The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-06-04

prcphecy. and next DAY he went again
TO the camp. Jan was nowhere In
sight. In vain he questioned the old
hag who had offered to tell his for
time the day before. She declared
there was no such person and called
on a swarthy devil.may care young fel-
low who lounged ciosc 81 to confirm
her in what she said.
NO." he reiterated. "No Jan In
here"
II was useless to argue. and Clayton
turned hOmeward with feeling Of de.
feat. when. perched on a fence near
where he had first seen her. he espied
Jan.
"Tve been to find you at the camp"
he said. and they told me there was
no such person"
"They told you thatw She threw
back her head. and her brown throat
shook with laughter.
"And there was young fellow there
who looked as II he would like to mur.
der me-"
"You mean Zngare? He In terribly
jealous. The least thing puts him in
passion. That is why he pretended
not to know where was."
And where were you?"
"Out In the woods at the edge Of the
hill to see the sunrise. II was like a
campfire burning behind the trees"
She was rs voluble as she had been
reticent before. and. vaulting up on the
fence beside her. Clayton sat and talk
ed till noon.
It was only when he reached his
farmhouse that he remembered that he
had meant to ask her about his future.
and she had bewitched him SO that he
had forgotten 1t. The next two days
It rained. and on ne third he found the
gypsy camp &c .rted. A charred spot
marked the place where their fires had
been. and that was all They had van
ished as silently as they had come.
And no one seemed TO know what
trail had been taken. Clayton was dis
appointed to the verge Of moodiness.
Try as he would. he could not drive
Jan from his thoughts. Now he pic
tured her walking down the road. erect
and graceful; now he fancied her
crouching by the fire at night and
probably with Zingare opposite. a
thought which made him grind his
teeth. Again and again Miss Alyard
passed him In her high red cart. but he
would not 80 much as turn to look.
What were all the heiresses In the
world compared to what he had lost?
In crisp twilight ns he wandered
down the road some one stole up be.
hind him and touched his arm.
Jan" he cried joyfully. Its you!
Where have you been? I've searched
and searched. Perhaps"-he frowned
-'perhaps you and Zingare"-
"Zingare!' Her voice was full of
scOrn.
"You do not love himT'
mo-: contemptuously.
Then. Jan. will you marry me?'
~. a gypsy? But your people-your
friends.
"Confonnd my friends. I love you.
Even II you find that I've deceived
you as only some gypsies know how ia
deceive? At first. when you mistook
me In my Hungarian walking cos
tune. It was joke-telling your for.
tune and then driving past you after
ward-and then I meant to tell you
was Clorinda Alyard and I couldn't
I couldn't because I wanted to see II
you'd care for me and not for any
thing else. And you do love meT' II
was the girl and not the heiress who
spoke.
"Aiore than my life." said Clayton.
They are called the eccentric Clay
tons because people sometimes meet
them in the woods. walking together
hand In hand. laughing like children,
she in curious red and yellow cos
tune and lie In a. blue flannel suit de.
cidedly the worse for wear.