Omaha daily bee., 1896-10-25

no more remarkable than my fathers, and
/ SO | will hesitate no longer fearing the
! criticism Of those who may accuse me OF
| stealing the privilege Of the romancer.
| Adjoining my town house. which my
! father built at considerable expense and
which | now occupied alone since my sis
| ters marriage in Great Britain Is large
dwelling built by the Chicago wheat spec
ulator Perkins. In 1898 Caleb Perkins was
crippled as they say, financially, and be-
ing unable to find n purchaser for so eX
pensive house he had rented 1t to several
successive tenants. But two weeks before
my man Larkins had told me the place had
been rented again to some foreignors-Ital-
ians, he thought. You never see 'em, sir"
he went on to explain. "The servants cant
be made to talk-and-"
"Confound your curiosity, Larkinsw l had
said then, and had thought no more about
the matter.
But that night, as / paused at my own
door l looked for some reason over on
this monument Of Perkins extravaganza
when wheat had been his way. | am not
usually curious. but then l regretted that
had interrupted Larkin's story, whatever il
might have been. The great place was dark
and irresponsible. Suddenly from the shadow
OF the vestibule came a woman. On the
street she looked up and down as IL uncer-
tainly and then she saw me. Hesitsting
for a moment, she came toward me where
/ stood by my own door.
Monsieur" said she. and her French was
In an eXquisitely modulated voice. which
seemed to convey sense of a different per-
sonality from that which l had vaguely ex-
pected in my hesitancy at the door.
YES" said l. in English.
She shook her head. She stood before me
tall and slender. l could swear already this
was the most extraordinary experience in
my life, and | had been about the world,
from San Francisco to Calcutta, seeking TO
destroy ennui.
Il do not speak English. monsieur. l am
running from enemies"
She motioned to the house she had left.
At the moment there was a rafting at that
door.
Let me In, monsieur, i pray you. l can
not escape them ii you do not"
Impulsively l opened my door and admit
ted her, 1t was most extraordinary OF me,
l knoS pow, and | believe | felt 1t then.
CLOSE the door, said the lady. breath
lessly. for lady she certainly was. | knew
enough of the world not to be mistaken on
that point.
cloFed the door She threw back the
cloak from her head, standing there tall,
with exquisite hair such as Titan knew,
contrasted with dark eyes. The plain, black
gown was without ornament, save for a
single ruby at her throat The hands were
bare, long and slender with one curiously
carved ring on the third finger of the left.
but at first l could not tell where.
"Yes, possibly"
At the moment there was ringing at the
door.
Hide me somewhere" she began. 81 am
at your mercy, monsieur"
Obeying. / pushed her into the dark room
at tho left,
Thank you, monsieur" said the lady,
for lady as l have said, felt she was. At
that moment Larktns appeared at the end
of the hall, lie had not seen her, l was
sure.
opened the outside door myself A lit
tie. dark fellow was there. l saw he was
strangely excited.
IL am sorry 10 trouble you, SIR" he DO.
gan, with an accent which was from one of
the Roman tongues. Did you see q
lady"
"a lady?" began.
"a mad woman has escaped from the
house next door and disappeared"
l should have told him differently know,
by all the laws OF reason, but there was
that in her entreaty, We're she sane or in
sane, which made me act unreasonably."
Did you, Larkins?"
/ was sure he hadn't.
mo, SIR"
Its very strange" began the man at the
door.
"WhyY"
"she must have gone into some house in
the neighborhood."
who was she?"
"a mad woman-a foreigner-whom we
were OBTAINING until We could arrange to
take her back to-"
Europe"
All! said !. but Europe is large"
TITS important"
rs she dangeroasr said l.