Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-24

| Gomez! she cried. THE music Is
changing. How wild it ISL And she
swayed from him. dancing on light
| feet.
The man ieaped after her reaching
| out eager hands. BY some trick of
moon and shade he had lost sight of
| her, and in that second a form came
| in between, and he clutched not the
soft folds of her black habit, but the
brilliant spangles Of Toreador.
| Taken unaware, the Toreador piv-
oted wildly, toppled and fell against
an ivied pedestal on which a Pan was
piping. AS his face came upright
again a moonbeam fell upon it, show.
! ing for a moment wide mouth
! opened over gritted teeth and a face
lvid with rage. Then the Toreador
was gone-and the Abbess whispered
iearfully from the shadows beyond
| and Henderson felt her shake agains-
| him as he circled her with his arm.
What was it, dear?" he asked
guardediy. did he touch you? Did
| sou see his face? Do you know him."
| 'No-oh, no-yes-I don't knaw.
Take Inc to Sohnya quick" she begged.
| Not that way-where the moon
shines-this way" and she hurried
feverishly. stumbling on the long skirt
| of her habit. pulling him by the hand,
covered with a sudden agitation.
| Where the great stone wall Of the
embassy gardens edged the higher
terrace n draped ghost waited with a
rotund monk.
'Sohnya," the Abpess whispered
desperately, 'let us go, quickly. II
| have just seen Hollenbruff-he-had
his hand almost upon me-
| Like shadows the ghost and the
monk melted into the darkness
beyond. drawing with them the Abbess.
Harlequin. his blood pounding in his
veins, followed close.
m. Bedet," he said carefully, Il in
| sist on coming"
II beg you, my friend" whispered
the other, Ito disappear into that
darkness wonderland to go aboard
your ship as soon as possible. Our
poor little game Is over. and we may
pay the piper--but for you further
play is madness. Adieu-and remem-
Der that an old man and wonderful
woman have tried, for a golden mo-
| ment. to serve youth and it's short
hour
He was for pressing the hand of his
friend and sliding through n gate
which came up out of nothing, II
| seemed. to bar their way. but John
Henderson, from Texas. gripped his
fingers and pushed grimly after AS
an afterthought he shut the gate and
dropped the fastening in its slot out
side. Then he followed the hurrying
figures and found that a vehicle hood
ed under an ancient top, was awaiting
in the shadows of the steeply terraced
way. NJ. Bedet handed his compan-
ions quickly IN. pushed in himself,
reached out a protesting hand to him.
From the darkness inside the voice OF
IIlola. thick with anguish, caught his
ear.
Heart of my heart it whispered.
this is the end-of the dream. Do
not forget ne-ever,'
y Z
i ing down the slope, the feet of it's
| horses amazingly still upon the stones
by reason of the sheepskin pads which
covered them. The blood of Harle
quin, already hot along his veins.
surged like a tide in a storm. His
heart leaped in him, choking the air
from his lungs
Love. president of instant and
awful loss. fell upon him with an icy
touch. He knew instinctively that the
, swaying and mysteriously waiting car
riage was carrying out Of his life for
ever the woman he loved-and he
would not have ii. So he set his lips
in the straight line which character
lied them In stress-at the moment
of firing when his lion leaped-as the
line went over-the-top in a rainy Elan
derS dawn-as he stuck the humping
back of q bawling Texas broncho-
and went after the vehicle.
He was long of limb and lean with
physical fitness, and not for nothing
had he led his mates in the hardest
cross-country run of his last year at
college. So the Italian moon wit
messed the strange sight of 6foot
Jester sprinting after a ghostly rig
like all-possessed-saw him gain upon
it where the road turned sharply
saw him make a final savage squirt
and catch 1t as 1t swung upward
through a hidden way beneath the
arch Of trees.
Clinging like a monkey to the rock
ing hood. John Henderson watched
the moonlit world with narrowed eyes.
The familiar house Of the broad stair
way and fiower-filled foyer sat high
upon the close-built slant and the
whistling horses We're making for It
rapidly. a little way below. NJ. Bedet
called in a low voice to the driver,
who stopped abruptly Where the
scented growth made deepest shade
the occupants of the carriage got
quickly out. and almost as if there
had been no halt in its progress the
ancient rig went on.
Monsieur" said John Hender-
son. and leaped backward as he spoke,
for a knife point burned his shoulder
like a serpent and the rotund monk
was upon him with appraised arm.
Mon ami" cried NJ. Bedet aghast,
but you are quick. 1 all but killed
you then. Why did you follow us?
Are you a fool?''
mo, SIR" said his friend. but I'm
a Texan-and they don't, usually
quit
You are mad"' said the French
man sadly, land I am the fool-an
old fool who dabbles with death for
the sake Of romance! For all our
sakes go back"
NO" said Harlequin.
Mr.. Henderson," said the Lady
Sohnya in a sweet. low voice. listen
to monsieur, 1 pray you. Go quietly
back and it will be safer for us all.
Go quickly-and forget us-all save
the sweetness of our short friendship,
our happy holiday. Please 60"
Darling, said Harlequin to the
abbess, standing in silence in the near
dusk. IN never give you up while
now as later. Come back with me
to the Embassy"
For the love of heaven" whispered
Sohnya, move quickly-there's a
path here. 1t leads to the gardens
rear. There's a f1gure-two-at the
turn down theren'
Up the little path. into the garden
sweet with the smell Of night upon
the flowers, into the house the four
friends went on careful feet. There
was no light anywhere. but the heavy.
middle-aged serving woman was wait
ing in the foyer
The Lady Sohnya spoke to her in
the strange tongue, quickly, and
presently they were in a room that
Smallad of diSllQa Il