Page:Frank Owen - Woman Without Love (1949 reprint).djvu/23

 "You mean you'll take the blame for my sake?" she whispered softly.

That was the last straw. Ed Trine seized his hat.

"I've got to think this over," he told her. "I'm going out for a walk."

So anxious he was to get away, he fairly ran to the door. When he was gone, Louella laughed softly.

"Good riddance," she said. Now at last she was free.

Incidentally, Ed Trine must have walked to Egypt for he never came back. Louella knew that he wouldn't.

On the way to Peoria on the train, Ed had told her a little about the town. He had made her laugh with his droll account of Nina Diamond, the octoroon who owned "The Blue Owl" establishment. Nina was quite a character in Peoria and was famous because she had seven of her teeth set with diamonds. Each diamond flashed as she talked and therefore Nina never minded getting a new cavity.

That very afternoon Louella Leota went out looking for rooms. She did not wish to remain at the Niagra because it was a first class hotel and rather strict. Far better to rent a couple of rooms in a house that saw no evil and heard no evil. She found such a place in a two-story cottage on Washington Street. The moment she encountered the landlady, Hattie Holt, with her flashy jewels and bleached hair, she knew that she need search no further.

The rate was exorbitant, which did not surprise her. She did not mind so much since she would be her own mistress. She had two rooms, a sitting-room and a bedroom. The rooms were well-furnished and airy. They were cheerful. The windows were large. There was nothing sinister about this house. It was a house of laughter. There were no whispers in the halls; there were no ghosts; and while it is true there were many footsteps they were friendly. Therefore they were always welcome.

There was no one else living at the cottage except a colored cook and maid of all work.

"For a few dollars extra," Hattie told her, "Mandy will prepare your meals. She is Southern and without a doubt the