The Washington times., 1910-11-09

you are going to have trouble with
4 l1afiz, too. Ny father says that when
! the sheik heard who you were. he shut
himself up alone in his tent for three
| days but
But ever since. he has treated me
| most cOuTteously."
THE velvet mask over the iron claws.
Be careful, Hugh. He will harm you If
There was the faintest tremor in the
/ sweet voice, that went through me like
/ a trumpet-call, banishing in a breath ali
! thought Of the perils she had conjured
| up.
You would carer" I exclaimed blat-
| antly enough.
The question is not whether 1
would care, but whether
That is the only question, 1 con-
tradicted. You are good TO tell me all
this; and if / were q dime-novel hero
ii should probably think up a dozen
or more ways OF meeting each prob
| lem But as / am only poor, stu
\ pid. real-life mortal, I'll have TO wait
land let events take their course. In
the meantime"
That is the Oriental fataIism in
your Blood she interrupted. You
| sit back and let fate do as II viii,
In the meantime" I picked up the
former thread Of my words, unheeding
| her Interpolation, Il am moro inter
ested in knowing whether you care
thing else Do you care-HOpe?"
| "Of course 1 care" she answered
frankly. yet with a manner 1 could see
was forced. You and I were always
good friends. We are in a way fell
| low-countrymen. Our fathers were
chUms. We're strangers in a strange
| land. Why shouldn't 1 care? II you
or Mr.. Penn were to &c, into
What has Penn to do with it?"
snapped irritably. Her speech had
iJarred upon me unreasonably.
Mr. Penn? Why. he and 1 are fellow
Americans TOO. II either OF YOU
l moved away with an impatient ges-
ture, and sat scOwling across the roll
ing green Of the valley below
Hugh
She spoke imperiously. I made no an
sWer Yes, l was behaving like an IN
birched schoolboy. l was glad Of it, "'he
sanest man is liable 20 do so when he IS
in love. I was IN love That is my eN-
cuse.
Hugh
The tone was really peremptOry. I still
sat with my back turned TO her.
You're sulkingr' she declared In high
Still no response. I pulled at my Gig
arctic.
There's the biggest spider on your
back I ever saw she assured me. Tt s
all legs It's crawling up toward your
neck When it gets there il may bite
L
added, hastily-"unless it's poisonous.
Shall 1 brush il orr
Now, If there is one thing I loathe
above all others, II IS spider. hope
Reyes knew II. But at that moment, If
there had been a Numidlan Hon ram
bling up ny spinal column. I would not
have deigned to move or speak
"A Gravity, hairy spider, she added.
stauStically, with huge, long legs and
Hugh, l think you're hOrrtd! i M going
back to my tent. Good-byr'
"GOOd-by." I said. shortly
"Hughi"
Her voice was wondrous soft and en-
treating. No man could have w1thStOOd
chief dancing sarabands in each Of her
glorious eyes. But I thought I read
something else behind the merTiment.
Wherefore remained gazing at her.
Hugh" she said, in stern reproof,
you are sulzing and behaving as If you
were twelve-year-old boy instead
Il wish 70 Heaven I vyerei' I retorte6
Then you'd be my nine-year-old sweet
heart and beg for a kiss, just as YOU
did that first time you came to our
house in Concord. And I'd give YOU, not
the one I gave then. but ten thousand"
She sighed plaintively.
Being grown up does have some COM
penSationS, after all" she observed
with horrible irrelevance.
For me it has none" I retorted.
hen We were children you and I
were sweethearts. Hope You said I
was the dearest boy IN the world, and
you made me promise 20 come back
some day and marry you Just think
That was only ten little years age
And now you class me with-Jack
Penn"
Ten long. wise years. she rum
mated What a forward bold young
ster I must have beeni I ought TO
have had a good spanking and"
You are the loveliest daintiest
prettiest girl that ever lived" I de-
clared stoutly. I've only met one
person In all my life who could com
pare with little Hope Reyes
She looked somewhat dashed, and
asked rather Jelly:
And that was?-"
"Grown-up Hope Reyes" an
swered.
L told you I didn't like compliments
Especially heavy, dull ones ike that
1 thought at first you meant Ferdiah"
You thought nothing Of the sort.