The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1914-12-11

and shillings and dollars; and those
who finally escaped her enchantment
did 80 i~nvoluntarily, for lack OF further
funds. They called her villas Circe's
Isles. She hated but two things in the
world; the man she could have loved
and the she could not urpass.
Some one was at the speaking-tube.
The singer crossed the room impa-
tiently. What is it," she asked in
French.
The voice below answered with a
query in English. lis this the Signo-
r;na D~esimone?"
Yes And now that my identity is
established, who are you and what do
you want at this time of night?"
Il am Edward Courtlandt.'
We'll, what is it you wish?" amiably.
You once did me an ill turn came
up the tube. Il desire that you make
some reparation."
"Sainted Mother! But 1t has taken
you a long time to find out that | have
injured you," she Knocked.
Will you give me her address,
please? Your messenger gave me
your address, inferring that you
wished to see me-"
IT" There was no impeaching her
establishment.
Yes. madame"
MY dear Mr.. Courtlandt, you are
the last man in all the wide world !
wish to see. And l do not quite like
the way you are making your request
DO you not think. madame. that
you owe me something's"
mo. What | owe l pay. Think, Mr..
Ceurtlandt; think we'll"
Il do no understand" impatiently.
"Ebbene, / owe you nothing. Once
| heard you say-'I do not like to see
you with the Calabrian; she is-well,
you know l stood behind you at an
other time when you said that | was a
fool"
Madame, I do not forget that, that
Is pure invention. You are mistaken"
mo. You were. l am no fool" A
light laugh drifted down the tube.
Madame. begin to see.'
"Ah!"
you believe what you wish TO be-
lieve."
Il think not
Il never even noticed YOU" care
lessly.
1T is easy to forget cried the diva,
furiously. 1T is easy for you to for
get. but not for me-"
Madame, | do not forget that you
entered my room that night. :"
Il shall give o her address," in
%terrupted the diva, hastily. The play
had gone far enough, much as she
would have liked to continue it. This
was going deeper than she cared to
20. She gave the address and added:
Tonight she sings at the Austrian am
~bassador's. | give you this information
gladly because | know hat 1t will be
OF no use to you"
Then l shall dispense with the for.
malitN-cf thanking you. l add that
wish you two-fold the misery you have
carelessly and gratuitously cost me.
Good night" Click! went the little
covering of the tube.
With the same inward bitterness
that attends the mental processes of a
performing tiger on being sent back to
its cage. Courtlandt returned to his
taxicab. He wanted to roar and lash
and devour something. Instead, he
could only twist the ends Of his mus
tache ~savagely. 1t did not seem pos
sible that any m could be SO full
Of malice. He simply could not under
stand. 1t was essentially the Italian
spirit; doubtless, till she heard his
voice, she had forgotten all about the
episode that had %foundered his ship
of happiness.
Her statement as to the primal cause
was purely inventive. There was not
a grain Of truth in it. He could not
possibly have been S % rude. He had
been too Indifferent. Too Indifferent!
The repetition Of the phrase made him
sit straighter. Pshaw! 1t could not
be that. He possessed a little vanity;
II he had not, his history would not
have been worth a scrawl. But he de-
MED the possession yehemently, as
men are wont to do.
Too Indifferent! Was it possible
that he had reused her enmity simply
because he had made it evident that
her charms did not interest him? Be-
yond lifting his hat to her, perhaps OK
changing a comment on the weather,
his courtesies had not been extended.
Courtlandt was peculiar In some re-
epects. A woman attracted him, or
she did not. In the one case he was
affable. winning, pleasant, full OF those
agreeable little surprises that in TURF
attract a woman. In the other case.
he passed on, for his impressions were
instant and did not require the usual
diminishing.
ITO BE C~ONTINUED)