Show har CHAPTER VI I 1 continued it we entered the general assembly assem bl room it was roomy and quaint and somewhere above us wag the able room in which george washing ton had slept the great hooded fireplace was merry with logs casually I 1 observed that we were not v r alone over yonder in a shadowed corner sat two men very well bun died up and to all appearances fast asleep Mor larty lighted a four branched candelabrum and showed us the way to the little private dining i room took our orders and left us this Is romance said I 1 they used to do these things hundreds of rears ago and everybody had a good time it Is now all very wicked ana am proper murmured the girl laying aside her domino for the first time fw s but delightful 1 I 1 now find I 1 haven t the least bit of remorse tor what I 1 have done in that dark evening gown she was very beautiful her arms and 9 ders were tinted like carrara marble and I 1 knew instantly that I 1 was never i going to recover I 1 drew two chairs close to the grate I 1 sat down in one I 1 and she tn the other ath a con tented sigh she rested her peed pe ed feet on the brass fender my one regret 13 that I 1 haven t any shoes what an adventure its fine two hours in the kocl ety 0 this enchanting creature it was almost too good to be true ah if it might always be like this to return home from the days work to bo greeted warmly by a woman as beaucl ful as this one I 1 sighed loudly Mor larty came with the chicken and ham and coffee if ye would like it won t be a bit of trouble to show ye george wash room or with inimitable rita irish drollery I 1 can tell ye that he sa s A T dined in this very room that will serve smiled the girl i and Mor larty bowed himself out r his departure was followed by the clatter of silver upon porcelain of a truth both of us were hungry 1 I was simply ravenous the girl confessed and as for me I 1 never dreamt I 1 could ie BO unromantic now said I 1 pushing aside my plate and dropping sugar into my coffee and vainly hunting in my pockets for a cigar there remains only one mystery to I 1 be cleared up and what might this mystery be she asked the whereabouts of the bogus haggerty the bogus will never cross our paths again he has skipped by the light of the moon no teats not the mystery why did you tell toe you were an impostor why did you go to the cellars with me when f the while you were at the ball on y s hyphen she leaned on her elbows and emeled at me humorously would you really like to know signer well I 1 was an impostor sho sat with her bick to the fire and H weird halo of light seemed to sur round her and frame her mrs hyphen bond accidentally dropped that invitation in my studio a few days before sho sailed for europe I 1 alm ply could not resist the temptation that Is all the mystery there Is i and they still think you were there you arc no longer mystified yes there as yet another mystery to solve myself I 1 knew it with out rhyme and reason I 1 was in love and without rhyme or reason I 1 was glad of it shall ou ever be able to solve tuch a mystery 9 quizzically it all depends upon you mr cornstalk you will not mar the exquisite humor of our adventure by causing me annoyance I 1 am sure that some day we shall be very good friends but one doea not talk ot love on elgha houra acquaintance Besl dea you would be taking advantage of my helplessness for I 1 really depend upon you to aee me safe back to new york it ie only the romance the adventure and such moonlight nights often su per induce sentimentality what do you know ot me nothing what do I 1 know of you nothing aavo that there la a kindred spirit which Is al ways likely to lead us into trouble down in 5 our heart you know ou are only temporarily affected by moon ehline come make me a toast lift ing her cup you are right said I 1 I 1 am n gentleman dut it was only consist eat that having been the fool 1 should now play tro ass heros and I 1 held up aay cup but neither ot us drank ahert time for the door opened quietly and lr walked the tap twp men we had seen apoi e the inn one ot them gentl closed the door an locked it one was in soiled everyday clothes the other in immaculate evening dress the latter offid ats opera hat with the most engaging smile imaginable the girl and I 1 looked up at him in blank bewilderment and set our cups down eo mechanically that the warm amber liquid spattered on the table cloth galloping dick and the affable in specter of the bellara cellara stood before us CHAPTER VIII the unexpected always happens begin the closing his hat drawing off hla gloves and stuffing them into a pocket As a frend of mine used to say it Is the unexpected that always surprises us we never expected to see cheso charming masque again did we william a grinning at fa bline ald the gentleman was to me bar IH tle cellars 1 so understand now continued the late chaggerty walh the deadly affability of a macabre Mac alre I 1 beg of lou mr cornstalk I 1 beg of you not to moe or to become unduly excited physicians tell ua that excitement wastes the red corpuscles corpus cles that la to say the life of the blood your blood sir must be very thin I 1 returned coolly but I 1 cursed him soundly in my mind williams balg ing elde pocket convinced roe that any undue excitement on my part would be exceedingly dangerous william you can always tell a gentleman said the chief rogue ad A gentleman recognizes izes his opportunities and never loses hla sense of the balance of things and he Is usually witty too sir wellim assented the girl pat pale and rigid in her chair what do you wanta I 1 demanded savagely for one thing I 1 should like to question the propriety of a gentle man s sitting down to dine with a lady without having washed his face the coal dust docs not add to your manly beauty you a cake of soap about you william have you 0 o sir wellams face expressed indescribable enjoyment of the scene fhe girl a mouth stiffened she was struggling to repress the almost irre smile that tickled her lips in times like these said I 1 determined not to be outdone out done wo are often thoughtless in regard to our personal appearances I 1 apologize to the lady fine alne I 1 sincerely admire you mr cornstalk you have the true spirit of adventure he wll ilama he certainly has sir cornea to a private ball without an invitation and haa a merry time ot it indeed to have the perfect sense of humor that Is what makes the world go round aren t you taking extra risk in of fering me these I 1 asked in what manner the man ou so cleverly imper Is at the club I 1 do not know what prompted me to put sim on hla guard the rogue laughed lightly I 1 know mr haggerty s habits he Is hustling back to new york as fast as he can HC passed here ten minutes ago in the patrol he wishes to warn all pawnbrokers pawn brokers and jewelers to be on the lookout for rao tomorrow to morrow ten thousand n a jovially A very tidy sum sir said william A fourth of which goes to you my good and faithful friend thank you sir replied william two cooler rogues I 1 never wish to meet but it be well air to hasten asked william we have plenty now w son you have not entered this room said the her terror slipping from her simply to offer these banalities what do ou wish 1 what cried the rogue taking out a cigarette case I 1 don t know what that word means sir but as you do it seems to fit the occasion cioper enough it means william that this charm ing young lady scents our visit from afar I 1 had a suspicion sir that it might mean that william leaned against the wall his beady e ca twinkling mer rily the master rogue lighted a cigar ette at one of the candles pardon me he said but will you join me proffering the hand some gold case I 1 took a cigarette and alred tt 1 I really wanted it 1 would show up well before this girl it I 1 died for it I 1 blew a cloud of smoke at the can die flame there was a ot admiration in the girl a eyes mr cornstalk my respect for you increases each moment the rogue sat down and to whom might this hand some case belong I 1 asked ing it closely oh that has always been mine there was a time blowing rings at the candelabrum when I 1 was respected like yourself rich sought after A woman and a trusted friend how these often tumble down our beautiful edifices yes I 1 am a ip a thief a rogue but not because I 1 need the money no with betro retro lve eyes I 1 need excitement rested her blue feet on the fender tremendous and continuous excitement to keep my vigilance ana anven alon active day and night excitement to obliterate memory nut we can t do it my friend wo cant do it memory is always with us she Is an impartial nemesis she dogs the steps 0 the righteous and the unrighteous to obliterate mem ory hat Is if and where might I 1 fand obliteration save in lifee drugs pah oh I 1 have given haggert a royal chase it has been meat and drink to ma to fool the cf crest policeman in new york till yesterday my face as a dasi ws unknown to any man or women save william here who was my valet in the old days I 1 have gone to my clubs dined played billiards a fine comedy a fine comedy tomorrow to morrow william and t sail for europe miss hawthorne you wear one af pf the most ex rubles I 1 have ever seen permit me to examine it the girl tore the ring from her aln ger and flung it on the table I 1 made a move as though to push back my chair I 1 wouldn t do it sir warned wll quietly my muscles relaxed do not commit any rash action mr cornstalk said the girl smiling bravely into my eyes tho gentleman would not appreciate it the master picked up tho ring and rolled it lovingly about bis palms beautiful beautiful ho mur aured finest pigeon blood too it Is easi worth a thousand shall I 1 give you my note of exchange for lt humorously the girl scorned to reply he took out a little chamois bag and emptied its contents on the tible how they sparkled scintillated glow ed thousands in the whitest of atones how be ever had got his fingers on them Is something I 1 shall never learn aren t they just beaucl ful he asked naively can you blame me tor coveting them ha set the ruby on top of the glittering heap it lay there like i drop of blood pros antly he caught U up and presented it to the girl who eyed him in aston ishmeal 1 I only wanted to look at it he said 1 I like houi grit as much as admire your beauty keep the ring to ba a rf A ff |