The Delta independent., 1907-04-05
THE HOUSE OF
A THOUSAND
CANDLES
By MEREDITH NICHOLSON
Au,hor oil THE MAIN CHANCE" ZELDA
CAMERON" Etc.
Copyright lYo3 b, BoLbs-Meriil Co.
CHAPTER II.
A Face at Sherry's.

| least had no cares OF business. IL
made no difference to me whether the
market rose or fell. Something of the
| spirit of adventure that had been my
curse qulckened in my heart as !
walked through crowded Broadway
past Trinity church to bank and
drew the balance remaining on my
| letter of credit. received in currency
slightly less than $1,000.
AS turned from the teller's W 'ndow
I ran into the arms of the last man in
the world | expected to see.
| This. let it be remembered. vas in
| October of the year of our Lord, nine
! teen hundred and one.
Don't mention my name an thou
lowest me-" said Laurance Donovan.
| and he drew me aside. ignored my
hand and otherwise threw into our
| meeting casual quality that was
| somewhat amazing in view of the fact
that we had met last at Cairo.
Allah ii Allah
1t was undoubtedly Larry. l felt the
| heat of the desert and heard the camel
drivers cursing and our Sudanese
guides plotting mischief under win
dow far away.
Well" we both exclaimed interro-
gativcly.
He rocked gently back and forth.
with his hands in his pockets. on the
tile floor of the banking house. ! had
seen him stand thus once on a time
when he had eaten nothing in four
days-it was in Abyssinia, and our
t., ~pst
BILE place-with the same untroubled
look in his eyes.
please don't appear surprised. or
scared or anything, Jack" he said,
with his delicious intonation. Il saw
fellow looking for me an hour or so
ago. He's been at it for several
months: hence my presence on these
shores of the brave and the free. He's
probably still looking. as he's a per-
sistent devil. I'm here. as we may
say. quite incog. Staying at an East
Side lodging house. where l shan't in
vite you to call on NE. But must see
you"
Dine with me tonight. at Sher-
ry's-"
Too big. too many people"
Therein lies security. If you're in
trouble. I'm about to go into exile
and l want to eat one more civilized
dinner before | GO
Perhaps it's just as we'll Where
are you off for,-not Africa again."
| NO. Just Indana-one of the sov-
| ereign American states, as you ought
| to know"
"Indians?"
NO; warranted all dead"
Pack train-balloon-au
camels,- do you get there"
.'Varnished cars. It's easy. It's not
the getting there; it's the not dying of
ennui after you're on the spot"
'Humph! What hour did you say
FOR the dinner
Seven O'Clock. Meet me at the en-
trance"
'Tll be there If I'm not in jail Kind
~ allow me to prccede you. ana don't
follow, please"
He walked away. his glovcd hands
clasped laZily behind him. lounged out
upon broadway and turned toward the
Battery. | waited until he dsap.
peared. then took an uptown car
My first meeting with Laurance Don.
uvan was in Cons;antinople at caf.-
where | was dining. lie got into row
with an Englishman and knocked him
down. 1t was not my affair, but liked
the ease and definteless with which
Larry put his foe out of commission.
learned later that it was a way he had
My friend. the American consul gen.
/ ut NDr vet tit,n 1,
out sense of humor. and easily en-
listed him in Larry's behalf. The Eng
lishman thirstcd for vengeance and in
voked all the powers. He insisted
with reason, that Larry was a British
subject and that the American consul
had no right to give him asvlum,-a
point that was. understand, thor
oughly well-grounded in law and fact
Larry maintained. on the other hand
that he was not English but l. sh. and
that, as his country mainta .led nc
representative in Turkey, 1t was his
privilege TO find refuge wherever /,
was offered. Larry was always the
mos plausible of human beings. and
between us.-he. the American consu
and I've made an impression. and
got him off.
] did net realize until later that the
; real joke lay in the fact that Larr,
was English-born, and that his devo
1 lion to Ireland was purely sentimenta
and quixotic. His family had, to be
sure. come out of Ireland some time
in the dim past. and Settled in Eng
! land; but when Larry reached years O
knowledge, If not of discretion. he Gu
Oxford and insisted on taking his dc
gree at Dublin. He even oallevcd,-ol
thought he belIeved,--iI l.anshees. II,
allied himself during his universit,
days with the most radical and turbu
rcpt advocates of "a cnnarate nat.oaa