The Washington herald., 1907-11-22

from beneath would bring her 10 panes
down which the moisture was running
freely. Vida would look out and discern
dimly in the rain the figure Of a man IN
a long cloak standing beneath the win
dow. IN the sehelter OF the Douglas pines.
More than once she had lifted her win
dow 20 beSeech him 20 go She would
have been infinitely amused al the ad-
venture had the foolish person been other
than James Kahn. But there was some
thing about the man which caused her an
instructive feeling OF repulSiOn-fear and
aversion i'm one. She remembered that
this was the man who on the Good In
tent had abandoned both her and her
mother And though she had no idea that
he had recognized her as the frightened
little girl. who carried her mothers cush-
ions and fOotstool a bout the deck. the odd.
instructive shudder which his neighbOr-
hood caused persisted now when she was
a woman grown and surrounded By strong
and willing protectors
On the other hand. she could not for
get THAI IL was through this mans favor
that Dick Fiunan had received advance
meEt in the mine, and 10 whom he owed.
az least indirectly his lease Of the pretty
cottage at The great mans gate.
Il was because OF these things that
u
or two occasions opened her window and
hesoUght him 20 leave her in peace. He
had always answered her with wild, semi
oriental professions OF love declaring his
desire 10 make her his wife. even though
by doing 50 I've should forfeit every hope
Of any worldly advancement
In spite Of the eXtravaE EanCe OF the
mans words. there was something not
without attractiveness in the place and
Circumstance which affected Vida with a
curious fascination. like a scene in a the
ater- The filtered moonlight. the high
black umbrella like heads of the pines
Che low voice speaking out OF the deepest
gloom. had all something Of the Waveriey
novels about them. Even 50 did Ensign
Brown declare his love upon the pensive
bosom of Winandermere. Perchance on
such night Wilfred Of Ivanhoe philan-
dered beneath the window of the daugh-
ter of Isaac OF York. and only recalled his
majestic Rowena az ever-lengthening in
teTvals.
In short though mortaIy afraid. and
Wishful that the "C0nfidcntial' would de-
part, Vida had enough Of the original
Eve within her 70 feel rather fiattered
In any case. she had no intention Of mar
rying James kahu-"not if he were the
only man I'm the world so she told her
self
But in spite Of any amount Of innocence
in fact and intention. there is always q
certain danger i'm playing with fire. espe-
cially OF the Ghetto-Serb type And
though Kahn had begun by determining
10 marry Vida as the simpler Of two
ways 10 the Romer millions. he had ended
by feeling for her that sort OF dog-in-the-
manger love which consists IN affirming.
If / can't have her, nobody else shall"
All the fire of has doubtful blood
strengthened this resolve-as well as all
his commercial prudence. For If by
chance Vida either remembered. or
chanced to have brought from the wreck
sufficient evidence to convince Jacob Ro-
mer of her relationship. the master of
millions might prove to be as accessible
10 the domestic emotions as If the subject
had been introduced by Mrs. James Kahn
And that another Qet us say Mr. Vic
Norris should carry off from underneath
his very nose both money and maiden
was something that the erstwhile com
missiOnaire of Belgrade could not permit
Ii in no other way-well, there remained
the Servian tradition Of how 70 clear a
way TO a throne.