Newspaper Page Text
SMW&w mjKk" ' M!HaUNHMfiffin&im& PgMKWM V : '.;r'" ":;' a w ,. ' . ' .. -.',1:1,.' 0; ": Kf-Azk- i , k.sk wiiffivsfftf wm&i xffiiKWimumitMl It -"Vi '"', . y' , ",,, ' ', r . Sl rVl Z' '' 'hi r' ' u n' 'ti So ir" - 1' 11 .- ...f'L-jtJ, j. . 1 jT..;,;,T7T- drifts! (rv P"" ' -sfes2sr M- II wain .I? ; - - v , - t ' I'lAt -f ' r..: II Lnl Itr LHP Iff ff 1 i ' ('x'L.'.tJ II WVi I i It I iJk i Lf f i J ,. ' i J . synopsis. Oeorga Perrlvnl Algernon Jonen, vice president of tlio Metropolitan Orlcntnl Hu company of New York, thirsting for ro mance, Is In Cairo on a buslncii trip. CHAPTER II. An Affable Rogue. . Tlio carrlago containing tho gcntlo tnan with the rovorslblo cuffs drow up at tho sldo entrance. Instantly tho Arab guides surged nnd eddied round him; but their clamor broke against a compouuro as cffcctlvo as granlto. Tho roar was almost directly succeeded by a low gurgle, as -of llttlo waves reced ing. Tho proposed victim had not spoken a word; to tho Arabs It wns not necessary ; In some manner, subtle and Indescribable, they recognized a brother. Ho carried a long, cylindri cal bundle wrapped In heavy paper variously secured by windings of thick twlno. Ills regard for this bundlo was ono of tender solicitude, for ho tucked it undor his arm, cumbcrsomo though It was, and waved aahlo the carriage porter, who was, howocr, permitted to carry In tho kit-bag. Tho malinger appeared. When comes ho not upon tho scene? His quick, calculating oyo waB not wholly as sured. Tho stranger's homespun was travol-worn and time-worn, nnd of a cut popular to tho season gone tho year before. No fat letter of credit hero, was tho not unreasonable conclu sion reached by tho manager. Still, with that caution acquired by years of experience, which had culminated In whut Is known as Swiss dlplomncy, ho brought Into being tho accustomed salutatory smile and Inquired If tho gontlomnn had written ahead for res ervation, othorwlso It would not bo posslblo to accommodato him. "I telegraphed," crisply. "The name, If you please?" "Ityanno; spoiled R-y-a doublo-n e. Have you over been In County Clare?" "No, sir." Tho manager added a question with tho uplift of his eye tirowB. "Well," was tho enllghtonlng an wcr, "you pronounce It as they do treiro." Tho manager scanned tho llttlo Blip of paper In his hand. "Ah, yes; we bavo reserved a room for you, sir. Tho French style rather confuBod mo." This wns 'not offered in Irony, or sar cr.rm, or satire; minlnu In a Swisu train for tho saving graco of humor Is about bb remunerative as tho ex traction of gold from sea-water. Nev ertheless, tho Swiss has tho talent of owlftly subtracting from a confusion of ideas ono point of illumination: there was a quality to tho stranger's tono that decided him favorably. It was tho volco of a man in tho habit of being oboyed; and In thoso days it wan tho power of monoy nlono that obtained obcdlonco to any man. Be yond tliJs, tho samo nebulous cogita tion that had subdued tho Arabs out sldo acted Hkowlso upon him. Hero was a brother. "Mail?? "I will soe, sir." Tho manager sum moned a porter. "Iloom 208." Tho porter caught up tho somewhat collapsed Ult-bng, which had In all ovl denco received somo rough usago In itn tlmo, and reached toward tho roll. Mr, Ityanno Interposed. ' "I will see to that, my man," torso Jy. j "Jos, air." 1 -'Whore is your Vguost-liBt?" de manded Mr. Ryanne of tho manager. "Tho head-portor's buroau, sir. I will seo If you have any mall." Tho managor pasBod Into his own buroau, It was rathor dllllcult to toll whethor thlB man wns an American or an Eng lishman. Ills accent was western, but Ills manner was decidedly British. At any rate, that tono and carrlago miiBt bo bastlonod by good KngllBh sovor tfgns, or for onco his Judgment was nt fault. Tho porter dashed up-stalra. Mr, Ityanno, his bundlo still snug under Ills arm, sauntered over to tho hcad porter's bureau and ran his glanco up and down tho columns of vlsltlng caitls. Onco ho nodded with approval, and again hn smiled, having dUcov orod that which sent n rlpplo ncroas hia sleeping aenso of amusement. Ma jor Callahan, room 20G; Fortuno died cfye, 205; George P. A. Jonos, 210. "Hm! tho Major smells of County Antrim ahd tho rinst whisky In all tho IbIo. Fortuno Chedaoyo; that Is a pleasing name; tinkling brooks, tho waving groen grasses in tho mead ows, tho kino In the water, tho Hoot ing shadows undor tho oaks; a pas toral, a buaollc name. To claim For tuno for mlno own; 11 happy thought." As ho uttered those poesy oxpreB ions aloud, In a voice low and, hot un pleaslngt for all that It was banter ing, tho Uead-portor stared at him with mingling doubt and alarm; and as If to pronounco those emotions mutely for tho benefit of tho othor, ho per mitted hla eyes to open their widest. "Tut, tut; that's all right, porter. I am cursed with tho habit of speaking my Inmost thoughts. Some porsons gro afflicted with Insomnia; some fall asleep in church; I think orally. Beast ly habit, ch?" Tho porter then understood that ho wob dealing not with a species of mild lunacy, but with that kind of light-hearted cynicism upon which tho world (as portors know It) had set its approving seal. In brief, ho smiled faintly; and If ho had any pleasantry to pass In turn, the approach of tho manager, now clothed metaphorically In defcrentlallsm, relegated It to tho limbo of things thought but left unsaid. "Hero 1b a letter for you, Mr. Ry anno. Havo you any more luggago?" "No." Mr. Ryanno smiled. "Shall I pnyfor my room In advance?" "Oh, no, sir!" Ten years ago tho mnnuger would havo blushed at hav ing been so misunderstood. "Your room Is 208." "Will you hao a boy show mo tho way ?" "I shall myself attend to that. If tho room Is not what you wish It may he oxchanged." "Tho room Is tho one I telegraphed for. I nm suporstltlous to a degree. On three boats I havo had line state rooms numbered 208. Twlco tho num bor of my hotel room has been tho same. On tho Inst voyago thoro were 208 pasecngora, and tho capUiln had made 208 voyages on tho Mcdltena nean." "Quito a coincident." "Ah, if roulette could bo played with such a certainty." Mr. Ryanno sighed, hitched up his bundlo, which, being heavy, was begin ning to wear upon his arm, and signi fied to tho manager to load tho way, As they vanished round tho corner to the lift, tho hcad.-portcr studied the guest-list. Ho had looked over It a dozen times that day, but this was the first instance of hid. being really In terested In It. An his chin was fresh ly shaven ho had no stubble to stroke to excite his mental processes; so ho fell back, as wo say, upon tho con soling ends of his abundant rmiB tachc. Curious; but all thoso porsons woro occupying or about to occupy adjacont rooms. Thoro was truly nothing mysterious about It, savo that tho stranger hrtd picked out theso very names a3 a target for his banter. For turo Chrdaoyc; It v,-nB rather nn un usual name; but as she had urrlvod only an hour or so before, ho could not distinctly recall her features. And then, there was that word bucolic. Ho mentally turned It over and over as plivrlrally ho was wont to do with post-cards loft In his caro to mall. Ho could mnko nothing of tho word, except that it smacked of tho East Indian plague. Hero ho was navod from further cerebral agony by a timely Interrup tion. A man, who waB not of bucolic porsuaslon either In dross or speech, urban from tho tips of his bleached fingers to tho bulb of his bibulous noso, leaned across tho counter and nsked If Mr. Horace Ryanno had yet arrived. Yes, ho had Just arrived; ho Ran His Glance Up and Down was oven now on hlB way to his room, Tho urban gontlomnn nodded. Then, with a linger slim and well-trimmed, ho trailed up nnd down tho gucBt-llst. "Hal I seo thut you have tho Duke of What d'-yo-call from Germany hero. I'll glvo you my card. Send it up to Mr, Ryanno. No hurry. I shall be In again after dinner." Ho bUBtlcd off toward tho' door. Ho waB pursy, well-fed, and docently dreBscd, the sort of a man who, when ho moved In any direction, created tho impression that he had an Important ougagemont somowhoro oIbo or was ey liAROL D AiW of HEARTS AMD DASKS, llluslraliorvs by KG.Ketwek. . . . COPVTUOHT 1911 by BOBBS - MERRILL COMPANY . paring minutes from time-tables. For a man In his business It was a clover expedient, docelvlng all but those who knew him. Ho hesitated at 'the door, howovor, as If ho had changed his mind In tho twenty-odd paces It took to reach It. Ho stared for a long period at tho elderly gentleman who was watching the feluccas on the river through the window. Tho whlto mustache nnd Imperial stood out In crisp relief against tho ruddy sunburn on his face. If ho was awaro of this scrutiny on the part of the pursy gen tleman, ho gave not the least sign. The revolving door spun round, send ing a puff of outdoor air Into tho lounglng-room. Tho elderly gentleman then smiled, nnd applied his thumb and forefinger to the waxen point of his lmpcrinl. In tho Intervening tlrne Mr. Rynnno entered his room, throw' the bundle on tho bed, sat down beside it, and read his letter. Shadows and lights moved across hie face; frowns that hardened it, bmllcs that mellowed It. Women hold tho trick of writing let tois. Do they hate, their thoughts flash and burn from lino to line. Do they love, 'tis lettered music. Do they consplro, tho breadth of their imagi nation is without horizon. At best, mnn can lndlto only a polite business letter, his love-notes were adjudged long since a maudlin collection of loose sentences. In this letter Mr. Ry anno found tho three parts of life. "She's a good general; but hang these brimstone efforts of hers. She talks too much of heart. For ray parvt, I prefer to regard It as a more phys ical function, a pump, a .motor, a pow er that gives action to tho legs, either In coming or In going, more especially In going." Ho laughed. "Well, hers Is tho Inspiration and hers is tho law. And to think thnt she could plan all this on tho spur of tho moment, down to tho minutest detail! it's a sclchco." Ho put tho letter away, slid out his lugs and glared at tho dusty tips of his shoes. "Tho United Romance and Advontuio Company, Ltd., of New York, Loudon, and Paris. She has tho greatest gift of all, tho souse of hu mor." Ho roso nnd opened his kit-bag doubtfully. Ho rummaged about In tho depthB and nt last straightened up with a mild oath. "Not a pair of cuffs In tho whole outfit, not a shirt, not a collar. Oh, well, when a man has to leave Bagdad tho way I did, over tho back fenco, so to Bpcak, linen doesn't count." Ho drow down his cuffs, detached and reversed them, ho turned his fold ing collar wrong-sldo out, and used tho undor sldo of tho foot-rug ns a the Columns of Visiting Cardt. shoo-pollsher. It was tho Ingenious procedure of a man who was used to being out lato nights, who made all things answer all purposes. This rapid and singularly' carolesa tollot com pleted, ho centered hla concern upon tho mora vital matter of flnancoB. Ho was close to the nadir: four sover eigns, a lloiln, and a collection of bat tered coppers that would havo tickled tho pulso of an amateur numlsmatlBt "No vintago to-night, my boy; no long, fat Havana, oithor. A tiottlo of stout and a few rngs of plug-cut; that's tho paeo we'll travel this eve 1 r T " MACGMTH ning. The United Romance and Ad venture Company Is not listed at pres ent. If It was, I'd sell a few shares on my own hook. Tho kind Lord knows that I'vo stock enough and to spare." Ho laughed again, but with out the leaven of humor. "When tho fool-klllor snatches up tho last fool, let rogues look to themselves; and fools nro getting scarcer every day. "Pcrclval Algernon! O ago of po ots! I wonder, does ho wear high col lars and spats, or has Bho plumbed him accurately? She Is generally light. But a man changes somo In seven years. I'm an authority when It comes to thnt. Look what's happened to me in seven years! First, Horace, wo shall dine, then we'll smoke our plpo In tho bllllard-room, then we'll softly approach Perclval Algernon and introduce him to Sinbad. This In dependent excursion to Bagdad was a stroke on my part; It will work Into tho general plan ns smoothly as If It had been grooved for the part. Sinbad. I might Just as well have assumed that name: Horace Sinbad, sounds well nnd looks well." Ho mused In silence, his hnnd gently rubbing his chin; for ho did possess tho trick of talking aloud, in a low monotone, a habit acquired during periods of lone liness, when the sound of his own voice had succeeded In steadying his tottering mind. What n woman, what a wife, she would havo been to tho right man! Odd thing, a man can do almost any thing but direct his affections; they must bo drawn. She was not for him; nay, not even on a desert isle. Doubt less he was a fool. In time she would havo made him a rich man. Alack! It was alwnys the ono wo pursued that wo loved and never the ono that pursued us. "I'm afraid of her; and there you Everything Worth While Seemed to nro. There Isn't a man living who hns gone back of that Mona Lisa smllo of hers. If sho was tho last woman and I was tho last man, I don't say." Ho hunted for a cigarette, but failed to find one. "AlmoBt at the bottom, boy; tho wlntor of our discontent, nnd no sun of York to make It glorious. Twenty-four hundred at cards, and to loeo it llko a tyro! Wallace has taught me all ho knows, but I'm a booby. Twenty-four hundred, linn's money, it's a falling of mlno, th firm's money. But. damn It all, I can't cheat a man at cards, I'd rather cut hla throat." He found hla pipe, and a careful search of tho corners of his coat-pock-ets revealed a moagcr plpoful of to bacco. Ho picked qut tho llttlo balls of wool, tho ground-coffee, tho cloves, and pushed the charge homo Into tho crusted bowl of his briar. "To tho devil with economy! A pint of burgundy nnd a porfocto If they hale us to Jail for It. I'm dead tired. I'vo seen threo corners In hell in tho past two months. I'm going ns far aa four sovereigns will tako mo. ' - l I . . . Fortune Chedsoye." His bluo eyes becarao less hard and his mouth loss defiant. "I repeat, tho heart should bo nothing but a pump. Oth erwise It gets in tho wny, becomes an obstruction, a bottomless pit. Will power, that's tho ticket. I can faco a lion without an extra beat, I can face tho various countenances of death without an additional fluttor; and yot, hero's a girl who, when I seo her or think of her, Bends the pulse soaring from seventy-seven up to eighty-four. Bad business; besides, it's bo infer nally unfashionable. It's hard work for a man to keep his balanco 'twlxt tho devil and the deep, bluo sea; -Glo-conda on ono side and Fortuno on the other. Gloconda throws open windows and doors at my approach; but For tuno locks and bars hers, nor knocks at mine. That's tho way it always goes. "If a man could only' go back ten years and take a new start. Ass!" balling his fist at tho reflection In tho mirror. "Snivel and whlno over tho bed of your own making. You had your opportunity, but you listened to tho popping of champagne-corks, the mutter of cards, tho lnano drivel of chofus-ladles. You had a decent col lego record, too. Bah! What a guile loss fool you were! You ran on, didn't you, till you found your neck In the loop at the end of tho rope? And perhaps that soft-footed, estimable brother of yours didn't yank It taut as a hangman's? You heard tho codicil; into one ear and out tho other. Even then you had your chance; patience for two short yoars, and a million. No, a thousand times no. You knew what you were about, empty-headed fool! And today, two po'nnlos for a dead man's eyes." Ho dropped his flat dejectedly. Whore had tho first step begun? And where would bo the last? In somo drab corner, posslBly; drink, mor phine, or starvation; ho'd never havo the courage to finish it with a bullet. Ho was terribly bitter. Everything worth while seemed to havo slipped Have Slipped Through His Fingers. through his fingers, his pleasure-loving fingers. "Come, como, Horace; buck up. Still tho ruby kindles In tho vino. No turning back now. We'll go on till we come bang! against tho wall. There may bo somo good bouts between horo and there I wondor what' Gloconda would say If sho knew why I was so eagor for this game?" Ho went down to dinner, and thoy gave him a table In an obBcuro corner, as a subtlo reminder that his stylo was pnase. Ho didn't caro; ho was hungry and thirsty. He could seo nearly overy ono, ever. If only a few could see him, This was somowhat to his Tantago. Ho ende&vorcd to pick out Portival Alger non; but there were too many high collars, too many monocles. So he contented himself with n mild philo sophical obeorvanco of tho scone. Tho murmur of voices, rising as tlio wall of tho violins sank, Blnklng as tho wall 'rose; tho tinkle of glass and china, tho sliver and linen, tho pretty women In their runtiini ,.,., .. delicate perfumes, tho flash of an arm, tho glint of a polished shoulder; 'his was the essence of life ho coveted. Ho smiled at tho thought and tho sure knowledge that ho was not tho only wolf In tho fold. Ay, nnd who among theso dainty Red Riding Hoods might be fooled by a. vulplno grandmother? Truth, when a fellow winnowed It all down to a handful, there wcro only fools and rogues. If ono was a fool, tho roguo got you, and ho In turn de voured himself. Ho held his glass toward tho table lamp, moved It slowly to and fro un der his noso, oplcureanly; then ho sipped tho wine. Something like! It ran across his tonguo and down his throat In tingling fire, nectarlous; and ho wont half way to Olympus, to tho feet of the gods. For weeks ho had lled In the vilest hnuntB, in desporato straits, his life in his open hands; and now onco more ho had crawled from the depths to the outer crust of tho world. It did not matter that he was destined to go down into tho depths again; so long as the spark burned he was going to crawl back each time. Damnable luck! He could havo lived like a prince. Twenty-four hundred, and nil In two nights, a Bteady stream of gold Into tho pockets of men whom ho could havo cheated with consum mate ease, and Jldnt. A flno wolf, whoso predatory Instincts were still riveted to that obsolete thing called conscience! "Conscience? Rot! Lot us for onco bo frank and wrlto it down as caution, as fear of publicity, anything but tho whlto guardian-angel of tho Immortality of tho soul. Heap up tho gold, Apollyon; heap It up, higher and higher, till not a squeak of that still small voice that onco awoko the chap in tho Old Testament can ever again bo heaid. Now, no more retrospection, Horace; no more analysis; the vital question simmers down to this: If Perclvnl Algernon balks, how far will four sovereigns go?" , CHAPTER III. The Holy Yhlordes. Georgo drank his burgundy perfunc-tot-nv Wnrj u K.r "s'rfngcr.t as tho nntHo wine of Coislca, ho would not have noticed It The little nerves that ran from his tongac to his brain had temporarily lost Iho power of com munication. And all becauso of tho trlrl acrops the way He couldn't keep I1I3 eyes from wandering In her di rection. Sho faced him diagonally. Sho ate but little, and when the elder ly gentleman poured out for her a glass of sauterne, sho motioned it aside, rested her chin upon her fold ed handB, and ' stared not at but through her vis a-vls. It was a lovely head, topped with colls of lustrous, light brown hair; an oval face, of white and roso anij Ivory tones; scarlet lips, a small, reg ular nose, and a chin the soft round ness of which hid the resoluto lift to It. To these attributes of loveliness was added a perfect form, tho long, , flowing curves of youth, not the abrupt contours of maturity. George couldn't recollect when ho had been so im pressed by a face. From tho foment she had stepped down from the car riage, his interest had been drawn, and had grown to such dimensions that when ho entered tho dining-room his glanco immediately searched for her table. What luck in finding- her across tho way! Ho questioned if ho had ever seen her before. There was something familiar; tho dollcato pro file stirred somo sleeping memory but did not wake it. How to meet her, and whon ho did meet her, how to Interest her? If sho would only drop her handkerchief, her purse, something to glvo him an ex cuse, an opening. Ah, ho was certain that this tlmo tho hydra-headed ono should not overcomo him. To gain her attention and to hold it, he would havo faced a Hon, a tiger, a wlld-ele-phnnt. To dlngnoso theso symptoms might not bo fair to George. "Lovo at first sight" 'reads well and sounds well, but wo hoary-headed philoso phers know that tho phraso Is only poetical license. Onco, and only once, sho looked In his direction. It swept over him with tho chill of a winter wind that ho meant as much to her as a tree, a fence, a meadow, as seen from the window of a speeding railway train. But this observation, transient as it was, left with him tho Indelible lm presBlon that her eyes woro tho sad dest ho had ever seen. AVhy? Why should a young and beautiful girl havo eyea like that? It could not mean physical weariness, clao the faco would In somo way havo expressed It. The elderly man nppcared to do his best to animate her; ho was kindly and courteous and by the gentlo way ho laughed at Intervals was trying to bolstor up tho situation with a Jest or two. Tho girl never so much as Bmlled, or shrugged her shoulders; alio waa as responslvo to these overtures as mar ble would havo been. (TO BE CONTINUED.) Uncle Pennyvvlse Says: Somo of ub can laugh when tho Joke Is on us; but nono of us bollovo lu carrying that kind of a Joko too far