Gunnison news-champion., 1910-04-01


guishea the lights aud passed up 10
his room. This was direct challenge
HE would accept H. Ihis time he
would USE no personal 10 tell her that
letter awaited her. She should make
she inquiries herself And from the
tioB of the elusive Mime. AHgoS. Next
morning he rode IN che PARK with
Merrihew Again he saw the veilsd
lady on the sandfoFd black. ost of
normal curiosity he telephoned the
stables aud made Inquiries The repls
was short No one at the stables knew
the lady. bat she rode the horse on
proper authority.
That night lac wrote
4 shah keep on writing tin you cease TO
reply Let me be frank with yoa. 4 am
bored 80 are you. The pleasure yoa de
rive an keeping up this mystery engages
you. hoa Did me 10 iind you 4 accept
the challenge. You must understand at
once that II is the mystery that Interests
me. Ia Is the unknown that attracts me
4 am mentally painting you IN all sorts
Of radiant coiors. You defy me 10 ind
you. There Is nothing reliable as the
unexpected. nothing so desperately un-
certain as a thing assured 1 warn you
that 4 shall lay all manner OF traps. way
lay your messengers. bribe them. 4 shah
nnd out where you live The rest viii be
simple.
She replied:
1 have no desire to alleviate your con
fessed boredom. Your persistence would
he praiseworthy well directed. Waters
wear away stone. the wind crumbles the
marble. but a woman Is not moved tili
she wishes to be. 1 never thought that l
should dabbie IN an intrigue OF this sort.
and | am surprised at tine amusement n
affords 1 really owe you some grati-
tude The few ! have met vino Know yea
tell me thst you are a nice young man
Livery man has some portion ~ self
love so his next effort MAS pas
siobaie denial that Ae was ''uice. +"
When should he meet her. The post
man brought him n letter which con
tanned one word-Nimmer. He sent
her four pages. q frank aud witty de
scriptioR Of himself and his friesds.
On the day she received this letter
a cablegram came TO her from the far
Mediterranean. Whatever 1t contained
had the effect to cause all restraint TO
disappear from the tone Of her letters
They became charming. and more and
more Hillard found himself loving q
voice. All his watching. all his traps.
came to no successful end. She was
too clever for him. He sought the mail
Separtment Of the great Newspaper:
the clerk c0uldnt remember. there
were SO many calling for mail. Let
tiers passed 10 and fro daily now. but
always she declared that II vas i'm
possible for them to meet No, 1t was
= restaurant 1t was equally out of
the question to cook q dinner where
she lived. as she and her maid dined
at a small restaurant near by. Finally
he proposed to bring the dinner oil
cooked from the club. Two days went
by without a sign: then the blue letter
came.
l surrender. The most fatal thing In
life is curiosity. IL has the power TO head
my share of curiosity. Remember. you
never would have found me. 1 may dwell
m a garret: 1 may be hideous; perhaps
nothing remains TO me but my voice.
And now the terms. And n you do not
follow them confidently and blindy your
dinner will grow cold In the carriage,
Dinner viii be at .. Feb l. Al . q ear
riaGe will ean for YOU The messsneer
will blndfold you. He will then proceed
10 the club and take the dinner and bring
you here. Be warnedi II you SO much
- lift the corner Of the bandage the ro-
that l am doing something very foolish
and unwise: but. as you say. I an a NO
man Who has seen much of the world
Thus l have my worldly side. I shall use
n as a buffer.
"Blindfolded.- Hillard scrubbed his
chin. All these precautions. Who was
she? What was she? Since there was
no escape. blindfolded he would go.
At half after 9 on the night Of the
lst Of February. then. he began 10
dress. 1t was some time since he had
taken such particular care
THE signor seems in high spirits
tonight" observed Giovanni as he laid
oct the linen.
Man. I'm happy and greatly ex-
cited. Do you recollect the lady who
sang under my window? I am going
70 meet her tonight TAe mystery will
be n mystery no longer
~Ah.- Giovanni stroked his lips
With his knees drawn In tightly snA
his feet At sympathetic angles.
Presently she laughed with malice.
"Yoa are net comfortable in that
ehAir"
That b true. and yet it is soft and
rssny. I an uneasy. Perhaps you
secan to NJ subconscieusDess a period
n ny fsrDer existence on earth. or. n
y0o will, one Of my ancestors"
= fan to understand
well. . HiIlard go years ago has