River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-03-21

| with excitement and tumbled back
! the fact that he was. still in his shirt.
sleeves ne rushed madly for the door.
On the way shooting-j jacket on the
door, perhaps in revenge for neglect
and ill-treatment, maliciously wound it.
self around his feet and all but threw
him headlong; only frantic clutch at
the footrail of the bed saved him.
Kicking the thing savagely off he
flung himself upon the door and threw
it open. His jaw dropped.
The lift shaft was directly opposite.
Before it, in more or less patient wait
ing, stood very young and beautiful
woman in a gown whose extreme can
dor was surpassed only by the perfec-
ton of it's design and appointment
both blatant of the Rue de la Paix;
type as common to the cognoScenti
of Monte Carlo as the Swiss hotel por-
| ters. But O'Rourke did not know her
from Eve.
"The divvle!" said he beneath his
breath.
He was mistaken; but the young
woman at first startled by his uncer-
emonious appearance, on instantan-
eous second thought decided to per-
nit him to discover that twin imps,
at least, resided in her eyes. And
when his disappointment prevented
him from recognizing them, her dawn
ing smile was swiftly erased and her
ascending eyebrows spoke eloquently
enough of her naughty displeasure.
Spontaneously the lift hesitated at
that landing and the gate changed
wide; the young woman wound her
skirt about her and showed him a
back which at any other time would
have evoked his unstinted admiration.
Then the gate shot to with a rattle
and bang, and the lift dropped out of
sight, leaving the man with mouth
agape and eyes as wide.
A beaming but elderly femme de
chambre on duty in the corridor, re-
marking O'Rourke's pause of stupefied
chagrin, hoped and believed he need.
ed her services. She bore down upon
him accordingly.
| "M'sieu' is DESTROYS OFF?
He came out of his trance. Moth
ing" he told her with acid brevity
But, yes" he reconsidered with
haste. THAT lady who but this mo-
ment took the lift-her name?"
Her name, m'sieu'? Ma'm'selle Vol
taire."
''Impossible!" he told himself aloud
utterly unable to forge any connecting
link between the lady in the lift and
her whose voice had bewitched him
But assuredly, m'sieu' Do | not
know who have waited upon her
hand and foot these three days and to
whom she has not given as much as
that The woman licked finger
nail against her strong white
teeth. ''Ma'm'selle Victorine Vol
taire," she asserted stubbornly
J O'Rourke fumbled in his pocket and
found a golden ten-franc piece. surren-
dering it to the woman as heedlessly
as though it had been as many cen,
times. ''I'll be leaving me room in five
minutes, now. And do We, for the love
of Heaven, me dear, try to set me
things the least trifle to rights. Will
We now, like the best little girl in
] the world?''
The best little girl in the world,
who was forty-five if a day. promised
| miracles-with bob of a courtesy.
But SO disgruntled was O'Rourke that
he shut his door in her face.
"'Tis meself that's the fool" he,
said savagely enough. ito think for a
moment that ever again I'll set me
eyes on her pretty face-God bless it.
wherever she may be! For
why should l deserve to-, the pen
niless adventurer?"
CTO BE CONTINUED