Evening star., 1912-01-07
Continued from page 9

Where he was all the time, do not know.
l never saw him. But heard him later. |
can hear him yet at night-God help me!
",rhe light was still clear in the ash thicket
when | first saw her. She was leaning
against little tree, and the first thing |
noticed was the circlet of soft pink fires
around her neck. She was younger than l
thought, and not bad to look at; but queer,
queer. There were jewels on pretty much
all her fingers. That was because of hint
of mine when she had given me an opening
in one of her letters. She certainly was an
easy subject. A bundle was on the ground
near her. 1 ducked back and put on my
robe. When | whistled, as was arranged,
she answered in low voice:
"'Come, am waiting!'
@'The Master of the Stars, at your COM
mand, said | in my best manner.
@'The boat is at the shore, she said.
"Now, that was the first had heard about
any boat. Afterwards looked for it; but
could not find it. / thought perhaps it
would explain the other part of the We If
was going to elope by sea, l wanted to
know it, and said as much.
"'Are you steadfast?' she asked.
"Well, there was only one answer to that.
l said l was. She opened her package and
took out coil of rope. 1t was this gray
white rope, sort of clothes line.
"What now!' | asked her.
"'To bind us together, she said. Close,
close together, and then the plunge! You
are not afraid?'
@Afraid My neck was bristling! The
woman was proposing, as near as l could
make out, that we go out in boat, tie our
selves together, and Jump overheard
AGO slow, said thinking pretty hard.
I don't quite see the point of this
"'All, all is foreordained in the stars
curve of Spica Virgins, the ilimitable, un-
changeable curve that has made us what we
are, and shall draw us on and on to our
mighty destiny. You have pointed the way
didn't curse myself for not remember
ing what had written her? No clue, except
that the poor soul was plumb dippy-too
dippy for me to marry at any price. 1t
wouldn't have held in the courts. Yet, there
might have been five thousand dollars of
diamonds on her. 1t was tight place.
wanted to duck the whole thing; but the
about diamonds. | suppose she felt me
weakening. Women are queer, that way.
"'You dare to break our pact? she says in
voice like woman on the stage. Then she
changed and spoke very gently. You are
looking on these gewgaws,' she said, and
took a diamond circlet from her finger.
What do these count for?' And she put it
in my hand Another ring dropped at my
feet | do not know if it would hold in law,
she being lunatic; but was going to take
all could, on the chance, and watch for a
getaway. The diamonds had me hypnotized.
"'These are as nothing compared to what
we shall have she went on, after the
plunge. Wait!'
SHE had dropped the rope, and now she
- went into her paper parcel again, kneel-
ing at my side. l had stopped to look for
the fallen ring, when felt her hand slide up
my wrist, and then a quick little snap of
something cold and close. A bracelet,
thought. And it was a bracelet!
"'Forever! Together' she said, and stood
up beside me, chained to me by the hand
cuffs she had slipped on my right wrist and
her left. Never you think your nerve is
sound till you have felt something like that.
l thought mine was-and l squalled aloud
like a child at a ghost.
"'Hush! she said, and her free arm pressed
across my mouth.
allow much to let me off, l asked as
soon as could get breath.
"The stars! The stars!' she whispered.
See ours, how they shine! The sea is wait
ing for us!
"More breath came back to me- It wasn't