The Neshoba Democrat., 1913-02-13

piece OF Sevres or Canton. Some
houses, with their treasures, look like
museums, but this one did not Tho
owner had not gone mad over one
| subject; here was q sane and prudent
collector. The great yellow Chinese
carpet represented q fortune; she
knew enough about carpets to realize
this fact. Iyories. jades. lapis-lafnM.
the precious woods, priceless French
and Japanese tapestries, some nne
paintings and bronzes; the rooms
were full Of unspoken romance and
adventure; echoed with war and trag-
edy, too. And Fortune might have
married man like this one. A pos
sibility occurred to her, and the ghost
Of smile moderated the interest In
her face. They might be upon the
desert for weeks. Who knew what
might not happen to two such roman
tic simpletons?
The butler and the hrst man (who
was also the cook were impeccabls
types Of servants; 30 thought Reyn-
olds. They moved silently and an.
ticipated each want. Reynolds deter
mined that very afternoon to drop a
line to Jones and compliment him
upon his good taste In the selection
Of his friends. A subsequent press OF
office work, however, drove the deter
mination out Of his mind.
The instant his car carried him out
Of sight, strange scene was enacted.
The butler and the first man seized
the Major by the arms. and the three
executed pas-seul. Mrs. Chedsoys
eyed these manifestations of Joy ston-
ily.
Nov then, what's been done?"
asked the Major, pulling down his
cuffs and shaking the wrinkles from
his sleeves.
Half done!" cried the butler.
Where's that wall-safe?" the Major
wanted to know.
Behind that sketch by Detaille."
And the butler, strange to say. pro-
nounced it Det-i.
Can you open IT,"
Tried, but failed. Wallace is the
man for that"
He'll lie along in an hour or so.''
Where's Ryanne?"
Don't know; don't care" The Ma
jor sketched the predicament Of their
fellow conspirator.
The butler whistled, but callously.
One more or less didn't matter in such
an enterprise.
When Wallace arrived he applied
his talent ard acquired science to the
wall-safe, and finally swung outward
the little steel door The Major
pushed him aside and thrust a hand
into the metaled cavity, drawing out
an exquisite Indian casket Of rose
wood and mother-of-pearl. He opened
the lid and dipped hand within. EN-
eralds, deep and light and shaded, cut
and uncut and engraved, fawed and
almost perfect. He raised handful
and let them tinkle back into ths
casket. One hundred In all, beauties.
every one Of them, and many famous.
And while he toyed with them.
pleased as child would have been
over handful of marbles, Mrs. Ched-
soye spread out the ancient Yhiordes
in the library. She stood upon the
central pattern, musing. Her mood
was not one which she had called into
being; not often did she become ret.
respective; the past to her was al.
ways like a page in book, once fins
ished, turned down. Her elbow in
one palm, her chin in the other, she
stared without seeing. 1t was this
house, this home, it was each sign of
riches without luxury or ostentation.
where money expressed itself Ey taste
and simplicity; q home such az she
had always wanted. And why, with
all her beauty and intellect, why had
she not come into possession? She
knew. Love that gives had never
been hers; hers had been the love
that receives, self-love. She had bar
tered her body once for riches and
had been fooled, and she never could
do it again. And the child
was oyerl1owing with the love that
gives. 1
The furry Of snow outside in the
court she saw not. Her fancy re-
formed the pretty garden at Mentone.
inclosed by pink-washed walls. Many
a morning from her window she bad
watched Fortune among the flowers
bee or butterfly. She had watched
her grow too. with that same detach-
ment machinist feels as he puts to-
gether the invention Of another man.
Would she ever see her again? Her
shoulders moved ever so little. Prob
ably not. She had blundered wilfully.
She should have waited, thrown the
two together, Unanswered. And she
had permitted this adventure to OBJ
sess her! She might have stood with
in this house by right Of law, mother
hood, marriage. Ryanne was In lovs
with Fortune, and Jones by this timo
might be. The desert was q terribly
lonely place.
She wished it might be Jones' And
Immediately retrospectlon died away
from her gaze and actualities re-
sumed their functions. The wish wop
not without phase of humor, formed