Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-12
CHAPTER XII.


Evelyn Has Unexpected Visitors.
On moonlit night in January Evelyn
Dane was sitting in the veranda of the
big English-looking hotel which has
brought more than a hint of Brighton
to the sea front of Las Palmas. Gran
Canaria. A dance was In progress with
in. and the jingle of a polka mixed curl
ously with the continuous roar of heavy
surf. But Evelyn was in no mood for
dancing. While she was dressing for
dinner that evening the boom Of a gun
from the harbor announced the arrival
OF a foreign warship. Soon afterward she
learned the ships name, and from that
moment she was on the tp-toe of ex-
pectation, for the captain of H. M. second
class cruiser Valiant supplied the one re-
naming link between her present en-
Filtered life and the rose-colored romance
Of day at Plymouth
Two months earlier Capt. Mortimer
came to her in F>lnchal Madeira, with
message that thrilled her with hope The
foreign office had requested him, he said,
to forward any information she could
give which might help to explain why
Capt. Warden should vanish so mysteri-
ously at Rabat.
The inquiry was a private one. She
must mention it to none, but it was
deemed 80 important by the authorities
in Whitehall that the Valiant was sent
specially to Madeira to make it. There
was not much that she could tell him.
Her sole knowledge Of Rabat was Cleaned
from Domenico Garcia's message. She
remembered the text with sufficient &C.
curacy-but what queer tumble Of fact
and fable 1t sounded! Even she herself
though she had actually seen the carved
gourd bobbing about in the Solent. fan
cied now that the tattooed parchment
supplied far-fetched excuse for War
denis disappearance.
Nevertheless. the sailors words had
driven some Of the hardness out Of her
heart. She was beginning to think that
den was really her rivals promised hus-
band-that he had not dared even to write
again when he knew that Rosamund was
at Lockmerig. But when this courtly
officer assured her that Capt. Warden
had undoubtedly sailed for West Africa
two days after the Sans Souci quilted the
lock. she realized that, in some respects.
her doubts were unwarranted. 1t was
amaxing that her lover had not announced
his departure. but the ways Of govern
ments are strange, and his fall from
grace was by no means so great as she
had been forced to believe. And then her
tiny bit Of blue sky was darkened by
new cloud. Although the captain of the
cealed the sinister outcome of Wardens
visit to the Morocco town. his very reti-
cence induced anxiety. He was greatly
interested in Garcia's allusion to Hassan's
tower. listened carefully to Evelyn's story
OF the gourd and, before departing. asked
her to let him know at Lagos If she left
Madeira. That was ALL She had been
eight weeks In Las Palmas without ever
word of her lover. The gloom in her
soul deepened ever. until tho clamor of
the cruisers salute awoke the echoes
Hence. Evelyn was one Of the few peo-
pie in the capital city Of the Canary
Islands who could supply a reason for
the presence OF the Valiant other than
the need of fresh supplies of vessel on
the West African station. Nor was she
wrong in the assumption that Capt. Nor
timer might call on her without delay.
She had been seated not many minutes
In the veranda. and had successfully held
at bay only two of the half dozen Span
ish officers who wished to dance with her.
when the sailor himself approached and
lifted his cap with q pleasant smile.
began.
and felt 80 sure you would look me up
that I have refused all invitations to the
ballroom"
An expression of surprise fitted across
the mans frank face. Evidently he had
placed Evelyn in another and higher
category than the flippant young ladies'
who dominate the winter society of Ma
deira and Gran Canaria. To his thinking.
when last he interviewed her. Warden,
the man to whom she was engaged, was
undoubtedly dead. BY this time even
Needless girl might have suspected the
truth. and he was not prepared to find
Warden's sweetheart so obviously indif-
ferent to his fate as to plunge into all
the gayety of the Las Palmas season.
He knew nothing of the agony Of sus-
pense. the poison Of doubt. the self-hu-
,,,Sls- nn1~ 0F
dreary weeks, nor did he appreciate her
position In the Baumgartner household.
But he was hurt and his manner proved
it. Men who are called on at times to
face death in their country's service like
to believe that their women-folk are eager
for news of them. So Mortimer was dis
appointed in Evelyn.
II fear I shall be regarded as an in
truder by some of the young gentlemen
see pirouetting inside" he said. But I
shall not detain you long. promised to
let you know II any further news was
forthcoming as to Capt. Warden's where
abouts. When we met at Funchal feared
the worst. Now l have good reason to
She leaped to her feet. Her cheeks
blanched. but those blue eyes of hers
blazed with sudden fire.
you have heard of him? You know
where he is?' she gasped, all a-quiver
with excitement.
The sailor was mystified. Nevertheless.
her manifest interest almost brought back
the sympathetic note to his voice-almost.
but not quite, and she was aware Of the
altered tone.
You are asking too much,' he said,
with a little laugh. africa does not
yield her secrets SO readily. l assure you.
Still, 1 have a rather complicated yarn
for you. Shall we sit here. or would you
care for stroll in the garden? l take 1t
we are less likely to be disturbed there"
Now it was Evelyn's turn to be puzzled.
1t was no disloyalty to the memory of
one who once had been her lover, but the
absolute necessity of chaperoning Beryl
Baumgartner during her mothers indis-
position that made dancing possibility
that night.
THE garden by all means she agreed,
trying hard to restrain her agitation. So
they walked among the dusty palms and
oleanders, and Capt. Mortimer told her
something of the strange doings of the
Blue Man Of Ell Hanna.
When the Valiant paid her second visit
to Rabat the hey was inclined to be COM
municative. AS matter of fact, the
news of the Mia Moullah's disastrous
fight with the evil one spread SO rapidly
that it reached the seaboard within
fortnight. whereas the prophets journey
In the reverse direction took three weeks.
Other items filtered through the Atlas
passes. and finally there came a man who
was actually in Lektawa at the time of
the dread combat. He it was who first
gave definite assurance that Warden
lived. When the new ruler of that dis
overly opposed to him. and the remain
f,er fnho hi nfc a1{ fati rc fIo