Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-10-30

Nliua Donna. III occurred TO Paul
Griggs that real struggle between
such pair of adyersaries would be
worth watching. There was unlimited
money on both sides, and equal .cour-
age and determination. The Greek was
the more cunning of the two, by great
odds. and had now the considerable
advantage of having been accepted by
the lady; but the American was far
more regardless Of consequences to
himself or to others in the pursuit of
Wfat he wanted, and, short of COM
uniting crime, would put at least as
broad an Interpretation on the law.
Logotheti had always lived in a highly
civilized society,", even in CONSTANT
nople, for it is the greatest mistake
TO imagine that the upper classes of
Greeks, in Greece or Turkey, are at
all deficient in cultivation. Van Torp,
on the contrary, had run away from
civilization when half-educated boy,
he had grown to manhood in COM
munity of men who had little respect
for anything and feared nothing at
all, and he had won success in a field
where those who compete for it buy
it at any price, from lie to life.
Lady Maude was thinking of these
things as she disappeared from Griggs
sight. for she was little afraid that
she had made trouble. Ten DAYS had
"assed since she had last written to
Rufus Van Torp. and she had told
't1rp q, ,0cfO 9TH
e Cordova and Logotheti were en-
aged to be married, adding thstt it
seemed to her one of the most ill-as-
sorted matches of the season, and that
her friend the singer was sure to be
miserable herself and to make her
husband perfectly wretched, though
re was very good sort in his way
and she liked him. There had been
no reason why she should not write
the news to Mr.. Van Torp, even
though 1t was not public property yet,
Tor he was her intimate friend, and
she knew him to be as reticent as all
doctors ought to be and as some So
iicitors' clerks are. She had asked
aim not to tell any one till he heard
OF the engagement from some one
else.
He had not spoken Of 1t, but some
thing else had happened. He had
cabled to Lady Maud that he was com.
ing back to England. by the next
steamer. He often came out and went
back suddenly two or three times at
short intervals and then stayed away
for many months, but Lady Maud
thought there could not be much
doubt as to his reason for coming
now. She knew we'll enough that he
had tried to persuade the prima donna
to marry him during the previous win
ter, and that If his passion for her
had not shown itself much of late, this
was due to other causes, chiefly to the
persecution Of which he had rid him
self just before he went to America,
but to some extent also to the fact
that Margaret had not seemed in
clined to accept any one else.
Lady Maud, who knew the man bet
ter than he knew himself, inwardly
compared him to q volcano, quiescent
just now, so far as Margaret was con-
cerned, but ready to break out at any
moment with unexpected and destruc-
tive energy.
Margaret herself, who had known
Logotheti for years. and had seen
him in his most dangerous moods as
well as in his best moments, would
have thought a similar comparison
with an elemental force quite as truly
descriptive of him, If 1t had occurred
to her. The enterprising Greek had
really attempted to- carry her off by
force on the night of the final re-
hearsal before her first appearance on
the stage. and had only been thwarted
because royal rival had caused him
to be locked up, as II by mistake, 3.
order to carry her off himself; in
which he also had failed most ridicu-
lousy, thanks to the young singers
friend, the celebrated Nine. Bonanni
That was very amusing story But
on another occasion Margaret had
found herself shut up with her orr
entail adorer in q room from which
she could not escape, and he had quite
lost his head: and if she had not been
the woman she was, she would have
Jared i'll. After that he had behaved
more like an ordinary human being,
and she had allowed the natural at
traction he had for her to draw her
gradually to promise Of marriage;
and now she talked to Lady Maud
about her gown, but she still put OIL
naming day for the wedding, i1xfspits
of Logotheti's growing impotence.
This was the situation when the
London season broke up and Mr.. Van
Torp landed at Southampton. from an
ocean greyhound that had covered the
distance from New York in s days IL
hours and 81 minutes, which will
doubtless seem very slow travelling II
any one takes the trouble to read this
tale 20 years hence, though the pas
sengers were pleased because 1t was
not much under the record time for
steamers coming east.
Five hours after he landed Van
Torp entered Lady Maud's drawing
rooSl in the little house in Charles
street. Berkeley Square, where she
had lived with the departed Leven
from the time when he had been at
tached to thu, Russian embassy till he
I'd last gone away. She was giving
1t up now, and it was already half dis
ma..led. 1t was to see Van Torp that
she was in town in the middle Of
August. instead of with her father at
Craythew or with friends in Scotland.
London was as hot rs 1t could be,
which means that q New Yorker would