Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-09-19
He thought it would be kindly act

to send this message to heart-brok-
en- old man. 1t did not commit him
to any definite statement, and it
would bring some small ray of light
into mind that was cropping and pit
fully crying out in the darkness.
But John Shil had much else to
think of that night-so much that he
did not sleep at all on the journey
from Calais to Paris. The train spun
OH through the darkness, the darkness
paled to grey dawn, and then the sun
flushed the fiat plains into a sea of
green and gold. But still the young
millionaire stared out Of the windows,
and saw no more in the sunlight than
he had seen in the shadows of night
only the white face of Laura Vane,
as he had seen 1t on the slopes Of the
Stonewold Hills, with love in the dark
eyes, and sorrow on the trembling
lips.
When John Shil reached the Care
du Nord, he drove straight to his
rooms, had cold bath and some
breakfast, and then quietly thought
out some means of inducing Leonore
Jackson to tell him all that she knew
about the Tankerlanes.
His feverish madness of the night
before had vanished and left in its
place an almost unnatural calm. His
mind was clear, and, for the time
being devoid Of emotion. From the
wronged lover, hot with rage and dis
tracted with the violence of his feel
ings, he had passed into the calculat-
ing schemer, the man of business, who
had something definite to do, and who
has to think out the best way of doing
it.
He smoked for half an hour after
breakfast, and then wrote two notes
The first was addressed to a Monsieur
Flamieu, Sc Rue dor and ra mas fol
lows:
Dear Sir-I should be glad If you
would make inquiries at all the hotels
in Paris, and find out where Mr.. and
Mrs. Tankerlane have bee nstaying.
They left about two months ago"
The second was to eLonore Jackson
and was equally brief and to the
point:
Dear Miss Jackson,-I should like
to call on you this afternoon at three
o'clock. Please let me know by bear
er if you can see me.--Your sincerely
John Shil"
He sealed up the envelopes, wrote
the word urgent" on both of them,
and rang the bell
Deliver these notes at once,
Hughes" he said, when one of his
servants appeared. and wait for an
answer at Mademolse,le Jacksons
house."
In an hours time the man returned
with a note. Shil tore it open, read
the contents and smiled. Leonore
Jackson had consented to see him.
At three o'clock to the minute he
was shown into the large salon. 1t
was empty, and he walked round the
room, looking at the pictures, books
and ornaments, and trying to form
some opinion of the character of the
woman who owned them. John Shil
was actuated by no idle curiosity when
he took careful note Of his surround
ings. He was planning campaign,
and ont even the smallest item of in
formation about his adversary was
likely to be of service to him.
Leonore Jackson kept him waiting
for twenty minutes, and at the end Of
that time, he had formed rough es-
innate of her character She was,
without doubt, woman Of taste, with
leaning towards the sentimental in
art and literature. She was vain not
with the vanity of beautiful and
foolish woman, but with the quiet
strength of a proud and self-reliant
mind, conscious of it's own value On
one of the tables lay handsome
quarto volume, bound in morocco, by
Riviere. On its pages were the sigma
lures of the greatest Frenchmen Of the
day, and each one of the writer's had
signed his name to few words OF
eulogy A humble woman would have
kept such a book in her private
boudoir But is occupied conspicuous
place in Leonore's salon. 1t was
placed where visitors could not help
seeing it, and with it's binding OF
! green and scarlet and gold it would