Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1914-08-28
CHAPTER u-contInued.

CHAPTER lI-Continued.
There was a 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. l 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 a smile to
neutralize the effect. Concerned with
her own defined conclusions, she lost
the fine ironic bitterness that vas in
the mans voice.
AYE, indeed, to see her! Beautiful
as Venus, as alluring as Phryne, !
want nothing SO much as to e her,
to look into her eyes, to hear her
voice!"
"Is It jealousy? hear the tragic
note" The certainty of her ground
became as morass again. In his turn
he was puzzling her.
Tragedy? l am an American. We
do not kin opera singers. W. turn
them over to the critics. / wish to see
the beautiful Flora, to ask her a few
questions. II she has sent you after
me, her dress, my dear young lady
her address," His eyes burned.
II am afraid" And she was 30.
This wasn't the tone of a man madly
in love. It vas wild anger.
&"Afraid of what?"
"Yoa."
II will give you a hundred francs"
He produced a crisp note. do you
want it?"
She did not answer at once. Pres
emily she opened her purse, found q
stubby pencil and a slip of paper. and
wrote. There it is. monsieur" She
held out her hand for the banknote
which, with a sense of baf1ement, he
gave her. She folded the note and
slowed it away with the pencil.
Thank you" 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 o. his hat.
The bald rudeness of his departure
did not disturb her. She laughed soft
ly and relievedly. Indeed, there wal
in the laughter an essenc of mischief
However, If he carried away a mys
terry, he left n behind.
The young woman waited five or ter
minutes, and, making sure that Court
landt had been driven off, left the
restaurant. Round the corner" she en-
gagged a carriage. So that was Ed
ward Courtlandt? She liked his face
there was not a weak line In 1t, unless
stubbornness could be called such. Blu
to stay away for two years! To hid,
himself In jungles, to be heard of onl,
by his harebrained exploits! "Folloy
him; see where he goes" had been tn,
command. For a moment she had re
beiled, but her curiosity was not t
be denied. Besides, of what use wa
friendship If not to be tried? Sh
knew nothing OF the riddle, she ha,
never asked a question openly. Sh
had accidentally seen a photograph
one day, In a trunk tray, with thi
mans name scrawled across 1t, an
upon this fiimsy base she had builde
a dozen romances, each of which sh
had ruthlessly. torn down to max
room for another; but still the riddl
lay unsolved. She had thrown tn
name into the conversation many
time, as one might throw a bomb int
d crowd which had no chance to e
cape. Fizzles! The man had bee
calmly discussed and calmly di
missed. At odd times an article
the newspapers gave her an oppo
tunity; stifl the frank discussion, sti
the calm dismissal. She had learne
that the man was rich, irresponsible
vaciliatiAg, a picturesque sort of foe
But two years? What had kept hi,
away that long? A weak man, In Low
would net have made so tame a su
render. Perhaps he had not su
rendered; perhaps neither Of the
had.
And yet, he sought the Calabria
Here was another blind alley out
which she had to retrace her step
Bother! That Puck Of ~ShakespeaI
was right: What fools these morta
be! She was very glad that she pc
sessed q true Of humor. spic,
with harmless a~udacity. What a drea.
world Il mast be to those who did n
know hew and when to laugh! Tn,