Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-07-04

T@teA~ 90
with me -yes?" she asked, in sup
pressed voice, which contained mixed
notes Of command and entreaty
Come back to the yacht? Hardly
fit enough yet, what? Sit down, like
a good girl, and let's talk things
over"
Non! non!" she answered, main
tanning her position, and keeping her
eyes on the young man. "There is
nothing to talk over. You will come
back to us-yes or no?"
ooh, I say, Veeda! Don't be so in
tense about it! l am sure you all get
on first-rate without me. really am
not up to the racket YETI
ut is not that" she cried, vehe-
mently, coming nearer to him. at is
this girl whose life you save! Oh,
have seen her-she is quite pretty,
and what they call good woman.
She will make you very unhappy,
Standeesh, for though you do not
understand it, you belong now to my
gods, Hiultopec and Venuiac, the won
derful earth gods you>have worshipped
SO we'll This girl will try to win you
for her gods, and between them you
4 will be pulled asunder and destroyed
4 Vandrawen had sat down weakly in
| a low armchair. She came and crouch
J ed between his knees. AS usual, she
was dressed in black, and wore the
, same ostrich feather, curling round
her head. like cobras hood. Have
we not given you all you sold your
self for, Standeesh? We have not
. cheated you, my gods and mo? And
there is more to come" she went on,
without waiting for an answer. ooh,
} much more-Standeesh! She reach
ed up her arms and put them round
his neck, and he yielded to the seduc-
ton Of her magnetism with closed
, eyes.
Eyes, I'll come back to the yacht, y
t he breathed. tits the only place for
: me-" Then he opened his eyes and
met the Cobra's narrow gaze burning
into his, and for the first time-wheth.
: er it was because he was partially
t linked up again with his soul, through
: Kitty, or because a fiercer light oil
evil burned in them--he felt the hor
t ror of the demons that danced behind
: those narrow bars. He felt as other
men had felt who looked into then
in the raris restaurants, and he rose
to his feet with cry Of alarm, the
Cobra falling back on the floor from
the force of his gesture of repulsion.
She understood then, and laughed
looking up at him from the floor, hal
raised on one arm.
"Yes-it is as l thought The goot
woman wins you away from us TO
the moment. Well, l did warn you.
am not jealous, but when you leav'
us for the good woman, then''-sh'
rose gracefully to her feet-"then
am jealous; and when | am that-Bu
how foolish to threaten!" She looliet
at Vandraken. He was sitting wit
4 his face covered by his hands, a
4 though trying to shut out some fright
i full vision.
4 please go away he said, weakly
i go back to Paris. l will make yo
4 the richest of them all. You shal
have the palace for your very owl
4 and as much money as ever you wan
a but you must go away out Of my life.
She laughed derisively st is nc
4 so simple as that. l have plent
4 money, but the man who have give
himself all to the earth gods is nc
a so easy to find. Non! non! | go nc
II out of your life, my friend, and 20
II will come back into mine. When tn
a SO good woman knows why you hav
the nice fresh face of the good littl
boy, after you have been such a naugl
ty boy-then she will cry out whe
Il she look into your eyes, as you CT
n out just now when you look into min,
and cover her face from you. And S
you will come back, and we will TO
give you-Hiultope and Venuiac, an
l, Veeda Venestra"
Perhaps for the first time Vandr;
ken realised the woman's fanaticisn
the extent to which evil and earthl
things were a religion to her, and tn
peril which threatened the new kin
of happiness he had seen within hi
reach. The extent of her power I
wreck it was so obvious that he sa
he must gain time. Therefore he ten
porised
GO back to the yacht, veeda, lih
q a good girl" he implored. 81 am N
Il very we'll yet Perhaps tomorrow
4 will come back to you
Very well, then" she answere
I Till tomorrow. Then you come bac
4 to me on the yacht-or come back
h you here, as you like She turne
y towards the door but something Q
Cured to her. and. laughing maliciou