Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-06
a CON EDT ROMANCE


ting.
All, yes-Lord narrowly! He walk.
ed at her side, nonchalant, distinguish.
ed, almost as tall as a popular illus.
traitor thinks a man in evening clothes
should be. Truly, they made hand
some couple. They were to we'd Mr..
Minot himself had sworn they were
to wed.
He kept the bitterness from his tone
as he greeted them there amid the
soft magic Of the Florida night. To.
gether they went inside. In the CEN
ter Of magnificent hallway they
found Mrs. Bruce standing, like stout
Cortez on his Darien peak, triumphant
amid the glory of her gold.
Mr. Minot thought Mrs. Bruce's
manner Of greeting somewhat harried
and oppressed. Poor lady, every func-
ton was first night for her. Would
the glare Of the footlights brighten
her? Would she falter In her lines
for get them completely? Only her
sisters on the stage could sympathize
with her Understandings now.
80 you are to carry Cynthia away?"
Minot heard her saying to Lord Har.
rowby "Such lot of my friends
have married into the peerage. In
deed, I have sometimes thought you
English have no other pastime save
that Of slipping engagement rings on
hands across the sea-"
A soft voice spoke in Minot's ear.
! "Mine," Mr. Paddock was saying.
mot bad, eh? But look ut that Eng
lishman. Why should have sat up
all last night writing lines to try on
him? Can you tell me that?"
Lord Harrowby. indeed, seemed
oblivious of Mrs Bruce's little bon
mot. He hemmed and hawed, and said
he was lucky man. But he did not
mean that he was lucky man be-
cause he had the privilege of hearing
Mrs. Bruce.
Mr.. Bruce slipped out OF the shad.
ows into the WEAKNESS Of another for.
NAL dinner. Mrs. Bruce glittered and
he wrote the checks. He was
scraggly little man who sometimes
/ sat for hours at time in silence.
There were those unkind enough to
say that he sought back trying to re-
call the reason that had led him to
marry Mrs. Bruce.
When he beheld Miss Cynthia Mey-
rick and knew that he was to take her
in to dinner Mr.. Bruce frightened per-
ceptibly. None save blind and deaf
man could have failed to. Cocktails
consumed, the party turned toward
the dining room. Except for the Mey-
ricks. Martin Wall, Lord narrowly
and Paddock, Dick Minot knew none
Of them There were couple OF
colorless men from New York who,
when they died, would be referred to
as prominent club men," horsy girl
from Westchester, an ex-ambassa-
doris wife and daughter, number OF
names from Boston and Philadelphia
with their respective bearers. And
last but not least the two Bond girls
from Omaha-blond. lovely, but in
clined to be snobbish even in that
company, for their mother was van
Reypan. and Van Reypans are rare
birds in Omaha and elsewhere.
Mr. Minot took in the elder Of the
Bond girls and found that Cynthia
Meyrick sat on his left. He glanced
at her throat as they sat down. lt
was bare of ornament. And then he
beheld, sparkling in her lovely hair.
the perfect diamonds OF Chain Light
ning's Collar As he turned back to
the table he caught the eye Of Mr.
Martin Wall Mr.. Wallis eye happen
ed to be coming away from the same
locality.
The girl from Omaha gossiped of
plays and players, like a dramatic
page from some old Sunday newspa-
per.
I'm mad about the STAGE she con-
fided. "Of course, we get all the best
shows in Omaha Why, Maxine Elliott
and Nat Goodwin come there every
year"
Mr.. Minot. New Yorker shuddered.
Should he tell her of the many and
active years in the lives OF these two
s;nco they visited any town together!