Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-20

]
ti,toe with my gun in my hand, but
I need not have troubled, They we're
like logs. emptied their pockets.
hclned myself "a every penny OF the
/ money which should have been hand
cd over 10 me and every penny OF
( their own / took their guns from
! their pockets in case of accidents and
/ threw them away. left them there
! like dead men and. with practically
all the stores IN the back Of my car
and every dollar In my pocket, | start
/ ed off for San paulo.'
Martin moved uneaSily in his chair,
/ He was quite incapable OF speech, en-
/ thralled by his companions simply
chosen words. which seemed 10 bring
/ up the whole scene before his eyes,
1T was more than so miles to San
/ paulo. and the road was nothing but
/ mud track Nevertheless, / reached
/ there the next day I put up my
/ az a place. bought clean clothes and
! linen. bathe6 and shaved. and stepped
/ back across the border line into civ
+ illzaticn. There was no need for me
I 10 hurry getting away The nearest
dwelling house to our shack was more
than 20 miles distant. There WASH
I such a thing as car 10 be bought
/ or hired anywhere in those days. and
if there had been neither Porle nor
! Solomon Graunt had A dollar OF money
/ 70 hire one with or to even procure
4 mule. I reckoned l had two days
! clear AS il happened. 1t was lucky I
/ had, for. after all, I ran the thing
pretty close. / went and booked my
/ passage on fruit steamship sailing.
they assured me. within - hours and
then | went to see the woman who
had kept me human. whom l pitied
more than any one else in the world,
Lauritas mother. Victor Porles wife -
A little exclamation escaped at last
from Mortin's lips. His hosts face
had grown Sterner. Martin waited
breathIeSsly.
4 am not going to attempt to glorify
or conceal the truth about Laurita ;
mother She drifted into San Paulo
with an opera company from Buenos
Aires. stayed there and danced every
night at the place We called the
Palais-half gambling hell. half dane
ing hall. She was pretty What might
have saved her proved her ruin. Vic
tor Porle married her soon after her
arrival, tired of her in q month or
so and forced her to 60 back to her
dancing She lived in rooms over the
Palais ana there her child. Laurita,
was born. I honestly believe, Martin
in fact l know--that she tried %
Keep straight. In such den Of
| iniquity. with such a husband to jeer
/ ut her efforts at responsibility, she
/ couldn't do 1t. She was the most
pathetic figure l have ever met with
IN my life. She was heautiful--more
beautiful than Laurita ever will be-
he NV
/ " good. but there she was like a
beautiful butterfly in a collectors
glass bottle The MANAGEMENT of the
Palais paid her fees upon which no
one in the world could have lived
least Of all in San Paulo and when
she appealed to her husband he an
Swerad her with fendish cruelty. /
remember scene between them-hcr
pleading for protection--his brutal an
SWer! shall not repeat his words
Martin / am an old tired man. but
feel my arm nerved for murder when
/ think Of them Those words were
the beginning Of our quarrel. threw
MIN out into the street, and she suf-
fered for it."
Again the silence. The man whose
/ quiet words seemed to have filled the
whole atmosphere with drama. rose
/ 10 his feet and threw open the win
COWS leading onto the terrace. AL
ways afterward when he thought of
! mar evening, Martin remembered the
faint perfume Of those hvacinths In
their last glory waited In through the
windows. mingling with the scent If
the hnthouse roses upon the table
Lord Arorington came back to the
ifole, but he did not at once resume
ms seat. He stood there, his hands
upon the high back OF his chair.
am coming 10 the end of nv
story. Martin" he said 81 went TO
Lalritas mother and I told her the
pam truth. I was as sick OF my
foul life as she was sick of hers. I
suddenly felt an overwhelming desire
10 do one good action-whatsver II
cost me. I asked her to come with
me and bring the child. / offered
. take them both back to England
For very shame knew that my rela
fiHes would provide me with a means
OF making living. / promised her
new life and chance for the
child There had n ,ver been word
OF loVemakine between us. That came
aIteFward, and It came out of her deeo
gratitude, for / kept my promise. They
left San Paulo with me. and before /
ook snip for England ] learned that
fne title was mine. and an income
~nlch seemed TO me in those DAYS
enormous. Laurita's mother lived for
seven ycars--mostly in the south Of
F.! france. where / bought villa. She
] was absolutely happy to the end, but
! The lie Al San PauIo had undermined
her constitution With her last breath
she made me swear that would guard
Lauriia. She knew Victor Porle-we
both knew him"
Have YOU heard nothing from
! elfn@r Of these two men until nov ?"
+ Martin asked surprised to fna his
j throat and tongue dry.
We saw them on the quay ~ San
Fauio 81 re left. In way our de-
nsTture vas dramatic. They Trained
+ down and reached the cuay~-a ghaStly
/ sirht--iust as We steamed of. After
ward there came one letter from him
and only one. The memory of that
iefter and It's threat was the only cloud
/ upon poor Laurita's life"
Do you suppose. Martin ventured
( mat ne has come here really to take
he: away7"
For that and no other purpose He
/ has come 10 keep his oath~-the most
( terrible one man ever made. ! was
/ never. alas, married 10 Laurita s
/ HtoLiff' we wrote time after time
/ oieflng iim anything in the world
| for divorce There was no reply
| for many years The last time there
came a single sentence It would in
teffefe with my intentions.
BIT what can he d0?"
could almost wish" Lord Ard
fingt1n said, with sudden fash Of
me eyes that We we're back again
! IN country where the laws are iavet
and whore be and could answer Thai
question iof our two selves. Unfortu.
nately. We are In England. The fact
/ tnat Was never married tn her mother
and brought them both away from san
PaaIo makes his claim In Law un-
/ ans3ersbe He has come to take
Laprita from me
Inc horror In those last words
scarcely found an echo in Martin /