Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-03-09
ALICE DEVINE
Bv EDGAR JEPSON
Copyright 1916 BY The Bobbs- Merrill Co.

blazing hot day, the words fell iron
! her lips like icicles.
|. And hair" said l.
Yes; and hair" said Alice.
She's Cora Cray; and she acts il
that American thing, The Buffalo
Belle
"Of course, know now" cried Alice
She is the Buffalo Belle; and she
Sings in a voice like breaking Goals
But what's she doing here? It's rather
funny
1t might be, but could not see it.
Nuggets American COUSIN" ! said
That's rather funny, too said
Alice.
l couldn't see the fun of that, either;
and as the afternoon wore on, | saw ii
less and less. The Colorado beauty
seemed to have thinning effect on the
garden. You can see into 1t very plain
ly from the houses; and that more
than sky blue dress caught the eye
Nugget had not the sense to plant the
lady in a secluded spot and keep her
there. He was rather displaying his
prize. AS she went about, foOtmen
came hurrying into the garden and
| each of them went out Of it conducting
| a nurse, or two nurses and a set of
children to the uns potted home.
! | knew that there would be trouble,
and sure enough by the first post next
morning came eleven letters, marked
Private all of the calling on me to
| keep Miss Cora Cray out Of the central
garden and save my tenants children
from contamination. should say that
every single letter was libelous. for
ia
Cray except her hair | wrote in reply
to the letters that the matter should
| receive my attention | did not think it
at all likely that the lady would be
lunching with Nugget again for along
time: he would never bring himself to
spend money on another meal for her
for months. But it CHANGED that after
I had finished my mornings work in
connection with the Gardens, ! went
out on the balcony and across the gar
den saw something blue. dashed for
my glasses and turned, them on it.
nearly fell off the balcony it was
Cora Cray. She must be staying at
Number 3. She was sitting on its bal
cony beside the broad checked Nugget,
and both of them were smoking
They sat there all the rest of the
morning. shining and smoking. At in
tervals drinks were brought out to
them and once the bright blue Cora
raised her voice in song and produced
the sound of breaking Goals. Two or
three times robust female in black
came out, on the balcony talked to
them for a while and went in again.
My glasses showed me that the robust
female was what Cora calls her Nom
mer" in the touching Colorado way I
had heard her do it at supper party
with which she had sat at table next
mine at the Savoy one night.
For about an hour before lunch foot
men brought notes to me- Ny tenants
wanted to know how long their delicate
eyes were to be offended by the sight
Of the Colorado beauty. | told Mowart
to pack my clothes for fortnight in
Paris. and he was about half way
through it when Lady Gargery called
| was in for it. Not to put too fine
point on it, Lady GargArv is the terror.
the moral terror. of Garthoyle Gardens. !
She is the widow of Gargery, Blossom |
and Company. the great butter COM I
pany: she is on the committee of al! /
the societies and leagues for minding !
other peoples business that ever were:
and she is very important indeed .
among the Anti.Suffragettes Resides
all that she is said to have the keen
est nose for scandal of any woman in
l. ondon. My tenants call her "Mouser"
It is only natural that she should mako
It her business to keep the Gardens
straight. | dare say they are awfully
obliged to her.
When Richards told me she HAD
come to see me, realized I ought to
nave run for my life directly I caught
sight Of that Internal blue dress, and
picked up Morwart and my clothes at
he station. But it was too late now:
md l went gloomily down to the draw
ng room to hear Lady Gargery pour
,ut her righteous indignation.
There is kind of richness about
lady Gargery. She has rich ripe
igure, broad. square and thick; and
Ter broad square face is rich Grim
on. | don't know whether she tries.
mt she never seems to be able to find i.
dress to match it. Also she had a
leep rich voice, which so Brookes,
Who has heard her speak at demon
tratjon in Hyde Park, told me car
les very well in the open air In a '
DOM it rather booms.
Good morning. Lord Garthoyle,"
he doomed when | came into the
rawins room. This is terrible thing :.
"a very terrible thing
| had my eye glass in my eye and !.
ny mouth we'll open defensively, and
rawled: j suppose Won mean Sir Nj g,
ent Clipp's little eame?' :,
Little game Little game, Lord r
arthOyle?' she doomed. IF you call I
aunting an abandoned Colorado ac- Y
"ess before the eyes of respectable
like Garthoyle Gardens G
little game. your idea of smallness C
iffers very considerably from nine q
But Miss Cray isn't abandoned,
ont you know? She's most respec-
able young woman. I've been told so a
gain and again. said. II
She is an American. That is quite |,
nough for me- doomed Lady Gargery. I
ooh, but there are quite decent
merIcans. I've met them" said I. V
with that hair?" she doomed.
MOh. well. that hair now - it's quite O
1mmon in Colorado hair like that" a
said ~