Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-03-09
CHAPTER XVIII.
A,ison's story.

Alison's Story.
She told her story evenly, with her
eyes on the water, only now and then.
when I, too, sat looking seaward, I
thought she glanced at me furtively.
And once, in the middle of it, she
stopped altogether.
''You don't realize It, probably" she
protested, "but you look like "a war
rod. Your face is horrible"
Il will turn my back, If it will help
any" said stormily, "but if you ex-
pect me to look anything but murder
GUS, why. you don't know what am
going through with That's ALL
The story of her meeting with the
Curtis woman was brief enough. They
had met in Rome first, where Alison
and her mother had taken a villa for
q year Mrs. Curtis had lowered on
the ragged edges of society there,
pleading the poverty Of the south
since the war as reason for not go.
Ing out more. There was talk OF, a
brother, but Alison had not seen him,
and after scandal which implicated
Mrs. Curtis and a young attache of
the Austrian embassy, Alison had
been forbidden to see the woman.
"The women had never liked her,
anyhow" she said. "She did uncon-
ventional things, and they are very
conventional there. And they said
she did not always pay her-her
gambling debts. I didn't like them. !
thought they didn't like her because
the was poor-and popular. Then-we
came home, and almost forgot her,
but last spring, when mother was not
well-she had taken grandfather to
the Riviera, and 1t always uses her
up-we went to Virginia Hot Springs.
and we met them there, the brother,
100, this time. His name was Sullivan,
Harry Pinckney Sullivan"
II know. Go on"
Mother had a nurse. and I was
alone great deal, and they were very
kind to me- IL saw lot Of them.
The brother rather attracted me, part
ly-partly because he did not make
me, and l was piqued. ] had been
spoiled, suppose. Most of the other
men / knew had-had-"
II knew that, tool said bitterly,
and moved away from her trifle. I
vas brutal, but the whole story was a
long torture. | think she knew what
I was suffering, for she showed no re-
lentment
TT was early and there we're few
people aronnd-none that cared
about. And mother and the nurse
played cribbage eternally, until felt
Is though the little pegs We're driven
INTO my brain. And when Mrs. Curtis
arranged drives and picnics, I'll
Tipped away and went. I suppose
rou won't believe me, but had never
'one that kind of thing before, and ]
well, have paid up, / think"
What sort of looking chap was
md was pacing back and forward on
he said remember kicking savage
y at a. bit of water-soaked board that
az In my way
Every handsome-as large as you
are. but fair, and even more erect"
drew my shoulders up sharply.
am straight enough, but was fairly
sagging with, jea GUS rage.
when mother began to get around
somebody told her that had been
going about with Mrs. Curtis and her
brother, and we had dreadful time,
I was dragged home like bad child
Did anybody ever do that to you?"
Nobody ever cared. was born
an orphan" said, with a cherries
attempt at levity. go on"
''If Mrs. Curtis knew. she never
said anything. She wrote me charm.
dng letters. and in the summer, when
they went to Cresson, she asked me
to visit her there. I was too proud
to let her know that I could not GO
where I wished. and SOL sent Polly
my maid, to her aunt's in the country,
J pretended to go to Seal Harbor, and