Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-15
THE MAN
ON THE BOX
By
@HAROkD MAC GRATH
II. 100, s,,.s eoees creRsllr co

personal honor is beyond Impeachment. but
| Russia is making vast efforts to speckle it.
| She will succeed. Yes, I could force you
! to marry me. With a word l could tumble
| your house of cards. l am a worldly
woman, and not without wit and address.
/ possess every of your letters, most of
all have l treasured the extravagant ones:
| To you sign your name. If
| you have kept mine you will OBJ
serve that my given name might
! mean any one of thousand
women who are named Grace Shall you
| marry me? Shall 1 tumble your house of
| cards? 1 could go to Colonel Annesley
and say to him that if he delivers these
plans to you l shall denounce him to
| the secret service officers. | might cause
| his utter financial ruin, but his name would
descend to his daughter untarnished"
You would not darer' the count inter
| rupted.
,, what? And you know me so well? I
| have not given you my word to reveal moth
| ing. You confided in my rare quality of
silence; you confided in me because you
| had proved me- Man is not infallible, even
when he is named Karloff." She lifted
| from vase her flowers, from which she
shook the water. Laws have been passed
| or annulled; laws have died a the execu-
| tive desk. Who told you that this was to
be, that, long before it came to pass?
In all the successful intrigues of Russia
in this country, whom have you to thank?
Me. Ordinarily woman does not do these
things as a paStime. There must be some
strong motive behind. You asked me why
have stirred you So Perhaps it is be-
cause / an neither two-and-twenty nor you
two-score. 1t is these little barbs that re-
main in a woman's heart. Well. | do not
love you well enough to marry you, but
love you too well to permit you to marry
Miss Annesley.'
That has the sound of war. l did love
you that night, not without certain no
bility.
How easily you say that nightr Surely
there was wisdom in that smile of mine.
And l nearly tumbled into the pitt ] must
have looked exceedingly well that
nighti'-drlly
You are very bitter tonight Had you
taken me at my word, l never should have
looked at Miss Annesley. And had / ceased
to love you, not even you would have
known it,
rs it possible ?'-ironicallv.
1T is. have too much pride to permit
woman to see that 1 have made a mis-
take -
Then you consider in the present in.
stance that you have not made a mis-
take? You are frank
AT least l have not made mistake
which 1 cannot rectify. Madam, let us not
be enemies. AS you say, l owe you too
much What is it you desire?'-with forced
amiability.
Deprive Colonel Annesley of his honor.
that as you say. is inevitable; but I love
that girl as 1 would a child of my own, and
l will not see her caught in net of this
sorT. or welded to a man whose government
v.
DO not forget that l hold my country
first and foremost, proudly.
Love has no country, nor laws. nor gall
ing chains of incertitude. Love is mag
nificent only in that it gives all without
question You love this girl with reserva-
tons You shall not have her. You shall
not have even me, who love you after a
fashion, for l could never look upon you
as husband; in my eyes you would always
be an accomplish
ut is war then?'-curtly
War? Oh, no; we merely sever our dip!o-
matte relations she purred.
Madam, listen to me. | shall make one
more attempt to win this girl honorably
For you are right: love to be love must be
magnificent. If she accepts me, for her
sake will become an outcast, a man with
out country. If she refuses me- l shall
go on to the end. Speak to the colonel
madam; 1t is too late. Like myself, he has
gone too far. Why did you open the way
for me you did? l should have been
satisfied with a disconnected clerk. You
threw this girl across my path indirectly,
it is true; but nevertheless the fault is
yours.
Il recognize it. At that time I did not
realize how much you were to me-"
You are a strange woman. 1 do not
understand YOU
"Incompatiblli'y: Come, the carriage is
waiting. Let US be gone
You have spoilt the evening for me-"
said the count, as he threw her cloak
across her shoulders.
'On the contrary, l have added a peculiar
zest Now, let US go and appear before
the world. and smile, and laugh, and eat
and gossip. Let the heart throb with a
do with as we may"
They were, in my opinion, two very I'M
usual persons.
Go be continued tomorrow1