The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1915-09-25
CHAPTER XII.
The Blue Feather.

The Blue Feather
Elsa toyed with her emeralds. ap-
parently searching for some flaw Like
a thief in the night was a phrase that
rang unpleasantly in her ears. Her
remarkable interest in the man was
neither to be denied nor ignored To
receive the cut direct from a man
whose pomposity and mental density
had excited her wit and amusement,
surprised her even if it did not hurt
1t had rudely awakened her to the fact
| that her Independence might be lead.
ing her into LABYRINTH
Something new had been born in
her. All her life she had gone about
calmly and alootly, her head in the
clouds, her feet on mountain tops. She
had never done anything to arouse
discussion in other women. Perhaps
such situation had never confronted
her until lately. She had always locked
forth upon life through the lenses of
mild cynicism. So long as she was
rich she might. with IMMUNITY. be as
lndiscreet as she pleased Her money
would plead forgiveness and tolera-
ton. Elsa shrugged. But
shrugs do not dismiss problems She
could have laughed. To have come all
this way to solve riddle, only to find
a second more confusing than the
first!
Like thief in the night. She did
not care to know what he had done.
not half SO much as to learn what he
had been. Peculations of some order:
OF this she was reasonably sure. So
why seek for details, when these might
be sordid?
Singapore would see the end, and
she would become her normal self
again.
She clasped the necklace around her
lovely throat. She was dressing for
dinner, really dressing An impish
mood filled her with the irrepressible
desire to shine in all her splendor to-
night. Covertly she would watch the
eyes Of mediocrity widen Hitherto
they had seen her in the simple white |
OF travel Tonight they should behold
the woman who had been notable
among the beauties in Paris, Vienna,
Rome. London; who had not married
duke simply because his title could
not have added to the security OF her
position, socially or financially.
Into the little mirror above the wash
stand she peered, with smiling and ap-
ho1 oh |
better. There was unusual color in
1er cheeks and the clarity of her eyes
spoke illuminatingly of superb health.
The tan on her face was not made
noticeable in contrast by her shoulders
Ind arms. old ivory in tint and as
smooth and glossy as ancient Carr ira
you lovely creature!" murmured
Martha. touching an arm with her lips.
You are foolish to dress like this"
She finished the hooking of Elsa's
waist
And why?" ,
"In the first place there's nobody
worth the trouble; and nobody but a !
uchess or :" Martha paused
mbarrassedly.
"Or what? An improper person."
lisa laughed. my dear Martha, your 6
are faulty. | know but
wo duchesses in this wide world who g
re not dowdies, and one of them is an '
.mercan. An improper person is gen q
rally the most proper. outside her pc l
uliar environments. Can't you sug- ?
est something else."
Martha searched but found no suit '
BILE reply. She believed that she saw .
lore clearly into the future than Elsa.
omeone would talk, and in that q
TRANCE inscrutable fashion scandal q
as of reaching the ends Of the earth. q
le story would eventually arrive a
ONE; and there, for all the profes. c
ons of friendship, it would find admit.
nee. No door is latched when scan d
II knocks. Martha readily appreci- u
ed that it was all harmless, to be ex- I
'essed by single word. within. But r
artha herself never acted upon i'm. II
Use; she first questioned What the q
orld would say. So run the sheep. r
CTO BE CONTINUEDD N
Many "kings of Jerusaiem."
~ l.