The Washington times., 1918-08-16
CHAPTER CXxL
The Nfrht Alarm.


As night came on. Loreki, the
gypsy, slept uneasily. cara carried
some rugs into his room and laid
them down in a narrow place be-
side the bed.
81 will sleep here beside my
uncle" she said. 'Tf he needs any
thing in the night, he has but to
call me. For tonight you take your
rest here; the couch is soft and one
may sleep upon it."
'I have had many harder resting
places" smiled Basil You provide
unexpected luXuries, cara No one
would expect to find a gypsy van
fitted up like this"
at is my home" she said simply.
'T travel, oh, many, many miles in
this van. Often we halt at fairs or
in little country towns, and there
read the future for the people.
When they see me not, as they
think, a poor ragged girl, but with
rich clothes and silks and embroid-
cries, they wonder and they say:
She is q witch and they pay more
money"
"You are a WITCH" cried Basil.
mot only in your power Of read
ing the future, but because you
the hearts of men. / wonder"-
he gazed at her critically. and
spoke more to himself than to
her-"is 1t because you are a child
of nature, because you have learned
SO little that you know so much!
/ am afraid of you, Zara, and yet
I do not want to CO."
you will not CO." she said.
%But"-he laughed q tribe un-
easiIy-NI cannot stay here for
ever, you know. I am not q gypsy,
really, and I have no desire to be-
come one. I have work to do In
the world, zara-the great world
outside, of which you know SO lit
tie. I must return to it
you will return" she said, soft
ly, "but not yet"
"I am content to stay awhile"
he said, dreamily.
Alone, Basil threw himself down,
fully dressed as he was, upon the
couch. He had no fear as to his
personal safety, but he did not
wish to allow himself to sleep
heavily. At any moment he might
be called; Lorski might tear the
dressing from his arm or need his
assistance in other ways. The air
in the little room was rather warm
and oppressive; 1t was heated by
stove placed between the two com
partments. A sense of pleasant
drowsiness had com cover him; he
was content in the present-to-
morrow, tomorrow would be the
time for action His brain was
sluggish and he could think of
nothing that night. His eyes
r. int
sleep.
AS the night wore on, however.
he slept less easily. Once or twice
he opened his eyes and wondered
at his strange surroundings.
Where was he and what was the
meaning OF the strangely figured
tapestry that faced him upon the
wall? The lamp that hung from
the ceiling was OF Eastern pattern;
IL gave a dull, red light just suffi-
cient for him to enable to make
out the bizarre pattern OF curtains
and drapery. He found himself
laziIy tracing out the form OF a
green STagon with red eyes, upon
a cushion at his feet, and later
he was counting and counting
again the radiating lines that is
sued from a mimic sun upon the
ceiling.
Once It seemed to him that a cur
tain was lightly drawn aside, and
that the figure OF q woman passed
through the room. She halted for a
moment beside his couch and looked
down at him as II to satisfy herself
that he was asleep. He could hard
ly see her face, for a light shawl
was thrown about the lower part of
IL, but he could feel her eyes, and
there was that in the sensation of
their gaze that made him shudder
as he lay. He could not define the
reason of his fear. but he felt
afraid.
TO Be Continued Tomorrow
Copyrighted. W. R. Hearst.