The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-11-01

subdued interest announced that the
lion of the evening had arrived. =
quick inclination of the head, snap
ping of long slender fingers. ana the
performance was under way with
iightaing-like rapidity and wonderful
dizziness the conjurer worked, ana the
GREATNESS audience watched, not SO
much the tricks as the unsmiling lips,
the inscrutable eyes which seemed not
to see either the sea OF faces appraised
to his nor even the assistant who did
his unspoken bidding.
Only one person in the fashionable
audience saw something more-and that
q quivering, blueeyed girl who. for one
brief second, had met and held the
magician's glance, and seen burning In
those inscrutable eyes fre which had
burned there on night nve years pc
fore, a fire lit centuries agone In the
eyes of the worlds first man-Adam.
The assistant called for ring with
which his master would work new
trick. Mechanically Helen Morgan
handed him a magnificent hoop OF
pearls. Erskine took the ring gravely,
raised a silver hammer and apparently
smashed the trinket into thousand
silver. Then he produced a sealed cas-
ket of water, in which swan gold
fish, and in the mouth of the fsh he
found the hoop of pearls. But the ring
was not returned to Its owner py the
assistant. Instead, as the room rang
with applause, the magician himself
walked quietly down the aisle formed
by the parting Of many silken skirts,
bling white hand. Not even the man
with the monocle noticed that the con-
jurer for an instant held the slim ing
ers in his with pressure that threat
ened to crush them. nor did he dream
that within the girls palm lay another
ring at which she dared not look.
Somewhat awkwardly she slipped on
her long white glove. She was so deep
did not even see the conjurer as he
left the improvised stage. In the pri-
vacy of the boudoir. hours later, she
held the conjurer's ring under the light
of a blazing electrolier.
"Such an odd was almost going to
say-ugly ring" she murmured, as she
slipped It on her finger and turned 1t
this way and that. A diamond, an en-
emerald, a sapphire and topaz form
ed the brilliant half-hoop. Then sud-
denly her cheeks burned crimson She
had read the story of the many colored
gems. Their first letters spelled dear
est" the message of the man who had
not forgotten his promises.
With her chocolate the next morning
came an oddly shaped French-gray en-
velope, bare of crest or mono gram.
Forgive my temerity Of last night"
ran the message within, but for years
I have been carrying that ring In my
pocket, waiting for our meeting. They
were the first gems 1 bought when sue
cess came my way, and gathered them
one by one, each perfect in its way and
worthy the one woman in all the world.
Yet last night I heard you were to
marry the Earl of Warburton. If this is
true, do what you will with the ring.
If 1t is but an idle rumor, drop me
single word to the Hotel Cecil-'Come.'
Erskine laid aside the morning pa
pers, heralding him as the fashionable
worlds new-found idol, to answer a
summons to the phone. The voice at
the other end of the wire faltered, then
grew firm and strong-'Come; I could
not wait to write."-(Copyrighte 1907,
by c. H. Sutcliffe)