The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1914-11-20

entrance, for pair Of furtively rowing
eyes alighted upon Mark He stopped
Can it be-of course, it Is Truitt-
This is an unexpected pleasure" He
extended a genial hand.
Mark took it mechanically. How
are you, Mr.. Quinby?" be muttered out
Of his daze.
Il suppose am we'll" jeremiah
Quinby smiled benignantly. "A busy
life leaves little time to consider the
state Of ones health. You are looking
better than / have ever seen you"
I'm better than I've ever been"
There was a pause during which
Quinby glanced tentatively at Kazia.
"Ah! Perhaps / am intruding?"
Quinby smiled humorously. as one who
knows his welcome anywhere is as
sured.
Mark brought his whirling thoughts
to stop. No, certainly not Mrs.
whiting" He performed an intro
duction. Quinby's bow was impress
sive.
Il see You have just begun. Per-
haps-p He paused again. sugges-
| lively.
you viii join US? Mrs. Whiting.
I'm sure"
Kazia nodded and smiled com
posedly.
This is kind, indeed. Though |
should not" Quinby bowed again to
Kazia. blame Truftt for being selfish,
He took the chair held out for him by
/ Ine waiter, glancing from Marks sun
\ Drowned face to Kazia's. Il see you
have both been out under the sun.
/ Your party
Has just separated. Mrs. Whiting
is to let me-rather informally, to be
sure-convoy her home"
/ And what OF it, since no one is the
wiser? The conventions" Quinby wit
\ lilly accepted the explanation. are
only for public consumption, though
being in the public eye, so to speak
may rarely ignore them. So you,
| too, are from our city, Mrs. Whiting ?''
Kazia admitted it,
aAh. l wish had known last night
that you were here. The governor.
general The phrase rolled Iinger.
ingly en- his lips. The governor-gen-
eral gave a reception. You would
have been pleased, am sure, to see
how our city. in my person. was hon
ored."
I'm very sure OF it Please tell US
about IT,"
| Quinby told them about il. with a
wealth OF detail
But under cover OF his monologue
Quinby was shrewdly taking stock OF
his hearers and their situation. be
had not missed thar first moment Of
betraying confusion. Suspicion, guided
| by instinct. settled into conviction.
And the event matched Quinby' s
i need. For in the very midday of his
triumph, when the brilliancy and daI.
| ing OF his achievements promised to
eclipse his better fortified but less
original rival in benefceuce, a cloud
no bigger than mans hand had crept
above the horizon And If that cloud
1 grew bigger, not MacGregor but
/ Quinby himself might be eelipsed-
and. alas. forever. a crisis. then.
when harmony more than ever was
needed in his forces. There are, Quinby
gratefully thought. more ways than
one OF insuring harmony. He felt OF
his whip and got ready to crack it.
During a temporary lul Kazia.
| pleading some unfinished packing,
made her escape Quinby's eye fol
lowed her admiringly to the door, then
bent upon Mark look in which re-
proof and certain ponderous wag-
gishness struggled for the upper hand.
"Ahl Truitt. A sad dog, | fear"
Not at all. said Mark coldly.
| Quinhy was blandly skeptical. 81
find you. brown as an Indian. at break
fast alone at a hotel with a woman
dusky as an Indian maiden. The party
was It party OF two, Truitt?"