Evening star., 1922-08-11

currents OF superstition, aVarlce ana
race hatred in the case presented a
tangle that challenged him.
THANK YOU" he murmured, rising.
You have told me quite enough to
make me think seriously before I
Join In any such undertaking"
She smiled enigmatically and we
bowed ourselves out
"A most battling woman" was
Craigs only comment as we rode
down again in the elevator to wait for
the return Of Don Luis and the Sc.
norita.
Scarcely had their chair set them
down at the inn than Alfonso seemed
to appear from nowhere. He had
evidently been waiting in the shadow
Of the porch for them
we stood aside and watched the lit
tie drama. For few minutes the
Senorita talked with him One did not
need to be told that she had a deep
regard for the young man. She want
| ed to see him, yet she did not want
to see him. Don Luis. on the contrary.
seemed to become quite restive and
impatient again and to wish to cut the
conversation short
1t was self-evident that Alfonso
was deeply in love with Inez. I won-
dered whether. after all, the trouble
was that the proud old Castilian Don
Luis would never consent to the mar
rage OF ms daughter to one Of In
l. d
forbidden by race prejudice?
In any event. one could easily
| imagine the feelings of Alfonso to-
ward Lockwood. whom he saw carry
| ing on the prize under his very eyes
AS for his mother. we had seen that
lne Peruviaus of her caste were a
proud old race Her son was the ap-
! pie OF her eye. Who were these to
| scorn her race. her family?
~ was little more than an hour
after our first meeting when the
parry. INCLUDING Lockwood, who had
;,n1sheo u; s ms letters; gathered again up
| IN the rooms of the Mendozas
1t was a delightful evening. even IN
spite of the tension on which we were,
| we chatted about everything from
archaeology to Wall street. until
| could well imagine how any one pos
| sessed OF an imagination susceptible
I'm, 10 tne 1nnnence OF mystery and ira
ing charm Of the magic words, peje
chica. and feel all>th gold hunters $
enthusiasm when brought into the
atmosphere of the peje grande.
Visions Visions OF hidden treasure seemed to
Kennedy s'amSpr and tSe eyer ,snnryth eysrything
moved over to a window, where they
were gazing out on the 'fairyland OF
| Atlantic Beach spread out before
them. while Lockwood and Don Luis
were eagerly qutzzing me on the
pos,es "ohs Pref * KennsGx mewspapsr publicity
say under her breath. Sometimes
Tear that 1t is the NAL de o1o-the
evil eye
did not catch Crsis's answer, but
l DID catch him time and again mar
| rowly observing Don Luis. Our host
was smoking furiously now. and his
| eyes had even more than before tina:
peculiar. staring look BY the way
his veins stood out l could see that
Mendoza's heart action must be
rapid. He was talking more and
| more wildly as he grew more ex-
cited. Even Lockwood noticed it and
/ thought. frowned
| Slowly the conviction was forced
| mad.
Really. must get back to the
city tonight" 1 overheard Craig say
to the senorita as finally he turned
from the window toward US.
Her face clouded. but she said
nothing.
IF yeu could arrange to have US
dine with You tomorrow night up
here. however" he added quickly in
a whisper. Il think 1 might be pre-
I pared to take some action
| BY all means" she replied eager
ly, as though catching at anything
that promised aid.
| On the late train back. / half
| dozed, wondering what had caused
Mendoza's evident madness. Was i;
a sort of auto-hypnotism? There
was, l knew. form OF Illusion
| known as ophthalmophobia- of
the eye. 1t ranged from mere aver
sion at being gazed at all the way to
the subjective development of real
| physical illness out of otherwise
| trifiing ailments. II not that, what
| object could there he for anv opo "a
cause such a condition? Might it be
for the purpose ofi. robbery? Or
might it be for revenge?
l. Back in the laboratory. kenned!