The San Francisco call., 1904-03-27

ing in some mysterious way to have
grown suddenly anxious and preoc-
cupied.
There's the house." she said at
length. Il was getting tired
There's a light in the parlor," said
Barron. as he opened the gate. What
can be the matter? Has Benito killed
grandma or is there a party?"
Their doubts on this point were
soon set at rest. Their approaching
footsteps evidently We're heard by. a
listening ear within, for the hall door
opened and Benito appeared in the
aperture.
There's a man TO see you in the
parlor.'' he announced TO Mariposa.
Inside the hallway the door on the
left that led TO Mrs. Garcia's apart
thrust out her head, and said in a hiss
ing whisper:
There's gentleman waiting for
you in the parlor Miss Moreau.''
At the same time Miguel impaired
similar information from the top OF
the stairs, and the Chinaman appeared
at the kitchen door and cried from
thence, with the laconic dryness pc
culiar TO his race:
"One man see you. parlor."
Mariposa stood looking from one TO
the other with the raised eyebrows OF
inquiring astonishment. The only
person who had visitors in the Garcia
house was Pierpont, and they did not
come at such fashionably late hours.
He's a thin. consumpted-looking
young man with eyeglasses" said
Mrs. Garcia. curling round the door
the better to project the kissing whis-
per she employed. and he said he'd
wait till you came in
Mariposa turned toward the parlor
door. leaving the family, with Barron,
on the stairs. and the Chinaman, peer
ing from the kitchen regions, watch
ing her with tense interest, as if they
half expected they would never see
her again.
Two of the gases in the old chande-
lier were lit and cast a sickly light
over the large room, which had the
close, musty smell of an unaired
apartment. The last relics of Sonora
Garcia's grandeur were congregated
here-bronzes that once had cost
large sums of money. gilt console
that had been grought from a rified
French chateau round the Horn in
sailing ship, a buhl cabinet with its
delicate silvery inlaytng cleaning in
the half-light, and two huge japanese
vases. with blue and white dragons
crawling round their necks, lanking
the fireplace.
On the edge Of a chair. just under
the chandelier, sat a young man. He
had his hat in his hand, and his head
dropped so that the light fell smooth
ly on the crown of blonde hair. He
looked small and meager in the sur
rounding folds of a very large and
loose ulster. AS the sound of the D.
preaching step caught his ear he
started and looked up, with the mar
rowed eyes of the near-sighted, and
then jumped to his feet.
Miss Moreau?" he said inquiringly,
and extended long, thin hand which,
closing on hers. felt to her warm, soft
grasp like a bunch Of chilled sticks.
She had not the slightest idea who he
was, and looking at him under the wan
light, saw he was some one from. that
world of wealth with which she had
so few Affiliations. Something about
him-the coldness of his hand, an in
describable trepidation Of manner
suggested to her that he was exceed
ingly i'll at ease. She looked at him
wonderingly, and said:
Wont you sit down."
He sat at her bidding on the chair
he had risen from, subsiding into the
small, shrunken figure in the middle
- FNIl -
hand hung down between his knees
holding his hat He looked at Mari
posa and then looked down at the hat.
Gold afternoon, isn't it," he said.
Very cold" she responded, "b1t I
like It. hope you haven't been wait
ing long"
mot very" he looked up at her,
blinking near-sightedly through the
glasses; Il don't know whether you
know what my name is, Miss Moreau?
It's Shackleton-Winsl Shackleton.
I forgot my card"
Mariposa felt Iightning-like
change came over her face. in which
there was a sudden stiffening of her
features into something hard and re-
pellent. To Win, at that moment, she
looked very ike MS Idlner.
"Oh!" she said, hearing her voice
drop at the end of the interjection
with a note Of vague disapproval and
uneasiness.
I've seen YOU" continued Win,
"once at The Trumpet Office, when you
were there with Mrs. Willers. 1 don't
think you saw me. I was back in the
corner, near the table where Jack
that's the boy-sits.'
Mariposa murmured:
mo, I didn't see you"
She hardly knew what he said or
what she responded. What did this
mean? What was going to happen
now?
You must excuse my coming this
way, without an introduction or any
thing, but as you knew my father and
mother, I-I-thought you wouldn't
mind"
He glanced at her again, anxiously.
she thought and she said suddenly,
with her habitual directness:
Did you come from your mother ?"
mo, came on-on-my own hook.
1 wanted"-he looked vaguely about
and then laid his hat on a table near