Evening star., 1918-11-03

"Over-faithful, you called us once,"
he reminded her.
But that was when I was child"
are children no longer"
CHAPTER XVI
Lutchester left Sonia and the Ritz
Carlton few minutes before midnight.
to find a great yellow moon overhead,
which seemed to have risen somewhere
at the back of Central Park. The broad
thoroughfare up which he turned SEEM
ed to have developed a new and un-
familiar beauty. The electric lamps
natural glow. The flashing lights of
the automobiles passing up and down
were almost whimsically unnecessary.
Lutchester walked slowly up 9Th ave-
nue. in the direction Of his hotel d.
Something-the beauty Of the night,
perhaps, or some faint aftermath of
sentimentality born Of Sonia's emotion
tempted him during those few moments
to relax. He threw aside his mask and
breathed the freer for it, Once more he
was human being, treading the streets
Ot real Guy, MS ieet very huCn upoi
the earth, his heart full of the simplest
things. All the scheming Of the last
few days was forgotten, the great issues,
the fine yet devious way to be steered
amid the rocks which beset him; even
the depression + the calamitous news
was very simple human being. and he
was in love. 1t was all SO impractical.
so illusionary. and yet so real.
Events. actual happenlngs-he thrust
all thoughts Of these away from his
mind. What she might be thinking Of
content to let his thoughts rest upon
her. to walk through the moonlit street,
his brain and heart reveling in that
subtle facility of the imagination which
brought her SO easily to his presence.
1t was such vividly real Pamela, too.
side. His memory failed him nowhere,
followed faithfully the Kaleidoscope
changes in her face and tone. showed
him even that long, grateful. searching
glance when their eyes had met in Won
times when she had shown clearly
enough that she was anxious to UNDER
stand, anxiotis to believe in him. He
clung to the memory OF these: pushed
into the background that faint impress
garden, serene and proad, vet with
faint look of something like pain in her
startled eyes,
x large limousine passed him slowly.
crawling up 9Th avenue. Lutchester,
with, all ht gifts of observation dor
Who leaned forward, raised the speak,
ing tube to his lips. and talked for
moment to his chauffeur. The car glided
round side street and came to a stand
still against the curb. Its solitary pas
senger stepped quietly out and entered
car little, slipped from his place, and
followed Lutchester.
BY chance the little throng of people
here became thicker for a few moments
and then ceased. Lutchester drew a
little sigh OF relief rs he saw before
just as he was relapsing once more
into thought, some part of his sub
conscious instinct suddenly leaped into
warning life. Without any actual per-
ception of what 1t might mean. he felt
the thrill of imminent danger, connect
ed 1t with that soft football behind
him and swung round in time to seize
deadly uplifted hand which seemed to
end in simmer of dull steel. His
assailant flung himself upon Lutchester
with the 1.-THE ferocity of a cat, cling
ing to his body, twisting and turning
his arm to wrest 1t free. 1t was a
matter of seconds only before his in
tended victim, with a fierce backward
twist, broke the mans wrist and,
wrenching himself FREQ from the knees
which clung around him, flung him
forcibly against the ratings which
bordered the pavement. Lutchester
paused for 81 moment to recover his
breath and looked around. A man
from the other side of the street was
running toward them, but no one else
seemed to have noticed the struggle,
which had begun and finished in less
than thirty gncOn6S Tho 11yhn
was halfway across the thoroughfare,
suddenly stopped short. He shouted q
warning to Lutchester, who swung
around. His late assailant, who had
been lying motionless, had raised him
self slightly, with a revolver clenched
in his left hand. Lutchester's spring
one side saved his life, for the
bullet passed so close to his cheek that
he felt the rush and heat Of the air.
The man in the center Of the road was
busy shouting an alarm vociferously
and other people on both sides of the