The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-12-07

them * supposed to he a sort Of compliment
to Your host. I got in the habi; abroad
Il didn't ask YOU that" said lioIc- Sc
verely. Il asked You what you qua 10
get them. Now. begin with the Legion"
OF Honor on the left. and go right on
| until you come TO the end, and ptase
don't skin anything. Ieav" in all the biooo
thirsty parts. ana please don be !h'oes|
Like OtheIlo.' suggested Clay. -.
Yes" said Hore: Il Will be Desdemona
. wen. Desdemoua. It was like this" said
Clay. laughing. 4 got that medal and tl't
star for ~crving in the Nile campaign thher
. Wols.ley. After | left Egypt l went up
the ruas; II A!giers. where ] TOOK service
under the French IN ii most disrepu'aoie
+! organization known as the Foreign Lee
siUu-"
Don't tell mr." exclaimed Hope. in de-
light. that you have been "A thasseur
d'Afrirue. Not Ike the man In Under Two
Flags
No. rot Mt all like that man" said Clay,
emp,l"ti"al!y. Il was Just a plain. common.
or garden. sappeur. and | showed the other
good for-nothings how 10 dig trenches. Well.
] contaminated the Foreign Legion for
eight months, ana then | went TO Peru.
where =
You're skipping" said Hope. How did
you get the Legion OF Honor
ooh. that" said clay. That wa. a
gallery play I made once when We were
| chasing some Arabs. They took the French
flag away from on" colnr-b-arer. and !
| got it back again and waved II franthcally
| around my head until | was quite certain
the Colonel had seen me doing il. and then
/ stopped as soon as | knew that 1 was
! sure OF promotion
oh. how can you?' cried Hope. You
Didn't 90 anything OF the sort. You prob
ably saved the entire regiment"
We'll. ierhIrs / did. Clay returned
Though | cont remember IL. and nobody
| mentioned il at the time"
Go on about the others" said Hope.
And do try to be truthful"
We'll. / got this one from Spain because
I was president of an International Con-
| Srrss of Engineers al Madrid. Tina was
The pSt.nSibl. reason. but the real reason
was hecaus" ! taught the Spanish Com
iniSS!Unsrs to play poker instead Of baccarat.
! III" German Emperor gave me this for it
signing d fort. and the Sultan of Zanzibar
gave me this, and nc one but the Sultan
knows why. and he won't tell. 1 suppose
he's ashamed. He gives them away in
stead OF cigars. He vas out Of cigars the
day / called"
What a lot OF places you have seem"
sighed Hope. 81 have been In Cairo and
Algiers. too, but l always had to walk
about with Il govcrness. and she wouldn't
go to the mosques because she said they
Were fun OF ficas. We always go to HON.
burg and Paris In the summer. and to
big hotels in London. love to
! travel, DLt 1 Uol Z love 10 travel mat way,
would you?'
Il travel because I have no home" said
Clay. I'm different from the chap that
came home because all the other places were
shut. | go {" other places because there is
no home open"
What do you mean?'' said Hope. shaking
her head. why have YOU no home?'
There was a ranch In Colorado that l
used 10 call home said Clay, but they've
cut il up into town lots. | own a plot in the
cemetery outside Of the town. where my
mother is buried, and / visit that whenever
! am III the States. and that is the only
piece of earth anywhere In the world that /
have TO go back to-"
Hope leaned forward with her hands
clasped IN front OF her and her eyes wide
open.
And your father" she said. softly: "s
he's he there. too
Clay looked at tho lighted end OF his cigar
as he turned 1t between his fingers
" father. Miss Hope he said, was a
flihuster and went out on the Virginius to
help free Cuba. and was shot against a
stone wall. We never knew where he was
buried"
Oh. forgive me- I beg your pardon" said
Hope. There was such distress in her voice
that Clay looked al her quickly and saw the
tears in her eyes. She reached out her hand
timiaiy and touched for an instant his own
rough. sunhurned fist as II lay clinched on
his knee. Il am so sorry" she said. 80
sorry For the first time in many years
the tears came to Clay's eyes and blurred
the moonlight and the scene before him.
and he sat unnamed and silent before the
simple touch of a young girls sympathy.
An hour later, when his pony struck the
gravel from beneath his hoofs on the race
back to the city. and Clay turned to ware
his hand to Hope in the doorway. she
seemed. az she stood with the moonlight
falling about her white figure. IT. q spirit
reckoning the way tn a new paradise. AA
HAPTE VIII.
Clay reached the Presidents palace during
' the supper hour. and found Mr.. Langham