The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-12-04

find a way, never fear"
Does the rug come in anywhere?"
The major was curious. 1t sometimes
seemed to him that Ryanne did not al
ways lay his cards face up upon the
table.
1T will play its part. Besides, l
am rather inclined to the idea of TAX
ing it back. 1t may be the old wish
! ing-carpet. In that case, 1t will come
in handy. Who ,knows?"
How much is 1t worth?"
"Ah, major, Percival himself could
not say exactly. He gave me a thous-
and pounds for It,"
"a thousand pounds!" murmured
Wallace.
The major struck his hands lightly
together. Whether in applause or
wonder he alone knew.
and 1t was worth every shilling OF
1t, too. I'll tell you. the story some
day. There are a dozen ways Of sup
pressing Percival, but l must have
something appealing to my artistic
side"
"You have never told us your real
name, Horace" Mrs. Chedsoye bent
toward him. ....
He laughed. II must have some
thing to confess to you in the future,
dear Gioconda."
We'll, the meeting %adjourns, sine
die"
What are you going to do with
Fortune?" demanded RyGrne.
Send her back to Mentone."
What the deuce did you bring her
here for, knowing what was In the
wind?"
7"She expressed a desire to see
| Cairo again." answered Mrs. Ched-
soye.
1--WE never deny her anything" The
major rose and yawned suggestively.
In the corridor, Ryanne whispered
softly: why not, Gioconda
"She shall never marry a man of
your stamp" coldly.
Charming mother! How tenderly
you have cherished herr"
Horace" calmly enough, as 1t wise
to anger me?"
1T may not be wise, but I have
never seen you In a rage. You would
be magnificent"
Cease this foolery," patiently. "I
am in no mood for it tonight. AS an
associate in this equivocal business,
you do very we'll; you are necessary.
But do not presume too much upon
that. For all that I may not have been
what a mother should be, I still have
some self-respect. So long as I have
any power over her, Fortune shall
never marry a nan so far down IN
the social scale as yourself"
Social scale? Gioconda, how you
hurt mel" mockingly. II should real
ly like to know what your idea Of
that invincible barrier Is. Is it be-
cause my face is in the rogues' gal
lery? Surely, you would not be
cruel!"
"She is far above us all, my friend"
continuing upruffled. Sometimes I
stand in absolute awe of her"
"A marvel! If my recollection is
nat at fault, many a man has entered
the Villa Fanny, with a view to court
ship, men beside whom 1 am as
Roland to the lowest Saracen. You
never objected to them" =
"They had money and position"
Magic talisman! And if had
money and position?"
my objections would be no less
strong"
your code puzzles me. You would
welcome as a son-in-law a man who
stole openly the widows mite, while I,
who harass none, but the predatory
rich, must dwell in the outland? Rank
injustice!"
you couldn't take care Of her"
"Yes, l could. With but little effort
I could make these two hands as hon.
est as the day is long"
81 have my doubts" smiling a little.
Suppose, for the sake of an argu.
ment, suppose Fortune accepted me?"
Mrs. C~hedsoye's good humor re-
turned. She knew her daughter toler-
ably we'll; the child had a horror Of
men. Poor Horace! Do you build
upon that?"
LESS, perhaps, than upon my own
bright invention. My suit, then to be
brief, Is rejected?"
"Emphatically. I have spoken"
"Oh, well; the feminine ~prerogative
shall be mine, the last word. Good
night; dormi bene!" He bowed
grandly and turned toward his W
room.
He possessed that kind of mockery
which was the despair of those at
whom it was directed. They never
knew whether his mood was n of
harmless fun or of deadly intent. And
rather than mistake the n quality
for the other, they generally pretend
ed to ignore. Mrs. Chedsoye, who
had a similar talent, was one Of the
few who felt along the wall as one
does in the dark, instinctively. To
night she recognized that there was
no harmless fun but a real desperate
less behind the mask; and she had
held in her temper with a firm hand.
This was not the hour for a clash.
She shivered a little; and for the first
time in the six or seven years she had
known him, she faced a fear Of him.
| His great strength, his reckless cour-
| age, his subtle way Of mastering men
by appearing to he mastered by them,
~