Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-01-24
The Fighting
Chance. s es ;;;;i;: y:
Copyright Curtis Publishing Company
1906, by Robert w Chambers
80. By -.
ROBERT w.
CHAMBERS.
Copyright 1905, by the Curtis Publishing Company.
Copyright 1906, by Robert w. Chambers.

terminated lew minutes ldteI III d
duet of silence over. the teacups in the
gunroom.
A few moments later Sylvia, glanc-
ing over her shoulder, noticed that a
fine misty drizzle had clouded the case
ments That meant that her usual
evening stroll on the cliffs with Quar-
rier before dressing for dinner was on.
And she drew little breath of uncon-
scious relief as Marion Page walked
in. her light wooden shooting jacket,
her hat, shoes and the barrels Of the
fowling piece tucked under her left
armpit. all glimmering frostily with
powdered raindrops.
She said something to Grace Ferrall
about the mist promising good point
shooting in the morning took the or
der book from servant, jotted down
her request to be called an hour before
sunrise, filled in the gunroom records
with her score-the species and num-
Der bagged and the number of shells
used-and, accepting the tea offered,
drew out d tiny cigarette case of sweet
bay wood heavily crusted with rose
gold
with whom were you shootingT
asked Grace. as Marion dropped one
well shaped leg over the other and
wreathed her delicately tanned fea-
lures In smoke.
stephen Siward and Blinky. They're
at 1t yet, but I had some letters to
write" She glanced leisurely at Sylvia
and touched the ash tray with the
whitening end Of her cigarette. THAT
dog you let Mr. Siward have is good
one. I'm taking him to Jersey next
week for the cock shooting"
Sylvia returned her calm gaze blank
ly.
An unreasonable and disagreeable
shock had passed through her.
MY North Carolina pointers are USE
'ass for close work." observed Marion,
indifferently, and she leaned back.
watching the blue smoke curling up
ward from her cigarette.
Sylvia, distract. but with downcast
eyes on fire under the fringed lids, was
thinking of the check Siward had Civ
en- her for Sycamore. The transaction
for her had been a business one on
the surface only. She had never meant
to use the check. She had laid 1t
away among few letters, relics,
pleasant souvenirs of the summer. 10
her the affair had been softened by
a delicate hint Of intimacy-the delight
he was to take in something that had
once been hers had given her faint
taste Of the pleasure of according
pleasure to man. And this is what
he had done!
In ones and twos the guests reported
as the dusk curtained fog closed In on
Shotover. Quarter came, dry as
chip under his rain coat, but his silky
beard was wet with rain, and moisture
powdered his long, soft eyelashes and
white skin, and his flexible fingers as
he drew off his gloves seemed startling
in their wilderness through the gather
ing gloom.
IL suppose our evening walk is out
of the question:" he said standing by
Sylvia. who had nodded greeting and
then turned her head rather hastily to
see who had entered the room. 1t was
Siward, only vague shape IN the
gloom, but perfectly recognizable to
her. At the same moment Marion
Page rose leisurely and strolled to-
ward the billiard room.
Our walk" repeated Sylvia alb
sently. Its raining, you know" Yet
only q day or two ago she had walked
to church with Siward through the
rain, the irritated major feeling oblig-
ed to 60 with them. Her eyes follow
ed Siward's figure, suddenly dark
against the door Of the lighted bill
lard room, then brilliantly Illuminated
as he entered. nodded acceptance to
Mortimer's Invitation and picked up
the cue just laid aside by Agatha
Caithness. who had turned to speak to
Marion.
His fancee's inattention was not
agreeable to Quarter. A dozen things
had happened since his arrival which
had not been agreeable to him-her
failure to meet him at the Fells Cross
ing and the reason for her failure and
her informal acquaintance, with 81
ward, whose presence at Shotover he
had not looked for and her sudden in
timacy with the man he had never
particularly liked and whom within
six months he had come to detest and
to avoid
In a few years Indifference to ST.
ward had changed to passive disap-
prevail, that again to an emotionless
...ha1a tho scandal at the