Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-16

fully obliged to you"
There's no need to be. You could
have got it yourself. | was very glad to
save you a little trouble"
ooh, | should have made a dreadful
mess of things" she said quickly.
"Roughened the path Of true love?
l don't think you would. Have you
spent it all?"
Indeed no. it will last ever such a
long time. Why, there are more than
a hundred treats - expeditions to Kew
or to the country-in that money. I'm
keeping it for it.. It's splendid to have
a lot of money like that
1t was an odd way for the niece of a
~;llionaire to talk, especially since she
rs living with him. But | was not
surprised by it. Except when they are
showing off, millionaires are stingy
sweeps; and I did not suppose that
Scruton was any exception to the rule.
I bethought myself that I al there
on Herbert's business; and J. set her
talking about Miss Maynard. She did
not want any encouragement.
ooh, Kitty's a darling" she said. 81
don't know what I should do without
Kitty" And she plunged into praises
of her.
learned that Miss Maynard's moth
er was a widow and they were very
hard up; that Miss Maynard was very
keen on amusing herself and always
came to Scruton's parties. He had
told Alice that she should invite her to
help her entertain his guests. OF
course, there was no need to have a
hostess at such parties; and it was
clearer than ever that the two girls
were used as decoys. 1t was no bust
ness of mine; but 1t vexed be. / said
nothing about it; I let the ghost girl
60 on talking. And I gathered that
though Miss Maynard was a nice
enough girl, and uncommonly clever,
she was a bit on the wild side, and
dead set on having a good time. I could
not see her the wife Of a serious, not
to say dull, politician like Herbert. 1t
would work well enough perhaps If
Herbert were merely a fool; but heEs
such an obstinate fool. A mild brand
Of wife who like being bullied, like
Anne Dressington, was what he want
ed. He was just the kind of mar to
come badly to grief with a clever wild
one like Miss Maynard. Herbert was
in a hole.
The ghost girl presently stopped
talking about Kitty Maynard, and !
said: "You say Miss Maynard is r.
up, but that dress she's wearing d
not look like hard-upness."
Alice looked at me rather hard, and
she flushed.
"Oh, these dresses" she said slowly,
in a distressed voice: ITS my uncle.
He arranges about our dresses - not
only mine, but Kitty's too. He says it
is only fair that since she helps me act
as hostess, he should provide the prop
rieties. And = and he will have them
like this. IL hate them"
They're very nice dresses" / said
cheerfully. What's the matter with
them?"
"Oh, you know quite we'll what's the
with them!" she flashed out
with a sudden burst of temper. Then
she gave a little gasp and said: But
but why am I talking to you like
this? IL scarcely know you"
ooh. yes, you do. You know all there
is to know. And why shouldn't you talk
freely to me? I'm quite safe. And
like it. It's a great compliment" I said
quickly.
81 dare say it is. But ="
She stopped short, rose, and we Went
back into the room.
Two or three men were talking to
Kitty Maynard; and Alice went back to
the couch and sat down on it. I saw
that for the moment she had had
enough of me, and I went back to the
table and played. AS I played I Won
dered about her - baccarat Is q nice
easy game to play; it gives you plenty
of time to think. She did seem contra.
dictory; somehow that ghost trick did
not fit in with the rest Of her. Once
or twice ! caught her glowering at me
as if she were still angry with me for
telling me her feelings about that d.
rectoire frock. It was awfully like a
woman to blame me for what she had
said.
The play was serious now - a thous.
and pound bank. AS I punted | watch
ed very carefully: but | saw nothing
wrong. Indeed, with such seasoned
gamblers as Tony lie Quesne, Steiner
and two or three of the other men who
were playing at the table, it would
have been very difficult for there to be
anything wrong. I watched Scruton
with particular care when he took the
bank. He seemed far too clumsy a
dealer to play any tricks with the cards
Besides. he lost about seven hundred
over his bank.
Men kept dropping out and talking
to the girls for a while and coming
back again. They talked to them with
too easy an air to please me. But it
was no business of mine. Scruton un-
doubtedly usedrthe two girls to attract
to his parties.
l dropped out myself and had an.
other talk with Miss Maynard; and it
made me surer than ever that she
would V do for Herbert. Soon al
ter two, the two girls slipped away:
and then Herbert went, and then Gage,
and Walsh, and two or three others.
! took it that these came chiefly on &C.
count of the two girls: and | was an.
noyed to see that Walsh was one of
them. The rest of us broke up at about
a quarter past four.
I walked home rather slowly: one
way and another I had plenty to think
Of. Well, ! had had a pleasant even.
Ing.