious hands!" thought
Vandraken, as she took possession of
his own. And they were very perfect
hands. 1t had taken centuries to
make them. Many thousand toil-scar-
red hands had been used up in the pro-
cess. and been buried, without know
ing what they had been working for
But that is the way nature works
They cried out they had been wasted,
but they had not; for here were the
gossamer hands of Lady Kitty to show
for it all
Vandraken thrilled to their mag
netic warmth. They stirred within
him the instinct of worship, which had
never yet found an outlet for it's
boarded strength.
Lady Kitty gave an exclamation of
surprise when she saw Vandraken's
hands. WHY" she said, ''your hands
are absolutely different from one an
other. If had seen them poked
through screen, l would have said
they belonged to different persons.
Your left is quite an ordinary hand;
your right looks as though 1t had been
through an earthquake and then been
rebuilt"
Vandraken's hands almost jerked
themselves free from the pretty
palmist's.
SAO Sc1Ao DCAOlS, yOu dIS d fcIy
battling person, Mr.. vandraken. can't
make head or tail Of you. If l had
only seen your left, should have de-
scribed you as very practical. bust
ness-like person, your heart SO much
governed by your head that it is of no
Importance In your life. And selfish
/ am afraid you are very selfish, and
yet very generous. No!-lavish; that
is better word. / do not think you
would give away anything that cost
you anything to give. You would want
something in return. Your business
instinct Is 80 strong that you would
be miserable If you failed to get your
moneys worth. That Is quite your
strongest impulse, and It will injure
you. You have brains, but you don't
use them for good. You are very
materialistic and practical, SO you
will use your brains in an effort to get
all there is to be got out of this life
You are ruthless in this. That is
from your left hand. When I come to
the right, fell dazed. Were you ever
.eY-yes," mumbled vandraken,
much disturbed.
I on allowed yourself to be hypno-
ttsed, and something happened to you
which changed your life. Something
was taken away from you and some
thing was given to you. Some trick
was played on you while you were
hypnotised. don't know what it was
lit all looks vague and blurred to me
but this know that your head no
longer governs your heart, but you
will go on thinking 1t does" Lady
Kitty dropped hts hand, and put hers
up to her forehead. IT can't tell you
any more-it gives me headache. But
/ have a curious feeling that you are
not the same person met at the ball.
You did not need any help them-y~'
do now. Something Is pleading to be
released, like a soul calling from
dungeon. don't understand it," She
passed her hand across her forehead.
"Do you know" she went on. ut
Is very curious, but there Is some
thing about you, something which I
did not notice at first, which reminds
me of someone I knew for a short
time, about a year ago-someone I