The Washington herald., 1908-05-25
CHAPTER XII-Continued.


Il might get shop-worn. Besides,
mamma can't keep the shop opan for
ever. But really. NJ. Vandraken,
don't see what earthly difference It can
make to you whom l marry. or when !
marry"
"Of course you are right. I had no
business 20 say that" Then he leaned
forward end said. very meanlngly: but
you know you might miss better offer"
That Is why mamma is only consld-
ering Dumbdaie. NJ p But you are not
living up to your reputation. Instead OF
amusing me you have led the conversa-
ton round 20 serious, almost unpleasant
subjects"
THAT Is because you ran round 10 try
and get at the other side of me. Lady
Kitty"
A silence fell between them They
were Ike two players at a chessboard-
Vandraken felt that he was progressing
faster and farther than he meant 10.
The fire-game was not working out ac-
cOrding to rule. II gratihed his vanity
that Lady Kitty Poher, the beauty OF
the season, should be Interested in him,
and make him feel that il was his per-
he had formed the opinion that she WAS
firtatious, and that their affair would
end in a laughing kiss and a shower OF
roses and bonbOns 10 show that it was
appreciated. He had engineered several
episodes OF the kind. He did not know
that Lady Kitty was guided by unerring
intuition IN her unconscious efforts 10
lead him into deeper waters. He did
know that she was unlike any other
girl he had come IN contact with. and
Won Tarsenhelm vas not there 10 eX-
plain that his disconnected soul, on the
same star as the girls. was trying TO
reach him through hers.
Lady Kitty had a daring cand0r. pick
ed up from her mother. which was very
telling. Il am beginning TO think, Mr..
Vandraken,' she said, at last that you
can't sparkle on tea. 1t was champagne
you scintillated on at the dance.
wasn't it?"
II imagine II was your own mood. We
were much more on the surface Of things.
You can't build up a waltz movement
from every chord"
L tell you what," said Kitty. sitting
up straight on the sofa. ~ am a cham
piOn fortune-teller. Let me read your
hand"
Vandraken would have liked 10 refuse.
He had an Idea that this was another
attempt to get behind the mirror. But
il would appear absurd 10 refuse TO let
pretty girl hold his hand when she Of
fered. and anyway, she probably knew
nothing about palmistry.
AS a matter Of fact. she didn't know
much about the lines. but she was 50
highly intuitive that she got wonderfully
correct Impressions from peoples hands.
The lines seemed to put her In touch
with their magnetism.
What delicious handsi' thought Van
draken, as she took possession OF his
own. And they were very perfect hands.
1t had taken centuries to make them.
Many thousand tOil-scarred hands had
been used up In the process. and been
buried, without knowing what they had
been working for. But that is the way
nature works They cried out they had
been wasted. but they were not for
here were the gossamer hands of Lady
Kitty 20 show for Il all.
Vandraken thrilled TO their magnetic
warmth. They stirred within him the
instinct of worship. which had never yet
found an outlet for its boarded strength.
Lady Kitty gave an exclamation Of sur
prise when she saw Vandraken's hands.
Why she said, your hands are abso-
lutely different from one another. IL
had seen them poked through screen,
would have said they belonged to diff
ferent persons. Your left Is quite an or
dinary hand; your right looks as though
it had been through an earthquake and
then been rebuilt
Vandraken's hands almost jerked them
selves free from the pretty palmist's.
"As 1 said before, you are a very baf-
fling person, Mr. Vandraken. I can't
make head or tail Of you. II had only
seen your left, 1 should have described
you as a very practical, business-li6e
person. your heart so much governed BY
your head that it is Of no Importance in
your life. And selfish-I am afraid you
are very selfish, and yet very generous.
Nol-lavish: that is a better word l do
not think you would give away anything
that cOst you anything 10 give. You
would want something in return. Your
business instinct is so strong that you
would be miserable If you failed to get
your moneys worth. That is quite your
strongest Impulse. and It will injure you.
You have brains. but you don't use them
for good. You are very materialistic and
practical, so you will use your brains
in an effort 20 get all there is 70 be got
out of this life. You are ruthless In this.
That is from your left hand. When I
come 10 the right, / feel dazed- Were you
ever hypnotized?"
Yves" mumbled vandraken. much
disturbed.
"You allowed yourself 70 be hypno-
tized, and something happened to you