Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-09-09
Photo by Photo Crafters.


of confidence he had so readily assumed in
the face OF danger. He was III at ease: his
glance shifted from one object to another In
the room his sombrero was tightly clenched
in his hand he avoided the steady gaze of
his rescuer. Yet there was in his attitude
toward her an indefinable homage, due, per-
haps, to the queenly rank that others ac-
corded her. or else to the rare feminine love
liress. the subtle power of which few could
escape.
"Senorita, you have done me a great serv-
ice," he said. II was on my way to you
when l had that brush with the poems. That
is my excuse fer taking refuge in your house
and exposing you to danger Will you for
give me? VIII you--'
All my good Don Raoul :" she interrupted
What questions And from you OF course
glad wv
1T is good to hear you say that senorita.' -
he replied with evident relief. Il was afraid
things might be different between W.. You
see you disappeared completely. You
have not been in Bogota for months, for
years, Senorita And then, today--at last-I
heard Of your arrival. wanted to see you
1 have not forgotten you in all this long
time. you may be sure. Sajipona"'
A faint flush overspread the girls delicate
features; strange look kindled within her
dark eyes
at is well, Don Raoul," she said in low
voice.
"And here you are. still the Queen--beauti-
Iul, mysterious he exclaimed.
You know / am not a queen" she MUIR
INJURED.
why. even now they called you So Those
jackals felt your power-just as l do. beau
tiful Sajipona. :"
Enough, Senor! Titles and batteries I
in my house"
''rhe title is yours by tradition, IL not by
right As for iatteres--"
We do noI live by traditions" she inter-
rupted,
To me, at least, YOU are La Reina de los
Indios.'
"Ah. well, Senior" she said with low
laugh: every queen, fancy. should have at
least one subject. And now-supposlng that
l am this queen YOU talk of-what is it you
want of me?"
I'VE always used to be friends. sajipona
Can we not be friends still?"
There's another strange question! But
surely you did not come here to ask me that? ?
There is something else. Don Raoul," she
added. regarding him intently.
1t Is that, first of all And them had
1t in mind to tell you that my friend is re-
turning to BCgota-David Meudon."
David Meudon," che repeated, as II pon-
dering the name, looking steadily at Raoul
the while.
= But then-what is that TO me, senor?"
she asked.
You remember him?"
Eyes. of course l remember him He has
been away a long time, hasn't he?" Then
after pause, Why does he cCme back"
10 solve mystery-so he writes me-
"A mystery?'
lie calls ii a mystery" laughed the other,
You see. when We were living here together
lie disappeared for three months We thought
he had been killed by dynamite explosion.
Surely, you have heard of it, Senorita? ?"
"Yes-I think every cne has heard of if
And Then. at the time, there were runnors
For instance, | heard-I heard who exploded
the dynamite"
Sure enough. there were all kinds OF ru-
mors. But, OF course, the whole thing wa q
accident. horrible accident that nearly
cost David his life. He didn't heed the sig
nal in time-or something went wrong-the
signal CT the dynamite. Anyway, lr wasn't
seen or heard Of again for three months
I'VE all thought he must have been blown
to bits. Then curious thing happened
One morning found him in my house in a
sort of trance"
"Well?"
clared he could remember nothing of what
he had been through. Those three months
were a blank in his memory"
"And them"
He left Bogota, declaring he would never
come back. That was Just three years ago"
"But--"
"Yes, now he is coming back--wth some
friends--to solve this mystery, so he saws"
What mystery, Senor?"
why" replied Raoul slowly. looking at
ner intehtis' the mystery OF those three
months when he was supposed to have been
in a trance"
What is a trance, Don Raoul?" asked the
girl innocently.
Raoul laughed
"Ah. that would be hard TO explain to a
queen of the Indians" he said. "A trance
Is not exactly sleep, for a man NAV tan,
and travel and do things, just like other men,
when he's in trance. ButIwhen he is him.
self again, he remembers nothing of all that
happened when he was in tlre trance"
'erhen you think he was in n trance dur
ing those three months when he disappeared
frpn Bogotae"
Eyes"
And that he has forgotten all that han.
pened 70 him in that timer
'Perhaps"