The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-03-01

! anced against another. Here was a
| rare bit Of Cape d Monte, there
piece Of sevres or Canton. Some
houses. with their treasures, look uks
museums, but this one did not. The
owner had not gone mad over one
subject; here was sane and prudent
collector. The great yellow Chinese
carpet represented fortune; she
knew enough about carpets to realize
this fact. Ivories. Jades. lapis-lazuli,
the precious woods, priceless French
and Japanese tapestries. some nne
paintings and bronzes: the rooms
were full Of unspoken romance and
adventure; echoed with war and trag-
edy, too. And Fortune might have
married man Ike this one. A pos
sibility occurred to her. and the ghost
of smile moderated the interest In
her face They might be upon the
desert for weeks. Who knew what
might not happen TO two such roman
| tic simpletons?
The butler and tbs first man (who
| was also the cook were impeccable
types OF servants: 90 thought Reyn.
oids. They moved silently and an
ticipated each want. Reynolds deter
mined that very afternoon to drop
line to Jones and compliment him
upon his good taste In the selection
of his friends. a subsequent press OF
office work, however, drove the deter.
T., fsov> N,,t 3c ira SEaa
The instant his car carried him out
of sight, strange scene was enacted.
| The butler and the first man seized
| the Major by the arms, and the three
executed a pas-seul. Mrs Chedsoye
eyed these manifestations Of Joy stem
| ilE.
Now then. what's been done?"
asked the Major. pulling down hfs
| cuffs and shaking the wrinkles from
| his sleeves.
Half done! cried the butler.
Where's that wallsafe7" the Major
wanted to know.
Behind that sketch by Detaille."
And the butler. strange to cay. pro.
nounced it Det-l
Can you open It e
Tried. but failed. Wallacs 10 thu
man for that
| He'll be along In an hour or 90
Where's Ryanne?
Don't know don't care The Aas
| ior sketcned the predicament Of their
feIIow-conspirator.
Tho butler lied. but callously.
i One more or Less didn't matter In such
an enterprise
When Wallace arrived he applied
his talent ard acquired science to tbs
| wall-safe, and finally swung outward
the little steel door. The Major
pushed him aside and thrust hand
into the metaled cavity. drawing out
wood and mother-of-pea He opened
the lid and dipped hand within. EN-.
eralds, deep and light and shaded, cut
and uncut and engraved, dawed and
almost perfect. He raised handful
and let them tinkle back into the
cagket One hundred In all, beauties,
every one Of them, and many famous.
And while he toyed with them,
pleased as q child would have been
over a handful OF marbles, Mrs. Ched-
soye spread out the ancient Yhfordes
in the library. She stood upon the
central pattern, musing. Her mood
was not one which she had called into
being; not often did she become ret.
respective, the past to her was I'll.
ways like a page IL book, once fin.
ished, turned down. Her elbow In
one palm, her chin In the other, she
stared without seeing. It was this
house, this home, 1t was each sign of
riches without luxury or ostentation.
where money expressed itself BY taste
and simplicity;a home such az she
| had always wanted And why, with
ali her beauty and intellect, why had
she not come into possession? She
knew. Love that gives had never
been hers; hers had been the love
| that receives, self-love. She had bar.
tered her body once for riches and
had been fooled, and she never could
do it again. . And the child
was overfiowing with the love that
gives.
The furry of snow outside in the
court she saw not. Her fancy re.
formed the pretty garden at Mentone,
inclosed by pInk-Washed walls. Many
a morning from her window she bad
watched Fortune among the flowers.
going from one to the other, like D
bee or butterfly. She had watched
her grow, too, with that same detach-
ment a machinist feels as he puts to.
gether the invention OF another man.
. Would ghe ever see her again? Her
shoulders moved ever 30 little. Prob.
ably not. She had Numbered wilfully.
She should have waited, thrown the
two together, Unanswered. And she
had permitted this adventure to OBJ
sess her! She might have stood with.
In this house by right Of law, mother.
hood, marriage Ryanne was in love
with Fortune, and Jones by this time
might be. The desert was terribly
lonely place.
She wished Il might be Jones. And