The Washington herald., 1914-04-19
CHAPTER VIII.


CHAPTER VIII.
An Armed Neutrality
CURIOCsLY Hugo Loubeque watched the op-
orator as he settled back in his chair, al
most Immediately receiving the flash that mes
sage on the way to him from some unseen,
unknown source. The brief fraction of second
etched every incident that followed clearly upon
his brain.
Came long silver of light that seemed to
Judge the switchboard violently from its fast
enings, shaft that reached out and pierced him
through and through, binding him with its
bursting lght-VapOr. Then Loubeque felt him
self falling, falling into pit that seemed to
have bottom. He was vaguely conscious of
cries, ptying hands, being lifted and carried
somewhere. of low murmuring voices purPosely
hushed. then heavy. black silence.
1t hours before he could piece together
what had happened, how he CHANGED to be in
bed. what the cause Of the terrible throbbing
pains upon his and torso Then the
wonder of Lucille'S being with him, ministering
TO him. drove every pain away and he watched
her from under cover of his heavy lashes as she
moved about the -tateroOm. quiet. cool. sym
pathetic. Il had seemed impossible that Lucille
should be near him. that she should
back to him after all the years. that the days
at West Point with the eliminating horror of
that dismissal should be forgotten
He Strengthened in bed abruptly as to
bring a moan of anguish from his lips. In the
assitude induced by his burns and the shock of
the wireless room explosion he had concentrated
the forty years that past into the living
presence OF the daughter of the woman he had
loved at that time. And this more girl
but a woman. with all TIE capacity for love and
hate that ever woman had And she his
enemy.
The impulse to sneak with her. to order her
away, was strong upon him, but he conquered il,
the habit of carefully planning before doing
anything coming the fore again despite his
pain. He must not show resentment of her kind
ly interest. must not betray the fact that he
had papers for which she was looking. He must
be very certain of his ground with this girl for
a definite purpose behind her strange board
ing of the liner; the coincidence of her tending
him too strange TO be unprecedented.
~"You are very kind" he smiled as. seeing he
had returned to consciousness. she softly crossed
the floor. balancing herself against the motion
of the liner though she were part of the
boat. There was an explosion in the wireless
room. there nOt?''
"You must not talk till the surgeon comes"
she smiled Il must obey orders. you know, be
cause ] am only a volunteer"
a volunteer! You volunteered to help
stranger"
But you are not a stranger" She smiled
curiouSly, wrinkng her in a delightful
way he remembered her mother to have had.
You knew my name and that made feel
really acquainted when you hurt There
something penetrating in the eyes fastened
upon his own. something guileful about the sug-
gestive expression of her tones that put him in
stantly on guard. He closed his eyes again and
simulated sumber. and then stealing a
glance at her she sat opposite him. her pretty
brows bent in thought.
Day followed day with ever his faculties
fastened the necessity for caution. curious
sort of friendship sprang up between them.
friendship partaking more of an armed neutral
ity without the formality of flag of truce than
anything else he could imagine. Without men,
tioning their mutual attitude both recognized
the enmity that must exist between them. both
lna ha Oth har was Of he nt
thoughts.
Times there were when Lucille would find
herself wandering in memory fields. back to the
days at Manila. And times there when she
would have to conquer the impulse to take this
powerful sarCiOnic silent man she nursed and
shake the secret of the papers from him. Then
again she would be all compassion. her very
heart CRYING out in its innocence against the
bitterness that poisoned her patients heart and
soul. Something within her told her of the times
when his eyes would soften and the natural af-
fection within him would attempt to steal
through the shell with which his hate had en-
crusted him. And then she would fight down
with an effort the impulse to throw herself upon
the better nature she knew he making such
an effort to hide. to plead with him for the
happiness he had stolen from her, for the honor
of the she loved.
Nature weakens the body that it may nour-
ish the soul. But with the alienation of Hugo
Loubeque's sufferings the old animosity and pur-
pose fourished with redoubled vigor. This girl
ing him that she might defeat his purpose. She
the daughter of the man he had spent his
life in working out a complete degradation for.
He must fight down the weakness which assailed
him when her resemblance to the Lucille of
forty years ago surged strong within him: he
must fight against her as he would fight against
anyone else, as he had fought against the very
world.
And Lucille felt the change, felt il and re-
doubled her effort to get the secret of the stolen
papers. The spirit of the game was in her and
she yielded grudging admiration for the cum
ming of the man who. in his most acute
suffering. managed 10 conceal everything from
her. Even in derium his powerful brain resisted
her suggestions. her hints.
Detective stories she had read and she tried
now to bring the methods of those sleuths of
fiction to her aid. Strangely enough. though she
recalled their exploits well. these heroes seemed
febriIe puppets when compared to the man she
nursed. One story alone had impressed itself
upon her and she kne< there was no chance to
use the ingenious method Of that one who had