Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-01-29


the story would eventually arrive
home; and there, for all the profes.
sions OF friendship, it would find admit.
lance. No door is latched when scan.
dal knocks. Martha readily appreci.
ated that it was all harmless, to be eX'
pressed by a single word, whim. But
Martha herself never acted upon i'm.
pulse; she first questioned what the
world would say. So run the sheep.
For years Martha had discharged heI
duties, If mechanically yet with a
sense of pleasure and serenity. AT
this moment she was as one pushed
unexpectedly to the brink of preci-
pice, over which the slightest misstep
would topple her. The world was out
of joint.
81 wish we had gone to Italy," she
remarked finally.
at would not have served my pur
pose in the least. should have been
dancing and Playing bridge and going
to operas. l should have had no time
for thinking"
"Thinking!" Martha elevated her
brows with an air that implied that
she greatly doubted this statement.
Eyes, thinking. 1t is not necessary
that should nope and shut myself ur
in cell, Martha, in order to think.
have finally come to the end of my
doubts. if that will CRAFTY you. From
now on you may rely upon one thing.
to a certainty"
Martha hesitated to put the ques.
ton.
Il am not going to marry Arthur
He is charming, graceful. accom-
plished; but want a man. should
not be happy with him. can twist
him too easily around my finger. l ad,
nit that he exercises over me Ger.
tain indefinable fascination; but wher
he is out of sight it amounts to the
sum Of all this doddering and doubt
ing. 1t is probable that I shall make
an admirable old maid. Wisdom has
its disadvantages. might be very
happy with Arthur. were not SO
WISE" She smiled again at the refiec.
ton in the mirror. Nov, let US &C
and astonish the natives"
There was a mild futter Of eyelide
as she sat down beside Warrington
and began to chatter to him in Italian
He made q brave show Of following
her, but became hopelessly lost after
few minutes. Elsa spoke fluently;
twelve years had elapsed since his last
visit to Italy. He admitted his con.
fusion, and thereafter 1t was only &C.
casionally that she brought the tongue
into the conversation. This diversion.
which she employed mainly to annoy
her neighbors, was, in truth. the very
worst thing she could have done.
They no longer conjectured; they as.
stunned.
Warrington was too strongly daz.
zled by her beauty tonight to be men,
tally keen or to be observing as was
his habit He never spoke to his
neighbor; he had eyes for none but
Elsa, under whose spell he knew that
he would remain while he lived. He
was nothing to her; he readily under
stood. She was restless and lonely,
and he amused her. So be it. He be-
lieved that there could not be an I'M.
happier, more unfortunate man than
To have been betrayed by
the one he had loved, second to but
one, and to have this knowledge thrust
upon him after all these years, was
evil enough; but the nadir Of his mis-.
fortunes had been reached by the ap-
pearance of this unreliable young
"You are not listening to a word I
am saying!"
II beg your pardon! But l warned
you that my Italian was rusty" He
pulled himself together.
But l have been rafting away in
*
"And l have been wool-gathering."
mot at all mplimentary to me-"
1T is because am very unhappy;
it is because Tantalus and l are broth
ers."
Il wish could make you forget"
"On the contrary, the sight OF you
makes memory all the keener.'
He had never spoken like that be.
fore. It rather subdued her, made her
regret that she had surrendered to
Vanity that was without aim or direc-
ion. Farthest from her thought was
conquest of the man. She did not wish
70 hurt him. She was not coquette.
After dinner he did not suggest the
usual promenade. Instead. he excused
himself and went below.
They arrived at Penang early Mon
lay morning. Elsa decided that War
rington should take her and Martha ON
a personally conducted tour of the
pretty town. As they left for shore he
produced q small beautiful blue feath-
or; he gave it to Elsa with the compli-
ments OF Rajah: and she stuck 1t in
The pugree of her helmet.
This is not from the dove Of peace"
Its archenemy, rather" he laughed.
Il wish l had the ability to get as
furious ~ that bird. It might do me
} world Of good"
And how long Is It since you were
aere?s
-Four years." he answered without
enthusiasm. He would not have come
ashore at all but for the fact that Elsa
lad ordered the expedition.
There was no inclination to explore
he shops: so they hired = landau and
rode about town. climbed up to the
quaint temple in the hills, and made Q
tour Of the botanical Gardens.