Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-08-02

asked others who were the two we'll
gowned women down In front, sitting
a. either side Of the young chap In
peari.Srey. No one knew. Mother and
daughter. probably. Anyhow. they
knew something about good clothsA
Certainly they weren't ordinary tour
lists. They had seen What's-his-name
tip his hat: and this simple act would
pass any ono into the inner shrine
for the general was not promtscuous
There. the Hrst-half was over. All
down for tea! Thank goodness!
George was happy. He was proud
too. He saw the glances. the mods OF
approval He basked in kind OF
sunshine that was new. What an ass
he had been all his life! To have
been afraid OF women just because
he was Percival Agernon! What he
should have done was to have gone
forth boldly. taken what pleasures he
found, and laughed with the rest OF
them.
There weren't two other women in
all Cairo to compare with these two
The mother, shapely. elegant. with
the dark beauty Of high-class Span
lard, possessing humor, trenchant com
ment. keen deduction and application:
worldly. cynical, high-bred. The stu.
dent Of nations might have tried in
vain to place her. She spoke the
French of the Parisians, the Italian
Of the Florentines. the German Of the
Hanoyerians. and her English was the
envy of Americans and the wonder Of
the Londoners. The daughter fell be-
hind her but little, but she was more
reserved. The worldly critic called
this good form; no daughter should
try to outshine her widowed mother.
AS Fortune sat beside the young col
lector that afternoon. she marveled
why they had given him Percival AL
gernon. Jones was all right, solid and
substantial. but the other two turned
1t into ridicule. Still, what was the
matter with Percival Algernon? His.
tory had given men Of these names
mighty fne things to accomplish.
Then why ridicule? Was 1t due to the
perverted angle Of vision created by
wits and humorists in the comic week.
lies, who were eternally pilloryins
these unhappy prefixes to ordinary
cognomens? And why this pillorying?
She hadn't studied the subject sui.
of the humorist Is not SO much to
amuse as to warn persons against be-
coming ridiculous. And Percival Al
gernon Jones was all of that. It re-.
solved itself into matter Of values,
then. Had his surname been Mont
morency, Percival Algernon would
have fitted as key to its lock. She
smiled. No one but fond mother
would be guilty Of such crime. And
II she ever grew to know him we'll
enough, she was going to ask him all
about this mother.
What interest had her own mother
In this harmless young man! Oh.
some day she would burst through this
web. this Jungle: some day she would
see beyond the second act! What
then? she never troubled to ask her
self; time enough when the moment
arrived. acs
II had an interesting adventure
last night, a most interesting one. /"
began George, who was no longer the
shy, numbering recluse. They were on
the way back to town. 4,
"Tell It me-" said Mrs. Chedsoye.
He leaned over from his seat beside
the chauffeur of the hired automobile.
{Hang the expense on q day like
this) "a fellow brought me rug
last night, one Of the rarest outside
the museums. How and where he got
It I'm not fully able to state. But
he had been in violent struggle
somewhere, arms slashed. shins bat
tered. He admitted that he had gone
In where many shapes Of death
lurked. It was bit irregular. I
bought the rug. however. Some one
else would have snatched it up II I
hadn't. wanted him to recount the
adventure, but he smiled and refused.
I tell you what 1t is. these eastern
ports are great places"
How Interestingly" Mrs. Chedsoye's
color was not up to the mark. HE
was not seriously wounded"
"Oh, no. He looks like a tough in.
dividual / mean. a chap strong and
hardy enough to pull himself out Of
pretty bad holes. He needed the
money"
did he give his manner" asked For
tune.
eyes; but no doubt 1t was assumed.
Ryanne, and he spelt It with an me-
and humorously explained why he did
So"
us he young. old. good-looking, or
what?"
Mrs. Chedsoye eyed her offspring
through narrowed lids.
II should say that he was about
thirty-five. tall, something of an ath-
lete; and there remains some indica-
tons that in the flush of youth he was
handsome. Odd. He reminded me of
. young man who was on the varsity
n-foot-baller-when entered
my freshman year. didn't know him.
but was a great admirer of his from
the grand-stand. Horace Wordsworth
was his name"
Horace Wadsworth. Fortune had
the sensation of being astonished at
something she had expected to hap
pen.
Just before going down to dinner
that night, Fortune turned to her
mother, her chin combative IN its
angle.
ST rave Mr.. Jones q hundred and