The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-09-03
CHAPTER I.
THE GOLDEN ARRoW.
Copyright. 1922, the Bobbs-Merr Co.
Al RlRhts Resefved.

man she had ever seen. since she
first began seeing young men, as
such, at all; a matter OF half a
dozen years perhaps. For the Prin.
cess was barely twenty.
He was not looking at her. His
gaze was all abroad, expressive OF
an adventurousness somewhat timid
and confusion half enjoyed over
the bedlam OF sound and movement
that enveloped him, It was look
that detached him utterly from his
surroundings. Propelled, feathered
by his extraordinary beauty, 1t flew
like an arrow straight to the gold
en- heart Of the Princess. 1t was
the first shaft that had ever found
that mark. She lell in love, she
was afterward to decide, then.
Granted another mere shred OF
time for reflection she would have
realized this upon the spot. But
almost simultaneously another ar
row, and this lethal one, pierced
her consciousness.
The beautiful young man had in
all probability but a few seconds
more 10 llvel This was thu unani.
nous conviction OF the horror
struck by-standers, who, according
to their individual temperaments,
screamed at him or merely stared.
He stood between two towering
buildings in the mouth OF an alley
ont OF which--and wanting nearly
the whole width OF twas backing
a juggernaut Of a motor truck. It's
note of warning, perfunctorily and
continuously uttered, a thin,
complaining note, ludicrously dis
proportionate to its monstrous
bulk, was engulfed in the
pandemonium Of rush.hour down
town traffic, the shrieking brakes
of an elevated train coming
into its station half a block away,
the thuttering of a hundred motor
cars converging upon the entrance
to Orchestra Hall around the cor
ner. where the worlds greatest vio-
llnist had Just finished a recital,
the shrill of policemen's whistles,
the shouts, frantic now, OF Look
outl"
The beautiful young man seemed
trying to look out but in what d.
rection he should look he did not
know, and In another three bresths
one of those great double-treaded
driving wheels was going to mangle
the life out OF him.
With an eXpertness summoned
from her forgotten past by the
agony OF need, the Princess acted.
She sprang upon the Young man
a diving tackle brilliantly timed
and executed. They went down to-
gether. They slid as one mass in
the thin coating OF slime which a
passing shower had surfaced the
alley with, and wedged against the
farther curb. The great double
treaded wheel went by. missing
them by hands breadth.
The next few minutes had for
her the quality of one Of those
restless dreams wherein one does
ludicrous things In the deadliest
frantic earnest; packs useless and
untransportable objects into a dis
proportionate trunk for prepos-
ferrous railway journey. is obliged
to sally forth, because the time is
so short, clad in nothing but q
nlghtdress and two left gloves,
looks valnly for a taxi In the
crowded staring street and catches,
faute de mieux, a passing hearse--
that sort of dream.
She who had been but o moment
ago the Princess, dignifed, exquis-
itely clad, the target of suddenly
illuminated glances OF awed recog-
milton, was choking now in a VIC.
let cloud Of partly burned gasoline
vapur, deafened by the clash OF
furiously idle machinery, struggling
to extricate herself from a mass of
which she seemed to have become
an indissoluble part, though the
other half of 1t was struggling too,
as blindly as she, toward the ac-
complishment OF the same purpose.
She was, in a general sort of
way. on top of him, but for some
nightmare reason It seemed Inn
possible for her to rise. Her arm,
she presently realized, was be-
tween him and the asphalt She
could feel cold mud all the way up
to her elbow, along with the gritty
remains of her platinum wrist
watch. Also It was as II something
tied her legs Her skirt, a plated
thing. must be under him too.
Roll over" she commanded.
"Roll OFF my hand-no, the other
way"
This produced a convulsive ac-
tivity on his part which eventually
liberated her, They rose simultan-
eously and bumped their heads
against the overhanging floor OF
the motor van ct was like, she re-
fiected-horribly like a scene in a
Mack Sennett comedy, only with
out a camera. But suppose-good