Western Kansas world., 1912-05-18
SCOTT

'On one condition. said.
Its granted. Name it,
THAT you be nice to him who sits
beside you at supper tonight"
She looked at me a moment. Masks
| are very annoying when one wants to
| see the face.
THAT will be an easy penance," she
said. and 1 understood she had been
told who that man was to be.
1 bent toward her. Let him know
| 1t, then,' 1 said earnestly.
Your highness likes him?' she ask
| ed
II do more than like him." said
She threw a quick glance up at me-
Maybe do, too.'' she laughed
Good" said 1, then began to speak
Of something else. There is just as
proper a point to quit subject as to
start it.
The grass on the bank of the lake
was quite dry, and Lady Helen sug-
gested that we sit down.
This reminds me of a garden in
Florence" she said Some one might
tell us a story
Every good. my dear" said Lady
vierle; you tell the first story. We
will take our cue from YOU
Lady Helen removed her mask.
Then, that is your first cue.'' she said
81 breathe easier" Mile d Essolde re-
marked.
I'VE all do" said 1. then suddenly
replaced mine and arose.
Indulge me for a moment" / said.
and sauntered over to the path little
distance away, nor answered the chat
fing that was flung after me. i had
seen woman in gypsy dress and a
cavalier in white coming slowly down
the walk. / did not doubt 1t was Mrs.
Spencer and Lotzen. and / intended to
let them know they were recognized
As we neared each other / halted
and stared at them with the most OBJ
vious elaboration. The gypsy made
some remark to her companion, to
which he nodded. Then Lotzen gave
me another surprise. He paused in
front of me and looked me over from
head to foot.
Monsieur seems interested he said,
making no effort to disguise his tones
l made no answer.
''And l hope monsieur will pardon
me if 1 tell him his manners are afro
cious." he went on
Again no answer.
Though, of course. no one could
ever expect monsieur to understand
why he continued
OF sudden it dawned on my slow
brain that Lotzen did not know wheth-
er it was Moore or | that confronted
him. and he wanted TO hear my voice.
I saw no utility in obliging him; so
stood impassive, staring calmly at
them.
Lotzen turned to his companion
said. 'Perchance the duIcet tones of
beauty may move the beast to
speech
''mademoiselIe."
TRY signs on him." she suggested
Good, I'll sign to him we want to
see his face" %
How. pray?"
'.By pulling of his mask" he an
swered, and put out his hand as
though to do it. With his fingers al
most on 1t he paused
I stood quite still. ] felt perfectly
sure he would not touch me- But if
he did ! intended to knock him down.
And ! was not mistaken. After mo-
ment he dropped his arm
The woman laughed. Your nerve
failed: his didn't she said dryIy.
Not at all. mademoiseIle 1 thought
of a better way. Observe"
He slowly drew the long. narrow
bladed sword that went with his cos
tune ard. taking the point in his left
hand bowed over it in mock courtesy.
will monsieur have the extreme
kindness to remove his mask:- he
said
admit I was bit astonished.
Surely this was rushing things with a
vengeance-to deliberately raise a sit
uation that meant either a fight or
complete backdown by one of MS.
and as he would scarcely imagine
would do the latter he must have in
tended to force a duel
There might have been another rea-
son. assuming that he was Interested
only In my identity. This procedure
would have told him. for Moore would
not have dared draw sword on the
heir presumptive.
fronted him, he had suddenly seen an
to accomplish in open
fight what his hired assassin had bum
gled- 1t is notorious that American
officers know practically nothing of
the art of fence? What easier than
TO drive me into drawing on him and
then after q bit of play to run me
neatly through the heart? What mat
tered 1t II he were the aggresserf It
would be easy to aver he had not
known ms-that had chosen to in