The Jasper news., 1917-10-04
CHAPTER XIV.

True to her instinct for the dramatic
moment, when the telephone interrupt
ed Mrs. Beggarstaff answered with no
apparent emotion and nothing more
than a noncommittal "Yes?" followed
at a brief interval by "Yes, If you
please, at once" Then, hanging up the
receiver, she set herself artfully to de-
lay Mrs. Merrilees. "This is all very
WE'LL" she announced with complacent
determination; "but l want to know
what real evidence you have got
against Craven"
Nothing" Quoin admitted, beyond
circumstantial evidence, which, how
ever well grounded, wouldn't hold to-
gether q minute under the analysis of
any able-bodied criminal lawyer"
mo actual proof?"
mot whit. You may be sure Cra-
ven never took an active hand In any
of these affairs: merely engineered
them with his inside information and
superior intelligence. Be sure, too,
that whenever job was pulled off he
was always conspicuously somewhere
else"
"Then what do you propose doing"
"Why-Betty permitting-scare him
silly and run him out Of town. don't
think we want more than that-aside
from the necklace"
"That will content me-" Mrs. Merri-
lees affirmed. -. ......
Here knock fell on the door, and
the Dowager Dragon, for all her pro-
tested infirmity, rose with the spryness
Of youth.
mo, don't go yet. It's only some
thing I've been expecting. And want
one word more with you-about the
girl Lydia. Whatever you do, under
stand, I won't have her run out Of
town, or annoyed, or frightened, or
ill-treated in any way"
With this she disappeared down the
hallway. Followed u sound Of voices
murmuring.
Quoin and Mrs. Merrilees fingered in
doubt and silence, the gaze of each
seeking the others; while, to one side,
by these two forgotten, Peter Trait
waited, watching, some little sadness
and envy In his heart.
Not that he grudged Quoin the guer-
don Of a lifetime's unselfish devotion
but he felt quite justified in envying
them the happiness that was to be
theirs. If he could ever hope to see
Lydia Craven look up into his face as
Betty Merrllees was just then looking
up at Quoin-
Betty, in a melting humor and q
gown representing the finest flower OF
the Rue de la Paix, to Peters fancy
cut figure that filled your eye. AND
in such matters Peter esteemed him
self u distinguished amateur.
But once Lydia Craven had entered
the drawing room Peter no longer
cared to look at Betty. A fellows got
only certain limited amount of eye
sight, after all, and it's no good vast
ing 1t on anything he isn't really crazy
about.
In the severity of her street dres.
the girls figure had a graciousness tha
even Betty's couldn't shadow. Ant
Lydia's face, set against the darkness
of one of those trim little hats which
in those days were just beginning t,
oust the art-nouveau-coal-ho enormi
ties-Lydia's ruddy hair, the transpar
ent pallor of her brow, the fine GLOW
in cheeks fresh from the rainy night
her dark and animated eyes brighten
ing with surprise and half-timid pleas
ure-taken altogether Peter though
Lydla's fairness was to Betty's as sui
to candlelight.
But with delight apprehension wa
mixed in his mind. There were still
some phases of life Peter hadn't faith
omed; for one, the antagonism within
the sexes-within the sex, rather; 70
1t was the attitudes often adopte
toward one another by the most ann
: able and delightful of women that PEI
picked his understanding.
J Now, with real provocatlon on he
side, what would be Betty's attitud
toward this rival beauty2
} His solicitude was wasted. Elthe
he underestimate the generosity Q
Betty. or Lydia's righteousness diI