The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1914-05-15
CHAPTER ll-contlnued.

the unknowns nose; the shadow Of q
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 a smile "a
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 herl Beautiful
as Venus, as alluring as Phryne,
want nothing so much as to see her
to look into her. eyes, to hear her
voice!"
'Is It jealousy? l 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
81 am afraid" And she was so.
This wasn't the tone of a man madly
in love. 1t was wild anger.
Afraid of what?"
you"
81 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 a
stubby pencil and slip of paper, and
wrote. There it is, monsieur" She
held out her hand for the banknote
which, with a sense of baffiement, he
gave her. She folded the note and
slowed it away with the pencil.
Thank you," said Courtlandt. "Odd
paper, though" He turned it over.
'Ah, l 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?"
"Yee, that is it,"
Good night" He rose.
Monsieur is not gallant"
81 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, if 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 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 weak line in it, unless
stubbornness could be called such. But
to stay away for two years! 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 a 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 a question openly. She
had accidentally seen a photograph
one day, in a trunk tray, with this
mans name scrawled across it, and
upon this flimsy base she had builded
a 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 a
time, as one might throw a bomb into
a 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,
vacillating, picturesque sort Of fool.
But two years? What had kept him
away that long? a weak man, in love,
would not have made 80 tame a 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
Bother! That Puck of Shakespeare
was right: What fools these mortals
be! She was very glad that she pos
sessed a true sense of humor, spiced
with harmless audacity. What dreary
world 1t must be to those who did not
know how and when TO laugh! They
talked Of the daring Of the American
woman; who but F'renchwoman
would have dared what she had this
night? The taxicabl She laughed.
And this man was wax in the hands OF
any pretty woman who came alongl
$50 rumor had it. But she knew that
rumor was only the attenuated ghost
of Ananias, doomed forever to remain
on earth for the propagation OF mac
icurate whispers. Waxl Why, she /
would have trusted herself in any sit !
Iuation with man with those eyes and
that angle Of jaw 1t was all very
lmyatifying. Follow him; see whore