Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-12-02
The Palace
Of Darkened
Windows


in soft Turkish, at which 1t was Ar
lees turn to laugh and shake her
head. But she felt little rueful be-
hind her pleasant smiling. She wish
ed she could talk with the girl, She
wondered about her. She had very
handsome dark eyes, tho perhaps
overbold at times, but her lips were
thick and her nose was flattened as
/ If generations OF yaslsmak wearing
| women had crushed every hope of
| contour, ~
The cool freshness Of the water
was grateful to her sense. 1t was
plunge bnck into sanity and normal
life again. drowning those ghosts
OF vague foreboding and anxieties
which had kept such unpleasant vigil
with her. and when the Turkish girl
returned with tray. Arlee wis able
to sit and eat breakfast with a trace
of amusement M the oddly OF the
affair slipping eoffes IN this larisian
boudoir overlooking an Egyptian
garden.
AS she was buttering last crnmb
OF toast lie girl re.anterad with
box from the florist. Her white teeth
flashing at Arlee in smile of adj
miring interest. she broke the cord
with thick fingers and Af'lee found
the box full OF roses, creamy pink
and dswy fresh. The Captains card
was enclosed. and across the back or
| it he had written a message:
am sending out for aome flowers
four our guest and hope that they
will convey to her my greating, II
there is anything that ypu would
| have II is yours " Ii " In my power
to give. My sister 10 indisposed, but
viii visit YOU when her indispositiop
viii permit, This afternoon | will
see You and report tho result of our
protests TO the authorities Until
| then, be tranquil, and ACCOMMODATE
yourself here.
A taoit apology, thought Arlee,
bordering the dull letter a moment,
then dropping II to touch the rases
with light fingers. The young mems
wits had evidently returned with the
sun. He had uttffiy Inst them lint
night with the starshlne and the
shadows and his Oriental conception
of the intimacy Ut the sltuatien-but
after all. he had too much Haad sense
not to be aware OF the folly OF an
moving her. Her cheeks flushed a
little warmer at the memory at tha
bold words and the lordly hand on
her arm, and her heart qaickened
in Its beating. She Ind aertnipiy
been playing with fire, and the
sparks she had so ignorantly struck
had Lighted for her an unf0rgettable
glimpse OF the Oriental nature be-
meath all its English polish, but she
imagined, very fearlessly, that the
spark was out. She was not q ma
tere that W#s sasily alarmed or
daanted; beneath her look of delicate
fragility was a very sturdy conf
dehce. and she had the implicit sense
Of security instinn. In the kitten
whose hlithe days have known moth
| ing but kindness Yet she felt her
self tremendously experienced and
initiated,
/ She wrote back a word of thanks
for the flowers and request for
writing paper and ink and when
they WcTG brought she wrote three
most urgent letters. and after an In
stant's hesitation a fourth--to the
Viceroy himself. Feeling that his
mail might be bulky, she marked it
Immediate in large characters and
gave them to the maid, who nodded
intelligently and ahuffled away.
1t was very odd. she thought then,
that she had no letters. BY now the
Evershams must surely have written
she had begged them to- But
she was not going to be silly and
panicky, she determinedly informed
4 that queer little catch in her side
which came at the thought of ,her
isolation, and humnling defiantly she
sat down at the white PIANO and
opened the score Of a light opera
which she knew:
Say not love is dream,
Say not that hope is vain
She had danced to that tune last
night-no, the night before last
danced to it with that extraordinary
lily impulsive young man from home
for all America was now home to
her spirit. And she had promised to
see him last night. She wondered
what he had thought Of her alb
Sence. :. = She could imagine the
Evershams dolefully deploring her
rashness, yet not without totally
Unconscious tinge of proper relish at
its prompt punishment They were
such dismal old dears. They would
complain-they must have made her
the talk of the hotel by now. Robert
Falconer would enjoy that! And his
sister and Lady Claire would ask
about her, and Lady Claire would
say, How odd --faney!" in that rath-
or clipped and high-bred voice of
hers. :. E. But she was not going to
think about it!
She opened more music stared
wonderingly at the unfamiliar pages,
read the English translation beneath
the German lines, then pushed them
away. her cheeks the pinker. They
were as bad as French postcards,
she thought, aghast Whose room
was this. anyway? Whose piano was
this? Whose was the lacy negligee
she had worn and the gossamer lin
gerle the maid had placed in. the
chiffonier for her? Was she usurping
her hostess's boudoir?
| She began to walk restlessly up
and down the room, feeling time in
terminable, hating each tagging sec
| cond of delay.
Then came a tray Of luncheon, and
! lying upon 1t yellow envelope. With
an eagerness that hurt in it's keen
ness she snatched it up and tore out
the folded sheet. Her eyes leaped
down the lines. Then slowly they fol-
lowed them again: