Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-12-06
Ill
The Palace
of Darkened
Windows

How else could the Captain be
cantering down the street? He did
not look like a man escaping. !.
Perhaps he had bribed the doorkeep-
er-taat which he had declared i'm
possible for Arlee. But certain
ly he was deceiving her.
Like swollen river bursting its
banks. her racing mind, wild with
suspicion, surged out of it's simple
channels and swirled in every direc-
ton. What did he mean? What
was he trying to do? Keep her In
Ignorance of the outside world, de-
tain her as long as he dared while
the Evershams' absence left her
frienGlless, and inflict the dreadful
loye-lnaking upon her? Perhaps he
thought that he could fascinate her!
She laughed aloud, but it was such
a ghcstly little laugh that it set her
nerves jumping. She stopped in her
feverish pacing of the floor; she
tried to control her racing mind, she
tried to be very calm ard to plan.
Had. he sent all those letters she
had written? Steadily she stared at
the possibility that he had not. But
at least the Evershams knew where
she was. Even the meager warmth
OF their telegram was like an out
stretched hand thru the dark. She
chung tight to it.
1t was absurd, to be frightened. He
would never dare to annoy her
never, in his sober senses. When they
were alone together he had lost his
head. but that was accident-im-
pulse
She rolled the divan against the
locked door. She piled two chairs
upon 1t.
No, of course. she had nothing
really to fear from MIN. He was too
wise not to understand the gulf be-
tween them. Tomorrow she would
confront him fatty with his deceit:
she would array the power of the au-
thorities behind her race. She would
sweep instantly from that ill-omen-
ed palace. There would be no more
philandering.
Her lips moved as she silently
released the mighty speeches that
she would make, and all the while as
she leaned there against window,
staring strangely thru the candle
light at the barricade before the
door, she could think of nothing but
how mad and unreal it all seemed
like some bad dream from which she
would wake in an instant
But she did not wake The dream
persisted, and the iron bars across
her window were very tangible.
Down below her in the garden the
OLD lebbek tree rusfled stealthily in
the stiffness. Gusty clouds hid the
stars. In the distance the, intermin-
able tom tom beat.
She cast herself into the bed and
cried eonvulsiyely, like desperate
ly frightened child, while the awful
sense of terror and utter loneliness
seemed to be. rolling over and over
her, like an amending sea- Her Sob
bling rs.cked her from head to foot.
She cried until she was spent with
weakness. Theh, her wet face still
pressed against the pillow and her
tangled hair flung out in disordered
curls, she fell at last into the sleep
Of exhausted youth.
She woke with a smothered cry.
In the darkness hand had touched
her.
CHAPTER VI.
Billy slapped on his hat with clap
Of violence. She might have just seen
him! Then he got up and marched
down the steps. There was no more
use in camping on that veranda.
There was no more use in guarding
that entrance. When a girl went
off in a limousine ''all doll
ed up" as his academic English put
It, that girl wasn't going to be back
IN five minutes. And anyway he'd
be blessed IL he'd lay around in the
way any longer like a doormat with
Welcome" inscribed upon the sur
face.
So this squirt of masculine shame
at his swift surrender to her, and his
resentment at being ignor-
ed as she went by, sent him hurry
ing down the street resolved not to
return till dinner.
From habit his steps took him to
the baZaars. But the zest of that
bright pageant was dulled for him.
The color was gone even from the
red canopies and the excitement had
vanished from the din of noises. the
interest fled from the grave figures
squatting in their cubby holes of
shops dl'aped with silky rags or sew
ing upon scarlet slippers. He listen
ed alphabetically to the warning
shouts Of the donkey boys and the
anathemas of jostled water carrier
STOPPING under his distended goat
skin, then lodged out Of the wav Of
q goaded donkey and turned into ono
OF the passages where the four foot.
ed could not penetrate.
For a few moments the bargajnin,
over silver bracelet between two
oeturbarec and berobed Arabs
caught the surface Of his attention
anu as the wrangling became a bed
IAN or lmprecations, and the explo-
SiNe gestures made physical violence
q development apparently of mere
seconds, Billy's eyes frightened and
ne estimated chances. But as he pick
ed his favorite there was one final
frenzy Of fury, and then-peace and
JOY, utter calm on the wild waters,
one Arab counted out the coins from
a little leather bag about his neck
and the other passed over the brace