Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-03-18

| sylvia! RIdnK, WOulu you m1nQ nuuI-
ing up my wife? I'll stay and see that
this infant doesn't fall asleep"
But Sylvia shook her head, saying:
"Please go, Kemp. I'm a little tired
that's all. When Grace is ready I'll
leave with her" And at her gesture
Plank seated himself, while Ferrall,
struggling his square shoulders, saun-
! tered off in quest of his wife, stopping
a moment at a neighboring table to
| speak to Agatha Caithness, who sat
! there with Captain Voucher, the collar
of superb diamonds and aquamarines
on her slender throat pale blaze of
| splendor
Plank was hungry, and he said so in
| his direct fashion. Sylvia nodded and
exchanged a smile with Agatha, who
| turned at the sound of Plank's voice.
For awhile, as he ate and drank large
| ly, she made the effort to keep up a
desultory conversation, particularly
when anybody to whom she owed an
explanation hove darkly in sight on
the horizon. But Plank's appetite was
+, in proportion to the generous lines on
| she paid less and less attention to con-
ventiOn and trifle more to the beauty
| of Agatha'S jewels, until the silence at
| the small table in the corner remained
| unbroken except by the faint tinkle of
! silver and crystal and the bubbling
hiss of a glass refilled.
| Major Belwether, his white, fluffy,
! chop whiskers brushed rabbit fashion,
peeped in at the door, started to tiptoe
out again, caught sight of them and
came trotting back, beaming rosy ef-
fusion. He leaned roguishly over the
table, his moist eyes a-twinkle with
suppressed mirth, then, bestowing
sprightly glance on Plank, which said
very plainly. I'm up to one of my ir-
repressible jokes again. he held up
smooth, white and overmanicured fore
finger.
81 was in Tiffany's yesterday" he
/ said, "and l saw young man in there
who didn't see me, and I peeped over
his shoulder, and what do you think he
was doing?'
She lifted her eyes a little YEARLY.
81 don't know" she said
81 do he chuckIed. ''He was choos-
ing a collar of blue diamonds and
aquamarines-te-he to wear
hImself-te-he! Or perhaps he was go.
ing to be married he-he-he-next win
ter-ahem-next November-ha-ha! I
! don't know, I'm sure, what he meant
to do with that collar. l only
~, Cxv1x fo3c or
him, and, following their direction, he
turned around to find Quarter stand
ing at his elbow, icy and expression
less.
"Oh," said the aged jester, a little
disconnected, I'm caught talking out
in church, l see! 1t was only harm
/ less little fun, Howard"
''Do you mean you saw me?' asked
+ Quarter, pale as sheet. "You are in
error. / have not been in Tiffany's in
MONTHS
Belwether. crestfallen under the
white menace of Quarters face, nod
ded and essayed a chuckle without
I success.
/ Sylvia, at first listless and uninter-
ested, looked inquiringly from the m+-
i ior to Quarter, surprised at the SUI =
pressed feeling exhibited over so triv-
/ ial a gaucherie. If Quarter had chosen
Z a collar like Agatha'S for her. what of
it? Eut as he had not on his own
statement, what did it matter? Why
should he look that way at the foolish
4 major, to whose garrulous gossip he
/ was accustomed and whose inability
to refrain from prying was notorious
enough.
Turning disdainfully. she caught a
, glimpse of Plank's shocked and al
+ tered face 1t relapsed instantly into
/ the usual inert expression, and a queer,
uncomfortable perpleXity began to in
wade her What had happened to stir
/ up these three men? OF what impOr-
/ lance was an indiscretiOn of an old
gentleman whose fatuous vanity and
/ consequent plumbers everybody was
/ familiar with? And, after all, How
ard had not bought anything at Tiff
| fany's. He said so himself. But ii
| was evident that Agatha had CHANGED
| on the collar that Belwether thought
he saw somebody else examining.
She turned and looked at the dead
white neck of the girl. The collar was
wonderful-a miracle Of pale fire. And
Sylvia, musing, let her thoughts run
on, dreamy eyes brooding. She was
glad that Agatha's means permitted
| her now to have such things. 1t had
been understood for some years that
the Caithness fortune was in rather an
| alarming condition. Howard had been
+ able recently to do a favor or two for
\ old Peter Caithness. She had heard
I the major Dragging about it. Evident
4 " Mr.. Caithness must have improved
+ the chance if he was able to present
such gems to his daughter. And now
somebody would marry her. Perhaps
4 Captain Voucher, perhaps even Alder
+ dene, perhaps, as rumOr had it now
+ and then, Plank might venture into the
arena. Poor Plank! More Of a man
than people understood. She under
i stood She