Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-11-24

for the time being, Barclay said with
his grandest air
There was mockery In the gran
deur-it made Ada angrier than all
that had gone before. Out Of her
anger was born purpose-to capt.
vate this self-satisfied, vain creature,
whom theretofore she had disdained.
So she masked her wrath under her
brightest smile and began to talk,
gayly, brightly, of affairs In their
summer world.
Barclay was grateful--he hated any
cloud in the emotional sky. And
really IL Miss Ada Noon had chosen
to do 1t she might have made him
Uncomfortable. She had attracted
him In way, from the very first
but there was Mabel on his hands, a
beauty, a belle, past mistress also OF
the fine art OF flirting and there were
the others--Alice Ewell, Jenny Ware
Cora Linton-several morehe had
thought. and even said. they would
have their turn.
He was a connoisseur in beauty,
lin fascination Marrying was for
him out Of the question-he had
never. cared enough for any one woman
to make him proof against the charms
Of another-and still others. A tenn
permanent OF that sort was the dyna-
mite for married happiness. Women
had spoiled him from the era OF round
abouts, yet he had somehow q sense
that there were those OF the sex who
would not put up WITH philand erings.
la sixth sense had told him early In
the game that Ada Noon was that sort,
Notwithstanding, he had not been
able to resist the temptation Of MAX,
ing halflove to her-they were out In
the Bretons' adorable garden, gay with
|September's riot OF color, sweet with
September's wonderful roses. Ada in
her leaf-green frock, touched with
gold and slashed with dull scarlet,
fitted into the picture. He had told
her SO. adding something Of his desire
to keep the picture forever. She had
promptly taken him up, and shown
/ him where he stood with her.
Barclay was not conceited beyond
i the masculine normal-but it Is not
in the sex to rest easy under mis-
prison. What wonder then, that
he set to work, delicately but un-
mistakably, to show his Lady Dis
dain. how little ground her disdain
had? He no longer made love to her
with his eyes--in fact he no longer
made love to anybody save Mrs.
Brenton, Tiny and Bob's grandmother,
q grande dame, adorably young at
lseventy.
Mabel Brough was plainly piqued,
as plainly puzzled. As the others-the
waiting list-they went their happy
ways ,blandly unconscious OF their
lsometime designation. Bob's class
came and went in procession OF the
perfect. also the Imperfect, but one
that made the house gay every min
ute. Barclay was older than the others
| by five years-Bob had been his ador-
ling flag at school, and no. later friend
| had ever superseded.
He had placed Ada Noon as Mrs.
Brenton,s protege, in spite OF the TACT
that her frocks had always q touch OF
ldistinction. She wore the simplest
ornaments, but they always became
her wonderfully her string OF big
lcoral4beads, for example, accented
wonderfully the soft curves Of her
neck.
Looking at the beads, Barclay
caught himself wondering how GER
tain red rubies, in his family strong
box, would look In their place. The
speculation startled hint was
wholly new. Could he be really fall
ing in love? And with girl to whom
he was evidently no more than part
of the landscape? He asked himself
the question, wrathfully. Then he
went OF for long day alone. At the
end Of 1t he knew. Ada Noon had
come to mean something more than
the rest OF the world to him. He
meant to marry her, whether or no.
It pleased him to thi-!, her face was
her fortune rather her pretty wit,
her poised and charming personality.
His mother would make a scene OF
course -now for years she had been
impressing it upon him that, being
rich, he must marry money in order
to be richer. One needed to grow In
the grace Of wealth, she thought
and active business ventures meant
risk Just two things were safe
matrimony and economy. She hated
economy--it is hard, on eighty thou
sand a year-sO she was as eager TO
have her son bestow himself properly
as he had been loath to do it.
He said nothing Of all that when
he told his love next morning 80
|early the dewy roses had barely
thought Of opening. Ada was out
among them, bending to kiss their I'M
folding buds.
He came behind her, caught her in
his arms, and said trifle huskily::
ITS a shame to waste such things
as you're in kissing mood, why, kiss
mel"
At first she surged away from him,
but after one long upward look, stood
still, her breath coming fast, red roses
all her own flaming in her cheeks.
Barclay put hand under her chin,
fitting It until he could look to the
depths OF her eyes. What he saw
there satisfied him-he bent and
kissed her. then said, trying to laugh:
I'VE never meant this for earnest
not in the least-but fate took the
game into her own hands and played
to suit herself"
Fate is an incorrigible jester-but