Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-02-02
The Best of Chester
A TALE OF RED ROSES
BY George Randolph Chester
AUTHOR Of Col. Rich .Qsck Wasiastosd &c.
Copyrighted TIE sobbs Merrill coapsw
CHAPTER XvI-Continued

ating havoc in not less than half a
dozen dance cards. with no compunc
ton about having disconnected OF
distressed any one. Then there was
Bert, downtown. battling with a dis
aster which had thrown him complete
Nv from his feet. Poor Bert. She
had by no means forgotten him, even
amid the height of her excitement.
She should shave been there to com
fort hin and yet, we'll, he had not
seen fit to come to her for comfort.
Men were queer creatures. A WON
an when disaster overlook her, DID
not need to deaden her intelligence.
She needed it then more than ever.
After all. though, Bert was man,
and that was the way of men, ana
there was no use to dream OF over
turning the entire accepted order or
creation. She was certain, however,
that she could be of more help 10
BERT after they were married. He
was weaker than She had thought.
Very we'll. sledge had thrown down
the gage of battle He had laughed
when he was threatened and had
ruined Bert, In challenging defiance.
let him now take the consequences.
II he went to the penitentiary, wen
and good. He had probably sent OH
er people there, with no more quaims
OF mercy than she would now show
to him. She could be as ruthless as
he. What was 1t Professor watt nau
called the quality? Elemental torce'
that was it. Well, she possessed IL,
too. i She felt it within her, stirring
with the same physical nascency as
the viriiity of parenthood, to "nlch
It was so closely allied.
sledge came back with her card.
'sNext dance" he said, showing her
the name of Lord Bunnchase opposite
the tenth number. Took it away
from Mrs. Allterton.'
In spite of her anger Molly snlck-
cred.
"Does Mrs. Allerton know that her
number ten dance was to have been
with title?" she asked, with sud
den intense desire to giggle 1t over
with Fern.
"Not yet. He's only Edgar Chase
on her card. She thought she was
winning when Cameron gave her the
lead-ore millionaire instead
"It's like politics." Molly comment
the intricacies Of the game.
"Eyerything's politics" he rumbled.
Won Ike this house, don't you?"
II think it's the most wonderful
Mace in the world" she declared.
II doped that out tonight" he stat
ed .It's got all the fancy Jugs you
spoke about yesterday. Waven doh I
want to sell it. l just asked him.
She laughed again, even In the
midst of her rising anger.
"You won't need house. she IN
formed him, really gloating over MS
coming downfall. you've run the
world long enough. We're GONG 10
stop you-Bert and l." =
He favored her with a sample OF
the laugh which his political enemies
never heard without shiver. and ne
turned upon her eyes which were
freezing in their insolent contempt
me- Of her particularly, but OF every
thing .,
quit blufing," he protested i
don't
"Nor am IT, she holly retorted.
"You have broken Bert, as you prom
ised. Now he will break YOU"
T'm waiting" he chuckled.
"Where's pretty Bert? Soused!"
She jumped from her seat. she
eearched wildly for some retort. but
could not find it.
"Don't get sore, Molly" he kindly
advised her Il don't want to lead
YOU into any more trouble, but | will
if have to- You can't marry Bert.
You're too smart woman. len
wears from now he'll rattle around at
your side like dried pea
"That's one thing you can't dis
tate," she furiously told him. standing
tall and straight, with clenched fists,
In the moonlight. He again commend
ed his choice as he looked at her. iii
be Bert's wife in less than a month
She left him in ponderous contem-
plation Of her on the settee, and hur-
ried into the house, with half-formed
plan Of going home, and sending
Dicky Reynolds or some one in search
of Bert. but the mayor met her and
had introduced her to Lord Bunnchase
and sent her in the direction of the
ballroom on that titled gentlemans
arm before she quite knew what was
happening to her.
Lord Bunnchase was yelloW-mus-
tached man, with particularly surly
face, who spraddled stiffly through a
two-step with her and made three re-
marks consisting of three separate
apologies for humping her into other
dancers, but. in spite of the fact that
he was the least MISUNDERSTANDING
of any of the gentlemen on the floor,
Molly noticed. with a distinctly un-
comfortable feeling that not only were
the eyes of all the dancers focused on
them but that the non-dancers sudden
ly thronged the doorways and the bal
comics and never stopped staring.
With sinking heart she realized
once more the impertinent organiza-
ton methods of Sledge who mad
stage-managed this whole affair so
that the identity of Lord Bunnchase
should not be known until she was
on the floor with him, thus giving her
the acute center of the stage. sledge
was bound to give her the time of her
life, confound him. ...
CHAPTER XVII.
Ana%bar proof If the Chiefs Earnest