The evening world., 1905-07-01

hVA JOLl H iva
The reason would be obvious to any IN but you" said Rames. still
impulse of the fraction Of a second. when Roberto saw that was tempted,
and let ne SEE that he saw it. It's OF a thing care to do. and sha,nt
be happy till the papers tell me the poor devil is alive. But a Knockout
shot al the only chance for IS then"
that you arel"
put I should have deserved running in If hadn't yielded to such a
termination as that Runnv IT AS n chance in n hundred Thousand, We
mi-ht go there every day Of our lives and never again be the only outsiders
in the room. with the blliardImarking Johnnie practically out of earshot
at ne and the same time. 1t was a gift from the gods; not to have taken
it would have been flying in the face of Providence"
But YOU didn't take it," said l. You went and left it behind
wish l had had a kodak for the little smile with which Rallies shook
his head. for it was n that he kept for those great moments Of which our
vocation is no. devoid. All this time he had been wearing his hat tilted a
little e eyebrows no longer raised. And now at last knew where the
gold cup was.
1t stood for days upon his chimney piece. this costly trophy whose
ancient history and final fate filled newspaper columns W in these days
of jubilee and for which the flower of Scotland Yard was said to be seek.
ing high and low. Our constable. we learned. had been stunned only. and
from. the moment that I brought him an evening paper with the news Raj
and as unusual in him IS the sudden impulse upon which he had acted with
such effect The Gun itself appealed to lie n more than it had done be-
the mere gold of it would scarcely have poured three figures nut of melting
pot. And what said Rallies but that he would never melt it at all!
Taking it wa a n ofense against the laws of the land. Bunny. That
is nothing But destroying it would De A cTime against God and Art and
may be spited o n the vane Of ST Mary Abbots if I commit it,"
Talk such Is this a unanswerabe; indeed. the whole affair had
passed the pale CT useful comment. and the course left ito a practical
person was to shrHE his shoulders and enjoy the joke. This "a not a
little enhanced ty the newspaper reports. which described Ranes as a
handsome youth and his unwilling accomHlice is an older man Of black
guardly appearance and low type.
Hits IS both off rather neatly. Bunny" said he. But what none Of
them do Justice to is my dear cup. Look at it. only loF at it. man! Was
ever anything 81 rich and yet so chaste? St Agnes must have had pretty
bad time. but it would be almost worth it to go down to pos.erity yin such
enamel upon such gold. And then the hus:)ry of the thing Do you realize
thai it's five hundred years old and has belonged 10 Henry VIII. and to
Elizabeth among others? Bunny, when you have me crenr'ed you IAN
mt M ashes in wonder cup and lay us in the deep-delved earth together
"And meanwhie?'
at is the joy of my heart. the light of my life. the delight of MIN
eye"
And suppose other eyes catch sight of it,
They never must: they never shall"
Ra1es would have been too absurd had he not been thoroughly alive
to his W ahsurdity. There was nevertheless a underlying sincerity in
his appreciation of any and every form of beauty which all his nonsense
could not conceal And his infatuation for the cup was. as he declared. a
worry nre n.ssion since h ircumStances debarred him from hi chief 10y
of the average collector. that of showing his treasure to his friends. At
last, however. and at the height of his craze. Rallies and reason seemed 10
come together again as suddenly as they had parted company in the Room
of Gold.
Bunny" he cried. finsing his newspaper across the room, I've got
a n idea after your own heart. | know where can place it after ALL"
DO you mea the cup?"
81 do"
- Then I congratulate you"
Thanks"