Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-03
; a.1pnBEpT WELlES Richie
t~AsSxus& Tie Bs1As-Ne-rm Company.

IN bloom out of time. H1ldebrandS
buyer on her knees and with deft
fingers busy with the soft folds of the
skirt, answered through a mouthful
of pine: ~. .
Poor Cynthia; my heart goes out
to her"
ooh, 1t needn't" Lady Crandall an.
'swered, with a fitting of her strictly
Iowa style nose. The Maxwell per-
son has made me bleed more than
once here on the Rock with the gowns
a fond mamma sends her from Paris.
But, honestly, isn't this a bit low for
a staid middle aged person like my
self? I'm afraid I'll have trouble. get
ting my precious Doeuillet past the
censor" Lady Crandall plumed her
self with secret Joy: IL =
Jane looked up, puzzled ~
ooh, that's old Lady Porter-a per-
feet dragon" the generals wife rat
tied on. poor old dear; she thinks
the Lord put her on the. Rock for a
purpose. Her W collars get higher
and higher. I believe If she eve vas
presented at court she'd emulate the
old Scotch lady who followed the law
Of decollete, but preserved her self
respect by wearing a red flannel chest
protector. You must meet her"
I'm afraid I won't have time to
get a look at your dragon" Jane re-
turned, with a little laugh, all happi-
ness. "Now that Sir George has prom
ised me l can sail on the Saxonia Fri
day
"You really must The envious
eyes Of Lady Crandall fell on the pile
of plans-potent Delphic mysteries to
charm the heart Of woman-that lay
scattered about upon the floor.
Jane sat back on her heels and sur
veyed the melting folds of satin with
an artists eye.
1T you only knew-what it means
to. me to get back with my baskets
full of French beauties! Why, when
l screwed up my courage two months
ago to go to old Hildebrand and ask
him to send me abroad as his buyer
I'd been studying drawing and French
at nights for three years in prepare
ton. you see-he roared like the dear
old lion he is and said I was too
young. But I cooed and pleaded, and
at last he said l could come-on trial,
and So"
He'll purr like a pussy cat when
you get back" Lady Crandall put In,
with a pat on the brown head at her
knees.
Maybe. If I can slip into New
York with my little baskets while all
the other buyers are still over here,
cabling tearfully for money to get
home or asking their firms to send a
warship to fetch them-why, I guess
the %pennant's mine all right"
The eternal feminine, so strong in
Iowa's transplanted stock, prompted a
mischievous question:
'"Then you won't be leaving some
body behind when you sail-somebody
who seemed awfully nice and-for.
eigny and all that? All our American
girls find the moonlight owe On this
side infectious. Witness me-a fin
ishing trip abroad after school days
and see where I've finished-on a
Rock" Lady Crandall dubbed laugh
ter. A shrewd downward sweep Of
her eyes was just in time to catch a
flush mounting to James. cheeks.
"Well a Mysterious Stranger has
crossed my path" Jane admitted. HE
was very nice. but Mysterious
oh" A delighted gurgle from the
older woman. Tell me all about it
a secret for these ancient walls to
hear"
Jane was about to reply when 7ec-
ond thought checked her tongue. Be-
fore her flashed that strange meeting
with Captain Woodhouse the night be-
fore--his denial Of their former meet.
ing, followed by his curious inststence
on her keeping faith with him by not
revealing the fact of their acquaint.
ance. She had promised-why she
had promised she could no more
divine than the reason for his asking;
but a promise it was that she would
not betray his confidence. More than
once since that minute in the recep-
ton room Of the Hotel Splendide, Jane
Gerson had reviewed the whole baf-
fling circumstance in her mind and a