Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1914-08-21

-Ah right, am Coortlahds
laughed. Come on over tr the Souf-
fet and have a drink with ns."
'I'm not drinking today" tersely.
There's too much ahead for nae to
Co."
Going to start out to find her? Oh,
Sir Galahad!" ironically. ABBY, you
used to be sport. I'll wager hun
dred against bottle OF pop that to-
serenely, with a statement that she
was indisposed, sorry not to have mott
fed the directors, and all that. They
do 1t repeatedly every season"
But an errand of mercy, the
strange automobile which cannot be
found? The engagement to dine with
the baron? Celeste Fournier's state
ment? You can't get arc--a these
things. I tell you, Nora isn't that
kind. She's too big in heart and mind
to stoop to any such devices" vehe-
mently.
Mora! That looks pretty serious.
Abby. You haven't gone and made
fool OF yourself, lave you?"
What do you call making fool of
myself?" truculently.
you aren't a sutton are you? An
accepted suitor?" unruffled. rather
kindly
mo, but I would to heaven that
were!" Abbott damned the newspa.
per into his pocket and slung the stool
over his arm. Come on over to the
studio until I get some money"
"You are really going to start
search?'
II really am. I'd start one just as
quickly for you, IL heard that you
had vanished under mysterious cir
"rmstances."
II believe you honestly would"
'You are an old misanthrope.
hope some woman puts the hook into
you some day. Where did you pick up
the crouch? Some o. your dusky
princesses give you the go-by?"
You, too, Abby?"
ooh, rot! OF course I never be-
lieved any of that twaddle Only, I've
got sore head today. If you knew
Nora as well as I do, you'd under
| stand"
Courtlandt continued toward the
exit, his head forward, his gaze bent
on the path. He had the air OF man
deep in thought, philosophic thought,
which leaves the brows unmarried by
| those corrugations known as frowns.
Yet his thoughts were far from philo.
sophie. Indeed, his soul was in mad
| turmoil. He could have thrown his
arms toward the blue sky ard cursed
aloud the fates that had set this new
| tangle at his feet. He longed for the
| jungles and some mad beast to vent
his wrath upon. But he gave no sign.
He had returned with a purpose as
hard and grim as iron; and no OBJ.
| stacle, less powerful than death,
should divert or control him. Abduc,
ton? Let the public believe what 1t
might; he held the key to the mys.
| terry. She was afraid. and had taken
flight. So be it.
Il say, Ted" called out the artist,
what did you mean by saying that
you were Dutchman?"
Courtlandt paused so that Abbott
might catch up to him. II said that
was Dutchman?"
yes. And it has Just occurred to
me that you meant something"
"Oh, yes. You were talking of Da
| Toscana? Let's call her Haxrigan. Il
will save time, and no one will know
to whom we refer. You said she was
Irish, and that when she said thing
she meant it. My boy, the Irish are
notorious for claiming chat. They
often say it before they see clearly.
Now, we Dutchmen-it takes a long
time for US to make up cur minds,
but when we do, something has got to
bend or break"
You don't mean to say that you are
going to settle down and get mar.
ried?"
I'm not going to settle down and
get married, if that will ease Jour
mind any"
Man, was hoping!"
Three meals a day In the same
| house, with the same woman, never
| appealed to me-"
What do you want, one for each
meal?"
(TO BE CONTINUED)