Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1906-12-01
DUKE OF
DEVIL
MAY-CARE
BY HARRIS DICKSON
Author of
The Black VOLTS Breed" Etc.
7f~ea--.4N-se--.t4H-ss--ss
CHAPTER Discontinued.
Copyright, 1905, by D. Appleton * {


Monsieur's face frightened. "Oui,
oui, nam selle wish to see zis apart
ment But zis is my chamber, sleep
in here"
you sleep in here?" Alice repeated,
vaguely. Anita glanced at the man
and wondered what he meant.
Alice continued beating on the door.
Monsieur Victor shrugged his shout
ders at the persistence of these Amer
lean girls.
"Arthemise Arthemise,'' he called,
and clapped his hands. The maid
came, and a few words passed be-
tween them in French. 'Ze room is
not yet prepare, ma'm'selle," Monsieur
Victor apologized, but
open this door, open this door,"
Alice demanded so vigorously that
Victor took the key from Arthemise
and threw the room open. Alice
stepped inside with Anita immediate
ly behind her, both their faces turned
toward Mrs. Ashton's bed. They bare
sy. crossed the threshold, then halted,
staring and bewildered- There was
no bed; it was strange room; Meth
er If them had ever seen it before
There was no bed with green curtains,
no crusader tapeSty; no Charlotte
Corday on the wall, no Spanish cabi-
net-nothing that they recognized
"Why-this is not-mother's ROOM"
Anita's eyes took in every detail at
a glance-ceats hanging on chairs,
towels thrown across screen, a shaw
ing-stand a line of shoes, a dressing
gown, and slippers. 1t was a mans
bedchamber; she drew back.
The low Napoleon bed in the far
corner had been slept in, and was still
disordered; the heavy center table, the
pictures on the wall-everything was
unfamiliar.
I'VE have made a mistake" Anita
admitted, and backed out into the hall.
81 thought" stammered Alice, that
this was my mothers room. Where
is she?"
your mother?" the Frenchman re-
peated, in a tone so utterly blank that
it sent shiver through the blue-eyed
girl.
Yes, my mother; we left her in
here last night; l thought it was this
room"
ct do not comprehend mann 'selle."
-No, it was not this room,'' Alice
looked in again-"no, it was not this
room"
The hall was very quiet Anita
could hear the parrots chatter in the
the ''coo-coo-coo" of the pigeons
even the scraping OF Hippolytes
broom came to her from the ban
qrette. All around her and about her
was the settled serenity of the Creole
life. Yet she began to fear-and
tried to keep Alice from seeing it.
Anita glanced from the politely at
tentive face of Monsieur Victor to
Alices round blue eyes, startled and
wide open. Then she looked again
into that unfamiliar room. 1t was
very puzzling, but of course nothing
could have happened.
Maybe maybe" she suggested. as
if trying to reassure herself-"maybe
it's the next room; but felt sure that
this was the one. May we look?'
"Certainement, as you please.
mann selle."
Monsieur Victor, courteous and in
credulous. opened door after door,
There were six rooms in that part
of the house, three on either side of
the hail. and all rented to carnival
= visitors One of these rooms the girls
had occupied, and in one they felt
sure they had left Mrs Ashton. But
which? AS Monsieur Victor opened
the doors the anxious girls peered in.
They found nothing.
Allce caught MIN Dy the arm
Monsieur Victor. it was the room
with the great big bed in it-with
the green silk curtains-you remem-
Der the room that you put mother in
last night?"
The Frenchman smiled indulgently
and looked blank.
Anita, you remember it?''
The older girl nodded, shut her lips
tightly, and went ON searching. In
the rear room opposite their own they
found a sweet-faced old lady very
deaf. knitting beside a window
Monsieur explained something to her
in French, through a trumpet. She
nodded that the young ladies were
free to search her room If they chose
Anita murmured an apology, and
drew Alice after her into the hail.
Monsieur Victor, where is MI
mother?" Alice caught the lapel Of
his coat, and besought him; tn,
Frenchman shrugged his shoulder.
with an expression of painful igno
rance
MY mother Monsieur Victor. m,
mother the girl insisted. don't 70,
remenber-try to remember-her foo
slipped she stepped in the quite
last night when you helped her from
the cab?''
Pfteously rs she gazed up intn hi
face. the mans expression Shove,
that he did not remember. although