Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-09-09

lib noH's'.' By Q. IRWIN MYERS
! ...~.-.......-.-.-s-s-s-
Copyright by the Bobbs- Merrill COMPANY.
II CHAPTER v.
An untImsiy Visitor.
! She really was one still, for in these
days 1t 10 an elastic term. and in
! Blanche's case there was no apparent
reason why It should ever cease to
apply. or to be applied by every decent
| tongue except her own.
Much the best tennis-player among
the ladies Of the neighborhood, she
drove an almost unbecomingly long
ball at golf. and never looked better
than when padding her old canoe. or
punting In the old punt. And yet, this
wonderful September afternoon. she
! did somehow look even better than at
either or anY Of those congenial pur-
suits. and that long before they
reached the river; in the empty house,
which had known her 40 baby, child
and grown-up girl. to the companion
OF some part Of all three stages. she
Blanche than he remembered even Of
old.
But she was not really lovely in the
least; that also must be put beyond
the pale of misconception. Her hair
was beautiful. and perhaps her skin,
and. in some lights. her eyes: the rest
, was not. 1t was yellow hair. not gold
On, and Cazalet would have given all
he had about him to see 1t down again
% in the oldest Of old days; but there
was more gold in her skin. for 90 the
sun had treated it: and there was
even hint or CLINT Tin certain lights.
be it repeatedly Of gold mingling with
the pure hazel Of her eyes. But in
the dusty shadows of the empty house,
moving like Z sunbeam across its bare
boards, standing out against the discol-
ored walls in tho place Of remembered
pictures not to be compared with her,
It was there that she was all golden
and still girl.
They poked their noses into. and
they had laugh in every corner and
20 out upon the leafy lawn, shelving
abruptly to the river. Last Of al there
Was the summer sohoolroom over tho
boat-house. quite apart from the house
itself: scene Of such safe yet reckless
revels: IN ito very aura late Victorian!
It lay hidden in ivy at the end Of .
now neglected path; the bow.win-
hA
framed in ivy. Ike three matted. whis-
kered. dirty. happy faces; one. with
ito lower sash propped open by .
broken plant.pot, might have been
grinning . toothless welcome to two
once leading spirits Of the place.
Casalet whitfield q twig and wedged
that sash up altogether: then he sat
himself on the sill. his long legs in.
side. But his knife mad reminded
him Of his plug tobacco. And his plug
tobacco took him - straight back to
the bush 40 though the unsound floor
had changed under their feet into q
magic carpet.
You simply have it put down to the
mans account in the station books.
Nobody keeps ready money up at the
bush. not even the price Of q plug like
this; but the chap I'm telling you
about Il can see him now, with his
great red beard and freckled fists) he
swore l was charging him for half
pound more than he'd ever had. We
fought for twenty minutes behind the
wood-heap: then he gave mo best, but
had to turn In till could see again;
you don't mean that he
Blanche had looked rather disgust
ed the moment before; now she was
all truculent suspense and indigna-
ton.
Beat me!" he cried. Good Lord,
no: but there was mono too much In
IT,"
Fires died down in her hazel eyes,
lay lambert as soft moonlight. flick.
cred into laughter before he had seen
the IRE.
I'm afraid you're . very dangerous
person." said Blanche.
You've got to be-" he assured her;
Its the only way. Don't take word
from anybody, unless you mean him to
wipe his boots on you. soon found
that out. I'd have given something to
have learned the noble art before I
went out. Did 1 ever tell you how it
was FIRST came across old Venus
Potts?'
He had told her at great length. to
the exclusion Of about every other
topic, In the second of the annual let
ters; and throughout the series the In
evitable name OF Venus Potts had Sd
dom cropped up without some allusi6n
to that Homeric encounter. But It was
vel! worth while having It Ill over
again with the intricate and picturesque
embroidery Of . tongue far mightter
than the pen hitherto employed upon
the incident. Poor blanche had almost
to hold her nose over the primary
cause of battle; but the dialogue was
delightful. and Casalet himself made
. most gallant and engaging figure 10
b eat on the sill and rseled It out
Twenty minutes later, and old Venus
Potts was still on the magic tapio,
though Cssalet he'd dropped his boast
Ing for . curiously humble. eager and
vt tne1ectual vein.
"0ld Venus Potts." he kept ejasu.
latinS. you couldn't help liking him.
And he'd like you. my world"
rs his wife nicer Blanche wanted
to know; but she was looking 90 tn