The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1914-04-14

Just round the nearest a0ei0 a
the house her brother and Billy Cur.
tiss sat smoking before the window
OF their bedroom, clad in pajasnao
and slippers. Curtiss was cleaning
the rife he had used that day, SAs
same that he had carried into tAe
rose garden earlier In the evening.
Neither heard tho giri's light foot.
steps upon the sward. and the corner
Of the building hid her from their
view.
In the open moonlight before tAo
rose thicket Victoria Custer paced
back and forth. A dozen times Oho
reached the determination to sesk
the first opportunity upon the mSs.
row to give Billy Curtiss an afPiruAA.
tive answer to the question he haA
asked her the night before--the night
or the earthquake - but each time
that she thought she had disposed Of
the matter definitely she found her.
self involuntarily comparing him
with the heroic figure OF her dream.
man. and again she must needs ~.
wage her battle.
As she walked In the MOONLIGHT two
pairs Of eyes watched her every
movement-one pair. clear and black.
from tho rose thicket: the other.
flaming yellow green. hidden In . ~.
tie clump Of bushes at tho point
whore she turned In her pacing to
rctrace her steps nj tho point furthess
from the watcher among tho roses.
Twenty times M was on tho point
OF leaping from his concealment ana
taking the girl In his arms: for 10
him she was Nat-ul, daughter Of
Tha. and II had not been a hundrsd
thousand years. but only yesterday,
the day before. that he had last
seen her.
Yet each time something deferred
him-a strange. vague. indehnAble
fear OF this wondrous creature who
was Nat-ul and yet who yas lot
Nat-ul. but another made In MAJ. ui's
image.
The strange things that covered her
fair figure seemed to have raised .
barrier between them--the last time
that he had walked hand In hand with
her upon the beach nausht but the
soft skin of red doe had clothed her,
Her familiar association. too. With
these strange people. coupled W9th
the fact that she spoke and under.
stood their language. only tended -
remove her further from him.
NJ was very sad and very lonely,
and the sight Of Nat l seemed TO %.
ccntuate rather than relieve his d.
preston. Slowly there was born
within him the conviction that Net. Vi
was no longer for NJ. the son Of M.
Why he could not guess. but the bit.
ter fact seemed inevitable. .
The girl had turned quito close %
him now and was retracing her stops
toward tho bushes twenty yards
away.
Behiad their screening verdure Ola
Raffles. the sheep-stealer. twitched
his tufted tail and drew his steel.
thewed legs beneath him for the
spring: and ~ he waited just The
faintest OF purrs escaped his SLAYER.
Ing Jowls.
Too faint the sound TO pierce the
dull sense Of the twentieth century
maiden, but to the man hiding In
the rose thickst twenty PAGES farther
from the lion 1t fell sinister upon his
unspoiled car.
Like bolt Of lightning-so quickly
his muscles responded to his will-tho
cave-man hurtled tho Intervening
rose bushes with Q single bound. aAA.
raised spear In hand. bounded aftes
the unconscious girl.
The great lion saw him coming.
and. lest he be cheated Of his prey,
leaped into the moonlight before hio
intended victim was quite within the
radius Of his spring.
The beast emitted a horrid roar
that froze the girl with terror. anA
then In the face OF his terrific charge
the figure Of naked giant lsaeeA
past her. She saw Q great arm,
welding mighty spear. huri the
WVopoh ~ VAC tukotbotco Oco0S-o80
then she swooned.
A the savage note Of the lions
roar broke the stiffness OF the quiet
night. Curtlss and Barney Custer
sprang to their feet. running toward
the side OF the bungalow from which
the sound had come.
Curtiss grasped the rife he had
Just reloaded. and az he turned ne
corner OF the building he caught enc
neeting glimpse Of something moving
near the bushes nifty yards away.
Raising his weapon. he fred.
The whole household had been
reused by the lions deep voice and
the answering boom OF the big rifie,
30 that scarcely minute after Bar.
ney and Curtiss reached tho side of
the prostrats girl q score Of white
men and black were sathefed about
them.
ITO He COntinuAdl