The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-08-09

] NpOAs was sill ullb'Nhl'AtAA tdults Nlt
four chairs placed ready, two packs
of cards waiting temptingly. One
of the players glanced at it, in an
interval of dealing, and said in a
low voice:
"Lydstone and the Princess have
not turned up"
oh, they will be here present
ly," said his partner a lady They
were dining somewhere tonight.
They made a match With Rounie Des-
borough and another man
It's 20 be hoped that Lydstono
will keep his temper tonight" said
the man who had first spoken I'm
Of opinion that man who los ) his
wool so quickly should chuck cards
or, for that matter, any game Of
skill"
''l.ydstone is an ill-temperei fe,.
low at most times said third
IT'S good thing he's playing
against Ronnie Desborough Now.
there's a man who never ruIs up
rough, whatever happens Win or
lose, it's all the same to him: ne $
the best-natured man ! know thor
oughly good chap
Most of those big. strong men
are like that" observed the lady.
Il never saw Ronnie Des5orough
out of temper, and have seen him
tried pretty severely, especially by
Lydstone, but all the same. if |
were a man. / shouldn't like TO SEQ
him reused, or be the one who had
reused him"
no said her partner wlol a
laugh. II can imagine that RonGic.
with his bristles up, would be an
awkward customer to tacH.e.-Ah.
here comes Lydstone," He turned
an1 nodded to lady and gentleman
VINO mad Just entered.
Lord Lydstone was tall, but
badly built man. with round shoul-
ders and a head thrust forward in
half-defiant, half-deprecatory fashion.
His face was thin, and pallid with
dissipation; there was about him an
air of meanness. accentuated rather
than concealed by a clustering ex-
preston and manner; his thin lips
twitcheG with nervous irritation. his
hands moved restlessly.
Behind him was the slight and
almost shrinking figure of his wife.
They mad been married but recent
ly, and therew as a kind of his
tory attached to her. She was 4
Princess Princess of the once
flourishing, but now decayed, Zorelli
family She was very pretty, in a
dainty, elfish fashion; and the world
said that she had married Lydstone
for his money Poverty makes al
most as many marriages as Heaven.
Lydstone was rich, very rich for
his father, the first Baron, haI5I been
a successful city man-some said. a
money lender-and had bought his
title in theu sual way, a way which
has become scandal nowadays
Notwithstanding his title and h
wealth, Lydstone was regarded rath-
er coldy by the higher Society which
still, to its honor declines to ac-
cept persons of Lydstones charac-
ter and origin; and it is possible
that he had married the Princess
with the object Of forcing his way
into that inner circle which had
kept him at arms length up to
the present
They had both made a bad bar
gain; and the poor little Princess
revealed her failure in her pale
face and timid shrinking manner.
She was beautifully dressed, her
fragile form enveloped in the costly
dinner cloak, which one of the foot.
men helped her to remove, her hus-
band utterly disregarding her. He
stood and looked round the room,
exchanging nod here and bow
there, with sullen impatience; then
he said, almost loudly:
Aren't Mr. Desborough and Mr.. |
Brandon here?'
Not yet, my ord" replied The F.
man.
Lydstone flung himself into a chair
at the table, and the Princess went |
timidly to a set of players, and /.
a few words of conven- |
tional greeting: but, while she was
speaking, her eyes glanced with |
peculiar, nervous expression from .
her lord and MASTER who was i'm. .