Daily Arizona silver belt., 1910-04-08

THE PICTURE WAS A LIKENESS OF THE
 COUNTESS YECCHI.
 of young Mir. Walloway. A question suddenly occurring to the Cherub, he abruptly walked back to where young Mir. Walloway still sat, intently gazing at something he held shielded in his two hands. It was nothing more than the gold oval which he wore as watch fob. Dozens of times the Cherub had seen it dangling from the breast pocket of Nick's coat without specially remarking it. Now he noted that it was really a locket, for it was open. Glancing carelessly- over Nick's shoul- der, he saw it contained a picture. a miniature on ivory. And the picture on which young MT. Walloway was gazing with such rapt pathos was likeness of the Countess Vecchi. And in an instant it was made clear to him that the woman whom Nicholas Wal loway had loved and lost and still con- tinued to love was the Countess Vec- chi.
 Fortunately MT. Devine had not spo- ken. and the roar of the car wheels had drowned his approach. Swiftly he withdrew. Then he sat down to ponder on the situation. Quite abrupt ly the Cherub now came upon the real lzation of his own purposes. He was little staggered by the discovery of his audacity. but this was no new sensation. His audacious flights were always more or less of an impromptu nature. In moment he was smiling confidently. as was his custom when once he had decided upon a line of action. however unpromising might be the future. The heavier the clouds ahead the lighter the smile. Nick was a good fellow and all that, but if he chose to nope inactive in the back ground let him stay there. He (Cher- ub Devine) would show him how to play the game boldly-perhaps how to win.
 And then came the thought. Would b that be absolutely just to the Count ess Vecchi? She and Nicholas had been spoony on each other for years. and she must have liked Nick He was likable fellow. clean, sturdy, substantial one of her own class, and oh. the Cherub winced at that-one whom she would call a gentleman. Yes. Nick would measure up to all her demands as to what a gentleman should be.
 And had 1t been really she who had broken off the match. or was 1t due to the ambitious plans of her father? | Then after she had come back. hum- bled in spirit, the Hewington fortune dissipated, had she perhaps held Nick | at arms length because of her pride? | Was this the reason of his seeming | inaction? Had he been all the time | waiting in the hope that some day she | would relent and might she not do so. now that in some measure her fortune | had been restored? Ought not she to have the chance? Was not the oppor- tunity for free choice due to her? | Shouldn't Nick have another show too? |
 Floundering through some such | maze of reasoning, the Cherub at last came to this brilliant conclusion, with only faint suspicion that he was about to make an astonishing chump of himself. He even experienced a glow of satisfaction as he hastily map ped out his new program. You would almost have thought by the cheerful manner in which he laid 1t before young Mir. Walloway that he thought he was attaining long desired end.
 Well, Nick" he began. this time giv- ing young Mir. Walloway due warning of his approach, we're almost there. Now, the first thing on the docket is for you to fix up this business about the house with the countess"
 '1?" exclaimed Nicholas.
 "Why, sure! You know her better than l do. You go up and have talk with her; tell her how you sold the stocks and what she can buy back the property for"
 "But-but-why don't you
 Me! Oh, I've got to skip back to town on this train. Just wanted to get you started straight. You can do 1t so much better than can, being one of her own kind. and all that. Aren't afraid of tho countcss. are you?"
 Gro Be Continued)