Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-03-20
ALICE DEVINE
Bv EDGAR JEPSON
Copyright 1916 BY The Bobbs- MerriN Co

sion that my idea, that IT was MS nop'
by to have the severest gambling IN
London at his house, was the right one
always noticed that he kept close
eye on our winnings and losings; and
at the end of each party he would rub
his hands together, and say gleefully
that twenty-five or thirty thousand
pounds had changed hands in the
course of the evening; and then he al
ways added: Zine gambling - first
class gambling, Eth? What"
But it did seem to me trifle thick
that he should use Alice as an attrac.
ton to bring men to his parties, if they
were merely his hobby. 1t would have
been more excusable if he had beer
playing some shady game with them.
But then, millionaires are queer fish.
| went to most of his parties and
every time I went I was annoyed
afresh to find Alice being used as a de-
coy. 1t was really no business of
mine. except that she and / were grow
ing more and more friendly. In fact, I
liked to go to them chiefly because l.
could keep an eye on her and see that
she was not annoyed by any of her
uncle's guests. I felt that that was
rather my business. since. by helping
Freddy Gage to carry off and marry
Kitty Maynard, had robbed Alice of
her chief support. If Kitty Maynard
had also been used by Scruton as de-
coy, none the less she had been sup
port to Alice. New guests who did not
know the ropes were apt to be familiar
and needed checking. I did it.
One night. some one who ought to
have known better Il think it was AL
perton = brought with him bubbling
young stock broker. I suppose the
stock broker had put him on to good
thing in oil or rubber. They had done
themselves not wisely but too well at
dinner and; the young stock broker~was
in very high feather at finding himself
among what he called "the nobility
He seemed also to be considered a
fascinating fellow in his circle and he
set himself to fascinate Alice in what
suppose is the stock brokerly way.
Alice snubbed him with quiet straight
forwardness that would have shut UP
any decent sort Of chap, and told him
quite plainly to hold his tongue. 1t did
not seem to have any effect. Alice rose
and went to the door: he followed her,
, apologizing. I opened the door for her,
she went out and he went out after
her: still apologizlng. Then, on the
knife. l got him comfortably by the
scruff of the neck. ran him down the
empty landing. was on him like, a
stairs. along the hall to the front door.
F., The butler opened it smartly and |
kicked my young friend heartily down
| the steps. He did not come back for
| his hat.
| came quietly back up the stairs and
, found Alice leaning over the banisters
of the landing from which she had
watched the young cad's departure.
There was very fine flush on her face
and her eyes sparkled quite fiercely.
"Oh, I'm so much 6bliged to you,
she said. 81 wonder how that cad got
into the house?"
Must have sneaked in at the back
door, said.
again. she said.
II don't know about that. He only
got what he was asking for. Perhaps
he likes it and will come back for
more" said l.
81 am so much obliged to yor." she
said again; and she moved toward the
stairs to the second floor
! Don't let him drive you of to bed
l said. ITS quite early yet"
+, She hesitated moment, And then
she came back into the baccarat room
| with me. We went on to the balcony
and had a very pleasant half hours
talk.
! That bubbling young stock broker
was only passing nuisance as it were
Sir Theobald> Walsh was nuisance
ievery time He had been guest al
F. Scruton's parties since the beginning
long before I had ever come to see
He seemad to think. or at any rate h
pretended to think that that gave him
isor,e kind of a claim on Alice and un
less something prevented him, he al
ways spent good deal of the evening
! hanging over her and talking to he:
with proprietary air.
! Now. as have said, Walsh is not at
all the kind of rian one likes to see
| hanging about nice girl Married Wo
men are all very well, but young CIR
is different. Besides. it wasn't only
Walsh's ways, and what we oil know
i about him among ourselves, but ms
| bad character was notorious, He had
not only appeared in the divorce conri
as correspondent in the Cu.'lhs ~'y scan
| dal: bnt AT the inquest on the ;infortun
ate Mrs, Bulkelv it came Cut bat She
had committed suicide owing 70 he
blackguardly way IN which ~ t~aated
her. Also I happened to En1r' OF the
orgies thev were really orgies -
! which he held at The Cedar his coln
try house near PinneT Naturally he
was not the kind of msu who could
hang about girl without har'ninG her
reputation. and whenever / SOW him
hanging about Alice I intsrrInted.
He hated to be INTERRUPTED, but
never missed chance Of d0ing it.
Joined in their talk. or rather i9'ne0
in his talk - for Alice had very Ett!e
to say to him firmly: and every tin
we were soon swapping frcelr woulT
sheer at things he said. and IN Womb
sheer at things said, till our cooTersa
ton grew rather CHEEKY. Naariv a.
ways before ten minutes were M, eo'
him rabid end snarling and generally
at the end of half an hour | drove him
off to the card table. He must have
lost quite lot of money from playing
! baccarat in bad temper Sometimes