Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-05-29

| reno BOHUCSUct.
to the perfectly proper methods EN-
ployed by his newly self constituted
guide and mentor. No; that was M
concern Of Plank's. All he had to d,
was to be ready. AS for Quarter, any
body could forecast his action wher
once convinced of Sylyia's behavior.
He lay there bordering several meth
DDS of imparting the sad but neces
sary information to Quarter. One
thing was certain-there was not now
time enough before the house party
dissolved to mold Plank into acqui
escept obedience. That must be fin
ished In town unless Plank invited hin
to stay at the Fells after his time was
| up at Shotover By heaven, that was
| the idea! And there'd be chance fol
him at cards. Only. of course, PLANK
would ask Leila too. But what did he
care? He was no longer afraid of her
He'd soon be Independent of her and
her pittance.
And so, immersed Ia the details OF
his dirty little drama, he pondered oveI
the possibility Of an Interior gentle
man as he moved heavily to and fro
dressing himself, his neuralgia being
much better, and presently descended
the stairs to find everybody absent
engaged, as servant explained, in O
game of water basket ball in the
swimming pool. SO he strolled off to-
ward the north wing of the house
which had been built for the squash
courts and swimming pool.
The Page boys and Rena and Eileen,
on one side, were playing the last
match game against Sylvia, Marion
Page. Siward and Ferrall on the other
The big, slipping, glistening ball was
flying about through storms of spray.
Marion caught it, but her brother Cor
don got it away. Then Ferrall secur-
ed 1t and dIyed toward the red goal,
but Rena Bonnesdel caught him under
water; the ball bobbed up, and Sylvia
flung both arms around it with lit
tie warning shout and hurled it back
at Siward, who shot forward like an
arrow, his opponents gathering about
him In full cry amid laughter and ex-
cited applause from the gallery, where
Grace FerrsllI and Captain Voucher
were wildly offering odds on the blue
and Alderdene and Major Belwether
were thrifty booking them.
Mortimer climbed the slippery mar
BILE stairway as fast as his lack of
breath permitted, anxious for his
share of the harvest IL the odds were
right. He managed to make several
apparently desirable wagers with
Kathryn Tassel and one with Beverly
Plank, who was also obstinately back
ing the blues. the losing side. Sylvia
played forward for the blues.
Suddenly through the confused blur
of foam and spray the big, glistening
ball shot aloft and remained.
"Blue. Blue!' exclaimed Grace Fer
rail-. clapping her hands, and a little
whirlwimd of cries and hand clapping
echoed from the gallery as the breath
less swimmers came climbing out Of
the pool with scarcely wind enough
left for word or strength for Il ges-
ture toward the laughing crowd above.
Mortimer, Disguised, turned away,
already casting about him for some.
body to play cards with. 1t being his
temperament and his temper to throw
good money after bad. But Quarter
and Miss Caithness had already re-
turned to the squash courts, the ma
jority of the swimmers to their sever
al dressing rooms and Grace FerralPs
party. equipped for motoring. to the
lawn, where they lost little time III
disappearing into the golden haze
which sudden shift of wind had
spun out of the cloudless afternoons
sunshine.
However he got Marion and also, as
usual, the two men who had made
practice Of taking away his money,
Major Belwether and Lord Alderdenc.
He hadn't particularly wanted them.
He wanted somebody he could play
with. like Siward, for example, or
even the two ten dollar Pages. Not
that their combined twenty would do
him much good. but 1t would at least
permit him the pleasures of the card
table without personal loss.
But the Pages had retired to dress,
and Voucher was for motoring. and he
had no use for his wife. and be was
afraid of Plank's game. and Slward,
seated on the edge of the pool and
sharing pint Of ginger ale with syi-
via Lands, shook his head at the sug-
gestion and resumed his division OF
the ginger ale.
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