The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1924-09-11
Chapter v

The two women sat on the terrace
Of their wistaria-covered villa
Madame de Poniere hunched up In
her chair, smoking cigarette through
long tube; Pauline, her reputed
niece, her coffee and cigarette alike
neglected. gazing fixedly seward.
Their immediate environment suggest
ed at once a taste for luxury and the
means to crafty it. The linen and
silver on the little table at which they
had just lunched was Of the finest pos
sible quality-the former lace-bordered
and adorned with coronet A bowl
of pink roses occupied the center OF
the table. The coffee had been served
In little cups OF the finest Sevres china.
In the background, a single servant
was standing, dress ed In plain black
livery, a man grs! haired and with
lined face, but tall and of powerful
build. He possessed to the full the
immobility of feature OF the trained
English servant, but their was some
thing entirely foreign in his sphinx
like attitude and expression. He had
the air of one who neither saw nor
heard save at his mistress orders.
Il am weary Of everything here e1-
cept the sum-" Pauline declared de-
iberately.
The woman opposite knocked the
ash from her cigarette. Hers was an
aged and withered face, but her black
eyes were still full of life and fire.
Her long, thin hand, on which flashed
several strangely SET rings, was sud-
denly extended toward the waiting
servant. Without word he bowed
and disappeared.
"One must wait" Madame do
POniere declared.
"For what" the girl asked lazily.
The older woman's eyes glittered for
moment.
For what will surely come" she
declared. "ric portents are all there.
The writing is no longer upon the
wall--it blazes to the sky"
And meanwhile" Pauline muir
INJURED 1.-THE sun shines. my heart
beats in tame to 1t, and 1 feel all the
time the WEAKNESS of the days"
TT is the insurgence of youth" the
older woman conceded indulgently. II
suppose the greatest must feel it some
day."
She thrust another cigarette into her
tube and lit it, inhaling with the long,
regular breaths of the confirmed smok-
er. Her delicately-shaped but talon
like fingers were stained with nicotine.
"Zubin arrives this week." she an
nounced.
Palline yawned.
More mysteries" she murmured,
"more false hopes, more exaggerated
stories. Nothing good will come OF
Zubin's visit but the money he brings.
unless by any chance he has news Of
Stepan. Meanwhile, dear madame, i
bore myself. I rather wish that I had
been born an American"
The woman showed no sign OF an
ger, yet somehow or other she seemed
to diffuse an atmosphere Of contempt.
at is perhaps a pity" she admitted.
that you are descended from one Of
the greatest rulers the world has ever
known. 1t is perhaps a pity"
"Give me, something to rule over"
the girl declared, "and Will be repent
ant-the souls and liberties Of few
million people, or the hearts OF few
men, I am twenty-three years old and
the sun is warm. And then there II
the music, our one resource when there
Il no money to gamble with. What Ia
the use Of music, madame, to one who
lives behind the bars? 1t simply makes
one pull at them little harder 4 am
as badly OF as Stepan himself. who
loves me from behind the fortress
walls. Sometimes I wish that were
there with him."
Madame de Poniere reached for a
ivory-topped stick and rose to her feet.
Almost as though by magic, from
somewhere within the dim, cool re-
cesses of the room beyond. the gray
haired manservant was by her side.
She leaned upon his arm.
"we drive at four O'Clock, Pauline"
she said. Afterwards, we will watch
the play at the Sporting club"
Pauline shrugged her shoulders. II
was the same yesterday afternoon. and
every day behind. 1t would probably
be the same tomorrow. She looked In
tently across the narrow gorge toward
that other villa. A two-seared car
had turned in from the road and was
crawling up the winding avenue. She
stretched out her hand for the field
glasses which lay on the table by her
side. The figure Of the young man at
the wheel was familiar to her.
Pauline rose to her feet. Almost
as mysteriously as the manseryanr
had appeared few moments before, a
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