The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-11-16

"And why can't you accept q little
gift from met"
She had no ready answer. She
gazed steadily at the dull pearls and
the flaky emeralds. She could not ask
him where he had got those sover
eigns. She could not possibly be 10
cruel. She could not dissemble in
words like her mother. That gold she
knew to be a part Of dishonest bar
gain whose forester had been a theft
more. a sacrilege. Her honesty was
like pure gold. unalloyed. unmixsd
with sophistic subterfuges. That the
young man who had purchased the rug
might be mildly peccable had not yet
occurred to her.
why not, Fortune?" Ryanne was
very earnest. and there was pinch at
his heart.
Because :"
Don't you like me just littlef"
why, I do like you, Horace. But ]
do not like any man we'll enough to
accept expensive gifts from him. ]
do not wish to hurt you. but it is i'm.
possible. The only concession I'll
make is to borrow the money"
"Well, then. let it go at that" He
was too wise to press her.
"And can you afford to throw away
ten pounds?" with assumed lightness
my one permanent impression Of you
Is the young man who was always
forced to borrow car-fare whenever HI
returned from Monte Carlo"
"A fool and his money. But I'm .
rich man now," he volunteered. And
briefly he sketched the exploit Of tn.
Yhiordes rug.
1T was very brave Of you. But ha,
1t ever occurred to you that It wasn't
honest?"
"Honest?" frankly astonished tha'
she should question the ethics. ooh, :
say, Fortune; you don't call it dishon
est to get the best of a pagan! Aren't
they always getting the best Of us?"
III you had bargained with him ant
beaten him down, it would have beer
different. But. Horace, you stole it,
you admit that you did,
Il took my life in my hands. !
think that evened up things"
mo. And you sold 1t to Mr.. Jones?'
Eyes, and Mr.. Jones was only toe
glad to buy it. I told him the facts
He wasn't particularly eager to bring
up the ethics Of the case Why, child
what the deuce is Turk? l shouldn't
cry out If some one stole my Bible"
eyro 10
"Well, there's always one on the
room-stand in the hotels 1 patronize.'
Il suppose it all depends upon how
we look at things"
That's it. A different pair of SPEC
tacles for every pair of eyes,"
If only he weren't in love with her!
thought the girl. He would then be
an amusing comrade. But whenever
he met her he quietly pressed his suit.
He had never spoken openly Of love,
for which she was grateful, but his at
tentions, his little kindnesses, his un.
obtrusive protection when those other
men were at the villa, made the read
Ing between the lines no difficult mat
ter.
what shall you do If this Mahomed
you speak Of comes?"
Turn him loose upon our friend
JONES'" with laugh.
"And what will he do to him?"
Garry him off to Bagdad and chop
Off his head" Ryanne TESTED.
"Tell me, is there any possibility of
Mr.. Jones coming to harm?"
Cant say" Her concern for Perci-
val annoyed him.
els it fair, when he paid you gen.
erously7"
He did not look into the grave eyes.
They were the only pair that ever dis
concerted him. "My dear Fortune, it's
O. question which is the more valuable
to me, my skin or Percival's."
ut isn't fair"
From my point Of view it's fair
enough. I warned him; told him the
necessary facts, the eventual dangers.
He accepted them all with the Yhior-
des. I see nothing unfair in the deal,
since risked my life in the first
place."
"And why must you do these des.
perate things?"
ooh, love excitement. My one idea
In life is to avoid the humdrum."
"1s 1t necessary to risk your life for
these excitements? Is your life moth
Ing more to you than something to ex.
pertinent WITH"
Truth. sometimes l don't know,
Fortune. Sometimes I don't care.
When one has gambled for big stakes,
1t is hard to play for penny points,"
"A strong, healthy man like you
ought not to court DEATH"
II do not seek it. My only tempta.
ton is to see how near I can get to
the Man in the Stroud, az some poet
calls it. without being touched. Ill
make you my confessor. You see, 1t
is like this. A number Of wearied men
recently formed company whereby
monotony became an obsolete word
In our vocabulary. You must not think
I'm testing; I'm serious enough. This
company ferrets out adventures and