The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-09-23

=: AAEZoN CEAM6SSA
heart, her lips and TO. head, and
turned towards the door.
Here, stop" said Mr.. Van Torp,
going after her. Il can't take this
thing! See here, say! Put it back
into your pocket"
She turned and met him, and made
q gesture of protest and entreaty, as
If earnestly begging him to keep the
gem. He looked at her keenly, and
he was Judge of humanity, and saw
that she was hurt by his refusal. AS
et-book and showed her a quantity Of
folded bank notes.
"Well," he said, "since you insist,
Miss Barrack, I'll buy the stone of
you, but I'll be everlastingly jiggered
If I'll take it for nothing"
Barak's eyes suddenly flashed in a
most surprising way, her lower lip
pouted, and her cheek family changed
color, as drop of scarlet pomegranate
Juice will tinge a bowl Of cream.
She made one step forwards, plucked
the stone from his fingers, rather than
took it, and with quick, but girlish-
ly awkward movement, threw 1t to-
wards the window as hard as she
could, stamping angrily with her little
foot at the same moment. Mr.. Van
Torp was extremely disconnected, as
he sometimes was by the sudden ac-
tions of the sex he did not under
stand. Fortunately the stone hit the
wall instead of going out of the win
dow.
"Tm really sorry, Miss Barrack," he
said in tone of humble apology, and
he went quickly and picked up the
gem. 81 hadn't quite understood, you
see."
She watched him, and drew back in
stinctively towards the door, as if ex-
, pecting that he would again try to
give it back to her. But he shook
his head now, bowed with all the
grace he could affect, which was little,
and by way of making her feel that
he accepted the gift, he pressed it to
his heart, as she had done, and to his
lips, but not to his forehead, because
he was afraid that might cause some
new mistake, as he did not know what
the gesture meant.
Barak's face changed instantly; she
smiled, nodded, and waved her hand
to him, to say that it was all right.
and that she was quite satisfied. Then
she made sort of salute that he
thought very graceful indeed, as if she
were taking something from near tbs
floor and laying it on her forehead.
and she laughed softly and was out OF
the room and had shut the door before
he could call her back again.
He stood still in the middle of the
room, looking at the gem in his hand
with an expression of grave doubt.
WELL" he said to himself, and his
lips formed the words, though no
sound articulated them, that's queer
sort of mornings work, anyway"
He reflected that the very last thing
he had ever expected was a present
of fine ruby from a pretty heather
girl in mans clothes, recommended tS
him by Logotheti. Though he almost
laughed at the thought when it oc-
CURED to him, he did not like the idea
of keeping the stone; yet he did not
know what to do with it, for it was
more than probable that he was never
to see Barak again, and if he ever did,
it was at least likely that she would
refuse to take back her gift, and as
energetically as on the first occasion
At that moment it occurred to him
that he might sell it to a dealer and
give the proceeds to Lady Maud for
her good work, and taking his hat and
gloves he went out Immediately, with
out even telling Stemp that he was
going.
He walked up at a leisurely pace
from his hotel by the river to PiccadiL
ly and Bond street, and entered a Jew
eler's shop of modest appearance but
ancient reputation, which had been in
the same place for nearly a century
and had previously been on the other
side of the street.
Outside, two well-dressed men were
looking at the things in the window;
within, a broad-shouldered, smart
looking man with black hair and
dressed in perfectly new blue serge
was sitting by the counter with his
back to the door, talking with the old
jeweler himself. He turned on the
chair when he heard the newcomers
step, and Mr.. Van Torp found himself
face to face with Konstantin Logo
theti, whom he had supposed to be in
Paris.
WELL" he said, without betraying
the surprise he felt, this is what I
call very pleasant accident, Mr.. Lo-
gotheti."
The Greek rose and shook hands,
and the American did not fail to OBJ
serve on the counter a small piece of
tissue paper on which lay an uncut
stone, much larger than the one he
had in his pocket
IF you are in any hurry" said Lo-
gotheti politely, 81 don't mind waiting
In the least. Mr.. Pinney and I are
In the midst of discussion that may
never end, and believe neither of us
has anything in the world to do"
Mr.. Pinney smiled benignly and put
IN word in the mercantile plural,