Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-07

York reads encouragingly. Our friends
there are busy. They are merely waiting
for u.s. From now on Percival Algernon
must receive no more mail, kilograms or
cables"
"I'll take care of that also" Ryanne
looked at Mrs. Chedsoye musingly.
His real estate agent will wire him.
possibly tomorrow"
I'm that event he will receive a cable
signifying that the transaction is per-
fectly correct
He may also inquire as to what to do
with the valuables in the wall safe.
He will be instructed to touch nothing.
as the people who will occupy the house
are old friends" Ryanne smoked calmly.
Wallace, YOU will return to New York
at once
II thought was wanted here?"
mo longer"
'.All right: I'm off I'll sail on the
Prince Ludwig, stateroom rs. I'll have
my joke by the way
You will do nothing of the kind. You
Will have Stateroom by yourself. said
Mrs. Chedsoye, crisply. And no wine.
no cards. If you fail, TIL break you
WAS LAS we would CONFERENCE.-The nad pipe Pc.
companion by the shoulder. and there
was enough pressure in the grip to cause
the recipient to vince.
We'll. well; I'll lay a straight course"
Wallace slid his shoulder from under
Ryanne's hand.
ITO you. then. Hoddy. the business OF
quarantining our friend Percival. Don't
hurt him: simply detain him You must
realize the importance Of this. Have you
your plans?'
''Ill perfect them tomorrow. shall
find way, never fear
docs the rug come In anywhere" The
major was curious. It sometimes seemed
To h hat % nlxrr0 q
his cards face up upon the table
1t will play its part. Besides: am
rather inclined to the idea Of taking 1T
back. 1t may be the old wishing carpet.
In that case it will come in handy. Who
knows?"
How much Is 1t worth?''
"Ah, major. Percival himself could not
say exactly He gave me thousand
"A thousand pounds.' murmured Wal
lace.
The major struck his hands lightly to-
gether. Whether in applause or wonder
he alone knew.
land It was worth every shilling Of 1t.
too. TIL tell you the story some day
There are q dozen ways Of suppressing
Percival, but I must have something ap-
pealing to my artistic side.''
You have never told us your real name,
Horace" Mrs. Chedsoye bent toward him.
He laughed. Il must have something
to confess to you in the future dear Clio
conda-'
'Well, the meeting adjourns. sine die"
what are you going to do with FOR
tune?" demanded Ryanne.
''Send her back to Mentone.'
What the deuce did you bring her here
for. knowing what was in the wind?''
'She expressed desire to see cairo
again." answered Mrs. Chedsoye.
I'VE never deny her anything" The
major rose and yawned suggestively.
In the corridor Ryanne whispered. soft
ly: why not. Gioconda?''
"She shall never marry man OF your
stamp" coldly.
Charming mother. How tenderly you
have cherished her!
Horace" calmly enough, sis it wise to
anger me?"
seen you in a rage. You would be mag
nificent."
Cease this foolery'' patiently. Il am
in no mood for it tonight. As an asso-
ciate in this equivocal business, you DO
very well: you are necessary. But do not
. presume too much upon that. For all
that I may not have been what mother
should be, I still have somes self-respecL
So long as / have any power over her,
Fortune shall never marry man 80 Tar
Social scale? Gioconda, how you hurt
mev' mockingly. IT should really like to
know what your idea Of that invincible
barrier is. Is it because my face is in the
rogues' gallery? Surely, you would not
be cruel!'
"She is far above us all. my friend" "
continuing unruffied. Sometimes stand
in absolute awe of her"
"a marvel! II my recollection is not at
fault many q man has entered the Villa
Fanny, with a view to courtship. men be-
side whom I am as Roland to the lowest
Saracen. You never objected to them"
'They had money and position"
Magic talisman! And If had money
and position?"
"My objections would be no less strong -
Your code puzzles me- You would well
come as son-in-law a man who stole
openly the widows mite. while l, who
harass none but the predatory rich, must
dwell in the outland? Rank injustice.
you couldn't take care Of her"
Yes, 1 could. With but little effort
could make these two hands as honest as
the day is long,"
II have my doubts" smiling a little.
Suppose, for the sake of an argument,
suppose Fortune accepted me?'
Mrs. Chedsoye's good humor returned.
She knew her daughter tolerably well:
the child had horror OF men. poor
Horace! Do you build upon that!
LESS, perhaps, than upon my own
bright invention. My suit, then. to be
brief, is rejected?
"Emphatically. I have spoken"
''Oh. well; the feminine prerogative
shall be mine. the last word. Good night:
turned toward his own room.
He possessed that kind OF mockery
which was the despair of those at whom
1t was directed. They never knew whether
his mood was one of harmless fun or of
deadly intent. And rather than mistake
the one quality for the other. they gen
orally pretended to ignore Mrs. Ched-
soye, who had a similar talent. was one
Of the few who felt along the wall as one
does in the dark. instinctively. Tonight
she recognized that there was no harm
less fun but a real desperateness behind
the mask, and she had held in her tenn
per with a firm hand. This was not the
hour for q clash. She shvered little;
and for the first time in the six or seven
years she had known him, she faced
fear of him. His great strength, his reck-
less courage his subtle way of mastering
men by appearing to be mastered by
them, held her In the thrall OF peculiar
fascination, which. in quiet periods, she
looked upon as something deeper. Mar
rage was not to her an ideal state, nor
was there any man. living or dead, who
had appealed to the physical side of her.
But he was in the one sex what she was
in the other; and while she herself would
never have married him, she ragged in
wardly at the possibility Of his wanting
another woman.
To her the social fabric which holds hui
manity together was merely conven-
fence: the moral significance touched
neither her heart nor her mind. In her