The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-09

about eight o'clock tonight" said Mr..
lit, Il might be able to help you
know yourself. You have trouble In
your heart, mademoiselle. l can
trace it in the third line of your right
hand, running from the Mount or
Hercules to the Oasis of Luna"
And with these enigmatical words
he beat a retreat into his tent, leav-
ing me decidedly annoyed and a lit
tie Inundated.
l knew he couldn't possibly have
heard about me and George, because
our engagement had been kept a pro-
found secret outside the family, and
only the relations and the servants
knew about it, and they wouldn't have
breathed a word to anybody. How
ever, l began to get piqued by Mr.
tits words, and about eight o'clock
that night, finding myself-quite by
chance, you UNDERSTANDING the vicln-
ity of Mr.. Its tent, l thought I would
drop in to see whether there really
was anything in what he had said
about the Mount of Hercules.
Though it had begun to dawn on
me that l had had my hands in my
muff and that he hadn't seen them
at all.
Mr.. lit seemed to have been wait
ing for me, for hardly had l drawn
near his tent when he was outside
seizing me by the hands.
"You have come,' he said. 81 am
glad you have come. Mademoiselle,
you remind me of my dear friend His
Excellency Ching Foo, the grand
vizier of Tartary, who had a fearful
quarrel with his wife last week over
the spending money. He came to me.
"'Mr. it, he said, I have had a
row with my wife and 1 wish I were
dead. She wants a hundred yen a
week to buy her own clothes with
What would you dor
"'Give her two hundred I an
swered, and he saw the justice of 1t
and went away happy. They're recon
ciled now"
MI. tits views seemed sensible tc
me, but all the while he was repeat
ing this absurd patter he kept
glancing back nervously over his
shoulder, as though he we're expect
ing somebody. And as he ended he
made an abrupt little dive into thu
tent n pulled the flap to. I heart
a murmur of voices inside, and I won
dered whether l had happened alont
l when another couple was there.
And was still wondering when
: to my amazement, somebody put hi
: hands over my eyes.
And now my heart began to pit-a
: pat. Yes, it was George.
! I'm so sorry, sweetheart" he sait
II see how wrong l was to lane
twice with Florence Smith. I'll neN
er look at her again. Mr.. lit pei
suaded me that l had been a foo
Won't you forgive me, dearest?"
Well, l was considerably hurt, bu
i. then l felt something being squeeze
= over my finger, and it felt like the
half-hoop of diamonds, which / ha
loved so much, and which l had il
tended to have enlarged the day b.
fore l gave it back to George. S
what could l do?
We had the happiest time ther
and then we decided that we ought
thank Mr.. lit. 1t seemed too wonde
full to be true. So we went up
I the tent and called.
A Mr.. lit seemed to be scolding som
H body, l thought, and he didn't hear n
" voice. | wanted to thank him and
WI | opened the tent door. And who {
" you think were inside? Uncle w
VI and Miss Barrett.
" Uncle Will was on his knees b
fore her, and her face was as hal
as stone. Just hen Uncle Will sa
us. and he sprang to his feet, lookir
rather foolish.
Go away, you young vipers!" /
y beloved. What do you mean
. intruding upon-why, it's little Lydit
And George!"
Somehow instinct told me just VIII
to do at that moment. I went up
Miss Barrett and kissed her al
placed her hands in Uncle Wills.
0 Suddenly Miss Barrett's face SO
ened, and a minute later she W
crying in Uncle Wills arms. Unc
~ VIII said afterward that it must ha
been the force of our example.
think this was correct. But won
- you ever believe that Uncle Will hi
hired Mr.. lit for the performanc
That's what Aunt Rose Barrett TIE
pleton says. And Uncle Will doesi
deny it. He says he's got such
y, good wife he doesn't want to rene
Il Der the trouble he had in getting h
Strangely enough, George sa
something like that to me yesterds
ar