Evening star., 1924-09-12
THE OWLS HOUSE
A Thrilling Adventure Story
By Crosbie Garstin
Copyright. 1924. hy Frederick A. Stokes Co.

and shifted at their pick cts, an owl
hooted, a. dog barked.
The scene stirred Ortho. 1t was
so strange. and yet somehow so ia
milfar. he had q feeling that some
time. somewhere he had seen it all
before: long ago and far away he
had sat In a camp like this and heard
women singing. He liked the boast
full. stormy songs, Invocation to
Timour," "The Master Thief" THE
Valiant Tailor" but the dirses car
rted him off, one especially. 1t was
very sweet and sad. it had only four
verses and the women sang each re-
frain more softly than the one before.
80 that the last was hardly above
whisper and dwindled into silence
like the wind dying away--"aie, ale,
ale. ale. Ortho did not understand
what 1t was about. it's name even,
but when he heard IL he lost himself.
became some one else, some one else,
! who understood perfectly crept inside
his body. forced his tears, made him
sway and feel queer. Then the gypsy
women across the fire would glance
at him and nudge each other quietly.
See" they would whisper, his Rom
grandfather looking out of his eyes"
CHAPTER X.
one evening in late February there
was much mullet pie for supper,
which was SO much to Teresa's taste
that she ate more than even her he
roic digestive organs could cope with.
rent the Silly night with Iamenta-
tions and did not get up for break
fast Toward o'clock she felt bet
ter at II was herself again. and. re-
memhering ii was Paul Feast dress
ed in her finery and rode off To see
the sport.
She arrived to witness what ap-
peared to be fratricidal war be-
tween the seafarinG stalwarts of the
parish and the farm hands. A mob
of boys and men sureed about a field,
battling claw and hoof for the pos
session of a cowhide ball which occa-
sionally lobbed into view, but more
often lay buried under a pile of
writhing bodies.
Teresa was very fond of these
rough sports and journeyed far and
wide to see them. but what held her
interest most that afternoon was a
party of gentry who had ridden from
Pen2ancc to watch the barbarians at
play. Two ladies and three gentle
men thor. were, the elder woman
riding pillion, the younger Side-sad :
die. They were very exquisite and
through quiZzinS glasses and made
witty remarks after the manner of
visitors at menagerie commenting
on near-human antics of the mon
keys. The younger woman chattered
inccssantly; thinly pretty creature.
wearing a gold braided cooked hat
and long brown coat cut in the mas
culine mode.
Eliza, Eliza, I beseech you look at
that womanS stomacher! And
that wench's farthingale, Elizabeth
an, 1 declare; one would imagine one
self at Nauxhall masquerade. Mr..
Borlase, l felicitate YOU on your en-
tertainment." She waved her whip
toward the mob. Bear pits are tedi-
Gus by comparison. ] must pen my
experiences for the Spectator-'Eie-
gantia inter Barbaros, or a Lady 5
Adventures Among the Wild Cornish.
Tell me, pray. when it Is all over DO
they devour the deado We must 90
before that takes place. l shall posi-
lively expire of fright, though my
cousin Nenables, who has voyaE d
the South Seas, tells me cannibais
are as a rule an amiable and loving
people, vastly preferable to Tories.
Capt. Angus, l have dropped my 'kcr-
chief. You neglect me. sir. Ny God,
Eliza, there's a handsome boy, Be-
hind you. The gypsy boy on the so--
rel pony. What pretty young
rosue!'
The whole party turned their heads
to look at the Romany Apollo. Teresa
followed their example and beheld it
was Ortho. Under the delusion shat
his mother was abed and. judging
by the noise she made, at deaths door,
he had ventured afeld in company
with four young Hernes. He wore no