Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-08
The MARATHON MYSTERY,
BY BURTON E. STEVENSON.
Copyright, 1904. by Henry Holt & COY
from the couch and thrown her arms about

from the couch and thrown her arms about
his neck.
"Oh. comment GU we doudoux?" she asked,
In voice like-well, have never heard
anything to compare with 1t.
Tout douce. che-et our" he answered,
and kissed her; then he perceived me, SEEM
ingly for the first time, though this some
how doubted. Good evening, SIR he said.
standing with his arm still about his wife
and gazing at me with a look SO sharp that
found myself for an instant unable to meet
1t, as though 1 had really been guilty of
some fault.
His wife uttered in his ear a sentence so
rapid that was utterly unable to catch the
words. but 1 suppose 1t explained the reason
of my presence, for he turned to me Instant
ly with outstretched hand
"Cecily tells me that your presence of
mind prevented a general confiagration,
Mr.. -"
Lester" said. II am your neighbor
across the hall.
my name is Tremaine, and I'm exceed
ingly glad to meet you." he continued. with
courtesy which charmed me from the hrst
moment. I'VE must pour a nbation to
honor the escape"
Cecily, who had been hanging on his lips.
flew to the next room and was back in
moment with decanter and glasses-three OF
them-and she joined us with an tmperturb-
able matter of course air which somewhat
surprised me. Only noticed she left a lit
tie wine in her glass, and with 1t she ap-
preached a square cage OF hne gilt mesh
hanging over the radiator In the Warmest
corner of the room.
I happened to look at Tremaine and was
astonished at the intensity of the glance he
sent after her. So absorbed was he that
for the first time l had the opportunity to
examine him closely 1t was impossible TO
tell his age, there was about him such an
air of exhaustless youth-he might nave
been anywhere from thirty TO forty-nVe
He was a handsome man. with a dark, 1as-
cinating face which somehow matched his
of his / had already
experienced, and the square jaw and clear
cut lips bespoke an extraordinary power OF
will to match. He perhaps felt my scrutiny
for he turned to me, shaking Off with an Ell
fort the spell that held him.
shes a most extraordinary woman, ne
said with a smile that seemed a little
forced. shes about to do what no
other woman in the world would
dare do and she thinks nothing of it. Come
and see :,
CeciIy had already reached the cage. and
was bending over it, humming a weird NJ
tie refrain that rose and fell and turned
! upon itself reminding family of the
negro spirituals 1 had once heard at a
| campmeeting in the Jersey woods. After
moment l saw movement within the cage,
and a head erected itself, a broad, trlangu-
| lar head, deep orange barred with black
| with eyes like Goals of fire. 1t swayed to
and fro, to and fro, as Cecily fitted words
to the refrain-queer, chopped-oH creole
words.
"Oh, GU jojolli, oui! oh, thou art pretty,
pretty, Fe-Fe! Pa ka fai moin pei l do
not fear her, not at all! Fe-Fe is the work
of the good God. Travail Bon-Die Joli? Is
she not pretty?"
Gradually we had drawn nearer, Ire
maine and I, and l felt myself yielding to
the fascination of the song, even as the
serpent did. 1t not very large, nor
seemingly very formidable, so I did not
even think OF fear when Cecily opened the
| little door of the cage and drew 1t forth.
She held it between thumb and finger just
hala ind ha and hu Gil ot,t tra
she forced its jaws apart. Then she
poured the wine down it's throat. drop by
drop. Finally she returned 1t to Its cage
and shut the door.
When 1t was over and she was lying
again on the couch, painting with a kind Of
fearful exhaustion. 1 turned to Tremaine,
who was hopping his forehead feverishly.
I've got a kind of superstitious horror
of that SNAKE" he said alphabetically as
he met my eyes. I've seen lot Of them,
but none ever affected me just as this one
does"
What is it?" I asked astonished by his
pallor, by the trembling of his hand as he
put away his handkerchief and reached for
cigarette. He lighted 1t before he an
swered, inviting me by gesture to help
myself.
IT'S a fer-de-lance." he said at last;
"one of the deadlest serpents in the world
and this particular variety is said to be
especially deadly-a sort of creme de la
creme, as 1t were. Its bite kills a man in
three minutes, If 1t happens to strike an
artery-it does more than that-it turns
him to swollen, rotten piece of carbon
I've seen it, and he leaned back to blow a
ring toward the ceiling
L sat petrifed. with my cigarette half
way to my mouth.
A fer-de-lance!' / faltered at last, with
a Mortified glance at the figure on the
couch. 'o
oh. It's safe enough, guess" he added
She had 1t for years, and ii has never
attempted to harm her. Perhaps it has
sun said, Its risk I shouldn't
think you'd permit IT.
Permit it?' he repeated "Ohv' and he
shrugged his shoulders with a gesture Of
impotence impossible to describe
Go be continued tomorrow