The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-04-23
The Fighting
Chance. s ssSs ( Y.
oop,rSAl y Publahag Company.
Robert


fCoE
p.Hs wa hungry. and be said so Il
his trart fashion. Sylvia nodded ans
~ a.rced smile with Agatha. VIII,
mr. al the sound OF Plank's voice
V7r while. % : he ate and drank large
~ size una the effort TO keep up ;
de.ua.y conversation. particularly
wsea anybody to whom she owed al
E[xD.auat u hove darby in sight OF
The l1r.11 But Phnk's appetite was
IN ploport.-u 10 the generous lines on
which nature had fashioned him. and
she paid Jess and less attention to con
vecrlon and a trifle more TO the beauty
Of Agatha's Jewels. until the silence a;
the small table in the corner remained
unbrokeu except by the faint tinkle OF
silver and crystal and the bubbling
hiss Of q glass refTled.
Major Bewether, his white. fluff
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 a
sprlghtly glance on Plank, which said
very plainly. I'm up to one of my ir
repressible jokes again. he held up a
smooth, white and overmanicured fore
finger
81 was in Tiffanys yesterday" be
said. land saw q 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 little YEARLY.
~ don't know" she said
~ do" he chuckled. "He was choos-
ing a collar Of blue diamonds and
aauamarines-te -he-probably to wear
himself te-he! Or perhaps he wasNge
ing TO be married -he-next win
ker-ahem-next N0vember-ha-ha!
don't know, I'm sure. what he meant
to do with that collar. only
Something In Sylvia's eyes stopped
him, and. following their direction. he
turned around to find Quarter stand
Ing at his elbow, icy and expression
less
ooh" said the aged jester, a little
Disconnected. I'm caught talking out
In church, | see! 1t was only a harm
less little fun, Howard"
DO you mean you saw mep' asked
Quarter pale as sheet you are III
error. | have not been In Tifany's III
months"
Belwether crestfallen under the
white menace of Quarters face. nod
ded and essayed a chuckle without
success.
Sylvia, at first listless and uninter-
ested, looked inquiringly from the ma
jor to Quarter, surprised at the sup
pressed feeling exhibited over so triv
la a gaucherie If Quarter had chosen
a collar like Agatha's for her. what OF
L? But as he had not. on his own
statement. what did 1t matter? VIII
should he look that way at the foolish
major to whose garruleus gossip he
was accustomed and whose inability a
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
Jba usual inert expression, and queer
Uncomfortable perpexity began to in'
vale her What had happened to stir
or .c~e three men? OF what impor-
taa. was an indiscretion of an old
g an whose fatuous vanity and
cH..4Ueut blunders everybody was
"a wilh? And, after all, How
0a .al not bought anything at Tiff
taa.s He said SO himself. But L
WA evident that Agatha had CHANGED
Oh collar that Belwether thought
be saw somebody else examining.
She turned and looked at the dead
Whit neck Of the girl. The collar was
wo.Hful-a miracle of pale fire. And
S0 musing, let her thoughts run
on dreamy eyes brooding. She was
e. that Agatnas means permitted
Der auw to have such things. 1t had
Dee. fHielEtood for some years thar
The ft1aa fortune was in rather an
IA. .- c1adltiou Howard had been
l5.a . 1l.l TO do favor or two for
VII . laithnes7 She had heard
he u." Raging about it. Evident
Y ..r a.thness must have improved |
NE age If he was able to present |
sue -e.s to his daughter. And now
Na would marry her. Perhaps
eaH#n Eodcher, perhaps even Alder
ueue perhaps. as rumor had it now |
nA1lol, Plank might venture into th'
nc Poor Plank! More Of a man
nv, "p.e understood. She under
No> She
4 aud aer thoughts swung back like
/. "e re lrning tide to Siward, and her
sa' began heavily again, and the
,. lu.ut sensation returned. She
PAST ."r 1ngloved, unsteady fingers
s'V', eyelids aud forehead, look
f. l around The major an ! /
!. lad disappeared. Plank, be-
.s "t staring stupidity into his
t 1eg.gss.