The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1916-02-03
ZOE" 1 +, GI: Story 2.2 Of
A Thrilling Serial of Devotion and Mystery

Brooke regarded his wife with q
proud and happy proprietorship.
Really, Godfrey" protested MRS.
Brooke, blushing divinely.
Beats the sketch, doesn't it, Craw-
ley?"
what sketch?"
Crawley caught his breath. For a
moment the room seemed to spin
around him. He was dimly conscious
of two affrighted eyes staring at him
from misty vapors; then, with giant
effort, he controlled himself.
"Oh. 1t was a pretty little sketch
of you I picked up just now, Mrs.
Brooke. Here 1t is" He took 1t care
lessly from the table and forced him
self to look at 1t as he added: mo,
It certainly does not flatter YOU"
who did 1t, DIP" asked Brooke.
"Oh, a man in London" answered
the woman. with a perfect sangfroid.
thought Of getting him to paint my
portrait, but we never came to terms. "
Crawley bit his lip. She was superb.
She lied grandly; she was consum-
mate actress. And. what was more,
she was absolutely mistress OF ner-
self. He had expected to find the ex-
cited and hysterical woman who nao
yeft his flat in London four or i've
hours ago, the woman who had grover
ed on the floor at his feet. and pc
seeched him to take her away from
the husband she did not love, VINO had
sobbed and wept, and said all manner
of wild and passionate things, ana
had very nearly taken her life before
his eyes.
Instead he found the perfectly calm
and self-possessed woman, who looked
him full In the eyes without so mucn
as a culver of the eyelids, who spoke
TO him with perfect nonchalance, VINO
obviously meant to play her part Tor
all II was worth.
Brooke He Sees 10 Unsuspie'ous.
Only for a second had she betrayed
herself. It was as she entered the
drawing room, and saw him there Tor
the first time. But that passed in
stantly. She must have expected II,
for presumably Brooke had warned
her.
Crawley's brain was in whirl. He
only saw and heard things 1ndistlnctiy.
He wanted to get away and be alone
to think. He was barely conscious
of what he did now. He was like
man in a dream. One thing, however,
he saw plainly, and that was that, so
far. Brooke was completely unsuspi-
cious.
He knew nothing, suspected moth
ing, he could not keep those compel.
ling eyes of his from the beautiful
creature he proudly called his wife
the one and only woman OF his life,
the woman who stood to Godfrey
Brooke as the incarnation OF good
ness and purity. the goddess at whose
feet he laid all the love and devotion
of his rugged heart.
He worshipped her. Crawley saw
1t. A man would be fool II he did
not It was something OF revela-
ton to the artist, for the Brooke he
had known in the past had never had
any place in his heart for women or
sentiment He had not scorned wom-
en-, nor was he what is generally
called a woman.hater. He had al
ways been good and courteous to
women when they had come In mis-
way, but he had never sought them.
He hated all manner of sentiment
and the cloaking of his real feelings
II he ever had any, had become part
and parcel of his nature. His life
had been too full of other things
great, strenuous things - to leave
room for the minor felicities OF ex.
istence; and women to Godfrey
Brooke were always placed in that
category.
Now he was as enthusiastically in
love as boy. Every look, every word
of the man showed it. To Godfrey
Brooke his wife was something to be
worshipped, something raised up IN
his heart and mind above the level OF
ordinary things.
When Crawley had declared, earlier
in the evening, that Zoe was perhaps
the most beautiful woman he had ever
seen, he did not exaggerate. Diana
Brooke was not only superbly beauti'
full. but there was some mysteriously
subtle charm about her which seemed
to radiate from her-a power or infiu-
ence to attract and subdue. 1t might
be that wonderful smile Of hers-a