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SYNOPSIS.
Hcorffo Porolvnl Algernon .lone, vice-
firoflldiint of the Metropolitan Oriental
Cuk company of Ni-w Yoik, tlilrmlnn f'""
rdtnnnou, l In (Jain) on n btiilnc-M trip.
Horace Ilyunne iirrhes nt tlm lintel In
Onlro Willi fi carefully guarded bundle.
Uynnnc hcIIs Jones (lie fnmou holy Vhl
iirdoH ruff which he admits ImvliiK fttolnn
1tam ii pnnlm nt llagdnd. JoncH inoetn
Major Cnlluhan unil later Is Introduced lo
Xfartunu Clicdfloyn by a woman to whom
hC hnd loaned IfiO potindH at Monte Carlo
nonio monUiH prevlousl, and who turn
out to bo Fprtunu'H inothei
CHAPTER V. (Continued.)
"Woll7" said Mrs. GhedRoye, a quiz
zical smile slanting Iter Up.
"You wIhIi my opinion?" countered
thn daughter. "JIc Is thy, but he 1h
neither ntupld nor (.Illy; nnd when ho
rtirtjlca lio Is rcully good-looking."
"My child," repllod the woman,
drawing off her gloves nnd examining
hor shapely hands, "I have looked In
to tho very heart oMbat oirag man.
A thousand years ago, a red cross on
nl.i Burtout, ho would liavo been bent
lug hla lists against tho wnllH of
JoriiKalom; five htindrcd years later,
ho would havo been elnglng chant
' royalcs under lalllctMliidowM; a pa
ladin nnd a poet."
"How do you Know that? Dirt he
tamlco love to you?"
"No; but I -inndo love to I1I111 with
out his knowing It; nnd that wns
mora to my purpose than having him
mako lovo to mo," enigmatically.
"Three dayu, and he was bo guileless
hat hu never nBkod my namo. Hut
5rt Monto Carlo, as you know, 0110 asks
only your banker's name.''
"And your purpose?"
"It Is still mine, dear. Do you real
tzo. that wo haven't seen each other
hi four months, nnd that you haven't
offered to klBs mo "
"Dirt ho go away without writing to
,70U about that monoyT'
Mrs. Cucdfioyo calmly plucked out
tlfe Inturned flngorB of hor gloves. "I
hollovo I did receive, a unto tnc'oslng
bin banker's nddross, but, unfortu
nately, In the confusion of returning
to Paris, I lost It My memory has
always been a trial to me," Badly.
"Slnco whon7" coldly. "Thoro Is not
i woman living with a leconor memory
than yourn."
"You flnttor mo. In affairs that in
terest mo, perhaps."
"You novor meant to pay him. It
ia horrible."
''My doar Fortune how you Jump at
conclusions! Did I not offer him n
.draft tho very first thing?"
"Knowing Uint at such a moment ho
could not possibly accept it?" do
rlslvcly. "Bomotlmos I hato you!"
"In thcBo dnya filial devotion Is a
lost nrt."
"No, no; It Is a flower parents havo
ceased to cultivate."
And thoro was In tho tone a
atrnlncd nolo which described an In-
SnBo longing to bo loved. For If
loigo Perclval Algernon Jones was
, lonoly young man, It was tho result
o( his own bllndnpss; whoreaa Fortuno
diotlsoyo turnod hither and thlthor In
search of that which she novor could
And. Tho wldo Lyblnu rtesort, hold
uDon Us face n loneliness, n desolation,
loss mournful than that which relgnod
within her heart.
"Hush! Wo nro .growing Rontlmont
al," warned tho mother. "Itcsldcs, I
(joIIovo wo aro attracting attention."
Ifor glnnco nwopt a hulf-clrclo com
Olaccntly. "Pardon mo! I uhould bo sorry to
lcav attontlou to you, knowing how
you nbhor It."
"My child, loarn Trom mo; tompor la
tho. nrch-onemy of muooth complex
Ions. Jonos It uia"kos you laugh."
"It Is n homely, honest imme."
"I graut tbnt. But a Perclval Algor
nou. Jotios!" Mrs. Chodsoye laugbod
tartly. It was one of those pleasant
founds that caused porsoiiB within
hearing to wait for It to occur again.
'Cbjno; lot ub go up to tho room. It
h' a dull, dusty Journey In from Port
tfald."
Alono, Fortune was certain that Tor
her mother hor heart know nothing
nut huto. Neglect, Indlfforonco, In
justice, misunderstanding, tho chill
ropollonco that nlwnya mot tho loast
iijtrcachlng of tho child's uffoctlons,
tha unaccountiiblo disappearances,
Uia terror of tho unknown, the blank
wall of lgnornnco bohlnrt which oho
waa alwayB kept, upon theso hato had
bulldcd hor dark and brooding ro
ttoat. Yot, never did tho mother como
within tho radius of hor Bight that Bho
dirt not fall under tho spoil of
ntrjtngo fncclnntlou, enchaining, fight
ugalust It how eho might. A kindly
touch of ther hnud, n slnglo mother
riiallo, and eho would havo Hung her
aima ubout the othor womanta nock.
Hut tho touch and tho mother-smllo
ne.ver camo. Sho know, sho under
stood; Bho wnsn't wanted, eho hadn't
bqon wanted In tho beginning; to her
mother sho was as tho young of nnl
tunlo, Interesting only up to that time
w,hcn they could stand alono. That
tho mothor novor mndo nnd hold
fomlnlno friendships was In nowise
astonishing, Hoauty and charm, such
sb sho pos'soased, served immediately
to stimulate envy In other women's
bonrts. And that mon of all stations
In llfo Hocked about her, why, It Is
the otornal tribute demanded of beau
ty. Hero and thero tho men wcro not
all tho daughtor might have wished.
Ofton they burnt sweet flattery ut hor
shrine, tentatively; but as sho coolly
stamped out theso Incipient fires,
they nt length camo to regard her as
ono regards tho boa,uty of a frosted
window, as a thing to admire and
prnlHo In passing. Ono acho always
abldod; the bitter knowlcdgo that had
sho met in kind smile for smilo nnd
Jest for Jest, bho might have been her
mothor's hoon companion. Dut deep
back In some hidden chamber of her
hoart lay ri 'secret dread of such a
step, a dread which, whenever she
strove to analyze It, ran from under
hor Investigating touch, as little balls
of quicksilver run from under the
pressure of a thumb.
Bho wan never without the comforts
of llfo, well-fed, well-dressed, well
housed, and ofton her mothor flung
hor somo Jowolcd trinket which (again
that sense of menace) Bho put away,
but never wore. The bright periods
wero when (hoy loft hor in tho llttlo
villa near Mentono. with no ono but
her old, and faithful uuisc. There,
with her horse, her books and her
flowers, Bho wns at poace. Week Into
week and month Into month she was
lot be. Novor a letter cume, save
from fionio former Bchoolmate who
wan coming ovor and wanted letters
of Introduction to dukos nnd duchess
es, ir alio smiled over theso lottora
it wuh with melancholy; for the dukes
and duchesses, who Tell within hor
singular orbit, wore not tho sort to
whom ono gave letters of Introduction.
Whoro her mother went Bho never
had tho least Idea. Sho might bo In
any of tho great ports of tho world,
anywhore botweon Now York and
Port Said. Tho major generally dis
appeared nt tho uamo time. Then,
perhaps, nho'd como bnck from a
pleasant tram-rldc ovor to Nice nnd
find them both at tho vllln. maid alid
luggage. Mayhap a night or two, nnd
off they'd go again; never n word
about their former Journoy, uncom
immicntlvo, rather (pilot. Theso ab
Bonces, togothor with tho undemon
strative reappearances, used to hurt
Fortune dreadfully. It gave hor a
cleur proof of whoro she stood, exactly
nowhere. Tho hurt had lossoncd with
tho yenro, and now sho didn't caro
much. Ltka Au not, they would drag
her out of Kdcn for n month or two,
for whnt truo reason alio never could
quite fathom, unless It waa that at
times hor mother llkod to havo the
daughtor noar hor aa a foil.
At rato Intervals Hho saw Btool-oycd,
grim-mouthed mon wandering up and
down before tho gatos of tho Villa
There Weren't Two Other Women
Fanny, but thoy novcr rang tho boll,
nor spoke to hor when sho passed
them on tho Btroot. If sho talked of
theso men, her mother and tho major
would oxchango amused glances, noth
ing moro.
If, lightly or wrongly, Bho hated hor
mother, sho dosplBcd her uncle, who
was ovor bringing to the vllln men of
money, but of coarso fiber, ostensibly
with tho vlow of nmrrylng her off
flut Fortune hnd her dreams, and sho
was qulto content to wait
5TiAR0LD
AxifKor 0 HEARTS AND.ASKS
Oha fAN UN
I I It 1 oi-tJT'l -n-Tv cs- Av V
iMUuiivii; r J.
COPYRIGHT
There was ono man more persistent
than the others Her mother called
him Horace, which tho major mel
lowed Into Hoddy He was tall, blond,
good-looking, a devil-may-care, edu
cated, witty, amusing; and in evening
dress he npponred to bo what It was
quite evident ho had onco been, a
gentleman. At first she thought it
strange that ho should tnako her, In
stead of hor mother, his confidante.
An lo what vocation he pursued, she
did not know, for ho kept sedulous
guard over his tongue; but his pnst.
up to that foil: In tho road where man
hood says good by to youth, was hers.
And In this direction, clever and m tf ul
as tho mother was, sho sought In vain
to wiest this paBt from her daughter's
lips. To tho mother, It was really nec
essary for her to know who this man
really wns, had been, kiiowlng thor
oughly as alio did whnt ho was now.
Persistent ho undeniably was, but
novcr coarso nor rude. Slnco that
time lie had como back from tho
casino at Monto Carlo, much tho worso
for wlno, sho feared him; yet, in splto
of this fenr, she had for him n vague
liking, n hazy admiration. Whatever
htu faults might be, she stood witness
to hla great physical strength and
courage. Ho was tho only man, among
all tlioso who appeared nt tho Villa
Fanny and Immediately vanished, who
returned again. And he, too, soon
grow to be n part of this unreal drama,
arriving mysteriously ono day nnd do
parting the next.
That n drama was being enacted un
der hor eyes she no longer doubted;
but It was as though sho had taken
her seat among the nudlenco In tho
middle of the second act. Sho could
mako neither head nor tall to it.
Whenever Bho nccompanled her
mother upon theso Impromptu Jour
noys, her character, or rather hor at
titude, underwent a chnngo. She
swept nsldo hor dreams; sho ncccptcd
tho world as It was, saw things ns
they wero; laughed, but without merri
ment; Jested, but with tho vonomed
point, it wns tho revorse of her real
character to glvo hurt to any living
thing, but during theso forced march
cj, as tho major humorously termed
them, and such they wero in truth,
sho could no more stand against giv
ing tho cruel stab than, when alono
In her pardon, sho could roslst tho
tender pleasure of succoring a fallen
buttorfly. Sho was especially happy
in finding weak Bpots in her mother's
In All Cairo to Compare With These
Two.
armor, nnd sho never denied horself
tho thrust. Mrs. Chcdsoyo enjoyed
thoso sharp encounters, for It must
bo added that sho gave as good as
aho took, and moro often than not hor
thrusts bit docpor and did not always
heal.
Fortuno novcr asked questions rola
Uvo to tho family finances. If she
harbored any doubts as to their origin,
to tho Bourco of tholr compnratlvo lux.
ury, sho novor put thoso Into hpeech
Sim had nevor seen hor father, but
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-.ho had often lieard him referred to
ns "that brute' or "that rool" or "that
drunken Imbecile." If a portrait of
him existed, Fortune hnd not yet seen
It. Sho ilsltcd his lonoly grao onco
a year, In tho Protestant cc netery,
and dreamily tried to conjure up what
manner of man ho had boen. Ono dny
sho piled her old Italian nurse with
questions.
"Handsome? Yes, but It was nil so
long ago, enra mla, that I can not
describo him to you."
"Did ho drink?" Behind this ques
tion there was no senso of moral
obloquy as applying to the dead.
"Sainted Mary! didn't all 1 en drink
their very souls Into purgntury those
unrellglous days?"
"Had ho any relatives?"
"I never heard of nny."
"Was ho ilch?"
"No; but when the- signora, your
mother, married him she tl ought ho
was."
It was not till later yetm that For
tune grasped the truo slgnllloanco of
this stntoment. It Illumined many
pages Sho dropped all InvestigiMons,
concluding wisely that her moll or, If
she were minded to speak at all, could
supply only tho Incidents, tho d tails.
It was warm, balmy, llko May In the
northern latitudes. Worn 1 wore
white dresses and carried 'iishades
over their shoulders. A gi d band
played nlrs from the new llr..t-operas,
and nt one side of tho g aud-st.ind
wore tea-tables under darling linen.
Fashion was out. Not all Ur votaries
enjoyed polo, but It was absolutely
necessary to pretend tli 1 they did.
When thoy talked thoy discussed tho
Spnnlsh dancer who paraded back
and forth across the tea-lawn. They
discussed her Jowols, hor clothes, her
escort, and qulto frankly her morals,
Expect Every
Hear
which of the lour was by all odds the
most popular themo. All agreed that
ahe was handsome In a bold way This
modification invariably distinguishes
tho right sort of women from the
wrong sort, from which there is no ap
peal to a higher court. They could
well afford to admit .of her hoauty,
since the dancer wns outside what Is
called tho bocial palo, for all that her
nowest escort wns a prlnco Incognito.
Thoy alBO discussed tho play at bridge,
the dullness of this particular season,
tho possibility of war between Eng
land and Oermnny. And somo ono
asked others who wero tho two well
gowned women down In front, sitting
on either side of tho young chap In
pearl-grey. No ono know. Mother nud
daughter, probably. Anyhow, thoy
knew something about good clothes.
Oeorgo was happy. Ho waB proud,
too. He saw the glances, the nods of
approval. Ho basked In a kind or
sunshine that was now. What an nsa
ho hud been all his life! To havo
been afraid of woman Just becauso
ho was Perclval Algernon ! What ho
should have done was to havo gono
forth boldly, taken whnt pleasuroa ho
found, and laughed with the rest of
them.
Thero weren't two othor women In
nil Cairo to compnre with these two
Tho mothor, shapely, elegant, with
i n -JH-vr'JB ' - " '
tho dark beauty of a hlgb-class Span
lard, possessing humor, trenchant com
ment, keen deduction and application;
worldly, cynical, high-bred. Tho 'stu
dent of nations might havo tried in
vain to placo her. Sho apoko tho
French of tho Parisians, tho, Italian
of tho Florentines, tho Oerman of tho
Ilnnovorlnns, nnd her English w:ns the
envy of Americans and the wonder of
tho Londoners, Tho daughter fell be
hind her but little, but she wns more
reserved.
As Fortune sat besido the young col
lector that afternoon, she marveled
why they had given him Perclval Al
gernon. Jones was all right, solid and
substantial, but the other two turned
It Into ridicule. Still, what was tho
matter with Perclval Algernon? His
tory had given won of these namcB
mighty flno things to accomplish.
Then why ridicule? Was it duo to the
perverted nnglo of vision created by
wits and humorists in tho comic week
lies, who were eternally pillorying
theso unhappy prefixes' to ordinary
cognomens? And why this pillorying?
Sho hadn't studied the subject suf
ficiently to reallzo that tho business
of tho humorist Is not so much to
amuso as to warn persons against bo
coming ridiculous. And Perclval Al
gernon Jones was all of that. It re
solved Itself Into a matter of values,
then. Had his surname been Mont
morency, Perclval Algernon would
havo fitted as a key to its lock. Sho
smiled. No one but a fond mothor
would bo guilty of such a crime. And
if sho ever grew to know him well
enough, sho was going to ask him all
about this mother.
What Interest had her own mother
In this harmless young man? Oh,
some day sho would burst through this
web, this Jungle; some day sho would
seo beyond tho second act! What
then? she never troubled to ask her
self; time enough when tho moment
arrived.
"I hnd nn Interesting adventure
last night, a most interesting one,"
Some One Arriving From Bagdad."
begnn George, who was no longer the
shy, blundering recluse. They were
on tho way back to town.
"Tell it me." said Mrs Chcds-oyc.
Ho leaned over fiom his scat besido
tho chauffeur of tho hired automobile.
(Hang the expense on 11 dny llko
this') "A fellow brought mo 11 rug
last night, ono of tho rarest outildc
tho museums. How and where he i;ot
It I'm not fully ablo to state. Dut
ho had boen In n violent Btrugglo
somewhere, arras hlashed, shins bnt
tercd. Ho admitted that ho had gono
In where many Bhapcs of death
lurked. It was a hit Irregular. I
bought the rug. howovor. Somo ono
elso would hnve snatched It up if I
hadn't. I wanted him to recount tho
adventure, but he smllod and rofused.
I toll you what It is, theso eastern
ports aro great places."
"How Interesting!" MrB. Chedsoyo's
color was not up to tho mark. "Ho
was not seriously wounded?"
"Oh, no. Ho looks llko a tough In
dividual. I mean, n chap strong and
hardy enough to pull himself out of
pretty bad holes. Ho needed tho
monoy."
"Did ho glvo his name?" asked For
tune. "Yes; but no doubt It wub assumed,
rtyanno, aud ho spelt It with an 'no,'
and humorously explained why ho did
so."
"Is he young, old. f;nod-Iooklng, or
what?" r
Mrs. Chcdsoyo eyed her offspring
through narrowed lids.
"I bhould feay that ho was about
thirty-five, tall, something of an nth
loto; and there romnliiB homo indica
tions Hint In the Hush of youth ho was
handsome. Odd. Ho reminded mo of
a young man who was on tho varsity
eleven foot-baller when 1 entered
my freshman yenr. I didn't know him.
but I wns a great admirer of bin from
tho grand-stand. Horace Wadswortn
was his name."
Horace Wadswortn. Foitune had
the sensation of being a&lonlsucd nt
something sho had expected to hnp
pon. Just boforc going down to dinner
thnt night, Fortune turned to her
mother, her chin eombattvo in Its
angle.
"I gavo Mr. Jonc3 n hundred nnd
fifty pounds out of that money you
left In my care. Knowing how forget
ful you arc, I took the liberty of at
tending to the affair myself."
She expected a storm, but Instead
her mother viewed her with apprais
ing eyes. Suddenly sho laughed mel
lowly. Hor sense of burner was too
excitable to resist so delectablo a sit
uation. "You told him, of course, that tho
money camo from me?" demanded
Mrs. Chcdsoyo. when sho could con
trol her voice.
"Surely, since it did como from
you."
"My dear, my dear, you aro to mo
llko tho song In tho Mikado;" nnd sho
hummed lightly
" 'To mako tho prisoner pent
Unwillingly represent
A sources of Innocent merriment.
Of Innocent merriment!' "
"Am I a prisoner, then?"
"Whatever you llko; It can not bo
said that I ever held you on tho leash,"
taking n final look into tho mirror.
"What is the meaning of this rug?
You and I know who stole It."
"I have explicitly warned you, raj
child, never to meddle with affairs
that do not concern j 1."
"Indirectly, some of yours do. You
aro in love with Ityanne, aa ho calls
himself."
"My dear, you do not usually stoop
to such vulgarity. And arc you cer
tain that he has any other name?"
"If I wero I should not tell you."
"Oh!"
"A man will tell the woman ho
loves many things ho will not tell
tho woman ho admires."
"As wise as tho serpent," bantered
the mother; but she looked again into
tho mirror to see if her color was still
what It should be. "And whom does
he admire?" tho Mona Lisa smilo hov
ering at tho corners of her lips.
"You," evenly.
Mrs. Chcdsoyo thought for a mo
ment, thought deeply and with new
Insight. It was no longer a child but
a woman, and mayhap sho had played
upon tho taut strings of the young
heart onco too often. Still, sho was
unafraid.
"And whom does he lovo?"
"Me. Shnll I get you the rouge,
mother?"
Still with that unchanging smile,
the woman received tho stab. "My
daughter," as If speculatively, "you
will get on. You haven't boon my pu
pU all theso years for nothing. Let
us go down to dinner." 9
Fortune, as sho silently followed,
experienced a sense of dlsconcortlon
rather than of elation.
CHAPTER VI.
Moonlight and Poetry.
A ball followed dinner that night.
Wednesday. Tho amplo lounglng
room filled up rapidly after coffee;
officers In smart uniforms and spurs,
whoso principal function in times of
pence' is to get In evcrybody'B way,
rowel oxposcd ankles, nnd demolish
laco ruffles. Egyptians nnd Turks and
sleek Armenians In sombor western
frock and scarlet eastern fez or tar
boosh, women of all colors (meaning,
as course, us applied) and shapes and
tastes, tho lean and the fnt, the tall
nnd short, such as Hilly Taylor is said
to havo kissed In all tho ports, and
tall-coats of as many styles as Jo
seph's had patches. Georgo could dis
tinguish his compatriots by tho fit of
tho trousers round tho Instep ; the
Englishman hnd his fitted at tho
waist and trusted in Providence for
tho hang of tho rest. This trifling de
tectlvo work rather pleased George.
The women, however, were all Even
to his eyo; liberal expanses of beauti
ful white skin, tho baro effect being
modified by n string of pearls or dia
monds or cmernlds, and hair which
might or might not havo been wholly
their own. Ho waited restlessly for
the reappearance of Mrs. Chedsoyo
and her daughter. All was right with
tho world, except that ho was to sail
altogether too soon. HIb loan had
been returned, and he know that his
former suspicions had been most un
worthy. Mrs. Chedboyo had never
received his noto.
(TO DH CONTINUED.)
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