The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1914-05-01
, CHAPTER II-contInued.

the opera he goes to cafe and is ac-
CHAPTER Continued.
There was minute wrinkle above
the unknown's nose; the shadow of a
frown. She is very beautiful"
Bah! Did she send you after me?
Give me her address. have come all
the way from Burma to see Flora
Desimone."
ITO see herr" She unguardedly
clothed the question with contempt,
but she instantly forced q smile to
neutralize the effect. Concerned with
her own defined conclusions, she lost
the fine ironic bitterness that was in
the mans voice.
AYE, indeed, to see her! Beautiful
as Venus, as alluring as Phryne, 1
want nothing so much as to see her.
to look into her eyes, to hear her
voice!"
SIS 1t jealousy? I hear the tragic
note" The certainty of her ground
became as morass again. In his turn
he was puzzling her
Tragedy? am an American. We
do not kill opera singers. we turn
them over to the critics. wish to see
the beautiful Flora, to ask her a few
questions. If she has sent you after
me, her address, my dear young lady.
her address" His eyes burned.
II am afraid" And she was 80.
This wasn't the tone Of man madly
in love. 1t was wild anger.
Afraid OF what?"
"You.',
Il viii give you hundred francs"
He produced crisp note. do you
want it?"
She did not answer at once. Pres
emily she opened her purse, found a
stubby pencil and a slip of paper. aud
wrote. There it is, monsieur" She
held out her hand for the banknote
which, with sense of baffiement, he
gave her. She folded the note and
slowed it away with the pencil.
Thank you,n said Courtlandt. "Odd
paper, though" He turned 1t over.
~Ah, understand. You copy music"
Yes, monsieur"
This time the nervous flicker of her
eyes did not escape him. 'You are
studying for the opera. perhaps?"
Eyes, that is it"
"Good night He rose.
Monsieur is not gallant"
Il was in my youth" he replied, put
ting ON his hat.
The bald rudeness OF HIS departure
did not disturb her. She laughed soft
ly and relievedly. Indeed, there was
In the laughter an essence of mischief.
However, il he carried away a mys-
terry, he left one behind.
The young woman waited five or ten
minutes. and, making sure that Court
landt had been driven on, left the
restaurant Round the corner she en-
gagged carriage. So that was I'd
ward Courtlandt? She liked his face;
there was not weak line in it. unless
Btubbornness could be called such But
to stay away for two yearsl To hide
himself In jungles, to be heard Of only
by his harebrained exploits! Follow
him; see where he goes" had been the
command. For moment she had re-
belled, but her curiosity was not to
be denied. Besides, of what use was
friendship If not to be tried? She
knew nothing OF the riddle, she had
never asked question openly. She
had accidentally seen a photograph
one day, in q trunk tray, with this
mans name scrawled across It, and
upon this flimey base she had builded
dozen romances, each of which she
had ruthlessly torn down to make
room for another; but still the riddle
lay unsolved. She had thrown the
name into the conversation many q
time. as one might throw a bomb into
q crowd which had no chance to es.
cape. Fizzles! The man had been
calmly discussed and calmly dis.
missed. At odd times an article in
the newspapers gave her an oppor
tunity: still the frank discussion, still
the calm dismissal. She had learned
that the man was rich, irresponsible
vaciIlating. q picturesque sort of fool
But two years? What had kept him
away that long? A weak man. in love
would not have made so tame q sur.
render. Perhaps he had not sur
rendered; perhaps neither Of them
had.
And yet, he sought the Calabrian
Here was another blind alley out Of
which she had to retrace her steps
Botherl That Puck of Shakespeare
was right: What fools these mortale
be! She was very glad that abe pos.
sessed true sense Of humor. spIced
with harmless audaclty What dreary
world It must be to those who did NOT
know how and when to laugh! They