The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-03-22

with excitement and tumbled bach
whence he had come, Regardless O
the fact that he was still in his shirt
sleeves he rushed madly for the door
On the way a shootingiacket on tbs
door, perhaps in revenge for neglect
and ~ili-treatment. m%aliciously wound it
self around his feet and all but thre"
him h%eadlong; only a frantic clutch al
the t0otrail Of the bed saved him
Kicking the thing ~sayagely off he
flung himself upon the door and threw
it open. His jaw dropped.
The lift shaft was directly opposite
Before II, In more or less patient wait,
ing, stood a very young and beautiful
woman in a gown whose extreme can.
dor was surpassed only by the perfec.
ton Of its design and appointment
both blatant of the Rue de la Paix;
d 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 diyyle!" said he beneath his
breath.
He was mistaken; but the young
woman. at first startled by his uncer.
emouiOus appearance, on in~stantan.
eoHs 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 d~ispleasure.
Simultaneously the lift hesltated 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 unstlnted 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 stupeGed
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 manner"
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 bewitcned 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 az
The woman licked a finger.
nail against her strong white
teeth. "Ma'm'selle Victorine Vol.
tdiTe,' she asserted %stubb0rnly.
O'Rourke fumbled in his pocket and
iOuid Il Solden teh-tfdnC piece, Surren.
it to the woman as heedIesslv
as though it had been as many cen.
TN be leaving me room in five
minutes, now, And do ye, for the love
OF Heaven, me dear, try to set me
the least trifie to rights. viii
We now. like the best little girl in
the world? ."
The best little girl in the world.
who was forty-iye If a day, promised
miracles-with a bob OF a courtesy.
But so d%isgruntled was O'Rourke that
be shut his door in her face.
IT'S meself that's the fool" he
savagely enough, TO think for a
moment that V e again I'll set me
on her pretty face-God bless it,
wherever she may be! For
why should | deserve to-. the pen
niless adventurer?"
(TO BE CONTINUED