FOUR
Tlltt ALLIANCE If EVA LP, TUESDAY, FK15IJUA11Y 1, 1921
r
TAXI
An
Adventure
Romance
By George Agnew Chamberlain
S-iIiicIiimIv's
i ii.
Vlite ( II
roi ne rvi .i v"!
hni pul.lie ir ii"
llnt'nary f :i ( 1 1 1
night and hour en
by tin' nnlvlng Mr I'.i.kIici Tmuioni
and or,.'. red to r'iiikI by ; twentv i.ilti
a ti'i fnff sni-nr iiun"n. i'm iT - T. t i in i . -
I" " uir III I lir villi tilA InnflAp III. I ... 1 . .1 - .1 -.
N t !e ,,. ,11.,.,,,., , whence the BM,,.,' . " ... (- ,J "'V,'"; '"" " Mi"F ui e .....,, o, m,h i.s; i.i.ie sue luni r..m
- kiniur h h ii ii t f I'll ifu 1 t 1 1 rrn .ai t va . i 1. 1
- 4 f ujum i" w i mis sun puiee. rii-r neart nursung
uM nuiiuni.avuiuineoilVloUSI ' , U, otlK f;u,,.H., ,0 aI Uin,
1 nwmi me onvmnn li nn Instinct ef, of h,r mother.
1, , ' 1 "euior. Then rum,- Mr. I'.oacher Tremnnt's
.,.,, ..ner n-usn r.-r doing It; voire In .'.::!i,- familiar tones.
1 1 1 1 "" ' now , ",;r, .,.,, h ceme cry? Why. you trl
1 -i."i -inn ,uii 'n voi, expected, r Pnie liio,-u,..m, ..i.i i:..,r,
ho-telry. Of nil tl.e dn fools! Wliat
he h II What
n the very lni of
the hnl,;c of pre
'11 illie course hi"
lie wn nailed
Of sight.
But once within Its modest po.tal.
Us habitues four I themselves In the
cleverest fnke atmosphere of n pleas
ure loving decade. An organizing gen
111, sensitive to nil those chi...,,
tites Inter he win listening to Hihi Junets w hi, , ,MiHlly grate on the soul
hovering nt tl.e edge of tl.e decline
to A vermis, hml punderod effect h e! v
Ooprrlgbt, 1 h HuDoi Marrlll Uwvuf
SYNOPSIS.
FART I.-Kohcrt Hervey Randolph,
funj New lo.k nisn-about-tow.i, leave
tk home of his ivwetheart, Mudne Van
Tlllr. cIihkNiikI b. raimt of hsr refusal
f Ma iruoiaal ol ni.irriaK His Income,
fW.OOO a yiar, which he mum surrender
If a rertuln MIbs IninKen Pamela Thorn-
JBii (wiiuin he ha men only a a small
Tin ten year licfi'ie) is fuund, la not
onldered by the a:rl of hi heart ade-
jvate lo modern nec.is. In a "don't care"
mood fUndol h emr a taxi, unseen by
U driver, and I driven to the Blag
or or a theater A man he know.
k Heanicr, Induce a girl to enter the
ab. Ueamer. attempting to follow, la
ruatied back by Kandolph and the cab
Move on. ill new acquaintance tell
Randolph she I a choru girl, and ha
mmt her position. 8he Is In dixtress, even
BMinrry, and he takes her to his apart-
Bent There, after lunch, a chance re-
Mark convinces him the Rlrl I the mln-
iBaT Pamela Thornton. Ms does not tell
aver of her good fortune, but Secure her
JWomlse to stay In the flat until the
taornlng, and leaves her. In a whimsical
aood, also realising that the girl's reap
arance has left him practically pennl-
!, ne onues me taxi driver lo let him
take his Job. and leaving word with the
sacal representative of the Thornton es-
wnrre us can nna 1'amcia, takes up
is new duties under the name of "Slim
Mervey." He loves the girl, but hi pride
forbids him approaching her under their
oanged conditions.
Altotii tills time n series of colncl
fences txTell the yonnn mid fevere1
rair of the city of New York which
Would have Riven pnnse to the persons
involved rmrt they hecn nhle to fret
tocether and cnnipnre the dope. Take
wnat happened to Miss fJeorjrlette
lairone. Her people hnd playel In
liartl luck and died. Oeortfe had se
cured a Job and was doing prettx
eii at it until young Hot-tor Pones
met her and gradually persuaded her
tnnt she Mas threatened with gallop
ing consumption. Once he had fright
ened her. the rest looked easy; he
would take her out of hnd ventilation
Into his run-about and the onen-air
out of the goodness 0f his heart and
g"i.tleii.,in explfihi'r.K to Miss Van T.
thnt n cylinder hnd gone ro:ig on
his own car at tin- InM moment.
Mis Miidge V1111 Tel Her, uiion whom
' Mr. Itm.tlolph h;i, not laid eyes since j
the very detlulie purling of their ways
' on the rock of remiy mrU, wns more
I heniillfiil tonight ilmu nt any other
tl'i"" since the evening of her coining- !
out puny. The renson whs one and ;
the snme. Tonight, as upon that oih I
er, she stood within a threshold and '
I..U.1-...I ..... f f . . . . I
t-.i win ii,, witn h nig ij. a
flaine wns In her clicks and In her
eyes; her Hps were half-parted and
hlrsly. her bosom ajrltated. Fhe was
divinely dressed.
They were very silent on their way
to dinner at the Knickerbocker, hut
they exuded an aura of tense expect
ancy thnt mnde nothing of the glnss
barrier between them nnd the car pi
lot, who soon felt himself lifted and
carried on Its wave. Something wa
cooking beyond a doubt and he then
and there determine, to slick a fist
through the crust of the pie Just he
fore the smell of burning.
There Is nothing more stereotyped
than a night run before the fever
hounds of New York. It Is Invariably
a four-act piny that stnrts with a sin
gle cocktail and a tasty dinner, goes
on to a show peppered with double
meanings, thickens at the cabaret In
the clne harmony of booze and dance
music and finally bursts "somewhere
In the country."
The first net wns easy for Randolph;
ue went on with the villain mid the
lending Indy, but once the revolving
aoor of the hotel had clucked on their
backs he hnd to withdraw to the wings
and dope out a means of evolving
rrom a super Into a star of the first
magnitude. He decided thnt It didn't
much matter who wafted the couple
from dlnnei to the show, but that the
next entr'net would hold the crux of
the night a entertainment, for the cab
that secured the freight for the caba-
ret would stand a good chance of nail
ing it after the bnll.
Consequently he wns content to pick
tip a gutter-snipe and then trail his
prey to the theater. "Them Is the
two," he said to his ally, suborned
with the promise of two bits, cash on
delivery, "the John with the hhzh hat
and the dream-dame In smoke-colored
chttTon.
j to an Ignoble end nnd uiH-le of em-h
small room an Isle of forgetfulne-s ;
: price, twenty the bucks In advance,
supper nml drinks extra.
I For "1 'f those who do not
remember 'he epoch of the tSreen
wood hostelry and are consequently
; rending on ami on In mortal dread of
j the paragraph that will Introduce the
'nr. tei 11 lie si, hi at once Koriref It.
1 t ...
11 1 nnn Trent',i me ve.ied .n ns a
..inner t .an ; , n. no! one cnn , ti e devil Wh.it
clip with K onl ihe wing of flesh and ! the What "
Slake out the beginning of the Infer- "pon n bmnd land eternally prornl
natlonnl mix-up. hurl another bound i never materially seized. Few are
"That's some name for a skirt. Cap,"
,th? fullness of his purse, he would !a,! th ex,,rM,,e admiringly,
fake enre of her.
He begnn by lending her to a Neth
rllmh Show and supper afterward.
They danced a little nnd for the first
time In her life, but under medical
dvlce, she took something In the
y or stimulant after the Initial pret
an Some Skirt, hellpvo ma Nnrl
I won't forget 'em."
And he didn't No sooner had Mr.
Bencher Tremont. bearing a thistle
down burden on tits arm, swelled out
from the theater with the anxious look
on his face of a mnn with three cars
ty coektnll. They Issued from supper ,n the SnrflRe a home and no call
nd It wns when Mr. Chauffeur Slim n"m"'r In his left hand waistcoat
lleryey beard the- whispered address
innj tne game, became s threeome.
Counting upon tlie ahsf ruction, or
rather, the concentration of his fares
on Interior fltfliiKs. Driver llervey
foon switched his cab from the char
tered route nnd nwde for down-town
through silent hack streets. In Just
.ten minutes be drew up nt an old
fash'oned house in a very onlel
square, shut off his engine to'the Idle
nd waited. Not for long. Out of
.i "' a blasphemous exclama
tion In medical tones nnd with It a
cry of awakening from tienrHa
Thioiich one window she looked upon
the home of her childhood; through
the other upon that happy railed garden-square,
which wns the umbrageous
tamer-close of nil her dearest, purest
nd dreamiest memories.
Oh 1" she gasped. "No, you mustn't
cold hlrn. This Is Inst where I want
to get out iiml wnlk. It's it's extraor
fllnnry." Then fim the curb. "I maj
te going to die of consumption, doc
tor, but. after all, I'd nitlur rather
lle that way."
. Twist things around a little ami.
you'll get what happened to Miss Ter
ry de Guest with the differ, nee thai
that beautiful and hungry young worn
n who had all but turned her back
on Settlement work and her face to
the Ureat White Way, suddenly awoke
not In the moonlit embrace of Clair
inonte, but before the accusing face
of a House In Henry street.
Nor was Mr. Slim Hervey partial
to sex in salvation. There was the
Instance of young Bertram Blossome
who khame-facedly hurried Into his
cab a painted, wan-faced waif of Uie
street with self-accusing eyes. No
case this of hunted and hunter rath
er two strayed bits of weak humanity
ilrlven before the unleashed dogs of
poverty and lust How readily and
unquestlonlngly the boy slipped from
the cab at his home address, miracu
lously confused almost as by ttye med
dling finger of God with one very
different! How gratefully the girl
took the possible fare and "something
over." and how her tears brimmed
when ten minutes later the blue-eyed
.chauffeur, a wage-earner like herself,
said: ".Nothing doing, Sister. The
ride Is on me," and promptly whirled
away !
While nil tbeso in. Men? were en
gaging, each In Its own n.ty, and
bowed a reasonable profit to all con
eerned, Mr. Kandolph looked upon
them more or less as a means of get
ting In his hund during a period of
Initiation. Ouce he felt sure of him
self and of his new chauffeurlng point
of view and attitude toward the gay
world from the under aide, be began
to haunt the neighborhood of East
Ninth street at the hour when dinners
re plenty and taxis scarce.
pocket than the Imp was at his aide.
"Su& mjsterk wepter taxi? Got one
at the head of the line that I'd give
up Just to youse for a dime."
"Lead me to It." said Mr. Tremont
"Say," said the snipe to Itnndolnh
as the car Jumped. "I've took the boss
Inside on fer a friend. You watch
yeself."
It wns a short run to the lair of
the Midnight Itolic, but Mr, Randolph
was not surprised at the double wage
he received m r at the murmured con
versntton 'bat accompanied It "FH"
ary mark into November of IHlS, and
the time left oiiisliie of those limits
Will be found entirely sufficient to the
needs of this chronicle. Let It further
be noted ti,t It Is Inconceivable that
a single drop of the kind of blood
which flowed in the veins of Mr. Hub
ert llervey Itnmlolpli could ever an
swer to the name of slacker, proof
positive In Itself flint the events herein
set forth happened when the War
didn't.
Mr. Slim llervey, chauffeur. vns
Still plunged In reverie when his senses
were assailed by a whiff of ii,,c. a
mere nuance of perfume, that pro
claimed the approach of Miss Madge
Van Tellier He Jumped out Just In
time to throw open the door of his
cab for the couple and take the mur
mured order of Mr. Bencher Tremont
"All right. Hit It up for Greenwood."
Luckily for the cabman's entertain
ment, his engine was working In si
em periection that night. The late
nour gHve him almost undisputed right
"j unit driving Dccame an
automatic adjustment of his course in
line with the curb and re'eased his
attention to gorge Itself at leisure
with eaves-dropping. By squirming
nis snouiciers he managed to cock one
ear over the top of his high overcoat
collar; It wns the enr next to the open
Bpeasing-sior.
"What a dream of a night." said
me cienr voice of Miss Van TAliipr
"Shall I be a trultor to my sex and
Deirny one of Its secrets to you?"
1 lease do." murmured Mr. Tre
mont From the very tone of his voice
one could divine thnt he hnd slipped
an arm around her and was holding
urr ciose,
iWr(l1
v l! T
"Walt for Me at the Seventh Avenue
Northeast Comer. Get Me?"
op your gas tank and wait for me at
the Seventh avenue northeast comer
Get me?"
"Sure." grunted Mr. Randolph.
"Where to, mister?"
"Greenwood hostelry." breathed the
villain. fc
"rra on," said Mr. Randolph, ran
his car to the comfortably quiet nook
designated, dug out a road map of
Manhattan and vicinity, scrutinized
It carelessly and settled down to medl
tate, T9 select am once "affluent few
tbs Dame of the 0. tostelry above
mentioned will crlnf certain vivid
recollections and will also place the
enrono i ,.-y of this yarn, for the
said abode of revelry was too good to
last very long; it choked to death on
Its own popularity and consequent pub
Uc'ty. From the outside, even In Its
hey-day, It presented a most Innocu
ous appearance. Just a renovated farm-
ssj K ,mssMa3g Vta I house stuudlug'under j clump of vell-
"Well. It's this." she continued,
"omen are not conquered by man
"one. nut Dy man and atmosphere.
We never rush at the precipice; we
flutter toward It with many stops and
pauses. The silliest breezes of Im
pulse may carry us on or a puff of
unmna aid hold us back. It all really
depends on the man Imposing his at
mosphere so steadily that the drifting
soul of wpman forgets its Inborn title
to vagrancy and sleepily assumes Its
enemy's goal."
"Madge." said Mr. Tremont almost
earnestly, "you frighten me. I never
knew you could talk like thnt You
frighten me because I have a terror
of analyzed personal relations." .
Randolph could hear a faint rnstltnir
of her robe as though she had nestled
closer to her escort. "I never meant
to startle you, Bencher." her voice
continued, not quite so clear. Into Its
tone hnd crept, hesltntlngly, a trace
of unaccustomed emotion. "I was only
warning you. Every mnn can make a
world of his arms for one woman;
not all can hold the Illusion to be
yond possession."
"I can. If you will only help we,"
whispered Tremont, and paused as
though his own earnestness were tak
ing him by surprise.
"I wonder," said Miss Van Tellier.
"You have played the right game.
You have never said a vulgar thing
to me or stooped to the usual hypo
crisies; those are compliments by In
ference that have flattered the best
that Is in me. You have set the play
In a high nlane thnt winning ..,!..,
all of me; but "
"But what?" asked Tremont.
"Bur there Is danger In the h.gh
flight." finished Miss Van Tellier. "An
air-pocket In your atmosphere and.
pouf! all Is lost the good In me that
you, will have missed as well as the
bad that you could have won by s
baser effort."
"What do you mean?" asked Tre
mont, no longer making the slightest
effort to hide his awakened Interest.
"I was thinking." said Miss Van Tel
lier, dreamily, "that every woman is
'i group or tnree individuals. Shall
I tell you their names?"
"Yes." said Tremont
"The first." continued the girl, hei
voice flouting from her as though
carried on the bosom of her dream,
"Is called Flesh; the second. Spirit
and the third the third I shall name
the Veiled God."
"Madge!" cried Tremont, and Rar,
dolph, listening with all his ears, could
almost feel the clutch on his own
arms with which the man had seized
the girl's, as though to drag her back
from her mind's far distance.
"1'eople wonder," she continued, hei
mood unbroken, "at the wreck of ap
parently perfect marriages and yet
It's so simple to any woman that
it's amazing that I should be the first
te display our open secret, qnly the
complete lover cnn be secure of his
beloved, Beadier. He who wins her
flesh alone leaves her spirit to betray
him. and he who wlus the spirit alone
Is In mortal danger of the woman of
the flesh."
The explanation." said Tremont
whimsically, "Is so feminine that It
confuses. If you had said that each
woman Is a trinity and must be thrlcs
won before a msn's honor can feel
secure, understanding would be a sim-
splrlt but not ofthe Veiled God In
woman, for Its very essence Is a de
fcrrd possession."
She paused, hut as Tremont clung
to the silence, she presently contin
ued. "The complete lover Is the mnn
who having conquered all the heights
bf flesh nnd spirit In his mistress,
dwells consciously In the presence of
an undiscovered god and gazes out
sed
the
menfew are the men" Her voice
trailed off ns thoutrh her thoughts had
run ahead of words and reached final
ity without the use of the spoken
phrase.
"Few are the men who attain to
thnt serene security," Tremont fin
ished for her. only half conscious of
wbrt he was saying.
Randolph could her the rustle of
her tinning to her eompnnlon. "How
wonderful." vhe snld. "Thnt Is what
I thought, hut didn't sny."
"Madire." said Treinont. "what have
you done? It's true that I have never
on..'e., in Hypocrisies with you a
that I have never while with you
spoken n vulgar word. Did you
think that I have been knowingly
wls-e? Welt. I haven't. I didn't know
until this moment why I chose a rare
and high atmosphere to rench you.
Now I know. It was because von were
1L i
mere, i cnose only to come to vou
rather than drag you down to the drub
of the tibial. Wl nt yon have done Is
to carry me higher than I ever mennt
to go. Yon bnve taken me off the
beaten pnth and showed me nn un
expected trenstire. I'm no longer mr
elf. i am cold nnd nfmhl
Me choked himself Into a gu'pln
mr.rtletilnte silence ns he climbed
rrom the cnb to ii-.k In the face the
sum total of all Iimmhii stupidity. No
sooner had he nligl.ied than Miss Van
Tellier found herself in voice agHln.
' h; she moaned, pressing her
hmids lo her eyes, achlngly open,
iae me away from here."
"Sure, miss," vnid Mr. Randolph
promptly, threw In his clutch mid win
off.
in, your p n you I Ileyl You I
Driver I Confound your , , Imper
tl.iencel I ley! IIW am I going to
get home?' The first of these cries
was very plainly, the last very faintly
heart by Mr. RnmMph. After them
enme down the wind something that
sounded very much like the chost of
a wall of tle-pnir. but the driver paid
no heed. Ills attention was absorbed
by something quit,, different; the dry
sons or a little heap of smoke-colored
ChilTon.
I'etours, subterfuges and the finesse
nljOf the rond-faker were swept from
.,,,. luiuii; ne niaiie straight
for the bridge and home, but long be-
rore they reached the river all sound
had ceased to Issue from the cnb nnd
strnTght down flf;e thnf Tniltor'arcfi
nnirel Johnny out of heaven Into the
arms of hell."
"Bobby I" cried Miss Vnn T., throw
Ing bnck her heHd nnd struggling to
releime herself. "How dare yni sny
ft thing like that? How dare you be
here, anyway? I hnte you. don't
know how I ever could have, thought
I loved you. I fell, but It wns Into
Bcacber's nrms, and I wish I wns there
right now." More sobs, convulsive
ones thnt shook the slim body In Mr.
Rnmlolph's embrace from twitching
shoulder to tired fiet.
Lest the render be startled by what's
coining next It will do well to remind
him that this poignant scene was
staged nt three o'clock In the morning
on the high stoop of the Vnn Tellier
residence In Knst Ninth street nnd
never left the perimeter of the door
mat which In Itself pre ented an al
most feminine contradiction, in thnt
If bote, done In red on Its t'nee, the
word "Welcome." but was neverthe
less padlocked nnd chained to the Iron
railing.
Kv n ns Mls-s Vnn Tellier wns sob
bing her heart out and Mr. Randolph
was standing in the bewilderment of
one who knows he has no only token
the wrong turning but placed both his
teet in a heart nip, a thick, heavy,
unsympathetic voice arose from the
foot of the steps.
Here! Youse I Break away an
come along of me."
Memories of a mischievous boyhood
swarmed to Mr. Randolph's mind rec
ollections of l,ce ,.., i.,
In Its stead reigned a purposeful, al- ch,ef "f Madison Square gang his
most menacing silence. What w as ungied to the cry of "Cheese
she thinking In there? What could ' "e t'"I'! u'e's pinched, fellers!"
she think? Why didn't she go rlnht . sweat came out upon his brow;
on crying nnd keep her mind fullv "'only relaxed his grip on Miss
Vnn T ....... i .. . . .
..... . o trt-iMi luni wiuspereu tremu
lously to her to keep her nerve hut
hand him her latchkey.
Over his shoulder he said with
forced calm, "On what charge, offi
cer?"
"Same old dope." replied the police
man phlegmntically; "drunken, dlsor-
ueny. (. ome nlong, now. er d yer
want me to climb them steps so's we
c'n nil roll down together?" .
During that speech Mr. Randolnh
ninde a lucky shot at the kevbole.
stealthily turned the lock nnd opened
the door. "The way's clear. Madge."
occupied with thnt?
As they swept down the incline
lion, uie nritige into City iPill park
ne suddenly realized that he had been
on the verge of giving himself away.
He half turned his head and shouted
Randolph could feel thnt the speak- thro"Ph ,np I't'nklng-slot. "What Od
er was drawing away from the clrl urv miR!"
and a moment later his senses were r vol,e cnme hapk to him from
to surpnss themselves In additional vory c,ose us though her face had
divination. "You nre afraid of that bccn Prssed to the glass In an effort
woman In me?" asked Miss Van Tel- ,0 lnake n,m ut- "At the coiner of
ller softly. "What about this one?" "ie Avone and East Ninth street."
And then It wns that Randolph's- dp- Ten minutes Inter he drew nn bis
ductlve antennae nulvered imi.w ,i!. cnb at Ihe nnnointed snot n.i
burden of Intelligence. He knew s ,,n to throw open the door but kent ne w,1'spered. "Beat It."
certainly as though he had faced n,s fol on the clutch release, lenvlnsr "h. ,s Bobby, you dear." rattled
snout that an adorable Madge, tender ,ne Rears In mesh, first sped ahead. M1S8 Bn T- In " stnge whisper that
and wide-eyed, hnd slipped her bare A" nls precautions were In vain. l,e heard across the street. "I
arms around Beacher Tremont'a neck As ne opened the cab door his coat Mn ' mt'an ' lV. really, whnt I said
and kissed him on the mouth. sleeve was seized lu a very determined at)0ut h"t'ng you. But I do love
There was a long silence: then rlp and drawn inward, cntchlne his
came Tremont'a voice, thick and e,how ,n 0 Jiu-Jutsu leverage that left
strange to the ear, "A moment ago." nlm tne Hobson's choice of either get
It said, "I was afrnld for you; now t,n out facing his captcr or lis
I'm afrnld for myself. I am like a tening to his arm break. He chose
man who hns carelessly dropped a t0 Ret rtwn from his seat quickly,
lighted match and finds himself with- "Well, Bobby." murmured Miss Van
in the ring of a prairie fire. I cnn T
only wonder at my sturldltv in think. Mr. Randolph attemnted no evasion ?
Ing of you In connection witL a casua! ne banded the lady to the curb and !t to y". Bobby. I'll owe it to you.
possession and not as a consuming guided ner gently toward her own understand?
umne. iou see? Already you have uo'r nu up the high steps. "Madge,"' sure, tied Mr. Randolph as ho
ournea tnrough the thin crust of lies ne "a,a- y fought a great fight to-
Bencher. Bobby, and I'll I'll "
For , heaven's sake. Madge."
groaned Mr. Randolph, hearing sound
ns of a bear starting to swarm a tne.
"Keep all thnf till New Yenr's."
I was Just going to say." continued
(Mss Van T. breathlessly but with a
Wnd on the cumbrous shall
ow coming up the steps, "that I'll ow
that guards man from definite selzurA n,8"t and when you had won vou felt
by woman any woman." I orry for Tremont and surrendered.
Kiss me. Beacher." murmured the You were swept too high on the wave
girl's voice as though his words had ot the best ,,int ' 'n you. Promise
swirled around and by her. leaving me tnat yu won't forget that you
ner purpose untouched. "Take me nave w't Promise nie that you will
and hold me carefully where no un- walt and tRke Tremont, all of hlui,
aina air can drive me from vou. Tnke Wlin honor."
an uie women in me one by one If nat do you mean? What did
you must." you hear?" cried Miss Van T. amrrllv.
..... i. "
ai tnat moment Mr. Robert H. Rnn. er pale face suddenlv flushinu
dolph. in the person of Slim Hervey, "From the start of the ride to the
Chauffeur, very nearly wrecked his finish I heard every word." decline,!
iour-cyllnder argosy with Its burden Mr- Randolph frankly, "and more."
of three fates, still Individually and "And morel" repeated the hnrd
collectively Indispensable to the con- pressed girl. "What do you mean by
linulty of this yam. He missed the more?" She still tried to browbeat
ditch by a hair's breath, caught his blm. but remembering one incredibly
own with a gasp, returned to the mid- l(nfc" "Is, her e.es fell in the unequal
u.c ui me oroau nignway and fixed name witn isoniiy's and attemnte,i tn
. .. - i - -
ins attention on a certain very definite create diversion by staring at his gal-
uiuuer wiin wnicn it had been more terea legs and heavily hooted feet
or less constantly concerned ever since "Look up. Madge. Look nt
he had been directed to hit It un for said Mr. Randolph and waiter! nti-n.
. - . -
urveiiwoou. ly unt first her oni? lislu.u flnMo..i
The road to that well-known hostel- an,l then her lovely eyes swept slowlv
ry was usefully devious and fares "P ' "ce. "That's It" he con
were seldom worried as to how nnv .
particular driver set out to find this t,nucd ns their looks met and locked.
choicest of ueedles in the hay-stack of L?t'K noIl thlt so we can't lie."
the country inns that do"t the land- II " ,,y should I He If you really heard
scape of Westchester and adhicent everything?'' asked Miss Van T and
counties as long ns he brought the Budflenly smiled.
search to a successful end somewhere ' "Madge, you little devil." said Mr.
this side of the pangs of hunger. I Randolph, suppressing an impulse to
Nevertheless, had not Mr. Tremont. BnaK her, "can you think of what
himself a motorist of no mean experi- yu've been doing and laugh?"
ence, been completely absorbed by the "Te8' 1 can. Just now," said Miss
sudden discovery that he had his an T, ln ,,tt,e gasping phrases that
right arm around an entirely m 10 man, especially one of Mr. Ran-
world, he would have been struck In do'pn's limpid nature, carried only
evltably by two things. First, thai Khe,r ace va,ue n words, but which
this was certainly not anv on nt th ? any woman would have read as
climbing rowls to the Greenwood hos- P,aln,y as the red-weather signal,
telry; second, that the man at the i"Loolt ou for showers of tears fol-
wheel knew more about losing his way ,lowe(1 Dy storm."
ln the vicinity of Manhattan and find- I "WelV said Mr. Randolph solemnly,
Ing It again than did the combined I U you real'y don't realize Just where
roadmaps of the United States and you bave beea- ,et ,ne tel1 yu- First
Its allies supposing It to have had ou flew hsh'Into clean air and you
allies at the time. However. Mr Tre- ,took Tremont with you. You were
mont's absorption was not only abso- Possessed of a vision and you made
lute but continuous so that It held nlm 8ee too m,rage of those
him tn Its Inexorable grip right up to ,1,fted places that are the altar of the
the moment of ghastly awakening and mlnd before ,ove- Just mirage, an
even over the edge, lie was Just say- lllus,on f perfect happiness, which
Ing, "My darling, never fear. I'm cold reasoa fells us we can't ever turn
taking you to a place so quiet and so lnt0 relnforced concrete and plant In
guarded that this dream which you the ,Qr-1, but which we must either
have dressed In un riexpected glory orever hoh us a vision or admit that
can flow oil unbroken as loug as we ,love ,s a sol'did and wingless thing."
are true to it and to ourselves," wnen Mlsa Van Telller's eyes fell from
the cab drew up at s solemn and Im- 0,8 frank gnze. Something seemed to
presslve portal. crumple within her; she put her arms
Without leaving his seat, the cab- around Mr. Randolph's neck, clung
man reached back, unlatched the door to hllu dropped her face against his
snd threw It open. "Greenwood ceine- "boulder and sobbed, not noisily, but
tery, sir." he barked. 68 wno weeps to rest
The firl was first to grasp the ,I, l,I1 her close to him and went
words, the time and the place. "OhP on hl8 'ace s,'t as though to a duty,
she gasped, and ln the sound of her "Tlien what did you do? Because he
cry Mr. Rundolph could divine her hesitated, merely hesitated at the high
whole body suddenly stiffening to s floor of adoration, you promptly
tense awakening and to ihe stabbing filammed It. nnd drppped. plumb
pushed her firmly through the door,
then caught Its knob, slammed It shut
and turned to meet Nemesis. "Hello.
Flahahartyl"
The huge policeman stopped his
ponderous but sure progression and
stared long and suspiciously into Mr.
Randolph's face. Finally he gave a
grunt of recognition. "Slim," he said
to himself aloud as though somewhero
within his vast bulk there were a sep
arate monitor that had to be tipped
off to the situation, "Slim Hervey."
"Sure," said Mr. Randolph, leading
the way toward his wagon. "Who
else did you think it was at this timo
' night r
"How did I know," demanded Mr.
Flahaharty gruffly but not unpleasant
ly for hlra, "as you had taken on de
liveries o' fancy dress-goods on top
o your regular line?"
He breathed heavily and allowed
his eyes to protrude farther than us
ual In search of a thought which he
sensed in the near distance. "I tell
you. Slim," he finally continued. "I
don' know what this burg Is a-comln
to. Why, even the street kind used
to have a man to take 'em home, but
this here was a bit o high-tlyin' fluff
me, I could see that an' they had to
give It to a cab!"
"Forget It," said Bobby nervously.
"All I says," continued Mr. Flaha
harty, "is thnnk God both o' my golls
Is married to hairy men that can an'
does lick the stuftln's outen 'em."
"Well, here we are." said Mr. Ran
dolph' as he stooped to turn her over.
From his seat behind the wheel he
begun to breathe more easily and
leaned out to study the fuce of kls
friend, the officer, to make sure that
therein was no guile.
"Cheer up. Jim," he said not quite
reassured. "Forget It."
"I'll try." said Mr. Flahaharty dubi
ously, "but It'll come hard, beln the
first time I ever seen a thing like that
She sure give you a tussle, Sllml"
(Continued in Next Issue)
OH, GRAVE, THY VICTORY?
A CTOUD Of told-timera hnA Kun
caught red-handed at dice by the vil
lage preacher, who had delivered a
bad--ide on the evils of gambling.
When he was through one recalrit
drawled:
"Say, parson, you ever shot crapsT"
I should say not"
"You ever had a pair of dice in your
Hands 7"
Emphatically, no!"
Well, then, what vou want tn com
around talkin' to ua about
for?"
This decision about movinir vnm
licker is a good deal like the famous
recipe for cooking rabbit.
Even if you have so coal in your
basement it may be a comfort to know
there is plenty of it in the mines.
V
