The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1922-01-13
cHAPTER I.

Richard Carter had called the place
"Crownlands." not to please himself.
or even his wife. But 1t was to his
mothers newly born family pride that
the idea of being the Carriers Of
Crownlands made its appeal. The es-
tate. when he bought 1t, had belonged
to a Carter. and the tradition was that
two hundred years before 1t had been
a grant of the first George to the first
OF the name in America Madame
Garter, as the old lady liked to be
called. Immediately adopted the I'M
known owner into a vague cousinship,
spoke of him as "a kinsman of ours"
and proceeded TO tell old friends that
Crownlands had always been Sin the
family"
1t was home of creamy brick, CO.
lonial in design, and set In splendid
lawns and great trees on the bank of
the blue Hudson. White driveways
circied it, great stables and garages
across n curve of green meadows had
their own invisible domain. and on the
shining highway there was full mile
of high brick fence, a marching line OF
great naples and sycamores. and
demure lodge beside the mighty iron
gates.
On one of the wide benches that
were placed here and there on the de-
scending terraces, in the late hours OF
an exquisite summer afternoon. 1sa-
belle Carter had seated herself, and
Anthony Pope, her cavalier, had
thrown himself on the steps at her
feet
She was woman worthy Of the ex-
uuIslte setting. and might well have
turned an older head than that OF the
boy beside her. Brunette. with smooth
cheeks deeply touched with rose, black
eyes. and a warmly crimson mouth
that could be at once provocative and
relentless, she glowed like flower
herself In the sweet and enervating
heat of the summers first warm day.
She was the tiniest of women, and the
little foot. that, in It's transparent silk
stocking and buckled slipper, was
close to Arthony's hand. was like a
chIld's.
The man was twice her size. and as
dark as she. earnest, eager. and today
with troubled expression clouding
his face. 1t was to Danish that look,
II she might, that Isabelle had DELHI
erateiy stopped him here.
She had been behaving badly toward
him, and in her rather irresponsible |
and shallow way she was sorry for Ii. |
Isabelle was famous flirt. her hus-
hand knew 1t, everyone knew 1t. |
There was always some man paying |
desperate court to her, and always
half-a-dozen other men who were
eager to be in his place. Isabelle
lived for this, went from one adven-
ture to another with the naive conf
dence woman whose husband
smiles .on her playing, and whose
position is impregnable.
But this boy. this Anthony, was DIFF
ferent. In the first place he was
vounc-but twenty-six In the second
Mace he was, or had been. her own
sons closest friend. Ward Carter was
TWENTY-FIVE, and his mother nineteen
years older.
Anthony was young, and he was abb
surd. but he did not know II. and lsa-
belle began to feel the difficulty OF
keeping the whole world from discov-
ering il before he did. He made no Sc
cret of his passion He came straight
10 her in any company; he never
looked at anybody else. To her own
dorobter Nina. seventeen years old,
his attitude was almost paternai; ne
ignored Ward as If their friendship
had never been.
Isabelle saw that she had made
mistake. She should have killed TINS
affair AT the very beginning. Tony
was not like the Older men. willing TO
play the game with just little scorch-
Ing OF fingers. Appearances meant