Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-08-05

NIX upon a point between them where
you will not be seen. Better, If you
can remember your exact path coming
up, by following it in the descent you
may meet the same conditions. Go.
Nv groom has seen me converse with
you and has seen me come here with
you. If you are taken shall be under
suspicion Of having been in league
with an assassin. Even the empress
may not be convinced of my limo
cence Of such a charge. God grant
that you may pass safely through"
That you may not be compromised
I added, and. taking her hand, l press
ed my lips upon it ferYeutly.
My faculties were sharpened far
more by the danger for her than the
consequences to me. I proceeded wa
rily. and it almost seemed to ne that
1 could scent my own footsteps on my
onward course 50 keen was l 70 pro
coed by the same route. Luck favored
me, and I emerged upon the road with
in q few yards Of the point where I
had entered the thtcket.
I looked up and there. standing
where I had left her. was the girl who
had been the means Of eXricatinS me
from my dangerous dilemma. / stood
out in an open space where she could
easily see me and, taking off my hat,
waved it TO her. The moment l did
so 1 saw her place both hands over her
heart, and l knew the emotion she felt.
She did not return my greeting, but
turned and, walking up over the top
of the cliff, disappeared from my view.
I turned and went back TO my hotel.
where 1 ordered a stimulant, which l
never before or since so greatly need
ed.
1 would have been eager to learn
something about the girl who had tax
en- frightful risk for q stranger and
whom in consequence 1 regarded as a
saint, had it not been for the fact that
in the first place l would not be able
to do so, and in the second she was
probably of noble birth or she would
not have been Of the encourage of the
empress, and her social status would
lift her so far above an untitled Amer
lean that he would better not give way
to personal interest in her. So l re-
solved to be content with worshiping
her memory, and this did devoutly.
Three years from the summer of my
meeting her l was in London, about to
return to- America. When Strolling on
the path beside Rotten row l saw driv-
ing with an elderly lady and an elder
ly gentleman, the latter wearing canon
icals, the lady who had befriended me
in my great need. The carriage was
soon lost in the multitude of other We
hicIes. and 1 was saved from yielding
to an impulse to stop it ard seize the
opportunity to thank my preseryer. 1t
seemed hard that she was in London.
and 1t would now be perfectly safe for
me to know her and yet be kept apart
from her. l could not bring myself TO
leave England, at least not at once, and
Cancelled my passage ticket on the lin
err.
My resolution to let this woman alone
from this time gradually weakened.
knew some persons of social impor-
lance IN London whom l asked to dis
cover what English girl answering my
preserver's description was with the
cZarina during the summer Of my ad-
venture. This was not a difficult thing
TO do, and learned through them that
the lady was Miss Gladys Stackpole
the daughter of a simple clergyman OF
the Church of England. Her position
at Livadia was that OF instructor 70
the imperial children. This informa-
ton sent a thrill of hope through me
l had supposed she was at least a
countess and would not have been sur
prised to find her a duchess. That she
was not even an honorable" was a
mystery to me. But on inquiry learn.
ed that it was the woman and her
ability that had been required and not
rank
finally succeeded in getting q mu-
tual friend to introduce me to Miss
Stackpole simply giving her my name
without referring to our previous meet
ing It was arranged that / should
go to call upon her for afternoon tea.
Our go-between told me that, notwith-
standing the lady had numerous re
quests for introductions from persons
she had never seen in this case, she
manifested some curiosity.
My coming was Il pleasant surprise
to her, fnasmuch she had often told in
England the story Of my danger and
the risk she ran in the matter. but she
had never expected to meet me again.
did not return to the United States
for six months. Miss Stackpole kept
me. Her connections were very aris-
tocratic, but we American men are
as desirable TO EngIishwomen for our
gold as Englishmen are to our girls
for their titles. Besides, Miss Stack
pole had an interest in the man she
had saved possibly from great trouble.
At any rate, brought her back with
me.