Evening star., 1913-11-02

roarned up the hillside from the gorges of
the stream and sought the open sky.
Nature had wept out the gusts of her passion, and
her smiles the beautiful through the vesges
of her The sunlight spattered lavishly among
the shadows glowing with lambent light in the hidden
places under shrub and thicket and dancing mady
leaf and bough There mischief in the air, and it
took but little flight of the fancy to Pan and
his nymphs ganboing about the sleeping house of the
vagabonds
Morning had importuned their shutters long before
Markham awoke and gazed with startled eyes at the
diagonal bar of orange light that cut the obscurity of
their hiding place. Then rubbing his eyes, he stumbled
to his feet and stared at his watch 1t nine clock
Hernia still slept hudted under her overcoat rosy
cheek pillowed her open palm, her tumbled hair
flooding rotously about her shoulders. Markham
stopped moment to gaze at her again. but she stirred
under his look So he moved quickly away to the door
and peered cautiously out, searching the forest with
eager eyes. Gaining courage he went out, making the
round of the house with eyes and intent. There
much ado among the treetops and a scurry1ng OF
four-footed things in the underbrush; but OF two
footed things he nothing. He brought a pail OF
water for Carissa, and the act of entering the
house when gun cracked sharply at distance
his left
The forest stopped to listen with him for full
ment the echoes went bounding among the rocks,
and then whrring of wings great and small hther and
Won announced that there other vagabonds as
startled he Two shots, this time in the dis
tance behind him, followed by startling noise
close at hand.
Cariss her whole soul in the note was ncontinently
braying.
1t was an unearthy sound, and unfamiliar one;
for in the smooth Of their acquaintance had
she been guilty of such lndscretlon. He hurried to
the shed but before he reached the door she ceased
and when he entered regarded him with wlstful eye of
recrninaton which forestalled his reproaches After
ALL she was only ass! The damage, if damage there
was had already been done.
TN grave doubt as to his immediate course he
hurried to the lodge, where he found Hernia sitting
wde-eyed upon her couch, fearfully awaiting him.
what on earth has happened Phlidor?" she asked.
ooh nothing he laughed "Our host is abroad with
shotgun. Clarssa Objects and is much OF an ass
that she can't hold her tongue about it,
She smiled and got her feet Il must have slept
"Precisely hours. It's half past nne We must
be off at once-by the back door if there is one.
Are they coming this way"
a didn't stop to inquire. They're enough, at
any rate
1--WE could explain, couldn't we-I mean about the
storm and the door being openo
Hardly. This shooting lodge, my child, this forest
too is the property Of the De Cahors. See' and he
showed her the book.
"Oh, Philidor! What shall doo'
"Get out at once They mustn't you, at any cost.
If they come you must take to the bushes, and meet
mein Hauterive. It's of the devil take the hind
most-the hndmost being me, and the devil being
he paused significantly
"Olga Do you think she can be shooting too?s
He shrugged. "She's apt to be doing precisely that
he said shortly.
Hernia flew to the window and unlatching the shut
ter peered tmidy FORTH Markham heard her gasp and
looked over her shoulder through the aperture.
"Olga!" she whispered in dismay.
There in the path the deep wood, smartly attred
in CATERS short Skirt and Alpine hat, her shotgun
the hollow of her arm Nemesis. She came up the
path at lesurely gait and stopped not hundred feet
away her head held upon side, smiling and careless
y surveying the premises.