The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-08-31
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 }A WOMAN'S { { ENCHANTMENT{ {
 ( By William Le Queux 7 Copyright, 1909, by
 ( William Lc Queux
Continued from Page s.)
Copyright, 1909, by William Lc Queux

| Continued from Page s)
 ed the drawing room. I found Ralph | Garshore. dark haired. slim and tall, smart in perfect-f1tting evening cloth es, standing with old MT. Sta pleton awaiting Myra and Miss Chambers. l "Let me introduce you, Ralston,' ex- claimed my host. This is my friend | Garshcre-a traveller like yourself smiled. uttered some commonplace remark. and took the nnanicured hand he stretched forth to me. My game was. I saw. to make friends with this man. He probably knew me to be friend of Granny Cough. and it in terested me 10 watch his attitude.
 "Stapleton has just been telling me l that you spend most of your time abroad" he remarked. pleasantly. 'I, too. am very little in England nowa- days. I believe you know the east. don't you?''
 | .Yes. fairly well.'' was my response. l i've been in the Balkans and through | Turkey many times Only quite re- | gently I was at Monastir. Presba, | Ochrida and other places in Mace | donia.H'
 By Jove!' he exclaimed. Rather I tough travelling there just now. isn't 1 it? We hear so much of massacres by Greek and Bulgarian bands.''
 'Yes.'' I said. with a laugh. S"It can hardly be called safe place. Do you know the east?''
 "The capitals only-Sofa. Constan- l tinople and Athens was his answer. M noted that he made no mention of Bucharest. the capital where he had | filched a fortune from the hands of | the man for whom he had pretended friendship.
 "Oh. Ra1ston's like the Wandering Jew,'' declared old MT. Stapleton. "One never knows where he is. or | what's become of him. You hear of him from all sorts of odd corners. and have to look up the place in a gazet- teer.'
 The evening light was fast falling, and as we stood there in the summer dusk I detected that the mans eyes | were fixed upon me with an unmis- takable look of antagonism. Did he suspect that I had followed him up there for the purpose of unmasking him?
 He moved uneasily. though he fold ed his arms and endeavored to remain calm. The lights had not yet been lit in the long. old-fashioned room. with its heavy odor of roses. and for that the man before me was evidently thankful.
 In few moments girlish voice cried: .
 'I hope dad. I'm not late! Forgive me if I am.' and turning. saw Myra standing by us. in pale turquoise chif- ion. with pink roses in her hair. a sweet dainty figure with face that was perfect.
 Upon her neck. suspended by thin gold chain. she wore an antique Gree ian charm. given her by an uncle. who had brought it from Patras, where he had been making archaelogi- cal excavations. It was a tiny golden image of some pagan god of the Tro- | jans. and had ages ago been worn by .he beutiful Greek in whose tomb it had so long remained undisturbed.
 Her only other ornament was a plain gold bangle a birthday present from Granny. had been with him in Pal ermo when he had bought it. He had wished to buy her a fine diamond bracelet. but at my suggestion he had chosen the more simple ornament as bef1tting the occasion
 | shore?" she asked. turning to my fel- low-guest. Dad has already intro duced you to MT. Ralston. I suppose?"
 The fellow. turning his back upon me to speak with her. replied in the affirmative. while at that moment the butler appeared and announced that dinner was served.
 In the pretty old-fashioned dining dor 11S old blue china. Miss Chambers was already awaiting us. In the center of the table stood a big silver candleabra, the lights of which were subdued by little crimson shades, while the old silver glistened upon the white napery. and a big silver bowl of fresh Gloire de Dijon roses sent forth their sweet odor throughout the room.
 The meal was essentially cozy and pleasant Old MT. Stapleton was very well off, and he disagreed with mod ern progress. He believed in keeping up the same traditions as his father and grandfather had done before him. The motor car was the only innova- tion at Suspicion Grange. and that had been a necessity owing to it's distance from the railway station. Since the days of Elizabeth the Stapletons had held possession of that house and lands. and some of the silver plate be- fore US had been the property of Rog- CT Stapleton. early in the sixteenth century The present head of the house was nothing if not a typical Yorkshire gentleman. a good rider to hounds. a fine shot, open-handed and generous-a man full of the pride of an ancient race. and yet to his in feriors always affab1e and ever ready to render a poor man a service.
 His ancestry and his old port were the two things he most prized.. Of the former though he bore no title, he had every right to be proud. The family had sprung from Nicholas de Suspicion. who is mentioned in records in the reign of King John. and whose