The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-08-11

persons one encounters so ire quently."
 T find it is as if we had known each other before he said, smiling at Dagger. There is strange sense of familiarity"
 Dagger returned his smile.
 "In, a sense you are right, Mon sieur le Due. For I knew of you years ago"
 But you said your husband--' Not from my husband. Do you remember Blaine Howard?"
 But of course!"
 And the Princess exclaimed: ':The wandererl An, that Mon sieur Howard Whenever he came to Paris, he and Raoul would sit up the night long and falkland talk. Of what? I would demand in the morning. Of philosophy, they would say, of life" Her eyes fitted bird-like over Daggers features. You knew him before the war
 Three years ago-or little more," Dagger answered, hoping that she was not blushing too ob- viously
 You must have been mere child, my dear Did he notice you?"
 Madame Vaneering is one Blaine would have noticed at any age," de Senac replied to his aunt before Dagger could speak. T am sure you had much in common, Madame"
 We did" Dagger admitted, furi- ously at her renewed self-conscious- ness. "He-he was very kind to me. I was fond of him"
 "A glorious fellow, said de Senac Honorable, intelligent, eager to know the inwardness of things. I miss him, Madame. Of course, you know of his death?"
 Dagger inclined her head.
 T heard-at the time," she re- piled, speaking low.
 Poor child" exclaimed the Prin- cess You have seen over much of death, for one so young. Let us talk of something more cheerful as, shall we say, when you could come to dine with us? You would care to meet some of our friends? Yes?"
 Ut is lovely of you to ask me, " returned Dagger But you must suit your convenience My time is 
 Shall we say tomorrow even- ing?" interjected de Senac.
 Dagger looked at the Princess, who eyed her nephew ironically.
 My faith, you are abrupt, Raoul," chided the old lady What do you think, Madame Vaneering?"
 T should be delighted to come"
 Are there, perhaps, some mutual friends we might ask with you?' inquired the Princess. ITO relieve the strain of {. meeting so many strange faces"
 Dagger hesitated.
 T knoY Lord and Lady Wen lock-" she answered. Lord Wen lock was with my uncle in Texas for some years"
 Both the others nodded.
 "Wenlock I know fairly we'll" said de Senac. "A charming man, Madame"
 And know, too, his wife? as- sented the Princess. But here is our tea. Madame Vaneering, you must tell me of your Texas"
 For two months Dagger moved : in the highest circles of Partisan so- city, shepherded by the Due de Pcntoise and his aunt. She was very happy. Raoul de Senac was a man whose attentions must have honored any woman. There was no l feeling of sex in her attitude to- 1 ward the Frenchman; hs functioned | in her thoughts merely as a friend: and if the ardency of his gaze at times accentuated the studied cour- . tesy of his actions, she wilfully i shut her eyes to the implications thus conveyed. She wanted de Sen- | no f,-tA ell, 4 him for a lover. So she was more surprised, perhaps, than she had right to be when the Princess Ra- kovsky assailed her quite directly one afternoon as they were driving in the Bois.
 Copyright, 1880, Duffield and Co) |
 Unknown to Dagger, events