The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-09
AChlriStnnaStidcCriSiS
by JUSTIN MUNTLY MCCARTHY,
Author of Doomed" " Lily Lass" "One Christmas
Dinner" Etc.
CopyriSht. 1906 by Bachelor, johnson and Bacheller

! no sign of the presence Of any human
/ being save himself in the neighborhood
| OF the monolith. II suppose 1t was a
| joke. after all" he said to himself, and
| he was just deciding that it was a very
poor joke. and that he was a fool to
waste some bettcr-spent time in Its So
| luton. when he became aware that
| after all he was not alone.
! y figure came towards him out of ,ne
| darkness of the shadow at the base of
| the pillar, came SO suuuenly that it
| seemed almost as If it had detached it
self from the solid monument to greet
him. 1t was the figure of a woman.
who seemed to be rs closely enveloped
In fur as he was himself. So much ne
could see at the first glance, and in a
moment he felt sure that this must be
the creature he had come to meet. She
must have waited close In the shadow
of the stone until she saw him coming,
and he slightly quickened his pace TO
join the woman who now stood, clear
and obvious, on the pathway in the
vivid circle of a lamp, evidently waiting
for him.
Philo came up near to the woman and
her clearly. and he looked at her close
ly. He saw face that was very pale
with pallor that was intensified by the
living redness of the lips, anu by the
exceeding brightness Of the eyes. 1t
was the eyes especially that fixed and
fascinated him. Philo Ames had looked
into the eyes of so many women and
read many meanings in their depths,
but 1t seemed to him In that moment
that he had never before seen eyes so
strangely brilliant, so lit with somber
fire so haunting in their expression, so
commanding In their appeal. The face
was very beautiful with it's white
beauty, with its circle of black hair,
with its warm, red mouth. but the
charm of the eyes dominated all the
rest and put them out of mind.
You come most punctually upon
your honor she said. gravcly, and be-
fore the surprise on Ames' face at this
unexpected greeting had time to fade or
chanSc she continued in the same strain
with the fitting sequence: For this re-
lief much thanks, tits better cold and
l. and with the pronoun she paused,
and the unexpected quotation drifted
away into a sigh. Ames said the only
thing he could very well say under the
circumstances; he said: LET me hope
that you are not sick at heart"
The woman looked away for a mo-
ment, looked at the sullen river and the
shining distant lights. then her great
dark eyes fixed their gaze again upon
Phio's face
Perhaps I am" she answered. TT
was very good of you to come, and yet
felt sure that YOU would come; and you
see that l was right"
Philo felt and appreciated the eccen-
tricity of the occasion.
You sent for me- he said, with a |
manner of grave courtesy, land ] am |
here. Can l be of any service to you?"
The woman replied, after the fashion |
Of women, to one question with another. |
do you care for life?" she asked, |
slowly and earnestly.
There was something absurd in the |
utterance of such a question. at such a |
time and under such conditions which |
would usually have made Philo laugh.
But. though the position was incon- /
gruous, though the question was gro
tesoua, Philo did not feel moved to
laughter. The woman appeared to be
In earnest, the woman certainly was
beautiful. and her eyes seemed. in the
fine phrase of Portia,to have overlooked
her companion of a moments time. He
did not allow himself time to reflect
upon the Gueerness of this eccentric en-
upon the amazing abruptness
Of the Interrogation. upon the sinister
possibilities that might be associated
with the adventure. Indeed, sinister
never counted for much in
Philo Ames' estimate of an interesting
situation, and the present situation had
At least the merit of being exceedingly
So he gave back an earn
est gaze into the dark eyes of his COM
)anion while he thought of some appro-
pirate reply to her question. But he
,ould think of nothing on the spur of
he moment more appropriate than the
vague and uhcommital formula of