Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-07-22

thls moment, when nlled with Sweetly
pensive contemplation. Was
she reviewing the last "a hours, dream
ing of what had passed between her
and that silly fool, Maitland? II only
Anisty cor,d surmise what they had
said to each other, how long they had
been acquainted: If only she would
give him a hint, a leading word!
II he could have read her mind, have
seen behind the film of thought that
clouded her eyes. one fears Mr.. Anisty
might have lost appetite for an excel
lent luncheon.
For she was studying his hands. her
memory barking back to the moment
when she had stood beside the safe.
holding the bull's-eye.
In the blackness of that hour a disk
OF light shone out luridly against the
tapestry of memory. Within its radius
appeared two hands, long, supple,
strong, Immediately white, graceful
ard dexterous, as delicate of contour
as a woman's, yet lacking nothing of
masculine visor and modelling; hands
that wayered against the blackness,
fumbling with the shining nickeled
disk of a combination lock.
The impression had been and re-
manned n extraordinarily vivid.
Could her eyes have deceived her so?
"Thoughtful?"
She nodded alertly, instantaneously
mistress of self; and let her gaze,
serious yet half smiling. linger upon
his the exact fractional shade of an in
slant longer than had been, perhaps,
discreet. Then lashes dropped long
upon her cheeks, and her color deep.
ened all but imperceptiSy.
The mans breath halted, then came
a trace more rapidly than before. He
bent forward impulsively. /. The
girl sighed, eve so gently.
Il was thoughtful. It's all
so strange, you know"
His attitude was an eager question.
Il mean our meeting-that way, last
night" She held his gaze again, mo.
mentarily. and
Damn the waiter!" quoth savagely
Mr.. Anisty to his inner man, sitting
back to facilitate the service of their
meal.
The girl placated him with an insig.
n!ficant remark which led both into a
maze OF meaningless but infinitely di.
verting inconsequences; diverting, at
least, to Anisty, who held up his head,
giving her back look for look, jest for
jest. platitude for platitude when the
waiter was within hearing distance)
altogether, he felt, acquitting himself
very creditably.
AS for the girl, in the course of the
next half or three-quarters of an hour
a person of amazing resource, de.
~veloping with admirable ingenuity a
campaign planned on the spur of a
chance observation. The gentle man,
nered and self-sufficient crook was
taken captive before he realized it
however willing he may have been
Enmeshed in a hundred uncompre.
hended subtleties, he basked, purring,
the while she insinuated herself be.
meath his guard and stripped him OF
his entire armament of cunning, vigi.
lance, invention, suspicion, and dis.
trust.
He. relinquished them without a
sigh, barely conscious Of the spolia.
ton. After all, she was of his trade,
herself mired with guilt; she would
never dare. betray him, the conse-
quences to herself would be so dire.
Besides, patently-almost too much
so-she admired him. He was her
hero. Had she not more han limited
that such was the case, that his ex-
ample, his exploits, had fired her to
emulation-however weakly feminine?
T.. He saw her before him, dainty,
alluring, yielding, yet leading him on
altogether desirable. And so long had
he, Anisty, starved for affection!
81 am sure you must be dying for a
smoke"
BEG pardon!" He awoke abruptly,
to find himself twirling the sharp
ribbed stem of his empty glass. Alb
stractedly he stared into this, as
though seeking there a clue to what
they had been talking about. Hazily
he understood that they had been
drifting close upon the perilous shoals
of intimate personalities. What had
he told her? What had he not?
No matter. 1t was clearly to be seen
that her regard for him had waxed
rather than waned as a result of their
conversation. One had but to look
into her eyes to be treasured as to
that. One did look, breathing heavily.
-. What an ingenious child 1t
was, to show him her heart SO freely
He wondered that this should be SO,
feeling it one the less "a just and
81 aceful tribute to his destinations.
She repeated her arch query. She
was sure he wanted TO smoke.
Indeed he did--if she would permit?
And forthwith Maitland's cigarette
case was produced, with a flourish.
What a beautiful case!"
In an instant it was in her hands.
beautiful she iterated, inspecting
the delicate .racery of the monogram
engraver's art-head Bonded forward,