The Washington times., 1911-03-26

with anyone" Haigh said. "Lool
here, senorita, tell me what thi
all means! Who are you? VIII
are 'they?"
She gave him a look that implied
doubt as to his reason.
Surely you know? Why do you ash
such questions?"
II swear l don't know anything
. more than this: that after meeting you
the other day l endeavored 10 see you
again. 1t seems that they must have
thought my intentions were serious,
What have l blundered upon, anyway
Is this a nest OF moonshiners, of coun-
terfetters, or WHAT?
She shook her head.
You must know" she insisted. IL
not why did you yTPa spy upon taem nTi6d the
man. Spy I came only to see you
again"
But they said"
Pardon me, senorita-" He was bet
ter now; the attention she had given
the wound was relieving his pain. Let
me tell you something. l am a sick
man, and in pain. Please consider that
| am burning with desire to come upon
an explanation of this assault upon me
Please believe me when / assert that ]
am entirely in the dark. Please spare
me further questions. Start right in at
the beginning and tell me the whole
business, if you can"
Convinced by the sincerity in his
tone. she still appeared TO doubt, asking
him:
negative shake Of the head, she con-
tinued: Well, 1 am Norah Malone" 4"
This failed to impress him. Il am the
daughter of the president of Anahuac
President Malone"
Where's Anahuac?"
She told him briefly.
Norah Malone?" Haigh was puz-
zled. Are those names common
among the Latins?"
Hardly. My father is an Irishman,
senior, my mother was of Spanish de-
scent. She died at my birth. My faith
er named me-
Ought to be proud of himself" DAN
lel interjected.
why, senor?"
"Only-only that you're the most beau
utul woman ever laid eyes upon. SEN
orita."
"senor!' She rose Indignantly.
Pardon" he begged humbly. II
meant no harm-indeed didn't You
mustn't mind me. l believe l shall die
in few moments-just wanted to get
il of my. hind before dissolution set in.
Had to tell some ONE
this bandage too tight?'
oh, we'll, I couldn't help that I
hope you didn't mind. Besides, you
She smiled, and, resuming her place
on the edge of the mattress, took up
the thread OF her story.
Papa she said, sent me north to
me convent two years ago. He prom
lsed to send for me this summer So
when General Lazard-'
Lazard? Where had Haigh heard of
hlmE An, the man in the tunnel!
When Lazard came and said he was
my fathers agent, ! went with him will
lngly. l was not long guessing that he
was an mpostor-though am not sure
instead Of taking steamer from New
by rail from New Orleans, thence by
boat Then he changed his plans, af-
Ter we had travelled first this way, then
mat, for several days. He said that a
revolution threatened in Anahuac; that
my father had sent word that we were
not to embark right away; that was
TO be kept well guarded, for he feared
that l might be harmed by his enemies
Ihey brought me here. Where are we
senor?'
Connecticut
They told me Mississippi! You see
she excused her ignorance with dag
zilng Smile-''1 know very little of this
country. At first they permitted me
the freedom Of the grounds here, though
warning me never to venture outside.
But the day l met you. they found It
out and have kept me housed-a pris-
oner, senor!-ever since. They said
mat you were my fathers enemy-I
believe you, senior" Haigh had made
gesture of denial. They said that
they called Curtice"
'they?"
General Lazard. Mr.. Fetter. Mrs.
Don't know EN- What pack of
hlackguards they must be-
begin to fear them terriby-espe-
cfally Mrs. Lorrimer. And today they
nlought you here, unconscious. They
Beats me-" he commented. p1vsti-
fed There's one thing clear in the
Whole mess, and that is"
Yes, senor?"
That they are your enemies. +
know little of Curtice, but I'll swear he
doesn't know who you are, or where.
A. any rate, he didn't that day in the
tunnel-you remember"
Her eyes lit up with interest And
that was Senior Curtice with you?'
Haigh responded in the affirmative
She lapsed into a musing, her eyes
shining softly. Looking upon her as she
sat there In such grim. incongruous
surroundings, Daniel swore that she was
the fairest woman that ever had bright
ehed The earth. Lacking universal ex-
perence, he amended his dictum: at
fair
AT that moment a door slammed, the
SOUND drearily echoing and re-echoing
thTough the bare, ghostly halls and
chambers OF the mansion There was a
sound as of an excited conference he
low, and then, treading heavily and
with an accompanying rustic of skirts, |
three persons ascended the stairway, |
The hrst TO enter the room was Lazard |
After him came a woman TO whom !
Daniel accorded admiration at first sight
This, no doubt, was the Mrs. Lori |
mer OF whom the girl had spoken. She |
was tall, broad of shoulder and Of hin
carrying herself with the assurance ~
a woman essentially of the world. Her
gown, simple, yet cut cleverly to the |
advantage of her figure, the arrange
ment of her hair, the direct boldness Of
her glance, the poise of her head above
her finely modelled torsoAfrom these
Haigh gathered that indehnable impress
sion by which we recognize at glance |
and infalIibly the adventures, the un-
sGrupulous woman of today, the Becky |
Sharps, the Nine. Marneffes of other
days: harpies, If you will, women who
use the world as a hunting-ground, !
ranging II, seeking whom they may de-
stroy, sticking at nothing, using their
virtue as they do their intelligence and
their charms-as means toward an
end
Haigh, wise in his generation and ex-
perienced. gave her admiration. yet told
himself that here was a perilous woman, |
whose influence he would do we'll tn