Evening star., 1911-05-28

SKEEL stood there, cnging to the glass towel bar
beside him, wondering what his first possible
would be and how he could make that He heard
the sudden scratch of match the sound of pacing feet
again, and then contemplatve and throat clearing
cough Yet the depth and volume of that cough assured
Skeel of one thing. His enemy was not woman! 1t
who had stepped into the room and stood
there between him and his freedom
Skeel further relieved moment later to sniff the
odor of cigarette smoke of half familiar and heavy
smelling smoke that promptly made him think of New
York and its Syrian Quarter; yet he found something
tranquzing and reassuring about this smell, much
that he shifted his position little, that he might
peer out through the crack of the door into the lighted
Directly in front of the bureau top where he had
stood minute two earlier, Skee saw in profile the
figure of man. 1t was tall and massive figure, mill
tary looking In its uprightneSS And at the moment
this figure calmly and contentedly studying its
reflection in the huge square of beve plate glass above
the bureau top.
Skeel, without any touch of this content, also re-
garded the motionless reflection. He saw the immacu
late evening Clothes the upright body the bearded face
the soldly poised head He too that the intruder
foreigner, that there something Enthusiastically
Slavike in the set of the face, in the contour of the
bony- skulled head, in the imposing and studiously
cared-for beard.
Skeel stood staring at this face so touched with self
suflcency, redoent of vanity, that became
thing obnoxious to the eye He stood staring at the
pink and white of the assduousy manicured skim at
the backthrust shoulders that made the breast stand
out like that OF pouter pigeon, at the rounded and
polished dome of the skull where the attrtion of time
perversely visible.
On the sides of this SKULL Skee could see the hair
had grown incredibly long, and had then been brushed
in thin straight lines the archng dome which in
the bare spots shone though had been polished and
oiled He noticed that the white, full bulgng forehead
also shone like metal scrupulousy polished in the
crosslgh from the two eectrcs that anked the mirror
frame He noticed the small, pink colored close
ear above the white linen collar. Then his eyes
travelled the thick full neck which wrnkled like
unwiedy rubber above the encircling starched band
and seemed big the entire back of the head into
which it merged.
But the thing that most held Skees attention was
the beard There seemed something exotic and foreign
izng about it, something militant and challenging Yet,
even while 1t carried note OF the autocratlc, OF the
imperial, there suggestion of fastidous self
scouness about it, as though day by day duous hours
had been consecred to the creation OF its sleek beauty
though lifetime of had gone its preservation.
Skeel, he looked at that flowing appendage which
bore such open testimony to the years it had been
trimmed and scented and trained and Stroked promptly
took dislike to its Yet, ming lied with his vague
disgust, equally vague of admiration He
could not deny that the placid and overstately figure
calmly studying itself in the mirror possessed sug
gestion of power He felt that under that outer mask
of sotness, of feminine vanity, vein of
cruelty, very much under the full Tipped and
ruddy mouth the twin of teeth that hard
and white and no less purposeful for being hidden.
PUT all further thought on this matter was suddenly
scattered, scattered like meal when horse
in feedbox for the utter silence by sound
that, before it could be comprehended sent the
chain ightnngs of terror skyrocketing up and down
Skeel's startled body.
1t second or two before he could realize just
what had caused this horcircutng of consciousness
Then he that it nothing than the shrill
ring of a telephone bell the bedroom wall not ten
feet away from where he stood.
He the white fronted figure with the majestic
beard turn and slowly the Shrinking farther
back into his corner, Skee could hear him lift the re-
ceiver from its hook He could hear the deep and So
voice asst beahed its strangely foreign sounding
"Hello,' into the transInitter. Then low and
cautious monosyable or two. These were followed by
shower of questions and retorts, quick and tense but
all in tongue that ncomprehensble to the listen