THE 8EMI.WEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE. NEBRASKA.
CHAPTER XXI Continue.
-13-
Onr dally notions nrc controlled by j
variety of opposing Influences which j
are llko threads pulling at u from i
various directions. When for nny rca-
on certain of tlicsc tnrcnas nro
napped nnd the balance la disturbed
wo nre drawn Into strange pathways,
nnd our whole Uvea mny bo changed
through the operation of what seems a
most trivial case. In Bob's case Uio
causo approached, all unheralded, In
Uio person of Mr. Mellaril Cady. n
youth whoso magnificent vacuity of
purpose was the envy of his friends.
Comctlllcc, he was destined to appear,
flash brightly, then disappear bcltftr
the horizon of this talc. Mr. Cady
greeted nob with listless enthusiasm,
teetering tho while upon his cano like
a Japanese equilibrist.
"Haven't seen you for nges," ho be
gan. "Been abroad?" ,
Rob explained that ho was spending
the summer In Now York, n statement
Hint filled his listener with the same
horror he would hnvo felt had he
learned that Bob was passing tho heat
ed season In the miasmatic Jungles of
the Amazon. I
"Just ran down from Newport,"
Cady voluutccrcd. "I'm sailing today.
iBetter Join mo for n trip. I know "
iio cut Bob's refusal short "travel's
on awful nuisance; I get seasick my
self." "Then why play at It?"
Cady rolled a mournful eyo upon his
friend. "Girl I" said he, hollowly.
"Show girl I If I stay I'll marry her,
nnd that wouldn't do. Posl-tlro-ly nott
So I'm running away. I'll wait over
if you'll Join me."
"I'm n working man."
"Hawl" Mr. Cady expelled n short
laugh.
"Tniol And I've quit drinking."
Now Cady was blase, but ho had n
heart; his sympathies wcro slow, but
ho was not lnsenslblo to misfortune.
Accordingly ho responded wIUi n cry of
pity, running his eyo ovor his friend
to estimate tho ravages of temperance.
"Up ngalust it?" Inquired tho other.
"So says my heartless father. Ho
has sewed up my pockets and scuttled
my drawing account, hence tho dinner
pall on my arm. I'm In quest of toll."
"I'll bet you starve," brightly pre
dicted Mr. Cady, In an effort at en
couragement. "I'll lay you flvo thou
sand that you innko a flivver of any
thing you try."
"I've quit gambling, too."
As they shook hands Cady grunted:
"My invitation to globo-trot is with
drawn. Pino company you'd bol"
As Bob walked up tho nvenuo ho
pondered deeply, wondering if ho real
ly wore so lacking In ability as his
friends believed. Money was such a
common thing, after all; tho silly
labor of acquiring it could not bo half
w interesting ns tho spending of it.
Anybody conld mnkc money, but to
enjoy it, to circulate it Judiciously, one
must possess individuality of a sort.
Money seemed to come to somo people
Without effort, and from tho strangest
lources Kurtz, for instance, had
Crown rich out of coats aud trousors!
Bob halted, frowning, whllo YIng
peered out from Ills hiding placo at
tho passing throngs, exposing n tiny,
limp, ping-ribbon tongue. If Kurtz,
trmcd only with a pair of shears nnil
ft foolish tapo, had won to affluence,
why couldn't another? Stock broking
was no longer profitable; and old
Hannibal's opposition evidently forced
ft change of occupation.
The prospect of such a chnngo was
jnnoylng, but scarcely alarming to an
engrained optimist, and Bob took com
fort 4n reflecting that tho best-soiling
literature of tho day was replete with
distances of disinherited sous, lmpov
H Should Llka to Know Nice Pooplo,"
Lorelei Confessed.
arlahed society men, rulncQ bankers,
it mere Idlers, who by lightning
strokes of genius hnd mended their
fortunes overnight. Somo fow, in tho
earlier days ot frenzied fiction, had
ytayed tho market, others tho ponies,
WRll outers una gone west anu uovoi
tpod abandoned gold mines or obscure
Tfater powers. A number, also, had
gtown dUgustlngly rich from patent
tag rat-traps or shoo buttons. Ono
young man had discovered a way to
keep worms out of railroad ties and
ad promptly bludgeoned tho railroad
companies out of fabulous royalties.
Ovr tho stock-market Idcn Bob
ohIJ work up no enthusiasm ho
Jjutew too much about it and, laas-
a wvel or new vomc um
ILLUTMTIOa 4 r PARKER.
much as horse racing was no longer
fashionable, opportunities for a Pitts
burgh Phil futuro seemed limited.
Moreover, ho had never saved a Jock
ey's llfo nor a Jockey'B mother from
eviction, hence feedbor tips wcro not
likely. Nor did ho know n single soul
In the business of inventing raMrops
or shoo buttons. As for going west,
ho was clearly of the opinion that n
search for abandoned gold mines or
forgotten waterfalls wasn't In his line;
and the wecret of creosotlng railroad
tics, now that ho came to think of It,
was still locked up in the breast of its
nfllucnt discoverer. Besides, ns tho
wholo eplsodo had occurred In the sec
oud net of tho play, the safety of
building upon It was doubtful at best
Bob's wrinkled brow smoothed itself,
and he nodded. Ills path was plain; It
led around tho nearest comer to his
tailor's door.
Mr. Kurtz's greeting was warm as
Bob strollod Into tho stately showroom
with Its high-backed Flcmlsh-oak
chairs, Its great carved tables, its pan
eled walls with their antlcred decora
tions. This, It may bo said, was not a
shop, not a storo whero clothes wero
sold, but a studio whero men's dis
tinctive garments wero draped, and tho
difference was perfectly apparent on
the first of each month.
"Kurtz," began Bob, abruptly, "I
Just bet Dick Cadj flvo thousand dol
lars that I can mako my own living
for sir months." This falsehood trou
bled him vngucly until ho remembered
that high flnanco must bo often con
ducted behind n veil.
Mr. Kurtz, genial, shrewd, gray,
raised admiring eyes and said:
"I'll take another flvo thousand."
But Bob declined. "No, I'm going
to work."
This announcement Interested tho
tailor deeply. "WIio'b going to hire
you?" ho asked.
"You nro."
Kurtz blinked. "Mnybo you'd like
to bet on thnt, too," ho ventured. "I'll
glvo you,odds."
"Work Is one of the few things I
haven't tried. You need a good sales
man."
"No, I don't. I havo soven already."
"Say, wouldn't you llko tho trado of
tho wholo youuger set? I can bring
you n lot of frcsb customers fellows
llko mo."
" 'Fresh customers' Is right," laughed
Kurtz, then sobered quickly. "You're
Joking, of course?"
"I'm so serious I could cry. now
much is it worth to you to make clothes
for my crowd?"
"Well" tho tailor considered.
"Quito a bit."
"Tho boyB llko to see Dtck trimmed
it's a matter of prlnclplo with them
novor to lot him win a bet and they'd
do anything for me. You'ro tho best
tailor In tho city, but too conservative.
Now I'm going to bring you flfty'new
accounts, every ono good for better
than two thousand n year. That's n
hundred thousand dollars. How much
am I offorod? Going! Going! "
"Walt a minute! Would you stick
to mo for six months if I took you on?"
"My dear Kurtz, I'll poultlco myself
upon you for llfo. I'll guarantee my
self not to slide, slip, wrlnklo or skid.
Thirty years hence, when you como
hobbling down to business, you'll find
mo hero."
Mr. Kurtz dealt in novelties, and tho
idea of n society salesman was sulll
clontly now to appeal to his commer
cial sense.
"I'll pay yon twenty per cont," he
offered, "for all tho now names you put
on my books."
"Mako It twonty-flvo on first orders
nnd twenty on repeaters. I'll bring my
own luncheon nnd pay my car faro."
"There wouldn't bo any profit left,1
demurred Kurtz.
"Good! Thou It's n bargain twenty
flvo and twonty.
Now wntch me grab
ndolescont offshoots of our famous
Four Hundred." Bob took a bus up
tho nvenuo to tho Collogo club for
luncheon.
At threo o'clock ho returned, nccom
panled by four flushed young men
i whoso names gave Kurtz a thrill. In
splto of their modish appearance they
declared themselves Indecently shabby,
nnd allowed Bob to order for them
n favor which ho porforiucd with n ra
jah's lofty disregard of expense, no
sat upon ono of tho carved tables, se
lecting snmples ns If for a quartot
of bridegrooms. Bolng bosom cronies
of Mr. Cady, tho four youths needed
llttlo urging. When they had gono In
to lio measured Kurtz enld guardedly
"Whew! That's moro stuff than I'vo
Bold in two weeks!"
"A moro trifle," Bob grinned, hap
plly. "Say, Kurtz, this Is tho llfol
This Is tho Job for mo panhandling
Juvenllo plutocrats no ofllco hours, no
heavy lifting, nnd Thursdays off. I'm
going to mnko you famous."
"You'll break mo with another run
llko this. You don't think they're btuf
ring?"
"Why should they bluff? They'll
novor discover how many suits they
hnvo. Now figure it up nnd tell tho
bad news."
Mr. Kurtz did ns directed, announc
ing, "Flfty-llvo hundred aud flvo do!
lars."
"Pikers!" exclaimed tho new Bales
auction
man: then he began laboriously to com
pute 25 per cent of the sum, using ns
a pad a bolt of expensive whlto silk
vest material. "Thirteen hundred nnd
seventy-six dollar's and twenty-flvo
cents Is my blackmail, Kurtz. That's
what I call 'a safo and sano Fourth.'
Not bad for dull times, and yet It
might bo better. Anyhow, It's tho
hardest thirteen hundred and seventy
six dollars I over earned."
"nnrdl" Tho merchant's Hps
twitched, oscillating his cigar violently,
"nard! I'll bet thoso fellows oven
bought your lunch. I suppose you mean
It's tho first money you ever earned."
no seemed to choke ovor thq last word.
"Well. It's worth something to get men
llko these on the books, but thirteen
hundred nnd seventy-six dollars "
"And twenty-flvo cents."
Mr. Kurtz gulped. "In ono dnyl
Why, I could buy a farm for tbat.
How much will you havo to 'earn' to
cover your living expenses for six
months?"
"Ah, the,ro wo Journey in tho realm
of purest speculation." Bob favored
Jilm with a sunny smile. "As 'well ask
mo how much my living expenses must
He Made Love Openly, Violently, Now.
bo In order to cover my earnings.
Whittover ono is, tho other will bo ap
proximately ditto or perhaps slightly
in excess thoroof. Anyhow, nothing
but rigid economy bane of my life-
will make tho one lit into tho other. But
I havo a thought. Something tells mo
theso boys need whlto flannels, so got
out your stock, Kurtz. If they can't
play tennis they must learn, for my
sako."
Bob's remarkable stroke of fortune
called for a celebration, nnd his four
customers clamored that ho squander
his first profits forthwith. Ordinarily
such n courso would havo been Just
to his liking; but now ho was dying to
tell Lorelei of his triumph, and, fearing
to trust himself with even ono drink,
ho escaped from bis friends ns soon ns
possible. Thus it chanced that ho ar
rived homo sober.
It was n happy home-coming. Bob
wus In a stnto of exaltation, no had
no dcslro to bind himself to Kurtz'
servlco for six months or for nny other
period; nor had ho tho least thought of
living up to his agreement until Lorelei
began to trent tho matter seriously
Then ho objected blankly:
"Why, it was all right ns n Joke, but
rdon't want to bo a tailor. Thero's no
romauco in woolen goods."
"How much do you owe?" sho asked.
"Heally, I'vo no Idcn. It's some
thing you don't have to remember
somebody nlwayH reminds you In plcu-
ty of time, nnd then you borrow
enough to pay up."
"Lota forget tho rotunnco and pay
up without borrowing. Uomember you
havo two families to support." Noting
that tho idea of permanent employ
ment galled him, she added, craftily,
"Of courso you'll never se another lot
of clothes llko this, but'
"Why not? It's llko selling candy to
a child."
"You can't go with that crowd with
out drinking."
"Is that so7 Now you sit tight and
hold your hat on. I can mako that
business! pay If I try, and still stay
In tho Itatnmakcra' union. There's big
money in It enough so wo can llvo
tho wny wo want to. I'm sick of this
telophouo booth, anyhow; we'll present
It to Bomo nice newsboy nnd rent nn
npartment with a closet. This ouo's
so small I don't dnro to let my trou
eers bag. Besides, wo've been uuder
cover long enough, nnd I want you to
tneot tho peoplo I know. Wo can af
ford tho expense now that I'm mnk
Ing thirteen hundred and seventy-slx
dollnrn nnd twenty-flvo cents n day."
"I should llko to know nlco people,"
Lorelei confessed. "I'm sick of tho
kind I'vo met; tho men nro Indecent
and tho women nre vulgnr. I'vo at
ways wonted to know tho othor kind."
Bob was delighted; his fancy took
fire, and nlready ho was far along
toward prosperity, "You'll mako a
BLOCK
"The
hit with the youugcr set; you'll be a
perfect rave. Bert Hayman told me
today that ills married sister Is enter
taining a lot, nnd, slnco tho drama will
be tottering on Its way to destruction
without you In a few days, I'll tell him
that we're invited out to Long Island
for a week-end."
CHAPTER XXII.
Under Lorelei's encouragement Bob
put In the next two weeks to good ad
vantage. In fact, so obsessed was ho
with his new employment that It was
not long before his Imaginary bet with
Cady assumed reality In his. mind.
Moreover, it became gossip around his
clubs; nnd In quarters where he was
well known his method of winning the
wager was deemed not only character
istic but ingenious. His exploits wero
famous; and his friends, rejoicing in
one more display of eccentricity, nnd
relishing nny mild misfortune to Dick
Cady. In tho majority of cases changed
tailors.
Business at Kurtz' increased so sub
stantially thnt Bob was treated with a
reverential amazement by everyone in
the shop. Tho other salesmen gazed
upon him with envy: Kurtz' bearing
changed in a way tbat was extremely
gratifying to ono who had been uni
versally accounted a failure. And Bob
expanded under success; ho begnn 'to
feel more than mere amusement In his
experiment.
His marriage had become public, but
the affair was too old to be of much
news value. Now that ho had escaped
tho disagreeable notoriety he had ex
pected nnd wns possessed of larger
menus, Bob Inordinately proud of his
wife's beauty aud boyishly eager to
display It undertook to win social rec
ognition for her. It was no dlfllcult
task for otto with his wide acquaint
ance to mako a beginning. Lorelei
was surprised and delighted ono day to j
receive an Invitation for her and her
husband to spend a week-end at Fen
nellcourt tho country homo of Bert
Hnymnn's sister. She had not been
sorry to glvo up her theatrical work,
and tho prospect of meeting nlco
people, of leaving for good nnd nil tho
sordid, unhealthy ntmosphero of Brond
wnyF bathed her in alow of anticipa
tion. Fennellcourt is ono of tho show
places of tho Wheatley Hills section.
Bert Hnyman drovo tho Whartons out
from tho city, nnd Lorelei's first
glimpse of Fennellcourt wns such thnt
Bho forgot her vnguo dlsllko of Hny
man himself. Bert, who had met her
nud Bob for luncheon, hnd turned out
to be, instead of a polished man of tho
world, a glib youth with nn nrtlflclnl
laugh and n pair of sober, heavy-lidded
eyes. That ho possessed n keen ap
preciation of fcmlnlno .beauty he
showed by surrendering uncondition
ally to Lorelei's charms.
As Hayman's car rolled up tho drive
way and tho beauties of Fennellcourt
displayed themselves, Lorelei found
her heart throbbing violently. Wns not
this tho beginning of n glorious ndvon
turo? Wns not llfo unfolding nt Inst?
Wns she not upon tho threshold of n
now world? Tho flutter In her breast
was answer.
Bert led tho wny through nn impres
sive hall that bisected tho building,
then out upon n stntely bnlustrnded
Btono terrace, where, In tho grateful
Bhado of gaudy awnings, n dozen
peoplo wero chatting at tea tables.
Mrs. Fennoll, tho hostess, n plain
faced, dumpy young matron, welcomed
tho nowcomors, then made Lorelei
known. As for Bob, he needed no in
troductions; n noisy outburst greeted
him, nnd Lorelei's heart warmed nt
tho welcome.
iV fow moments of chntter, then sho
and Bob wero led Into the houso again
and up to n cool, wldo bedroom. As
Lorelei removed her motor cont and
bonnet Bho exclaimed, breathlessly:
"What a gorgeous houso! And thoso
people! They weren't tho least bit
formal."
Bob laughed. "Formality is about
tho last thing thoy'ro famous for,
Thero's liable to be too much Infor
mality. Say! You niado thoso dames
look llko tho Monday morning wash
ladles' parado. I know you would."
"You said this wns tho younger sot-
but that nwful Thompson-Bellalro wld
ow is here, nnd that blondo girl I mot
With her."
"Alice Wyeth?"
"Yes. I thought Bho was going to
kiss you."
Bob grinned. "So did I. Sho will
too, if sho feels llko it."
"Won't you .havo nnythlng to say
nbout it?" 1
"What could I say? Alice does Just
as Bho likes. So does everybody else,
for that matter. I'vo nover gono in for
this sort of thing very much."
After a moment Lorelei ventured,
eupposo they'ro nil hard drinkers"
"That wasn't spring water you saw
in their glasses."
"Aro you going to?" Lorelei eyed
him nnxlously.
"I can't very well mako myself con
splcuous by refusing everything;
don't want to look like a zebra in
honyard nnd n cocktail boforo dinner
wouldn't hurt anybody," Noting bis
wife's expression, ho kissed her lightly.
Author of
The Iron Trail"
"the Spoilers"
Silver Horde" Etc,
Cihrithl, By litrfir Cf Bnllrt
"Now don't spoil your first party by
worrying over me. Just forget you'ro
mnrrlcd and hnvo n good time."
Music greeted them ns they descend
ed the stnlrs, nud they found somo of
tho guests dancing to tho strains of
n giant orchestrion built Into tho mu
sic room. Hnyman promptly seized
upon Lorelei nnd whlWed her nwny,
but not before sho saw Uio Wyoth
blondo mnklng for Bob as an eagle
makes for Its prey.
Guests continued to arrive from
time to time; some from Westchester
nnd tho Connecticut shore, others
from neighboring cstntcs. Ono couple
In riding clothes, out for n gallop, dis
mounted nnd stayed for a trot. Tho
huge tiled terrace began to rcsemblo
n Broadway tho dansant.
Thcro wns moro freedom, more vl-.
vaclty than Lorelei was accustomed to,
oven In tho gayest downtown resorts;
tho fun was swift and hilarious, there
was a great deal of drinking. Bob,
nftcr n manful strugglo against his
desires nnd n frightened resistance
to tho advances of Miss Wyoth, had
fled to tho billiard room.
Lorelei bocamo Interested in wntch
lng Miss Courtenny, tho girl in the rid
ing habit, ono of tho season's debu
tantes, who, It seemed, was especially
susceptible to tho influence of liquor.
Lorelei wns glad when it came tlmo
to dress for dinner. As sho went to
her room Mrs. Fonnell stopped her on
tho stairs to say:
"My dear, Elizabeth Courtenny was
frantically Jealous of you."
"Of mo? I don't understand."
"She nnd Bert nro great friends
nnd he's gone perfectly tin ft over you.
Why, he's telling everybody." Lorelei
flushed, to tho evident nmusemcnt of
her hostess, who rah on: "Oh, Bert
means It! I never heard him ravo so.
Quito n compliment, my denr!" With a
plnyful pat she went on her wny, leav
ing tho young wlfo weak with dismay.
When Bob came In ho betreyed an
olation only too fnmllinr.
"You've been drinking!" cried Lore
lei.
"I had to; I ran fifteen threo times.
My abstinence is tho marvel of tho
whole party."
"I'm afraid"
"Say! You can't help sneezing when
yon havo a cold. What's a fellow go
ing to do In a crowd like this? But
don't worry, I know when to quit."
In truth ho did seem better able to
tnko care of himself than most of the
men Lorelei had seen, so sho said no
more.
As ho throttled himself with his eve
ning tlo Bob gn6ped: "Having n good
time?"
"Yc-csl" Lorelei could not summon
cournge for n negntlvo answer: sho
could not confess thnt her dream had
turned out wretchedly, nnd thnt whnt
Bob Bcemcd to consider simply tho
usual thing impressed her as abnormal
and wanton.
"Well, that's good," ho said. "I'm
not strong for theso week-end slaugh
ters, but it's something you'll havo to
do."
"Is all society like this?" sho In
quired.
"Um-m, yes and no! Society Is llko
layer cake "
"Because it's made of dough?"
Bob laughed. '.'Partly! Anyhow, tho
uppur crust Is icy, nnd whllo tho lower
layer Is Just as rich as thoso above,
it's moro indigestible. There's tho
heavy, soggy layers lu between, too,
don't know any of that crowd.
They'ro mostly Dodos tho kind that
endow colleges. This younger set
keeps tho whole cake from getting
tasteless."
After n whllo Lorelei ventured: "I'm
still a llttlo nervous. I wish you'd
stay close to mo Oils evening."
"Can't be done," Bob declared. "It's
a rule at Fennellcourt that husbands
must ignore their wives. Betty doesn't
invito many married couples, nnd
wife-lover is considered n pest. When
in Homo do ns tho tourists do."
Lorelei finished dressing in sllonce,
D'tipcr ins qulto different to any-
tiling Hob's wlfo hnd ever experienced
and if tho afternoon had been embar
rassing to her tho evening wns n trial
As the cocktails wero served, Harden
Fennoll distinguished himself by los
Ing his batnnco and falling backward,
to tho great amusement of his guests
Ko ono went to his assistance; ho re
gained his feet by climbing a high
backed chair, hand over hand, and dur
ing tho dinner ho sat for tho most part
in n comatoso state, hla eyes bleared
and stnrlng, his tongue unresponsive,
Lorelei hnd llttlo opportunity of watch
ing him, slnco Bort Hnyman monopo
lized her attention. Tho latter niado
lovo openly, violently now, and
added to her general disgust to see
that Bob had again fallen Into tho
clutches of Miss Wyeth, who made no
secret of her fondness for him.
Lorelei was not tho only ono to tako
special note of tho blondo girl's infntu
niion. airs. Tuompson-uoiiafro was
equally observant nnd at length mado
her disapproval patent by a remnrk
Hint sot Uio tablo laughing nnd drov
tho Wood from Lorelei's face. Some
time inter Lorelerheard her explain
to uio man on her right;
'We weren't surprised In tho least.
, . Bob'a always doing somo crazy
thing when lie'o drnnb. . , , His
latest fancy . . . pretty, or conrse.
but . . from sonic western village,
bollovo . . . can't possibly last.
Why should It?" Tho words were pur
posely made audible, and during tho
rest of tho menl, when Mrs. Thompson-Bellalro
was not bltlngly sarcastic
to Lorelei, sho wao offensively pntron
izlng. After dinner Lorelei had n better op
portunity than during tho afternoon of
becoming acquainted with tho women
of the party, but the experience was
not plcnsapt. She was mado to under
stand that they regarded her not ns
Bob's wife in nny renl sense, but rather
ns his latest and most fleeting fancy.
Ills marriage they seemed to look upon
as n bizarre adventure, such as might
happen to any man in their set who
wns looking for amusement.
There wns moro aanclng during the
evening. Miss Wyeth continued to
monopolize Bob, and Lorelei was of
fended to noto that bis resistance gave
signs of weakening. She smothered
her feelings, however, and remonstrat
ed gently, only to find Unit ho was In
uo condition to listen. The dinner hnd
been too much for him.
Thcro wcro many gnyeties to enliven
tho party, nnd, although outward de
cencies wero observed after n fnshlon,
Lorelei wns sickened by Uio sheer
license thnt she felt on every hnnd.
Sho had n wild desire to make her ex
cuses nnd escape from Fennellcourt,
but Bob had disappeared, and sho gath
ered that ho and Bert wero playing off
some fabulous wager in tho billiard
room. Pleading n hcadacho, she ex
cused herself as soon as she could.
"So sorry," said Mrs. Fennell; then,
with a knowing laugh: "There's no
likelihood of Bob's annoying you for
somo time."
Once in- her room, Lorelei gave way
to tho indignation that hnd been slow
ly growing In her- breast. How darod
Bob introduce her to such people! If
this was tho world In which he had
moved boforo his marriage, ho had
shown his wlfo an insult by bringing
her into it. Surely peoplo like the Fen
nells, Bert Hnyman, Mrs. Thompson
Bellalrc, tho Madden woman, wero not
typical members of New York's exclu
sive circles! Applied to them, 'smart
was a laughably inadequate term; they
wero wors6 than fast; they were frank
ly vicious. This wns more than a gay
week-end party; it was an orgy. Lore
lei's anger at her betrayal was so keen
that she dared not send for Bob imme
diately for fear of 'speaking too vio
lently, but she assured horself that sho
would leave in the morning, even
though ho chose to remain.
Still In a blazing temper, sho dis
robed and sat down to calm herself and
to wait for her husband. A half-hour
passed, then another; at last she sent
a mnld In quest of him, but tho report
sho received was not reassuring; Bob
was scarcely in a condition to como to
his room. Lorelei's Hps were white as
sho dismissed tho servant. .
By nnd by tho music ceased. She
heard people passing In the ball, and
distinguished Botty Fennell's voice bid
ding good night to someone. Still sho
waited.
When nt .Inst Uio door opened Hny
man stood on tho threshold, peering nt
her. Sho snw that ho was considerably
drunker than when sho had escaped
from his attentions, but evidently ho
knew quite well what he was about
"Kindly get out and close tho door
nfter you," sho directed, still without
raising her voice. ,
Tho intruder took no warning from
her crisp tones nor from tho fnct that
her twilight eyes wero as dark as a
midnight sky. Sho stepped to her
Hayman Reeled Away.
dressing tablo and pressed the pearl
push-button, holding her finger upon
It nnd stnrlng nt Hayman. Ho moved
toward her, but sho snatched ono of
tho candlesticks from among her toilet
nrtlcles, swung it nbove her head, and
brought tho weapon down. Hayman
reeled nway, covering Ids face with hla
hands nnd cursing wildly; then, Lore
lei, guided moro by insUnct than by
reason or memory, found Mrs. Fen
nell's chamber and pounded upon its
door with blind fury. Sho heard a stir
from tho direction whence she had
come, and nnymau's voice calling
something unintelligible; then Mrs
Fennell's startled face appeared before
her.
"Whafs the matter? My ,i0Qr.
You'll wake everybody In tho houso " '
(TO BE 'JONTINUGD.)
J
