Evening star., 1909-07-11
CHAPTER II-Continued.

aHe never saw us remarked Granny.
Neither did she.
No" | replied She's a very smart
woman. but YOU don't seem to like her
eh?"
Like her. Like her. my dear fellow
he cried ..Well-hardly.
Through her YOU lost the oil conces-
sion OF course.
..Yes-and through her he sighed.
Rut did not complete his sentence. l no.
ticed that the corners of his mouth hard
encd al some bitter recollection.
'Well?" ! asked
Nothing Nothing. my dear Phil and
he seemed to swallow a lump that had
rsen in his throat. ''Soutzo wanted to
get rid of her from Roumania." he said
with a strange smile, land apparently
lie has succeeded.
Al that moment George Cunliffe, a
clever up-to-date journalist | knew, came
up in evening clothes, evidently 10 dine
at the hotel. and rose to chat with him
upon business matter.
Granny. hearing us talk business, stroll
ed dscreetly away along the pavement to
.ynerc stood the outside porter. noticed
lie spoke to the man, who replied. touch
,n- his cap at the same time. To them
all Granny Cough was we'll known and
popular on account of his disbursement
~ tips.
a few minutes later, WREN Cunliffe had
entered the hotel, We reseated ourselves
ard again referred 10 the handsome
well dressed woman who Lad called fol
,;arsnore But ne told me plainly that
III. did not wish 10 discuss her. Had II
ne sGtn
would never have been granted 10 the
man who had served him such SHABBY
trick.
we talked os dainty little Myra. ] hao
20 cheer him, hut he declared frankty tha'
his fu.ura vas nov hopeless She believed
him 10 oe 4 rich man. Like many othei
;:rls she admired and loved him because
she knew that once his wife her peSluoi
and atftuence would be assured Sne, Whe
lived that quiet, uneventfui couhtr! his
in Yorksh hire. Rad day dreams Of trafel L
America. Japan and India, of Sayety II
the European capitals, and the love or
man who knew the world so well. and Se
who preferred her to all the hundreds o.
women he had met
] knew her and knew too well nov
entirely devoted she to him. He. OF
uis part. declared that when she knew
the ugly truth concerning him she Woult
1T once abandon him. Yet. somehow.
was too deep and true.
For q long time after talking % he
We sat In silence. He had been contem
plating going 10 her and making a clear
breas, OF Il. But from that-at least 70
the present. had dissuaded him.
| was thinking over my own love TO
nance one that was known to mysel
alone had never worn my heart upol
my sleeve. but In my thirty-three year
OF life | had not passed through thi
world with il unscathed. My own Low
had. alas, been a bitter one. Truth I
tell IL was the cause Of all my errau
wanderings When abroad In my lonel'
ress / longed for London, the whirr Q
the motor buses and the smell of tn
Strand Yet as soon as l returned ther
fell upon me a crowd OF recollections.
bright. happy days not so very long ago
davs wnen I had foolishiy believed tina
happiness with the woman | loved wa
within my grasp.
All, Perfect love combined with peac
Is A iii-o'-the-wisp. to most men. an
women too. Those who read this curiou
chronicle of mans craftiness and women
affection know well how 10 themselve
peace and love have approached so yer
near that perhaps for day, for a week
or cor year they have actually game