;
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""" -LrXVHW. "
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CHAPTER I.
A Ktlll nnd sultry dusk had fallen,
closing an oppressive, wearing day:
one of thoBO days whoso solo function
uocnis to rcHldo In rendering us Irri
tably conscious of our too closo cas
ings of too-solid flesh; whose humid
end Inert atmosphere, sodden with
tepid moisture, clings palpably to tho
body, causing men to fool as If they
crawled, half-BUffocatod, at tho bot
tom of a fiea of rarefied water.
Tho hour may havo been eight; It
may havo been not quite that, but It
was almost dark. Tho windows wore
oblongs, black as night In tho yellow
walls of O'Uourko's bodchambor In tho
Hotel d'Orient, Monte Carlo.
I havo tho honor to mako known
to you tho O'Rourko of Castle
O'Rourko In tho county of Galway,
treland; otherwise and more wldoly
(mown as Colonel Terence O'Rourko;
a chevalier of tho Legion of Honor of
Prance; somotlmo an 'officer In tho
Foreign Legion In Algiers; a .wandor
tor, spendthrift, freo-lance, cosmopol
ite a gentleman-adventurer, bo's boon
tennod.
. Ho was drosBlng for dinner. Tho
fclaro of half a dozen elootrlc bulbs dis
covered him all but ready for public
appearance not, however, quite ready.
In his shirt sleoves ho faced a cheval
glass, plucklly (If with tho haggard
eyo of exasperation) endeavoring to
outmanouvor a demon of luanlmato
porvoralty which had entered Into 1i1b
dress tie, Inciting' it to refuso to as
Hume, for all his coaxing and his strat
agoms, that effect of nonchalant per
fection so much sought aftor, bo sol
dom achieved.
Patently was tho thing possessed
by a devil; O'Rourko madu no manner
of doubt of that. Though for minutes
nt a tlmo ho fumbled, fidgeted, fumed,
It wns without avail.
Ills room itsolf was In a stato of
"mBldorablo disorder something duo
mainly to O'Rourko's characteristic ef
forts to find Just what ho might hap
pen to deslro at any glvon tlmo with
out troubling to think whoro It ought
properly to bo.
Somothlng of this confusion, mir
rored In tho glass, wns llkowlso re
flected In O'Rourko's eyes, what tlmo
ho paused for breath and profanity.
"Faith, 'tis worso than a daw's nest,
' tho placo," ho admitted, scandallzod.
"How oyor did I one louo man do
all that, will yo bo telling mo?" Ho
flung out two helpless baffled bunds,
and lot them fall. After a mcdltatlvo
pause ho addod: "Damn that Alsa
tian I "with rotorouco to his latest
and loast competent valet, who had
but rocently boon discharged with a
floa In IiIb oar and a month's unearn
ed wngo In his pocket. "For knowing
mo ways," Blghed O'Rourko, "thoro
was never anyono tho llko of Danny."
For as many as throo livelong days
this man (had been reduced to tho ne
cessity of dressing hlmsolt with his
own ' fair hands and that at loast
thrlco dally, who did nothing by
halvos. And, somohow, mysteriously,
Ills dtscardod garments had for tho
most part romnluod whero ho hnd
thrown them, dcsplto the earnest of
forts of tho fommo do chambro to ro
etore something roscmbllng order from
this man-mado cha b. For servants
all liked well the O'Rourko, Improvi
dent soul that ho was, freehanded
to u fault.
You aro Invited to picture to your
self O'Rourko as Invariably ho was
In ono of his not Infrequent but over
transient phases of nffluenco: that Is,
a very tnagnlllcont figure Indood.
Standing a bit ovor six foct, dcop of
obost and leun of flank, with his long,
straight legs ho looked what ho had
bocn inoant to bo, a man of arms and
notion. His head was shapely, Its
dark hair curling tho least In the
worli; and, Incredibly stained, n trans
parent brown, his features wero loan,
eager, and rondored very nttractlvo
by quick boyish oyes In whoso warm
bluogray depths humor twinkled
more often than not, though those
name oyos woro not seldom thought
ful, a traco wistful, perhaps, with
tho look of ono who recalls dear mom
6rIos, old friends and swoothcarts
loved and lost . . . For ho had
begun to llvo early la llfo and had
much to look back upon, though for
all that It's doubtful It ho woro more
than thirty at tho tlmo he becamo In
volved lu tho fortunes of the Pool
of Flamo.
For tho rest of him, barring tho ro
fractory tlo, the man wna strikingly
woll groomod, while his surroundings
poko for comfortable circumslancos.
On tho authority of the nbsont nnd ro
crottod Danny, who had long served
tho O'Rourko in tho lntimato cnpacl
tles of 'jody-servant, confidant and
ahuncellor of tho oxchequo:' (this last,
of course, whonover thero hnpponod
to be any exchequer to require a chan
cellor), thero was never anyono at all
ifePOOL
tJtIOUIS JOSEPH YANC
ILLUSTRATIONSBY
ELLSVOPYOTJNG
COPYRICHT1909 5y OUJOSEPH VAftCE.
who could spend money or wear
clothes llko himself, meaning tho mas
tor. And at this tlmo O'Rourko was
ostensibly In funds nnd consequently
(as tho saying runs) cutting a wide
swath. Heaven nnd hlmsolf only knew
tho limits of his resources; but his
manner a Monte Crlsto might havo
aped to advantage. His play was a
wonder of tho Casino; for the matter
of that, his high-handed and extrava
gant ways had made tho entire Prin
cipality of Monaco conscious of his
presenco In tho land. And you fall
In tho least to understand tho naturo
of tho man If you think for a moment
that It Irked liltn to bo admired, point
ed out, courted, pursued. Ho was, In
deed, nevor so splendid as when
nwaro that ho occupied the public eyo.
In short, ho was Just an Irishman.
. . . So, thon, It's nothing wonder
ful that ho should seem a thought fini
cal about tho set of his tlo.
Now as ho stood scowling at his
Image, and wishing from the bottom
of his heart he had never boon fool
enough to let Danny leave him, and
calling fervent blessings down upon
tho head of tho fiend who first design
od modern evening-dross for men ho
found himself suddenly with a mind
dlvosted of any care whatover and at
tentive alonp to a sound which came
to him faintly, borno upon tho heavy
wings of the sluggish evening air.
It was nothing more nor less than a
woman singing softly to herself (hum
ming would probably be tho more ac
curate term), and It was merely tho
tune that caught his fancy; a bit of
an old song ho hlmselt had onco
been wont to sing, upon a tlmo when
ho had boon a happier man. It seem
ed strango to hear It there, stranger
still that tho woman's voice, Indistinct
as It was, should havo such a familiar
ring In his memory. Ho frowned lu
wondor and shook his hoad. "Tho ago
of miracles Is past," ho muttered;
" 'twould never bo herself, 1'vo had
mo chanco and forfeited it. 'Twill
not como to mo a second tlmo. . . ."
Tho singing coasod. Of a sudden
O'Rourko sworo with needless boat,
and, plucking away tho offending tie,
cast It savagoly from him. "Tho dlv
vlo fly away with yol" ho said. "Is it
bent on driving mo mad yo aro? I'd
givo mo fortuno to havo Dauny back!
. . . Mo fortune faith!" Ho laugh
od tho word to bitter scorn. " 'TIs
mcsolf that never had the least of any
thing llko that without 'twas feminine
with a 'mis-' tacked onto tho front
of It!" And ho strode away to tho
window to cool off.
It was llko him to forget his exas
peration In tho twinkling of an eyo;
another mood entirely swnyod him by
tho tlmo ho found hlmsolt gazing out
Into tho vaguo, velvoty dusk that mo
mentarily was closing down upon tho
falry-llko panorama of terraced gar
ilons nnd sullen, sllkon soa. His
thoughts had winged back to that
dear woman of whom that frngmont
of melody had put lilinMn mind; nnd
ho was sighing und heavy of honrt
with longing for the sight of hor and
tho touch of her hand.
ISvcn ns ho watched, stark night foil,
black as a pocket bononth a porten
tous pull of cloud. . . . Far out
upon tho swelling bosom of tho Med
iterranean a cluster of dim lights bo
trayod a stealthy coasting Btoumor,
making westward. Noaror, in tho bar
bor, a fleet ot pleasure craft, riding
at anchor on tho still, dark tldo, was
rovoalcd In many faint, wrntth-llko
shapes of gray, all studdod with yel
low stars. Ashore, cndloss festoons ot
colored lamps draped tho gloom of tho
terraces; tho tacado ot tho Casino
stood out lurid against tho darkness;
tho hotels Bhono with reflected bril
liance, the palnca of tho Princo do
Monnco loomed high upon tho penin
sula, Its elevations picked out with
lines ot soft lire.
Tho O'Rourko shook his hoad, con
demning It all. '"TIs beautiful," ho
said; "faith, yosl 'tis all of that. But
I'm thinking 'tis too beautiful to bo
good for ono llko somo womon I've
known In mo time. 'TIs not good for
Terenco that's sure; 'tis tho
O'Rourko that's going stalo and soft
with all this easy living. ... Mo
that has moro thnn many another to
llvo for and hope for and strlvo fori
, . . And I'm lingering hero In tho
very lap of luxury stuffing mesolf with
ruro food, befuddling mesult with
rnrer wlnos mo that has fought a
day and a night and a half a day atop
ot that on nothing nnd a glass ot
muddy water! risking mo monoy as
It there was no end to It, throwing It
away in scandalous tips like any
drunken sailor I And nil for tho scant
satisfaction of bohavlng like a fool of
an Irishman. . . 'TIs sickening dis
gusting; naught less. . . . I'm
thinking this night ends it, though;
como tho morning I'll bo-pulling up
stakes und striking out for a hcalthlor,
Blmpler place, whore thoro's some
thing afoot a man can tako an inter
:J5i3e3SHRim mt I1
est in without losing his Bolf-respcct
. . . I'll do Just that, I will!"
This ho meant, firmly, and was glad
of It, with a heart immeasurably light
ened by tho Btrength'of his good res
olution. Ho began to hum tho old
tuno that tho unknown woman's voice
had set buzzing In his bruin, and
broko off to snap his fingers defiant
ly at tho Casino. "That for yo!" ho
flouted It "sitting thero with your
painted smile and your cold eyes, llko
tho brazen huzzy yo are Goddess of
Chanco, Indeed! thinking yo havo
but to bide your tlmo for all men to
como and render up their souls to ye!
Hero's onco ye lose, madam; after this
night I'm done with ye; not- a sou ot
mlno will ever again cross your ta
bles. I'll havo yo to understand tho
0'Rourk6's a reformed character from
tho morning on!"
Ho laughed softly, In high feather
with his conceit; nnd, thinking cheer
fully of tho days of movement and
cnango that wero to follow, the song
In his heart shaped Itself In words
upon his lips.
"I'm Tnddy Whack
From Ilnllyhack,
Not long ago turned soldier O
At grand attack,
Or Htorm or auric,
None thnn I will prove holder Ot"
His volco was by way of bolng a
tenor of tolerable quality and volume,
but untrained nothing wonderful. It
was Just the way ho trolled out tho
rollicking stnnza that rendered It In
fectious, Irresistible. For ns ho
pausod tho voice of tho woman that
had reminded him of the song capped
the verso neatly.
"An whin wo eft the route
TVIrl a Bhout,
How thoy pout!
Wld u roady right-about
Qoe the bould soldier-boy!"
O'Rourko caught his breath, star
tled, Btunned. "It can't bd " he
whispered. For If nt first hor voice,
subdued in distance, had stirred his
O'Rourko Caught his
memory with a touch as vague and
thrilling as tho caress ot a woman's
hand in darkness, now that he heard
the full strength ot that Boprano, boll
clear and spirited, ho was sura ho
know tho singer. Ho told himself that
thoro could bo no two women in the
world with volcos JiiBt llko that; not
another than hor ho know could have
rendered tho words with so true a
Bplrlt, bo raro a broguo tinged us
that had boen with tho faintest,
quaintest exotio inflection imagin
able. But she had stopped with tho
Verso half sung. His pulses quicken
ing, O'Rourko leaned forth from tho
window and carried It on:
"O, 'tis thin tho ladlon rntr
In despair
Tear tholr lmtrl
nut "TIs illvvle a bit I carol'
Cries tho bould soldier-boy 1"
There fell a pauao. Ho listened
with his heart iu his mouth, but heard'
vl.!J v V HHT V" I .-OT . I fe ' VW - A
6rJB3r )' -:::MiBHl HEP" fr. Tl-L--Jfe
nothing. And It seemed impossible to
surmise whonco, from which ono of all
tho rooms with windows opening upon
that sldo ot tho hotel, had come tho
volco of tho woman. Sho might as
well havo been above as below him,
or on either side: ho could not guess.
Rut ho Was determined.
Now there was beneath his window
a balcony with a floor of wood and a
rail of lron-flllgree a long balcony,
extending from ono corner of tho ho
tel to tho other. At Intervals It was
splashed with light from tho windows
ot chambers still occupied by guests
belated or busy, like hlmsolf, with the
task of dressing for the evening. The
window to his left was alight; that
on his right, darlt.. With half his body
on tho balcony, his legs dangling with
in the room, O'Rourko watched the
opening on his left with Jealous,
breathless expectancy. Not a sound
came therefrom. He hesitated.
"If that weren't her room, I'd hear
somebody moving about," he reasoned.
" 'TIs frightened sho Is not suspect
In 'tis mo. . . . But how do I know
'tis herself? . . . Faith! could mo
ears deceive me?"-
With that ho took heart of hope and
broko manfully Into the chorus, sing
ing directly to tho lighted window,
singing tho first lino with ardor and
fervor, with coufldenco and with hope,
singing persuasively, pleadingly, anx
iously, Insistently'.
"For the worrtd la nil befo-ore us "
ho sang and then paused. Ho heard
no echo. And again he essayed, with
that In his touo to melt a heart of
Ice:
"Kor the worrtd Is all befo-ore us "
And now ho triumphed and was
lifted out of himself with sheer do
light; for from tho adjoining room
camo tho next line:
- "And landladies ado-ore us-j "
Unable to contain himself, he
Breath, Stunned.
chimed in, nnd In duet they sang It
out to the rousing finale:
"They ne'er rayfuse to sco-oro us,
Hut ohttlk us up wld Joy
We tasto her tnp, wo ear her cap
O, that's the chnp
For hip.' cries she
'Whlroo!
Isn't ho tho darllnt, the oould soldier
boy!' "
As tho last note rang out and died,
tho next window was darkened; tho
woman had switched off tho lights.
Ho heard a faint rustle of silken ruf
fles. '"TIs horsolf." ho declared In
an agony of anticipation "herself and
nono other! And I'm thinking Bho'll
bo coming to tho window now"
Ho was jlght. Abruptly he discov
ered her by the reflected glow from
tho illumination behind him. He was
conscious of tho pallid oval ot her
face, of a slook whlto shoon of nrms
and Bhouldors. of a dark mass of hair,
but moro thnn all olao of tho glamour
ot eyoa that shouo Into his softly,
llko limpid pools of darkness touched
by dim starlight
Inflamed, ho leaned toward her.
"Whist, darling!" ho stammered.
"Whist! 'TIs m self 'tis Terence"
But she was gone. A low, stifled
laugh was all his nnBWer that and
tho silken whisper of her skirts ns sho
scurried from tho window. Ho flush
ed crimson, waited an instant, then
Hung discretion to the 'winds, and
found himself scrambling out upon the
balcony. Heaven only knows to what
lengths tho man would havo gono had
not the slam of a door brought him up
standing; sho hnd left her room!
So she thought to escape him so
easily! Ho swore between his teeth
with excitement nnd tumbled back
whence ho had come. RegardleBB of
tho fact that ho was still in his shirt
sleeves ho rushed mndly for tho door.
On tho wny a shooting-Jacket on the
door, perhaps In revenge for neglect
and Ill-treatment, maliciously wound It
self around his feet and all but throw
him headlong; only a frantic clutch at
the footratl of tho bed saved him.
Kicking the thing savagoly oft he
flung himself upon the door and threw
It open. His Jaw dropped.
The lift shaft was directly opposite.
Before it, in more or less patient wait
ing, stood a very young and beautiful
woman In a gown whoso extreme can
dor was surpassed only by tho perfec
tion of Its design nnd appolntmont
both blatant of tho Ruo do la Palx;
a typo as common to tho cognoscenti
of Monto Carlo as the Swiss hotel por
ters. But O'Rourko did not know her
from Eve.
"The divvle!" said ho beneath his
breath.
Ho was mistaken; but tho young
woman, at first startled by his uncer
emonious appearanco, on Instantan
eous second thought decided to per
mit him to discover that twin Imps,
at least, resided In hor eyes. And
when his disappointment prevented
him from recognizing them, her dawn
ing smile was swiftly erased and her
ascending eyebrows spoke eloquently
enough of her haughty displeasure.
Synchronously tho lift hesitated at
that landing and the gate clanged
wide; the young woman wound her
skirt nbout her nnd showed him a
back which at any other time would
havo evoked his unstinted admiration.
Then the gate shot to with a rattle
and bang, and the lift dropped out of
sight, leaving tho man with mouth
ngapo and eyes ns wide.
A beaming but elderly femme do
chambro on duty In tho corridor, re
marking O'Rourke's pause of stupefied
chagrin, hoped and believed ho need
ed her services. She boro down upon
him accordingly.
"M'sleu' 1b desirous of ?"
Ho came out of his trance. "Noth
ing," ho told her with acid brevity.
"But, yes," ho reconsidered with
haste. "That lady who but this mo
ment took the lift her name?"
"Her name, m'sleu'? Mu'm'selle Vol
taire." "Impossible!" ho told himself aloud,
uttorly unablo to forgo any connecting
link between the Indy in the lift and
hor whose voice hnd bewitched him.
"But assuredly, m'sleu'. Do I not
know I who havo waited upon her
hand and foot theso throo days and to
whom she has not given as much as
that." Tho woman ticked a finger
nail against her strong whlto
teeth. "Mn'm'scllo Victorlno Vol
taire," she asserted stubbornly.
O'Rourko fumbled in his pocket nnd
found a golden ten-franc piece, surren
dering It to the womnn as heedlessly
as though It had been ns many cen
times. "I'll be leaving me room In five
minutes, now. ' And do yo, for the love
of Heaven, me dear, try to set mo
things tho least trifle to rights. Will
ye now, like tho best little girl In
tho world?"
Tho best little girl In the world,
who was forty-flvo If a day, promised
miracles with a bob of a courtesy.
But so disgruntled was O'Rourko that
ho shut his door In her face.
"TIs meself that's tho fool," ho
Bald savagoly enough, "to think for a
moment that over again I'll Bet mo
eyes on her pretty face God bless It,
wherever sho may bo! ... For
why should I desorvo to I, tho pon
nlless adventurer?"
(TO UK CONTINUED.)
Carte and Pierce.
Ho What do you women do at
your club?
Sho Talk about tho faults of you
mon. What do you do at yours?
Ho Try to forget tho faults of you
women. Boston Transcript.
Kind Insinuation.
Ho I seo whero tho hunters nra
Bhootlng people, mlstnklng them for
gnmo.
Sho Then you had better bo very
careful about going out, or thoy may
shoot jou for a goraa.
DOES YOUR BACK ACHEr
Aches and Twinges Point to Hidden
Kidney Troublo.
Havo you a lamo back, aching day
and night? Do you fool a sharp pain
after bending over? When tho kidneys
Boom soro and tho nctlon irregular.
uso Doan's Kidney
Pills, which havo
cured thousands.
L. Bonney, Eu
geno, Oro., says:
"I contracted bo
voro kldnoy trou
blo through heavy
lifting. Thero waa
a dull acho across
my hips nnd pains
llko knife-thrusts
shot through mo.
Doan's Kidney
Pills cured after
doctors had failed
and my back la
stronger than beforo In years."
"When your Back is Lame, Romom
bqr tho Namo DOAN'S'HOo all stores.
Fostor-Mllburn Co., Buffalo, N. Y.
Paradise Lost.
"Bllngloy, why does Oldboy refuso
to speak to you? You used to be great
friends."
"Yes, when wo wero bachelors; but
ho's married now."
"And what difference does that
make?"
"Well, tho fact is, I mado him a
handsome wedding present of a book,
and ho hasn't! apokon to mo since."
"What was tho book?"
"Paradise Lost."
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Tho man who says ho would bo will
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Don't mako shipwreck of your health when
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A fellow can mako a hit with a girl
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Km
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I nifaHIWeat references. Best result
Nebraska Directory
THEPAXTON
HOTEL
Omaha, NebrMiuj ,
EUROPEAN PUN
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Writer
rriM
(
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r- ' z.