The Washington times., 1919-04-24
"The Dark Star =
By ROBERT W. CHAMBERS
On Way Back to New York Neeland
Examines Plans of Turkish Forts
Contained in Olive Wood Box.
By ROBERT w. CHAMBERS

CInAllon Inat was possessing Nun.
Well, I'm damned" he Thought,
''lf it doesn't really look. as though
the plans OF these Turkish forts
might be important! I'm not very
much astonished that the Kaiser
and the Sultan desire 70 keep for
themselves the secrets of these
fortihcations. They really belong
TO them. too. They were drawn and
planned by a German" He shrug-
ged. "a rotten Alliance" he mutt
tered, and picked mp the bronze :
Chinese figure TO examine T.
so you're the Yellow Devil I've
heard ahoUtf' he said well. you
certainly are pippin."
Inspecting him with careless
curiosity. he turned the bronze over
and over between his hands, MOTTO
ing a slight rafting sound fhat
seemed to come. from within but
discovering no reason for Il. And.
as he curiously considered the
seowlins demon, he hummed an old
song OF his fathers under his
breath:
IVAN balmy day in May
Th' ould Nick come to the dure;
SeZ ] The divil's to pay,
An the debt comes hard On the
poorr So
His eyes they shone. like fire
An he gave a horrid groan;
Scz I to me sister SulSe, 54@
Tell him I amt at hOmes
HE stood forninst the dure,
His wings were wings Of a bat.
An he. raised his voice TO a roar.
An the tail OF him switched Ike
cat,
o wirra the dayr ser ],
'Ochone I'll no more roam"
Sez to me brother Luke,
Tell him amt at honss
FeelIhE Of Being Watehed.
AS he laid the bronze figure away
and closed. locked and strapped the
oIIre-wood box, an odd sensation
crept. over him as though some
body were overlooking what he
was doing. or course, IL could not
be true. but so sudden and So. vivid
was the impressions that he rose,
opened the door. and glanced into
the private washroOm-eVea .poked
under the bed and the opposite
sofa. and OF course discovered that
only a living skeleton could lie
concealed IN such spaces.
His courage. except moral eour-
age. had never been particularly
tested. He was naturally quite
fearless, even carelessly so. and
whether II was the courage OF fg-
norance oBa constitutional inability
to be afraid never bothered his
mind because he never thought
about IL
Now. amused at his unusual ut
OF caution, he stretched himself out
on his bed, stIll dressed, debating
in his mind whether he should un-
dress and try 20 sleep. or whether IL,
were really Eorths while besO-e he
boarded the steamer. rzse
The Face at the WinAOWs fre
And. as he lay there. a eigaFetts
between his lips, wakeflALj bis rest
less gaze wanderiuE.r7b be asnddenlY
caught a glimpse OF something NOV
ingJa human face pressed to the
dark glass OF the corridor window
between the partly lowered shade
and the cherry wood sill.7 ----y-
So amazed was he that the face
had disappeared besors he SealtEed
that il resembled the face OF Use
Dumont. The next instant he WaB
on his feet and opening the doer OF
the draWing-roOm; but the corridor
empty ana DARK AMI st!i4; not q cur
tain fiuttered 20
He did not care to leave his door
way, either; with the box lying
there on his bed; he stood with one
hand on the knob. listening, peerinE
into tne dusk, still excited b. tE-'
surprise Of seeing her oG the sane
train that he had taken. $50,
However, on reflection. he CCue
- Il TssF.T
no difficulty in boarding the mid
night train for New York withoU;
being noticed by him; because is
was not expecting her 10 do such =
thing and ne had paid no attention
TO the group OF passengers emery
ing from the Waiting-room Wh=n
the express rolled in.
This is rather funny" he
thought. Il wish I could find her.
1 wish she'd be friendly enough to
pay me a visit. Scheherazade is GER
tainIy an entertaining girl. And it'B 90
several hours TO New York"
He fingered a while longer, but
seeing and hearing nothing except
darkness and assorted snOres, he
stepped into his stateroom and
locked the door again.
What Did She Seek
Sleep was now impossible; the
idea OF SCneneraZade prOWliuS n
the dark corridor outside amused
him intensely, and aroused every
atom of his curiosity. Did the girl
really expect an opportunity 10 scel
the box: Or was she keeOi"S a
sinister eye on him with a view 20
suu1moning accomplices from Vastly
metropolitan deeps as soon a the
train arrived? Or, having ta.is1 II
Brook hollow, was she merely going
back to town to report progress
Backward #t
He finished his mineral water.
and, still feeling thirsty, rang, On
the chance that the porter IpiSlt
still be awake and obligins-
Something about the entire affair
was beginning to strike him as ia
tenSely funny, and the idea n For-
eiGn spies Sinking about Broo.s-
hollow: the seriousness with which
this young girl took herself and
her mission; her amateur attempts
at murder: her solemn mention CT
the Turkish embassy-all these ex-
cited his sense OF the humorous
Aand again incredulity crept in. and
presently he found himself hum
ming Irwin's immortal Kaiser re-
frain:
"Hi-le. Hi-lo,