Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-10-19
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VANCE
CONTINUED from Last week.

"Craven coming here?" Betty inter
rupted incredulously, but checked sud
denly at look from Quoin.
''As soon as he can get away" Lydia
affirmed. 81 mean, of course, wher.
ever you're really stopping"
''The Plaza"
'"That's just across the way, isn't It'll
It's odd of him to make such mis-
take. He said the Margrave distinctly.
But Til ask for you at the Plaza In
half an hour, if you don't mind"
Mind! On the contrary" Mrs. Mer-
rilees said pleasantly, 'Pll be delight
ed. Tad, too. That will be fun
rather! Well have supper together
all of u.s."
Sand so-good night for thirty min
utes," Lydia laughed. 81 must hurry"
"Wait a minute" Peter put in. 'Tm
off too, you know, and going your way
"How do you know you are!" Lydia
demanded, smiling back from the door
way.
Because that's the way I'm going"
''But 1 don't want you now, Mr..
Traft-though / shall hope to see you
again in half an hour. Good-by."
The hall-door closed, leaving Peter
as dashed as Betty Merrilees was
thunderstruck, as Quoin was thought
full, as the smile Of the Dowager Drag
on was satiric.
There was little pause.
"What," Peter demanded, "what dc
you know about that?'
"After her, you loon," Quoin snapped,
waking up with a start. eff Craven
told her to go somewhere else first,
be sure he never Sleant her to bring
that necklace here. Don't you see?'
"Ass!" Peter groaned, shifting his
forehead. why didn't I think?" Seiz-
ing hat and coat, he threw open
the door even as the elevator gate
changed.
The car had dropped from sight be.
fore he reached the shaft. Planting q
thumb on the push-button, he educed
only thin, persistent grumble from
the annunciator bell, steadily dimin.
fishing in volume as the car continued
wilfully to descend.
Infatuated, the young man commit
ted the soul of the elevator attendant
to the nethermost depths of damnation
and, turning to the stairway, plunged
down the flights in breakneck haste,
three steps at time.
Across the lobby he sped as one
bounded by furies, and gained the car
riage entrance barely in time to see a
taxicab pulling away from the curb.
Peter gave chase, affording midnight
wayfarers the diverting spectacle of a
beautifully arrayed young man-coat-
tails fiat to the wind and rain, top coat
streaming wildly from one arm, the
other brandishing the dernier cri In
tOppers-in mad, mute pursuit of a
self-cOntained taxicab proceeding st0l.
idly about it's business.
Happily for Peter, it's business in
vOlved observance Of traffic regula-
tions; and when it paused to give pre-
cedence to a Fifty-ninth street cross
town car Peter caught up-if some
thing more rudely than he had thought
to. Unable to check quickly on the
greasy asphalt, he skidded against the
door with a crash.
''Hold hard! ' he begged between
breaths. Give me a chance!"
"What the" commented the chauf-
fear suspiciOusly.
But at the same time Peter jerked
the door open, and-a Gravity, sinking
sensation deserted his midst: the fare
was Lydia. after all
She greeted this GREATNESS appari-
ton with an inarticulate cry.
''You forgot something" Peter
gasped in response, climbing in.
"WhatY'
"Me!" he declared settling into the
place by her side; then thrust his head
out of the door and painted, Its all
right, driver. Cut along-and don't &C