The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1916-02-23
6tZnEv The Story Of
ZOE a Great Love-
A Thrilling Serial of Devotion and Mystery

. The woman started and went very
pale. Then she rose abruptly AMI
Crawley caught his breath. Let Us
go!" she said huskily. why did we
ever come here?"
But you haven't touched your teal"
Il don't want any tea! Pay the
girl and GOMEZ"
"Where?'
ITO Grosvenor road"
Before he could say another word
she was sweeping majestically toward
the door. AS she passed Eva Warren,
she drew her skirts to her as II she
were afraid of communicating them by
letting them come in contact with the
English wild rose of Crawley's dreams.
The man saw the action and ground
his teeth.
"40a Grosvenor road" He shouted
II defiantly, for all the world to hear.
What mattered anything now?
But it was one OF those ordinary
coincidents Of life that allowed Mrs.
Balshaw, one OF the smartest OF Lon
don hostesses, TO be passing at that
precise moment. One had to speak
in a very low whisper indeed il one
wanted to avoid Mrs. Balshaws al
most supernatural sense of hearing.
That lady had obs orved Mrs. Brooke.
She did not know Mrs. Brooke by
name. but she saw that she was en-
traordinarily beautiful, and that her
sables were worth a kings ransom.
She knew Noel Crawley. however,
and went out of her way to bow TO
him. Crawley barely acknowledged
her salutation, and Mrs. Balshaw i'm
mediately concluded that the glorious
creature OF the sahles was occupying
too much Of his attention. Certainly
she looked all right. There was NJ
doubt about that. Also there was
nothing extraordinary In Crawley CIV
| ing his own address to the cabman.
Still Mrs. Balshaw thought great
| deal. and she was lady who rarely
! kept her thoughts to herself. That
was perhaps why she was so popular
No one was further from her mind
at that time than Eva Warren. as she
turned into the Blush Rose Tea
Rooms She had a rendezvous there
with one Of her numerous sycophants
| Crawley did not see her go into the
/ tea rooms, and just them, even II ne
had. he would not have cared much.
The ordinary things OF life had faded
into a blurred obscurity. lie had be
come a fatalist, and was sitting be-
side Mrs. Brooke, staring grimly ahead
with unseeing eyes an the taxi bore
them swiftly southwark to Grosvenor
road. He did not allow himself TO
think of Eva, who was his life and
everything; neither did he realize that
a young girls virgin heart had entered
the cruel flames of doubt and jealousy
for the first time, and that fierce
battle was raging in girls soul IN
the Bond street tea rooms.
And nobody else knew, for girls IKE
Eva Warren do not wear their hearts
on their sleeves. They guard their
love with Jealous pride, and would
rather die than let the world share
their secret or their shame.
"Hullo! Eva, what's the matter
with you?" exclaimed Sir squire
"Arne't you we'll? Place too stuffy:
eh? You're very silent all at once
The girl started.
"Oh, I'm all right" she answered
bravely enough. and smiled into the
grim, kindly face of her father. II
was only thinking"
You shouldn't think at your age.
child" laughed Sir Squire. you'll
have plenty OF time for that later on
Have another Of these wonderful
green and pink and cream abomina-
tions. You won't always be able to
enioy that sort of thing, you know.
They'd mean sudden death to me-.
NO, thanks. pater," she answered,
with a too obvious effort to appear
unconcerned. Il think well go now.
If YOU don't mind The place is rather
close. And, besides, we ought to be
back by five. Mother expects u.s.
lust as they were leaving they met
Mrs. Balshaw, who greeted Sir Squire
effusively. -,
"Ah. here's the rest OF the family"
she exclaimed. as she kissed Eva ro-
bustly on each cheek, despite that
Young ladys obvious endeavor to es-
cane such osculatory salutations.
HE BEGs ZOE TO SIT
BACK AND HIDE HER FACE.
"The rest of the family? What do
YOU mean?" inquired Sir Squire.
We'll, Noel Crawley's In the family.
isn't he--Or he soon will be, won't he,
dear? I've just met him. BY the
way. who is that awfully handsome
woman he's just gone off with--the
woman in the sablos? And what sa-
bes.'
II don't know quickly answered
Eva MIR. Crawley has not been with
MS"
II was half lie. and Eva Warren
had never told so much as half lie
before in her life. But she had en-
tered the fire. and was soon to under
stand many things.
Crawlcy and Mrs. Brooke had driven
halfway down st. James street be-
fore either had said n word. AS for
Crawlcy no seemed obliviOus Of the
very presence Of the woman. and Zoe
sat with eyes 'lalr closed and lips set
tight. her brows drawn and contracted
in an ominous frown.
The position was childishly ridicu-
Ious. and the woman was the first to
realize it, She sat bolt upright, and
laid her hand suddenly on his arm.
Noel" she said. in voice that was
hoarse with emotion, do speak! Say
something, for Heavens sake. Are
YOU very, very angry with me? You
are killing me by this behavior"