The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1912-02-20

lone English girl, and Frenchman.
The two latter held the Irishman's
attention; the girl because, even at
distance, her slim white-clad figure
and well-poised head seemed singu-
larly fresh and attractive; the man
because-well, because O'Rourke was
susceptible to premonitions.
He was a tall man and broad, the
Frenchman-well-made, well-groomed,
carrying himself with an indefinable
air of distinction. His face was rath-
er pale (and therefore notable in that
concourse of dark skins, it's features
strongly modelled, the mouth and chin
masked by neatly trimmed and
pointed beard and mustache.
O'Rourke could not have said that
he had ever seen the man before; yet
there was this and that about him
which struck spark Of Renaissance
from his memory. A suspicion flashed
through his mind which he put aside
with disdain, as absurd and far-fetch-
ed. On the other hand. He
knit his brows in puzzlement.
The very fiXity of his regard drew
the eyes of it's object upwards. They
encountered O'Rourke's, fingered brief
ly in an unveiled, 1nqulr1ng stare IN
which there was not to be detected
the least hint Of recognition, and
passed onward casually, indifferently,
ignoring the impertinence.
The tenders passengers began to
stumble up the gang-plank to a lower
deck of the liner; and O'Rourke, with
a sober face, went below, taking some
care to avoid contact with the incom-
ing crowd.
He found Danny was in his state
room, engaged with some details of
repair to the adventurer's wardrobe.
O'ROurke remained for brief space
standing in the middle of the cabin,
visibly distracted. Then abruptly
some whimsical consideration seemed
to resolve his dubiety-as lightning
will clear sultry, brooding air; a smile
deepened the corners of his mouth,
the flicker in his eye merged magically
into a twinkle, the shrug of his broad
shoulders conveyed an impression of
casting care to the winds.
Danny, lad" he remarked reflect
lively, throwing himself ungracefully
upon the cushioned transom opposite
to his berth. Danny, We wouldn't lie
to me, would We now?"
"Aw-wi" reproved Danny. "Shure,
yer honor knows ut isn't in me at all"
And to himself; "Phat the divvle
now?"
Then tell me, Danny, truthfully;
did We ever see a ghost?"
Administering cause to take the
query as joke.
"A ghost that had grown a beard
since it had become ghost, Danny?"
"Aw-aw-w!"-still willing to be
amused, if himself chose to be face
tious.
Because" continued O'Rourke with
slight frown, Il have, and that net
five minutes since"
"Aw?"
'Wance left a man for dead, Dan
ny, with a clean sword-thrust through
the body of him-a misbegotten black
guard he was; but 1 killed him in fair
fight, sword to sword, and no ia
vor. And this bright and
beautiful morning, 10 and behold We!
who should come tripping up the gans-
plank but his ghost, as lively as We
please, and with a neat new beard!"
Aw-w?"-incredulou
O'Rourke frowned impatiently. "Des
Trebes," he explained.
"Aw-"
stop it, We parrot! Stop it, say!
Have We no word in the dark lexicon
of your ignorance other than 'Aw-aw'
| Get up, We omadhaun, and take me re
! spects to the purser and ask him
| please will he show We the passen
| ger-list"
The valet left with circumspect ala
Gritty.
Alone, O'Rourke rose and turned
thoughtfully to a revolver that made
a conspicuous black spot on the white
counterpart of the berth, with nerv
Gus, strong fingers unlimbering the
weapon and taking account of the
brass dials of the cartridges tha
nestled snug in it's siX-chamberet
cylinder. The machine was in perfec
condition.; O'Rourke snapped tht
breech shut and thrust it in his peck
ct. Then he sat down to think, sub
consciously aware from noises with
out that the tender had swung off ant
the anchor was being tripped.
Could the resemblance be acciden
tai? 1t seemed hardly possible. Th'
Des Trebes he had known had been
type distinct, so clear and aloof from
the general Frenchman that not ever
the addition of beard to his physio2
nomy could have proven a Thorough
disguise. And it seemed reasonabl,
enough to assume that, Mrs. Prynn
having failed in her undertaking. De
i ,I&z-:zz