The Washington herald., 1920-07-25

ms eao Aahts W
the silent trail. Back he
comes, triumphant, bearing the
severed, CORY head OF his victim
His particular brown or
white maid fingers, with nutter-
ing bosom casting soft tigers
eyes at the evidence Of his love
for her.
stole softly from the house
and returned to my hut From
its supporting nails in the wall
took azmachete as heavy &s q
butchers cleaver and sharper
than a safety-razor. And then I
chuckled softly to myself, and set
out TO the fastidiously appointed
private ONCE of Monsieur Louis
Devoe. usurper to the hand OF the
Pearl of the Pacific.
He was never slow at thinking;
he gave one look at my face and
another at the weapon in my
hand as ! entered his door, and
then he seemed to fade from my
sight. ] ran to the back door,
kicked IL open, and saw him run
ming like deer UP the road to-
ward the wocd that began 300
yards away. ! was after him,
with a shout, / remember hear
ing children and women scream
ing, and seeing them flying from
the road.
He was feet, but was strong
er. A mile, and l had almost
come up with him. He doubled
cunningly and dashed into a brake
that extended into a small canon.
crashed through this after him,
and in hye minutes had HIM cot
able cliffs There his instinct of
self-preserystion stesdied him. as
IL will steady even animals at
bay. He turned to me, quite calm,
with a CHASTITY smile.
"Oh, Rayburn" he said. with
such an awful effort at ease that
was impolite enough 10 laugh
rudely in his face. "Oh, Rayburn!"
said he. come, let's have done
with this nonsense! OF course, I
know it's fever and you're not
yourself: but collect yourself, man
give me that ridiculous weapon
now, and let's go back and talk IL
over"
Il will go back" said /, carry
ing your head with me. We will
see how charmingly IL can dis
course when IL lies in the basket
at her door"
Come" said he persussively.
81 think better of you than TO
suppose that you try this sort OF
thing as a joke. But even the
vagaries of a fever-crazed luna
tic come some time to a limit
What 10 this talk about heads
and baskets7 Get yourself to-
gether and throw away that alb
surd csne-chopper. What would
Miss Greene think Of you?' he
ended, with the silky cajolery
that one would use toward a fret
full child.
Listen" said I. AT last you
have struck upon the right note.
What would she think Of me?
Listen" ! repeated.
There are women" I said. who
look upon horsehair sofas and
currant wine as dross. To them
even the calculated incubation Of
your well-trimmed talk sounds
like the dropping OF rotten plums
from a tree in the night. They are
the maidenS who walk hack and
forth in the villages, scorninE the
emptiness OF the baskets at the
DOORS OF the young men who
would win them. One, such as
they" I said. rs waiting. Only
a fool would try TO win a woman
by drooling like a braggart in her
doorway or by waiting upon her
whims like a footmaR. Gay are
all daughters OF Herodiss, and to
gain their hearts one must lay
the heads OF his enemies before
them with his own hands Now.
not be a coward as well as a chat
terer at a lady's tea-table."
There, there" sid Devoe, falt-
eringly. You know me- don't
you, Rayburn?"
"Oh, yes" l said, 'T know you.
know you. ! know you. But
the basket is empty. The old men
of the village and the young men.
and both the dark maidens and
the ones who are as fair as pearls
walk back and forth and see its
emptiness. Will you kneel now,
or must we have a sCuffle? 1t is
not like you to make things go
roughly and with bad form. But
the basket is waiting for your
head"
with that he went to pieces.
had TO catch him as he tried to
scamper past me like a scared
rabbit. stretched him out and
got foot on his chest, but he
squirmed like a worm, although
appealed repeatedly TO his
sense OF propriety and the outy
he owed to himself as a gentle
man not to make a row.
But at last he gave me the
1t was not hard work. He
hoped like a chicken during the
six or seven blows that IL took
to sever his head. but finally he
lay still and tied his head in
my handkerchief. The eyes open
ed and shut thrice while I walked
hundred yards. I was red to
my feet with the drip. but what
did that matter? With delight I
felt under my hands the crisp
touch Of his short. thick, brown
hair and lOse-trimmed beard.
/ reached the house Of the
Greenes and dumped the head Of
Louis DeyOe into the basket that
still hung by the nail in the door
jamb. / sat in a chair under the
awning and waited. The sun was
within two hours Of setting.
Chloe came out and looked sur
prised
Where have you been. 1om-
my" she asked You were gone
when ] came out"
Look in the basket" l said
rising to my feet. She looked
and gave a little sCream-of de-
light, was pleased to note.
''Oh, Tommy" she said. TT was
just what l wanted you to do. Its
~ u.