Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-12-11
TIMES REPUBLICAN. MARsHAILToWN, IOWA.

eu over the Sill, staring out or C0un-
tenance the lurking shadows Of the
night.
And then Arlees eyes closed, and
the heart which had been beating
like frightened rabbits at every
sound and shadow steadied into q
rhythm as regular as a clock She
slept like tired baby: while the light
grew brighter and higher, and reach
ed In over the shining dressing table,
over the white piano, to rest upon
the obliyious face upon the couch
and to play with the bright, tangled
hair.
! The first knocking upon the door
did not disturb that sleep, and 1t was
a long time before the knock was
again sounded. Then Arlee heard
and sprang to her feet in lightning
rush Of consciousness. 1t was Mar
iayah again, and the water jars
which already looked familiar to her,
and after the water jars appeared
more roses and with the roses
| letter,
/ Those roses came. he letter ex-
rlained,s to droop their heads before
| her loneliness, which put theirs to
shame. They would greet her as
| humber sisters greet fairer. For
! they were roses of day, but she was
the Rose of Life. The capitals were
Kerissens own. And then abruptly
the letter demanded:
| Did | Brighten you last night? Is
1T SO strange TO you that you have
! N ri fr y,,y.ty
! barriers of your convention? Do you
not know you have IN enchantment
Which dlstills. in the blood and
changes II to wine? You are the Rose
of Lite, the Rose OF Desire. and 40
man can look upon you without long
/ lag. Bat You must not he angry at
me for that. for am your slave, and
would strew roses always 10 soften
The world for Your little feet F.
! Fortune has made you my guest. Will
you not smile upon me while Fortune
smiles? Luncheon VII be III the gar
den, for IL is cool aud fresh today.
/ The mask was 81 piping. only a
| fliuIsS veil OF sentiment now over
! his rash will Only n light prctense
OF her freedom, of his courtesy He
was beginning TO declare himself
| But she must not let him suspect
that she knew She must not.
Her spirit responded flercely to
this tense demand upon it. The
dread. the panic OF the night wAs
gore. The fear that had shaken her
was beaten down like cowardly
III
Everything depended upon her cool
ness and her Wit, upon a look, per-
! haps, the turn Of a phrase. the droop
of mn eye, and she was passiopately
resolved that neither GOODNESS nor
wit should fail her. nor words nor
looks nor eyes hetray the heart OF. i
ner, She would play her role with
every breath she drew.
She crossed the room at the lunch
con simmons in the nervous tensity
of mood that an actress might no to
play a part in which her career
would live or die. Every half hour
with kerissen was now duel. every
minute was a stroke to be parried
and she flung herself into that duel
with the desperate exhilaration of
such daring. Her hands were icy,
and her cheeks were flaming With
the excitement which consumed. her |
but she revealed no other trace of it
and she wondered to herself at the
inscrutable fairness of the face which
looked back at her from the GLASS.
None OF the record Of those fright
ened sleepless hours was written
there, none of her furious pride, her
fixed intensity. Only the soft sha-
dows under the blue eyes gave her
face a look of added delicacy for all
the unnatural flare of brilliant color
and faint usefulness in those eyes
seemed to- overlay the smiles she
practiced, like cloud shadow on 4
brook. And never, never, in all her
glad, care-free days. had she been as
distractingly pretty as She was that
moment. With an angry little pang
she recognized it, pinning on the lace
hat With it's enchanting rose, and
then desperately she resolved to en-
ploy it and added two Of Kerissen's
pink roses to the costume
She thought the scene was very
like stage, when she came out thru
the narrow door which the old wom-
an unlocked from key she carried
on a girdle. and slowly descended the
stone steps. Beneath the wide
spreading lebbek a low table was
laid for luncheon with two wicker
chairs beside it. The green of the
fresh turf was as vivid as stage
grass; the lilies doomed unreally
large and white; the poinsettias
Haunted like red paper flowers be-
hind the vivid picture that the Cap
tain made in dazzling buff and
green uniform picked out with gold.
His bow was theatric, SO was the
deep look of exaggerated admiration
he bent upon her-it was strange to
remember that her danger was not
theatric also. But that was deadly
real, and real, too. was the sudden
surge of color into the young mans
sallow face.
you are kind to my roses-if not
to me- he said quickly, and held out
his hand for the brief little clasp
she accorded.
"Your roses are dumb and have
said nothing to make me cross" she
laughed lightly, and looked swiftly
about her. How lovely this is" she
ran on, "and how charming to feel |
a breeze. That room is rather warm
and close. F.. Is your sister still
i'll to come? 2"
And scarcely waiting for the as
sent which he began to frame with
his searching eyes upon her, she add
ed, II am afraid I made her angry
last night by intruding upon her But
I heard her voice and ran back to her