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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 1904)
GY rtEGBERTJ. ALUNGGHAN, DISLIKE the telling o a true etory-U la t apt to sound Improbable. In Action you can At least trait you character behave consist ently. Real people are hever consistent. In thli particular narrative of fact the flrst Improbability comes at the outset. .1 mutt tell you that 1 am a quiet, easy srinn, sieaoy nomesuc man. It Is my custom . n I leave the office to to straight home, have something t . nt, and then do a bit Of gardening, or. perhaps, take the v f. out shopping, tn the suburb where I live I am hlehly r. v. c'ed as a good father and a considerate husband. In city I hare heard myself described as an "amiable old i Lv. ' The point I wish to make clear la that 1 nm the ,.,-t i rson you would expect to find doing anything eccentric, inpilsive. or unconventional. The Inst persna to whom ,n M of the way adventure would be likely to fall. X. v rtheless. this la what happened on the evening of A uir. 1. 1(103. I lift my office, which la In th neighborhood of Ludgat ( irnm. at ft o'clock sharp, and Instead of hurrying to the i , :nmre tube station on my way to Acton, where I reside, I ..tinned leisurely westward along Fleet street and the Si i and. 1 looked In at the shop wlndowi, read the advertise m.nt on the btises, noted that the bad summer had not i n vented a goodly crop of straw hats, and, In short, In mi'gcd to the full the mild dellghte of loafing. I wns Just passing Somerset house when the Incident oe oirnrt which was the beginning of my surprising adventure. A amtlrman, faultlessly dressed, suddenly accosted me "Pardon me," he began, " but. If I am not mistaken, t srp in you one both willing and able to help me out of an .-wkw-ird dilemma In which I find myself." I h.iwed politely, and waited for him to proceed. I noted th it h" was a good looking man, with fine, aerlous eyea, and ,, f ive, courteous manner. The truth Is," he went on, " that the hour approaches hm It Is my custom to dine. Unfortunately my purse la n i ? ; . If you have not dined, perhaps you will permit me to I your guest?" " Dear mel" thought I to myself. "The confidence trlckl Forty years, man and boy, have I lived In thia great city, and never before have I encountered that ancient dodge." " I will not Insult you," he went on coolly, " by saying tut I shall be able to repay the favor tenfold at an early date. Such Is Indeed the case, but a consideration of that kind would, I am sure, have no Influence with you." All this, I know. Is improbable enough, but what followed mil be, I am sure, still more difficult of belief especially by t'Mse who are acquainted with my usual habits and dis position. Whether I Was fascinated by the man's amazing Impu at nee, or whether I waa attracted by the sheer novelty and absurdity of the Situation, I cannot any. This only I know, th.it when the stranger had finished speaking I found myself utfi-rly Incapable of delivering a curt negative, and so bring ing the rlillcutoua adventure to- Ita natural termination. Instead of acting thus, sensibly and naturally, I entered forthwith Into the spirit Of the thing. " Sir," I said, maintaining the utmost gravity of de mennnr, " I am gratified you should have selected me to render you this Slight service. I have not yet dined, and rhnli deurn It a favor If you will be my guest. You will Increase the obligation If you will name the hotel or restau rant most agreeable to your fancy." I think he was surprised. lie was certainly gratified. Me raised his hat with a, gesture somewhat foreign but altogether charming. " Sir. your courtesy overwhelms me' he said earnestly. " Hut I beg of you to make no alteration In your arrange ments. Merely permit me to take a place at your table, wherever it may be." " Then we will go to my club, which Is hear at hand," I n tilled. "The place 18 comfortable, and the cooking all that a plain man cah desire." 1 Joined the Wallaby club In my bachelor days, and al though I have been mnrrled five years, and seldom use the I laeo these days, I still keep up my subscription, mainly from sentimental reasons, I suppose. To take a perfect strangrr, of whose character you know nothing. Into the sacred precincts of your club Is the worst piHsilde kind of bad form. And yet I was guilty of this indis cretion, and I have nothing whatever to say In explanation or defense. I cun only .plead that the stranger, with his handsome appearance and agreeable manners, had bewitched rno. Once Insula the club I wrote out a telegram to my wife, informing her that I should be late, and, having dispatched tills liy a club messenger, I devoted myself to my new ac quaintance. We had a delightful dinner together, the stranger proving a brilliant and most entertaining conversationalist. He liuil traveled much, and, apparently. In every kind of society, for he had good stories to tell about all sorts and conditions of well known folk. " Do you know," I said, as we were sipping our coffee and smoking our cigars, " you have given me a most entertaining ( vrnlng, nnd I have absolutely no right to ask you any ques tions, but I confess I am curious. Tou are evidently a man of culture and refinement, and I should have said a man of mentis as well. If, without betraying any confidence, you could tell me who you are, and bow you came to find your self this evening in need of a dinner well, the story would interest me." My companion leaned back In Ms chair, and watched the blue smoke as It ascended from the end of his cigar, 11a mas astiM 9,m AiiOa Atvhlla ati1 whon nt lAnirth h A xpoke his old. gravely courteoue manner had returned. "If you Insist I will tell you everything. In spite of what you say vou have a right to question me. At the same time. I admit I have reasons for being reticent. For the present I should prefer to say nothing, even to you who have rendered me a service greater than you Can possibly conceive, still, It Is for you to decide, tf you Insist, I will at once relate to you the whole of my strange story." Merely a KCIL WALLINQTON. editor of Ladles' Fan- Cl dee, smiled at he glanced at an envelope ad I dressed to the offices of his paper In a familiar I and distinctly feminine hand. " Now, I wonaer wnii sne is writing sdoui this time!" he mused. The note, by the way, was directed to " Ca roline," that redoubtable person whose weary w .irk It was to attend to the correspondence column. Wulllngton lit a clgaret by way of bracing himself up be fore he tackled the missive; then he settled down and read: "Dear ' Caroline' t I have fallen In love with a man at lirst stunt. How am I to get to know him? I have een him only once, but t am quite sure that he Is the one man for me. 1 am not a romantlo girl. Indeed, I may say that I am ex tremely matter of fact, and am not carried away, as a rule, by flrst Impressions. Will you please put In your nice little paper-which I read every week how you think I should net? I Intend sending your editor a short story one day. which 1 hope he Will favorably consider. Awaiting your reply In the correspondence column, I am alncerely yours, " Juu.!' .-"Poor Caroline!" he ejaculated, with an amused smile. " Vour lot is not an enviable one to be obliged to read these effusions." " Bnsggi!" he suddenly shouted to the office boy. " Yes, sir," said that worthy, who had big, bulging eyes nnd i small brain. "Did you call?" ' No, I shouted. If a story comes by Julia aomebody (-ring it me directly you have entered it In the books." " Yes, sir." 1 " And, Snaggs!" sharply. glrr. M Don't grin!" " No, sir." And the large eyed youth disappeared. Wellington was only M, a well set up, good looking, clean shaven fellow, and a clever writer and editor. By hard work and perseverance he had steered his bark. Ladles' Fancies, out of the shallow and treacherous water of comparative failure to the wide, smooth, aea of complete success. Thereby he had won the golden opinion and complete confidence of the proprietors and a good salary. His articles and stories found a ready market, and they In turn found him ready money, which was certainly desirable. So, on the whole, he considered himself one of Dame Fortune's favorites, and ac cordingly had a high opinion of that much sought arter lady. As for Julia, he dismissed her from his mind, thinking her foolish and forward. Now, It Is good to be " sweet and 20," but belter, surely, to be still sweet at S3. Nlxle Moreoombe. who lived with a fear old maiden aunt, could lay claim to both of these attri butes. She was fresh, charming, and lull of fun, as adora ble and mischievous a bundle of feminine daintiness as one could wish to see. And she wrote for the papers. This was quite a secret, as she wiolud to tell no one until she had mada a bit which he certainly never would, but she didn't kuow it so she There was obviously only one reply to make. "Forgive me.- I said, "my Indiscretion Was unpardon able. Shall we have a game of billiards?" We plnyrd a couple f games, both of which he Won, and as he returned his cue to the rack, he drew out a gold Watch from his pocket and consulted It. Then, with reluctance either genuine or admirably assumed, he declared he would have to tear himself away from my delightful society. We lrft the club together, and parted when we reached the Strand, not rxm yards from where we had met. As he shook hands he said: "I cannot thank you. and t shall not attempt to do so. but may I go so far as to ask the name of my benefactor? For such you are. ns you will one day know, If all goes well with me during the next few hours." I offered him my card, which he took and carefully In serted In his poeketbook. "If, In spite of this. I Mill withhold my own name." he aid. "your generosity will not misjudge me. Favor me." he added, " by accepting this ring, and wearing It until you rear from me agii . " Refore I could recover from my astonishment, he was walking briskly away towards the city, while I stood gating stupidly at a magnificent diamond ring lying In the hollow of my hand. I am no Judge of the value of such things, but I have been since told If 1 desire to match the center stone alone It would tost me a hundred and forty guineas to do so. Even at the time I felt that the ring was a valuable one, and I was by ho means comfortable at being In possession of It. As soon as I could gather my wits I hastened after the disappearing figure of the mysterious stranger. He was walking quickly, nnd before I could reach him he had turned up Chancery lane. When 1 arrived at the corner I beheld him stepping Into a motor car about thirty yards up the street. The motor car, I noticed, contained three other men. 1 Opened my Hps to cry out, but before I could do so the car glided swiftly away end left me gaslng helplessly after It. I glanced at the clork over the Law Courts, and noted that It was Just thirty-five minutes past 10. Then, slipping the ring on to my finger, I made my way home. During the Journey I turned the strange adventure over and over In my mind, but could make nothing of It. That a man who could give away a diamond ring and wear a gold watch should yet be reduced to the necessity of begging a meal from a stranger, was. on thP face of It, absurd. Indeed, the whole affair wna Inexplicable. The next morning my dear wife was In a Somewhat contrary hurnor. My late arrival on the previous evening and my confused explanation of It perhaps Justified this. She spoke to me In monosyllables, and addressed the children In whispers. I was not unite sure whether she looked upon me as a tyrant or nn Invalid. If Johnny raised his voice she rebuked him earnestly. "Hush, my boy; your father has a headache." Under these circumstances conversation was clearly Im possible. Therefore I ate my toast and marmalade and read my paper In silence. My own particular morning paper is one which combines dignity with sensationalism. This morning It had a fine op portunity for the display of Its peculiar gifts, for it appeared that on the previous evelilng a dramatic murder had taken place at the Hotel Magnificent, Strand. His Roynl Highness Prince Albrecht, heir apparent to the throne of SerVonla, who had been staying at the hotel for some weeks, was found by a member of his own suite at 6:25 lying across his bed with a dagger burled to the hilt In his side. The assassin had made good his escape. Suspicion had at once fallen upon a certain mysterious Col. Hadley, who, for three days, had occupied a suite of apartments, one room of which adjoined that In which the prince had been murdered. The colonel had disappeared, leaving his luggage behind nlm. The doctors declared that the prince could not have been dead for more than half an hour when the body was dis covered. The motive of the crime was obscure, but the police had several clew. It was discreetly Indicated that the defunct prince had a shady reputation, both private and public. Many scandals were connected with his name. The fact that tho king of Servonla was known to be dying, and that a powerful party In the country was bitterly opposed to Prince Albrecht, suggested a political motive for the crime. On the other hand, the prince. In a career of gross Indulgence and liber tinism, had made so many personal enemies, that his assassi nation might easily have been an act of private revenge. It was believed that the mystery would soon be cleared up. Col. Hadley h;ul been seen to leave tho hotel shortly nfter 0, and It was almost certain that he was still In London. He would certainly find it Impossible to leave the country, and the police were confident that they would nrrest him within a few hours. It did not occur to me until long afterwards to associate this dramatic crime with my experience of the night before. I went to the city and In the humdrum of routine work nearly forgot all about It. , Vtme weeks passed, and the murderer of Prince Albrecht 1 was not arrested. My favorite newspaper dropped the sub- 'Ject. nnd now devoted its chief energies to the pauper alien question Then, towards the ond of September, public Interest In the half forgotten crime was temporarily revived by the death ol the king of Servonla and the succession to the throne, after some disturbances, of his nephew. Prince CIovls. A few day after this announcement appeared I happened Matttteir.oll chose to shield her Identity under the name of " Helena. ' She had had a few stories published two. to be accurate In out of the way papers. Lately she had made up her mind to take up a story to Ladles' Faqcles, which paper she care fully read, Including the correspondence column, conducted by Caroline, for It afforded her Infinite amusement. And she wanted to consult Caroline about an ImiHirtant matter. So on a certain afternoon she sallied forth, a blue eyed and blue frocked maiden. Snaggs, the office boy. was gasing absently before him, with that gigantic brain of his, as usual, at a standstill, when, looking up, he saw Nixie. ' Is the editor of Ladles' Fancies In?" Of course, Snaggs knew he was. but he discreetly laid " he'd see," so he vanished. " In there, miss, please!" And he held th curtain aside as Nlxle walked in. " O," she began on partially catching sight of Cecil, " are you the editor? I've a story " As Wellington turned round she suddenly flushed red and momentarily found the curpet Interesting. " Yes," said Cecil. " What can I do for you?" Er er " began Nlxle. " O, nothlng-that Is, I I've made a mistake. I don't think I need stop. I've not much to say." Cecil smiled. He really could smile beautifully. " You are not disturbing me at all," said Cecil. " What la It you wish to see me about?" v ' "Thank you," she answered, having recovered complete self-possession. " I I think I should like to see your corre spondence editor, Caroline." " Indeed," he returned, with a twinkle In hla eya. " I I am Caroline." 4 CHAPTER IL Then Nlxle broke out Into a ripple ot 4aughter. " Isn't it rather rather funny," she asked " you, a man, to deal with affairs of the heart and woman' fads and fan cies? Now, I call It unfair and and cheating," she went on, with a roguish, Irresistible emlle, "to shield your sex under the guise of a feminine name." Cecil was In s bantering mood. " Have you personal cause for complaint?" be asked. Have you dalt with Caroline's column and found I. unsat isfactory?" i " As If I should be so utterly foolish!" she retorted. " I 1 was thinking of interviewing Caroline, but since I've lei.rned that ' she ' Is a ' he I shan't dream of doing so." " But you are Interviewing Caroline now," he aa!3, laugh ing. " I don't wish to continue any longer." she replied. . Wellington saw her sweet little mouth set Ipto a firm, straight line, but he was ndt to be outwitted by r. mere bun dle of feminine mlschievousness. "I believe," he said steadily, "that you ce.led to see me about a manuscript?" t " ia It quite discreet of you to persist in questioning me?" " It la not a matter of persistence at all. . it Is er well, .j ... n i jst' , A. v4l?S " ii ' . i - s -if i' ft i a m 'ft 'i ui - l v : . . swK." i v r m m r aw m- w r m t .. m - . . . sk n .mmmnu asiaiwif n A- . I , iH , -Ov 4, to call In at the Acton Free library to look up a work on chrysanthemums. After securing the Information I required. I strolled Into the reading room and turned over the illustrated papers. A paragraph In the Oraphlc arrested my attention. It con tained some personal particulars, concerning his MaJeBty CIovls III., the new king of Bervonla. The paragraph con cluded with these words: "A portrait of his majesty appears on page 347." Idly curious. I turned to page 347. For fully a minute I stared stupidly at the picture before me. It was a full face picture of a man dressed In a gorgeous military uniform. A handsome fae It was, with fine, serious eyes. The lips were hnlf open, and I seemed to hear them uttering grave, courteous words. ' I had no need to ask myself where I had seen that face before. That curiously, entertaining evening at the club came back vividly to my mind. Then I glanced guiltily at the diamonds still flashing and gleaming upon my finger. With a flush half of fear, half of shame, I drew off the ring and slipped It Into my pocket. I begun to recall the events of that remarkable evening. At what time had I met the man? I had left the Office at a It must have been about half an hour later when the stranger aecositcd me outside Somerset house. At that moment or thereabouts tho dead body of Prince Albrecht was being discovered not a quarter of a mile away. While we dined nt the club the police were scouring Lon don in search of the man who smiled and chatted with me so agreeably across the table. That he was In truth the murderer I did not now doubt for a moment. The dissolute Prince Albrecht stood between him and the throne of Servonla. The motive of the crime was all too clear. j But why did he not fly at once? Why did he waste those precious hours In my company? The mystery was darker than ever. , I must confess that I felt extremely uncomfortable. I had ho notion of betraying the man. Perhape I am lacking in public spirit. Certslnly King CIovls III. was quite safe as far as I was concerned, but I confess that the possession of his secret, and, still more, the possession of his ring, greatly disturbed me. After two or three sleepless nights I determined to get rid of the ring, at any rate. I made It up Into a packet and Bent It, without a word of comment, to his Majesty King CIovls III., at the palace of t)rslln, Servonla. I felt beitter, then, thinking I had put an end to my con nection with a most unsavory business. But three weeka afterwards I received a letter bearing a foreign stamp. I perused the lengthy document with a feeling akin to amaze IBesMess merely a matter of business.' " Can we make It a matter of business?" she asked with laughing eyes. " It depends entirely on the merits of the story." "It Is only a little thing." She handed It him. "It la eeseso esssss A Geisha. J, iShiro Kuro whs a dancing girl, Fairer than Love that feeds ou bitter fart. And paler "than a pearl. Agate auJ coral blossomed in her hair; To set a lily there she did not dare, A rose she would not wear. Moonshine and water not more softly meet, Than swelled the bountiful brown earth to greet Tlio touches of Iter fv-t. She sang; and when che sang, the Llgbtlugale, Hiding and singing In a willowed vale, Forgot her own sad tale. She danced; and waves that danced out in the bay Knew their mistress, and iu tears of spray Dissolved themselves away. ' v Hut she grew tired of dancing. Even so Ilefure the darkness gives them leave to go The wayward sunbeams grow. The birds grow tired of singing, ana their quest Is all for mate and nestlings in a nunc The bird tired in ber breast. fhe had no mate, for she was of that clan, The wind's own kindred, made siuce T'uie began To serve the lut of uiun And not his love: to fill Lis empty hours With laughter and with song, to build him bowert Made bright with rootle flowers. A bird without the knowledge of a nest, ' A rootless Flower was she that took no care Of Autumn's coming. Now she is the fcuest Of root and worm, .ind knows :liat ileci i best, Sleep, with no dreams to bear. Nosa Chcbsok. Tmmm ii- r.'i ' . i.t vi i 1 1 i r i I Ml. 6 ..114- i'J: m i 1 . . I !' u VI t it, ; ,1. , I t ').' - r . fill 1 y .X i a- ".i A ' - l a ,.-H.'f'' kti . B ( . r " , . A ' T , I i t r t . ,' ments It was astoundlngly frank, and highly characteristic of the now well known recklessness of the writer. I give the letter In full: "My Friend: This morning I received the ring a silent reminder of a debt an yet unpaid. Kven had I not received this reminder, I should have written you In a few days. As It is, I write you at once. It Is only fitting that you, who served me with such superb generosity at a critical Juncture of my affairs, should know the whole truth. " Whep I met you on the evening of Aug. 14 I had Just slain Albrecht the Worthless. With all the force of my right arm I had driven his own dagger straig-ht to the puny heart of the man. Albreoht wus well called the Worthless. He was a traitor to the core false to his country, false to his wife, false to his friends, and servants of the house. We of his family, whom he disgraced before all the world, forgave much but his final baseness went too far. He obtained pos session of the crown Jewels of Servonla and fled to England to turn them Into money. The affair was hushed up In Dresltn, but a party of us went In pursuit of the thief. We tracked him to the Hotel Magnificent, and I obtained a suite of rooms on the same floor. Then we laid our plans most carefully. We discovered that some of the Jew-Is had already been disposed of In Brussels, but that the most valu able, Including various heirlooms, were still unsold. These were kept In a case in Albrecht's own sleeping apartment. The door of the room was always locked, except when By called ' The Kingdom of Happiness.' " " Your name and address are given?" " My pseudonym Is ' Helena,' " she answered. " I will eee what 1 can do with it." "And about Caroline?" he continued, with Just the sus picion of a smile. " Why did you so much wish to see that redoubtable person?" "It's1 rude to be inquisitive," she answered. " Inqulsl tlveness is a woman's right only." This home thrust was a good one ah knew. "O, Indeed!" exclaimed Cecil aghast " I'm going to be Inquisitive again," ahe said. " Why do you wish to shield your sex?'' " Er well er, the fact Is, the real Caroline has been 111 for some time, so I do her work." " And do you like It?" " It's all part of the day's labor." Nixie nodded, then half turned away. " In short," she said,' with a roguish twinkle, " I suppose It's entirely a matter of business." Before he had time to reply Nixie had swept out of the room with a delightful smile. Wellington stood speechless, partly lost in admiration. He read her story, " The Kingdom of Happiness." It was quite hopeless. Yet he felt he must see more of the uutlior. He was quite certain that no such wholly adorable girl as " Helena" existed In the wide world. For the first time In his life Walllngton felt really mis erable. CHAPTER. 1IL About a week after Nlxle had called upon the editor of Ladles' Fancies she received her rejected manuscript from her friend in the north. Accompanying the MB. was a little . note from Walllngton, suggesting alteration and a further call at the office. "I shan't go near the office again!" she exclaimed, with tears In her eyea. About a fortnight later ahe was reading Ladies' Fancies, when she glanced at the correspondence column conducted by Caroline. An answer to one called Julia caught her eye, and she read: " Julia Is foolish to fall In love at flrst sight. No, Julia; I can see no possible chance ot an Introduction. Better dla miss the man from your mind, once and for all." There burst forth from Nlxle a ripple of laughter. " O, how foolish!" ahe said. " Poor Julia! But I'll go and see 'Caroline' again." So she once more sallied forth to see the editor. ' Cecil had felt so miserable alnce he had seen her that the sight of her sweet face and dainty figure as she paused on the threshold sent the blood to hla fsce and his heart beating like a sledge hammer. " Good afternoon!" sh,8 said. "I have brought back my story, 'The Kingdom of Happiness.' I trust you will And the alterations to your liking." .. m !i ..... vr 'A'J ..... S Albrecht himself occupied it. It was arranged that on tle night of the 14th 1 should enter the room, and. If pwslble, secure the Jewels and get away without disturbing tl.e IH-lnce. " I reckoned to be able to do this at about mldnlg'ht. Three of my friends in their automobile were to await me In Chancery lane at II o'clock. Immediately upon my Joining them ne wore to go with all speed to a place called Alde burg, on the Suffolk const. There a yacht was wilting to receive me. Our plans, however, were upset by an accident. At about 0 o'clock I was passing through one of the corridors of the hotel when 1 run Into the arms of Prince Albrecht himself. The recognition was mutual. He asked me to accompany him to his room. There he demanded what 1 wanted, and accused me, with perfect Justice of dogging hi footsteps. I could not contain myself, nnd, with great Im prudence I reproached and challenged him with the ILef! of the Jewels. He laughed at me and t. united mo with inuttets 1 need not dwell on here, lie riicl.ired that he cared nethlnu for Servonla, did not wish to become king, and, furthw, had every belief that on the death of his . father, the country would be annexed by n great power, which I need not name At that I caught him by the throat and made him reveal where the Jewels were. He made no resistance, but while I was emptying the case and concealing Its contents iileiut my person he drew a dagger and sprung uxn me. The fool must have been crnzed. It took me about two seconds to wrench the dagoi out of his hand; then, while he bit and scratched, I drove It straight and true to his heart. So ended the career of Albrecht the Worthless. I flung the wretched carrion on the bed, washed my bnnds, gathered up the rest of the Jewels, nnd then walked out of the hotek "It was not until I wna fairly out In the Street that I realized the awkwardness of my position. Although I had about me many thousands of pounds' worth of Jewels, I discovered that I had no money upon me. I dare not go back to the hotel. My friends would not be expecting me until II. It was now bftrely 0. How could I conceal myself during those five hours? It seemed Impossible. Then I saw you. You were strolling along so leisurely, your demeanor was so placid and good tempered, that It was clear you had no pressing business on hand. It was then that the whlm flcal Idea of tncklng myself on to you occurred to me. It was a desperate experiment, and I confess that the com pleteness of Its success amazed me. The rest you know. I found my friends before 11 We renched Aldeburg be fore 3 on the morning of the 15th. Three days later I arrived nt Dreslln. I look upon you, sir, as the shaper of my destiny. From the moment I met you all has gone well with me. How can I express my gratitude? I will tell you. Lose not a moment, but arrange your affairs without delay, and come wdth your family to Servonla. A guard of honor shall receive you as you enter my kingdom. You shall have a place at my court, and I will lavish honors nnd wealth upon you. Remember, I expect you within the month, and will take no denial. Tours, with devotion, " Clovis R." There ends my story containing the only bit of romance In my quiet, uneventful life. I have not accepted his majesty's cordial Invitation, and have no Intention of doing so. To be candid, I am not ambitious. I prefer the simple round of duties at the office, the peaceful domesticity of my Acton villa, and, above all, the quiet evenings when I potter about happily In my little garden. John ScholSield. " A true kingdom of happiness wants no altering, do you think?" said Cecil. x He scarcely realized what he wa saying. She raised her merry eyes to his and said: " What do you think constitutes true happiness?" " The priceless possession of a heart and a face that la sweet and dear to one," he replied. "O, really! Are you a pout as well as an editor?" " I merely say what my heart dictates." He looked at her steadily. She flushed under his scrutiny. " What absurd nonsense you wrote to Julia, Mlsa Miss Caroline!" she said suddenly. " Do you really write what you think?" " Certainly. I always try to give an honest and candid opinion. I am naturally conscientious." "Then you really thought my story had promise la it?" " Yes," he answered, with the shade of a smile. "Then here it Is," she said, laying It on his desk; con siderably Improved where you suggested, and w-well, as merely a matter of business, I think "there was a roguish twinkle In her eye" yes, I think you will accept It." Then she ran from the room. At the instant Cecil thought of pursuit the proprietor came In and " nailed " him for two hours. , Three months passed sway. Nixie's story had been pub llehed, and she had seen Cecil Walllngton several times. Twice he had taken her out to tea and once to the theater. One afternoon she called with another story. " Before I accept another story," aaid Cecil, " I want you to promise me something." "What Is It?" she asked softly. "That you will complete my kingdom of happiness, Nlxle! You are the only one In the world who can perfect the kingdom of my heart. Nixie, darling!" he pleaded, with a tender look. " say eay 'y(s!'" " I I don't think you mean It," she said gently, with the lovely color suffusing her cheeks. " for you told me that girls who wrote to ' Caroline ' were foolish." " What do you mean, dear?" he asked. Blie turned aside and whispered: " I mean that I lost my my heart when I first saw you nt a tea shop, and and that I recognized you when I first came to the office." He bent over her, Incredulous, amazed. " You you are" he queried. " Yea." ahe whispered gently, raising her sweet, half mournful eyes to his, " I I am Julia." "Darling!" he cried, taking her In his arms, "you will be my wife? I I love you!" "On one condition," she said softly. And well, she knew she loved him very much, but ahe couldn't resist her love of mlschievousness. "And what is the condition?" he asked. "Thst you call me Caroline," ahe murmured. "Caroline!" he echoed, with ber head on his shoulder.. ' r a