Evening star., 1927-11-21

diagnosis as true, locke and the
TalOfa had thrown even so acute A
stalker as a supernatural sp:- ~ off the
trail. AS matter of fat. it had prob
ably been some maniacal or drug.
craZed idiot running for the moment
amuck. Tonight, with these soft,
whispering airs around him, and Sc
renity and loveliness everywhere in
contrast with that night of storm, the
incident did rot seen so virulent a
thing anyway; it seemed to be
smoothed over, to be relegated def.
nitely to where it belonged-to the
realm of things ended and done with.
Certainly, since that night nothing
had happened.
And yet, now. his lips tightened.
1t was unfortunate he had not
caught the man. He would have liked
to have seen the others face; to have
exchange memory with memory -
and to lave slammed forever shut that
particular door of the bygone days if
by any chance he found he had been
careless enough to have left one. In
passing, ajar.
He swore sharply under his breath;
but the next moment shrugged his
shoulders. The incident was too i'm
measurably far removed from Manwa
Island to allow it to intrude itself upon
him now. Why think of things such as
that when the very night itself here
with it's languor. it's beauty, and-yes,
again--its magic. sought to bring to
the senses the gift of delightful re-
pose and contentment? When the
He stood suddenly still. and in sheer
amazement rubbed his eyes. He had
come to the end of the tree-arched
road, and it seemed as though he gaZed
now on the imaginative painting of Il
master genius. daring. bold in. it's con-
ception. exclusive in it's execution.
Either that or there was magic in the
night. and he had been transported
bodily through enchantment into the
very land of Arabian nights.
a few yards away he faced what
looked in the moonlight like a great
marble balustrade, and rising above
this. painted into a hue of softest
white against the night. lowered what
might well have been q caliph's pal
ace. 1t stretched awav in lines un-
usual in their beauty and design; col
umns above the balustrade; little
domes like minarets against the sky
line; quaint latticed windows
And the effect of the whole was that
of mirage on Il sea of emerald green
for, sweeping away from the balus-
trade. wondrous in it's color under the
moonlight. was a wide expanse of
lawn. level. unbroken until the eye
met again the horizon rim beyond in
the wall of encircing trees--a wall of
inky blackness.
He moved forward out onto the
lawn-and IS suddenly halted again.
as there seemed to float into his line
of vision from around the corner of
the balustrade. like some nymph of
the moonlight. the slim, graceful figure
of a girl in white, clinging draperiC =,
whose clustering masses of dark hair
crowned face that in the soft light
was amazingly beautiful. And he
caught his breath as he gaZed. AID
the girl, ith low cry. stood still
and then came running toward him.
"Oh, Guardy. Guardy. Guardv"' she
cried. II knew you'd come! l knew
it,"
1t was Polly's voice. 1t hadn't
changed. Was the nymph Polly? She
was running with both hands out.
stretched. He caught them in his own
her face almost unbelievingly. Polly.
This wasn't Polly! Pollys photo.
graphs were of very pretty girl
this girl was glorious, She stirred the
pulses. Damn it. she made the blood
leap,
She lung back now a little shyly.
the color coming and going in her
face.
He laughed. He meant it to be a
laugh of one entirely in command both
of himself and the situation: but it
sounded in his ears :, laugh forced.
unnatural. a poor effort to cover a
suddenly routed composure.
And is this all the welcome I get?"
he demanded. He Dire. her closer to
him. Cad, why not take his rights?
She was worth it,
She held up her cheek demurely.
II wasn't quite sure" she said
coyly. 'One's department with ones
guardian wasn't in the school curric.
ulum. you know-Guardy!"
Then / should have been more par
ticular in my selection of the school"
he said 1t was strange, unaccount-
able! His voice seemed to rasp. He
kissed her--then held ker off I arms
length. Polly! This bewitchin~ crea
ture was Polly! How the color came
and fed; and something glistened in
the great dark eyes-like the dew
glistening in the morning u.light.
"Oh, Tuardy!" she murmured Its
so good To see your
You waited up for me, Polly?" he
asked.