The San Francisco call., 1905-04-02
3 p
A&91N

mind was running in channels OF dis
content
Il am ennuye." he thought. beyond
my usual tense OF that yawning verb
am always conjugaring At. six-and-
twenty one should be something-and
what am I? Nothing but six-and-
twenty and the odd months Six-and-
twenty years. as they call them-why,
I might have been pasha By this
tinei"
The coach turned a corner. and hs
saw. little way on, the lighted front
OF Drury Lane Theater- In the shad-
ow OF It's stage door stood a couple his
sight did not distinguish. but the keen
black eyes OF one OF them-a vivid.
creole-looking girl-had noted with a
quick instructive movement the ap-
proach OF the weIl-known carriage,
now tangled IN the moving stream
The gaze OF the man beside her-de-
fant. furtive. theatrtc and mustach-
ioed. with hair falling thickly and
shortly ike q NoOr's-foI1owed her
look
He was In the greenroom last night.
too" he said. with angry Jealousy II
saw him coming away"
Suppose you did - flung the girl
with irritation Who are you. that
must answer for whom see OF know
yes. and for anything else2 He was
here. and so was Mr.. Sheridan and
Captain Brummell ] should Ike 20
know what you have 70 say about itg-'
The others cheek had flushed darkIy.
You used 10 have more time for me.
Jane" he answered sullenly. before
you took up with the theater-when
you liveSA over the old bOOkshop, and
hadn't a swarm OF idling dandies about
you"
II suppose his Lordship there - an
T6ling dandy" she retorted with fine
sarcasm a dandy. and the most Ia
nous man in England. An idler. who
gets a guinea a line for all he writes.
What do You spend pray. thar your
father IN Wales didn't leave yOu2 Tell
me-" she said curiOusIy. her tone
changing: you were in the East when
you were In the navy. Are all the
stories they tell OF George Gordon IN
Greece true? They say he himself Is
Conrad. the hero OF his 'Corsair% Was
he so dreadfuIly wicked7''
He turned away his head. gnawing
his lip. I don't know" he returned
doggedly. and care less know he's
only amusing himself with you, Jane,
and you know II. too"
And it's no amusement to your
she prompted. with innate coQuetrys
dropping back into her careless tone.
IF il isn't. don't come then I shall
try 10 get along. never fear Why
shouldn't know fine peOpleT she went
on. degree less hardly I'm tired OF
this foggy. bread-and- butter life. II
was bad enough az GOdWin's stufy
house with poverty and stepfather.
don't wonder Mary has run away 20
marry her Shelley. He'll be a barOnet
some day, and she can see lie I don't
intend 10 be tied 10 London always.
either-even with the playing. want
10 know things and see something OF
the world Why do you stay here?
Why don't you go 70 sea again? I'm
sure I'd ike TO-"
You know why I don't" he said.
'-weu enough. 1 deserted the service
once. besides But I'd Ike 10 see the
wOrid-with you. jane"
He did not see the line that curved
her lips. half-scOrnful, half -pitying. for
his look had fastened on q figure IN q
ministerial cloak. who was passing on
the pavement The figure was DIT.
James Cassidy. taking his evening
walk with the under-curate OF ST.
Dunstan's -in-the-West-an especially
enjoyable hour with him
Now as Cassidy's insect eyes lifted
they fell on the Oriental face In the
shadow OF the doorway with a sud-
den interTogative start He took a
step toward il. hesitatingly. but the
curate was in the midst OF a quotation
from Eusebius and the pause was but
monentary- The girls MOorish-look-
ing companion had not moved but his
hands had clenched and his face had
an ugly expression as Cassidy passed
on
"OnIy a resemblance" remarked the
latter, as he proceeded The man in
the doorway there reminded me OF an
ensign who deserted the PyiadeS once
when we were lying az Bombay" His
hand touched a broad white scar on his
cheek 7 trust he may yet be appre-
hended-fOr the good OF the service"
he added softly
GOrdOn's eyes. as the carriage picked
its way, had been on the front OF the
theater. but they were preoeeupied. He
did not see the look OF dislike from the
muSraehiOed face in the shadow. nor
the girl as she vanished through the
stage door Yet. as il happened. the
first glimpse OF the theater had brought
thought Of her
Fond, fiDDant. wild. elusive. allur-
ing-the devils" he muSed- That's
Jane CieruOnt-she would furnish out
a new chapter for SolOmOn's song The
stage is her atmosphere she came 70
il as naturally as a humning bird 70
q garden OF geraniumS. Yet she viii
never make a SiddOnss she lacks pur-
pose and she is-mechante- She ap-
peaIs 70 the elemental. raw sense OF
the untamed and picturesque men own
in common with sarages- Nature
made such women 10 cure mans ennuis
they fl his mood Jane CiermOnt was
not born for fine ladies' fripperies-
What is IL she lacks? Balance2-0r IS
il the moral sense? After all. I'm not
sure but that lack Is what makes her
so interesting have been attracted
q million times BY passion have i
ever been attracted by sheer purttys
YeS-there is one. Annabel NIilbanke--
There rose before his minds ere a
vision OF the tall stateliness he had 50
often seen 81 Melbourne House He
seemed 10 feel again the touch OF cool.
ringleSs fingers How infinitely di1er-
ent she was from others who had been
more often in his fancy. She had at
tracted him from his first street
glimpse Of her-frOm the first day he
looked into her calm virginia. eyes
across a dinner-table- II was her pla-
cidity-the very absence OF chaos
that drew him She represented the
one type OF which he vas not tired
Besides she was beautiful-not with the
ripe. red. exotic beauty OF Lady Caro-
line Lamb or the wilder eccentric