Evening star., 1912-01-04

Here and there the men were not all the
daughter might have wished. Often they
burnt sweet f1attery at her shrine. tenta-
lively: but as she coolly STAMPED out
these incipient fires, they at length came
to regard her as ne regards the beauty
Of a frosted window, as a thing to admire
and praise In passing. One ache always
abided-the bitter knowledge that had she
met in kind smile for smile and jest Tor
Jest she might have been her mothers
boon companion. But deep back in some
hidden chamber OF her heart lay a secret
dread OF such q step. dread which,
from under her investigating touch. as
little balls Of quicksilver run from under
the pressure Of q thumb.
+ She was never without the comforts OF
life, we'll fed. well dressed. well housed,
and often her mother flung her some
feweled trinket which (again that sense
Of menace) she put away. but never wore.
The bright periods were when they left
her in the little villa near Mentone. with
no one but her old and faithful nurse
There. with her horse. her books and her
flowers she was at peace. Week into
week and month into month she was let
be. Never letter came. save from some
former schoolmate who was coming over
and wanted letters of introduction TO
dukes and duchesses. If she smiled over
these letters 1t was with melancholy: TOT
the dukes and duchesses, who Tell Wftnin
her singular orbit, were not the sort 10
whom one gave letters OF introoucuon.
Where her mother went she never had
the least idea. She might be In any OF
the great ports of the world. anywhere
between New York and Port Said. Tne
major generally disappeared at the same
time. Then, perhaps she'd come back
from a pleasant tram ride over to Nice
and find them both at the villa. maid and
luggage Mayhap night or two ana on
they'd go again: never q WORD ABOUT tneir
former journey. uncommunfcative, rather
together
undemonstrative reappearances, used 10
hurt Fortune dreadfully. 1t gave her
clear proof Of where she stood, exactly
nowhere The hurt had lessened with ;he the
as not. they would drag her cat OF Eden
for q month or two for what true reason
she never could quite fathom. unless II
was that at times her mother liked 10
have the daughter near her as Toll
At rare intervals she saw steel-eyed.
grim-mouthed men wandering up ana
down before the gates OF the villa Fanny.
but they never rang the bell. nor spoke
street. If she talked Of these mon, her
mother and the major would exchange
amused glances, nothing more.
II rightly or wrongly. she hated her
mother. she despised her uncle. VINO was
ever bringing to the villa men OF money.
but of coarse fiber. ostensibly with the
view Of marrying her on. But Fortune
had her dreams and she was quite content
to wait.
There was one man more persistent than
the others. Her mother called him Horare.
which the major mel,owed into Hoddy.
He was tall. blond. good looking. devil
may-care. educated. witty. amusing; and
in evening dress he appeared to be what
II was quite evident he had once been.
gentleman. At first she thought It strange
that he should make her. instead OF her
mother. his confidante. As to what vo-
cation he pursued, she did not know for
he kept sedulous guard over his tongue:
but his past, up to that fork in the road
where manhood says goodbye to youth.
was hers And in this direction, clever
and artful as the mother was she sought
In vain to wrest this past from her daugh-
ters Inns. To the mother, 1t was really
necessary for her to know who this man
really was. had been. knowing thoroughly
as she did what he was now.
CTO be continued tomorrow