The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-11
The Garden Of Lies
CHAPTER XXI.
By Justus Miles Forman
copyr,sh. ,,os BY rsea,s,os A. stoke. company.

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CHAPTER XXI.
We took our last dinner together that
evening at Voisin's in the rue st. Honore.
1t was not very cheerful meal though
l think we all did our best to make 1t SO,
forced gayety that we were far from
feeling. cracked our best little jokes with
a sorry grin that deceived nobody.
We had one of the small upstairs rooms
to ourselves, and we sat long over the
wine, for it was not till midnight that the
two travellers must be gone, and there
were hours to while away. .
I remember that we fell to telling tales,
as men sitting together will. Old Mac
kenzie called up strange happenings from
his youth in the hospitals of London and
Edinburgh, horrible things to freeze ones
blood. such as come into the experience
of an alienist. Won Altdorf had stories Of
marvellous dealings down In that hotbed
OF intrigue which we call the Balkans,
bargains that We're made by CT owned
heads, and compacts that were broken,
Villainies that were winked at by i'm
perlal eyes. And Denis who had been
In more queer corners of the earth and
had seen rrore of men and women more
of lighting and conspiracy than all Of us
put together, made our blood rise-aye
and the hair stand up on our scalps too,
with what had come to his eyes and ears
1t was a memorable night. l shall never
forget it. Nay, I've spent hours by the
score thinking of it since, going over all
That happened. seeing us all as we sat
there together about the square table lit
tered with glasses and bottles and ash
trays and petits verres, rosy-red or white
and innocent looking.
can see old Mackenzie, huge and un-
wieldly at the end of the table. his great
square head nodding through the smoke
Wreaths, his face bit redder as the din
ner went on, for he was a good trencher-
man, Mackenzie. I can see the prince,
pale and handsome-now that he was sit
ting and the insignificance of his figure
was hidden-his thick black hair, fallen a
little over his forehead, f1ercely NOUS
tached, smoking cigarettes by the score,
till the burnt ends filled and overflowed
the little tray before him. see Won Alt
dorf, strong and keen and sombre- eyed,
his weather beaten face full Of those lines
that knowledge of good and evil, expert
ence Of the worlds vicisstudes, storm and
stress are wont to draw. And. more
clearly than all, see Denis. He is lean
ing forward with his elbows upon the
table. A cigarette burns neglected in his
fingers. He Is telling us tale Of strange
piracy about Peking and Tientsin and that
whimsical mouth Of his is twisted in it's
inimitable way, a bit to one side with the
telling. 1t smiles humorously, but the
eyes above are dark and sombre-like Colo
l.
edge Of pain and bitterness, and the
straight line between his brows seems
never smoothed away. His hair-as / see
it's tumbled a. bit awry over the fore
head, as with a careless hand. His ine
head is reared high over the broad shoul-
ders, high and proud-but see always the
tragic eyes. Poor old Denis!
1T was about half-past IL when we left
the table, think 1t cost US all a little
pang-and drove to the Care de- IEst.
The baggage had been sent on ahead of
us. and q compartment reserved. Then
once In the station and everything in
= readiness, we spent the last ten minutes In
walking up and down the narrow quasi
beside the train, saying our last words.
The prince was with Colonel Won Altdorf
and Sir Gavin, giving them, no doubt, his
parting requests and orders regarding the
Princess Eleanor, I walked alone with
Denis his arm thrown over my shoulder.
E-,s'l don't like your going!" cried BIT
terly. II wish you could stay or could
go with your /
+, ''Ah, lad" said he, II wish it too. that ]
might stay or you go with me, but
you must stay for you've ties to bind you
and I-why I must 60. It's my only
chance to-to~serve her further. Teddy
you know that, and I daren't trust my
self to stay. I can do some good work
Ia bas, before I'm snuffed out. Here.
could do nothing-but drink myself tc
death. probably. All, yes, I must 60
"But you'll come back, Denis?" said T.
eagerly. You'll come back of course!'
He turned me a bit, his arm about my
shoulders, so that looked Unto his eyes.
why no, dear lad" said he with a lit
tie smile. mo, shan't come back. We
won't meet again, Teddy And my
heart went down In me like lead, for
knew that there was no winning him from
his resolve. .o-.
If can help to set her firm upon the
throne beside her husband" he went ON.
'if can help to save Novodnia for him
and for her, it will be a finish worth while,
it must be a finish, lad! There must be
no mistake about that, no anti climax"
He pulled me closer with his arm as we
walked far up the narrow quay. And
meantime said he, meantime you'll
you'll look after her? You'll see that no
harm comes to her? Oh, Of course Mac
kenzie and Won Altdorf are here for that.
It's their business, but well. suppose
I'm a silly old woman and --
I'll look after her, Denis, - said l. mo
harm shall come to her, you may be sure
of that ~.-,-s d. -.sE..:..
Why" cried Denis, giving me little
shake with the arm that lay over my
shoulders, why, that's dear old chap!
You see I can-well say things to you,
Teddy, that couldn't say to old Sir Cav
in or even to Won Altdorf, and-she's all
there Is to me. I think Of nothing else. -
Then for awhile, we walked In silence
Denis thinking, I know, Of the woman he
loved, and I, sick at heart over his leav.
ing me. Steam from the engines hissed
and wreathed about US. There was the
smell Of oil and smoke and machinery ev.
erywhere. Our two shadows, cast by the
great arc lights overhead, sprawled ant
wavered and: danced grotesquely before
our feet. Porters with luggage for the
van lodged past us, breathless and hur
ried, and passengers for the train rushed
up and down the platform looking for va
cant compa rtments. ,-.r
"And there's nothing else, Denis?" :
asked, nothing else that can do, n,
business to settle, no one to see?''
''No, lad, no. said he, 'Ive few ties
God knows - Wait, though! 3,Colette
Oh Teddy, Teddy, it sends stab through
me whenever think of what that gir
did! tPll write to her, but do you go AM
look her up, once in a way, Ted. She'