Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-11-09

in pleasure. and presently. when h,
reached the Good Friday" music, he
own matchless voice floated out will
Eher unconscious breath. in such per
feet octaves with his high whistlint
that ct first he did not understand
but when he did, the rough hard maj
shivered suddenly and steadied him
self against the window-sill, ant
Margaret's voice went on alone, Will
family breathed words and the1
without them. following the instru
mentation to the end of the scene
beyond what he had ever heard.
Then there was silence in the room
and neither OF the two moved fol
some moments, but at last Van TORI
turned. and came back.
Thank you," he said, IN . Low
voice.
Margaret smiled and passed hel
hand over her eyes quickly, as if t.
dispel q vision abe had seen. TheI
she spoke.
DO you really not know what tha
music is?" she asked. Really
1eally7"
"Oh, quite honestly I don't!"
You're not joking? You're NO
laughing at me?"
'I?" He could not understand. &c
shouldn't dare!" he said.
You've been whistling some o.
''Parsifal," some Of the most beauti
full music that ever was written-ant
you whistle mavellously, for it's any
thing but easy! Where in the world
did you learn It? Don't tell me thai
those are old tunes you picked VI
on California ranch!"
TITS true, all the same" Van TORI
answered.
He told her Of the two foreigners
who used to whistle together in the
evenings. and how one was supposed
to have been shot and the other had
disappeared, no one had known with
er, nor had cared.
All sorts Of young fellows used t.
drift out there" he said, "and one
couldn't tell where they came from
though can give guess at where
some OF them must have been, since
I've seen the world. There were
younger sons Of English gentlemen
fellows whose fathers were genuine
lords, maybe, who had not brains
enough to get into the army or tn.
church. There were cashiered Prus
sianscf6cers, and Frenchmen who hat
most likely killed women out of zeal
ousy, and Sicilian bandits. and brok
en- society men from New York. Their,
were all sorts. And there was me
And we all spoke different kinds O
English and had different kinds o.
tastes, good and bad-mostly bad
There was only one thing we could
all do alike, and that was to ride"
* never thought Of you as riding,
Margaret said.
We'll, why should you? But I can
because I was just common cowboy
and had to. for living"
TITS intensely interesting-what 6
strange life you have had! Tell me-
more about yourself. won't you?"
There's not much to tell, it seems
TO me-" said Van Torp. From beinf
cowboy I turned into miner. ant
struck little silver, and sold tina,
and got into nickel, and I made the
Nickel Trust what it is, more BY
financing it than anything else, and
got almost all of it. And now I've sole
the whole thing"
Sold the Nickel Trust?" Margare,
was quite as much surprised as Lady
Maud had been.
Yes. wasn't made to do one
thing long. suppose. II / were,
should still be a cowboy. Just now
I'm here to go to 'Parsifal,' and since
you say those tunes are out of tina,
opera. I dare say I'm going to like il
very much"
TITS all very uncanny." Margare,
said thoughtfully. II wonder who
those two men were, and what became
of the one who disappeared"
I've strong impression that / saw
him in New York the other day." Var
Torp answered. "If I'm right, he'i
made money-doing quite well, ]
should think. It wouldn't surprise me
to hear he'd got together a million O,
So"
Really? What is he doing? You,
stories grow more and more inter
esti1g."
"If he's the fellow we used to cal
Levi Longlegs on the ranch. he's a
Russian now. I'm not perfectly sure
for he had no hair on his face then
and now he has beard like French
sapper. But the eyes and the nose
and the voice and the accent are the
same, and the age would about cor
respond. Handsome man, 1 suppose
you'd call him. His name is Kralinsky
Just 1t present, and he's found q who'll
mine of rubies somewhere"
Really? l love rubies. They ar
my favorite stones"
| Are they? That's funny. I've go
an uncut one in my pocket now, i
iyoui ike 60 500 il. believe ii come
from Krahnsky's mine, too, though
got 1t through q friend Of yours, tw'
Ior three days ago."
"A friend Of mine?"
| He was poking his large finger
into one Of the pockets of his waist
coat in search Of the stone.
"Mr. Logotheti." he said, just as h
found it Hes discovered hand
some young woman from Tartary, O
somewhere. who has few rubies t.
sell that look very much like Kra
linsky's. This is one Of them"
J He had unwrapped the stone nov
and he offered It to her, holding 1t on
in the palm Of his hand. She took 1
deltsately and laid 1t in her own