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Show I:iB . , i hHH t V.iTHII tHPMHHRflHHHHHHHiHHHHHIHIHHHIHHHIHIBBHiilliHiHHl MH HHHH3 HIPIH uHBk M& JKm HH ! bHh HH hh H atVfi v aMK il 1 Hb HIH iB' g Jfw'm J0HN B(iDUS"Ba:c1Mw 2 JsaaaV -- S ts trarYjaraejrr' trio JS jlj 5 fe Hfj CHAPTER XIII. Continued. Bill 13 Bf "No need to," wild Trevor briskly. HI "I've not these tlin-o inlsslnniiry clitip" HfM hero for witnesses to thu fuel Hint wo iHf lU-ut up In perfietly good fulth, Hint 1 B huh forced to a liiul landing und ot Hfl fenrfiilly cut up nnd burned nnil Hint Hj I wns only Just bucking out of dentil's IVa Joor when they turiii'il up unit fouiul IMI foil Intuct." H "Why, Whlto Mini I" exclaimed An- BB ilre-', "how could you got llii'in to toll IH Unit awful lln?" H "Kindly," answered Trevor promptly. Hj "Ttioy wouldn't know It wns u He. Vou VK (', these missionary chap! will Mill K&j believe a unlive; they can't nffonl to Hj concede tlit ItniiiutiibUi fact that a k lilaclc consistently innkes only linu Hh coiiRtuiit effort In lilt) life mi effort to Vfff give iilwayn the answer that ho thinks II It will plenso you most to hear. Why, V I don't own have to 11 x It up with my j people. You'd helluva the llo yourself HI If you could understand linlf they will IN say." Hl Andrea's lips drooped and she shook Hkn her head. "No," shu said slowly. "No, HJfl 1 wouldn't." Sho won sitting with her HH Hiowh on the table, her cheek ugulnst HH tlio back of her clasped hnnds anil her HM eyes following tlio whlto man's nervous HX movements with u sort of wounded BB ; wonder. Bnf "Ho, you see, we can fit It," ho con- HE eluded. "Theso clergymen are tho BK only people In this back country that I BMJ could havo trusted' you with and who UM will strike Just tlio right fumlly noto Hjfi In your iircclous world-uf-the-thlngs- ft,' thiit-iiri'ii't-done-you-kniiw. I havo HH worked my best for you. I've madu H them count u hundred miles through HMt country they havo always thought Im- HjT passable." HB A:idrea wit back and let her hands Hflb (All to her lap; for u moment she HD bowed her head and looked down nt HK, them, then sho raised her gnzo to his HB face. Her own, whllu It had been half- HJL hidden, had suddenly lost Its look of HO exuberant youth. It wax so pnlo that HJ her eyes soenied too Inrgc tor It. They HI dimmed Its outlines. HB "Whlto Man," she said, "do you HRi uieiiu It" HE "Mean what?" Hfs "I havo seen you kill beasts and Hjf men," snld Andrea, "but even so, I Hfc rouhln't hnvo believed It of you." Her H voice grow drilled, llko water running Hf over silken moss. "I couldn't havo be- Bft lleved that you would hurt mo sol" Hjc Sho cast her arms out across, tlio table Hj and dropped her faco upon them. IjH With n Kelf-aceiiNlut; cry, Trevor B iprni'K to her, picked her up and cur- BB rled her to the couch. Hhe lay In his B nrnis without resisting; her body had BB surrendered to a laxity that let him jfl nllo furs under her head and arrmiRo BO her limbs as ho would. Sho wiih list- BT less; too tired to. llRht; too broken to BV tveep. Hit knelt beside her and took Bk 'both her hands In his. "Now that you BJ iro no longer an Irresponsible child," Bf j eo enld, "now that your stripped self Is BK hero to listen, I will tell you how I love HJ( you. Tlio child In you lulKht forget ; BjH tlio woman never. I love you In body Hp and In spirit. I lovo you so that 1 am H ready to stand up and deny freedom, I HJj tovo you enough to Rive you myself and BE' tlio world my world of starlit nlglits Hf ind silent spaces that I've worshiped BJi jo Ioiik alone. Yes, I lovo you enough nj for that, and I have to, God help me, EV (or you nro In my heart and I can Bj apvor, never get you out." BJJj Andrea looked ns If blood were be- H lug transfused Into her veins with each Bfj word. Klie felt her youth coming back Bj vlth the sure surge of an adviinclng H 'hie. Her eyes grew bright and thc'i Bj frightened, "Whlto Mini I" sho gasped, HJ "Tako mo quickly; I feel myself grow- Br ng young again I" Hil llo leaped to his feet, caught her up ifi In Ids arms and shook her; then ho 1541 iiirrendcred. "Young or old," lie said, ms "what dUTerenco does It moke? I lovo jMj your youth us I already love yonr old ft ige. I'ut your arms around my neck, oi .ool; Into my eyes and tell mo you love ifS me, too." Clinging to lilm, her head thrown II buck, her eyes In his, she said, "I lovo S "Again," commanded Trevor. f "I lovo you." I" "And now, my llttlo sweetheart, uiy I wn girl, Just once more." I "Ah I" begged Andreu, "don't niftke II up say It again; let mo kiss you." if Five minutes later Trevor reluctant- M ry opened tlio door on the crool end SI .'tied, "Bishop!" II Ono of the three white men sprang l to his feet. "God bless my tonl," he l exclaimed, "where did you come from? fif When did you get here? My dear fij :!inp, what's happened to your face?'' m Trevor, forgetful of his damaged up- m earmice, put his bunds to his dpi t'll'tlly. ah though ho foil red that miiiiu H iir.rlc had clung thoro to betray their ftj lecent occuimtloi) ; then he renuim- ft icred his sinned and ImndiiRWl cnndl- m Uon "Oh, that I" ho suld. "Nothing r I - nothing to speak of. Won't you come In? I'll seo your companions later." The bishop entered the hut and raised his eyebrows Inquiringly as Trevor Tre-vor closed the door. "MoHqultoes?" he murmured and politely didn't wait for an answer, "(.'harming quarters. Quite the comfortable thing." Then he caught sight of Andrea who wns half-slltlng on the corner of tho tablo nnd swinging her free leg. Onco more his eyebrows went up but this time with n snap that would havo carried them over the back of his head hud they not been rooted. "The bishop of Momu; the Honorable Honor-able Andrea Tellor," said Trevor In businesslike tones. "So pleased, my lord," said Andrea with n smile that turned Into u rippling rip-pling laugh. "I I beg your pardon," sho stammered, "b but h surprise doesn't go well with your face." It was true; the bishop's astonishment astonish-ment seemed to luivc startled his features fea-tures separately, scattering them over his countenance at grolesrpio angles. "Andrea," he gasped, "Andrea I'ellori" "Yes," said Trevor, "that's tho name. Now, bishop, If you'll sit down, I'll soon bo able to satisfy you that the arguments I used to get you here nro inoro than Justified." "Andrea I'ellori" repented his lordship. lord-ship. "You havo It correctly, bishop," assured as-sured Trevor. "Won't you take this chair?" The bishop's eyes gradually gathered gath-ered themselves to a slngfo focus on Antlrea'H face. "Young woman," ho said, "do you know that the entire world has been perturbed for weeks as to your whereabouts? Do you know that your family lias been suffering agonies of suspenso as to your fate? Do you know that tho man to whom you are betrothed has offered n thou sand pounds for your discovery nllve?" Andrea glanced triumphantly nt Trevor. Tre-vor. "A thousand pounds," sho murmured. mur-mured. "Alive," ho countered, also murmuring. murmur-ing. Tho nlshop nipped on tho table with his knuckles. "Do you know all these things?" Andrea slipped from tho tablo nnd stood before her Inquisitor. "It's quite natural!" she said In a clean-cut tone Trevor hod never heard her use before. be-fore. "Hint you should bo a llttlo excited. ex-cited. Of course, I'm dying to hear nil tho news about the world anil dear old Aunty Owen and things In general, but do let's sit down. It always seems so greedy to mo to gossip standing." Sho turned from him to the chnlr that Trevor held for her and motioned the suddenly tamed prclutu to an other. His lips had suupped shut at the shocking aspersion that he came hearing tlt-blts on his tongue and ho sat down on the extreme edge of the Indicated seat as though by his pose he would register n continued but silent protest. "You wouldn't think to look nt him," said Andrea to Trevor, "that In half an hour he'll bo taking comfort out of that chair and out of a good cigar and out of a long drink." Her eyes laughed at tho bishop In Just tho way to tnko the edge off her words. Ho slowly smiled and Just as slowly slid back Into the depths of the chair; his hands, without the aid' of his eyes, found the box of cigars that Trevor held out to him and his lips formed, In reply to a murmured Inquiry, the following words, "A small one, pleaso not at all mahogany." Then ho turned to Andrea and said In n louder voice, "Now tell mo nil about It." "Thero really Isn't much to tell," said Andrea. "I was tired of dancing and climbed down the cliff from the hotel, it must uuvo iieen aiioui lour o'clock In tho morning. I found this whlto man his real name Is Hobert Oddmun Trevor tinkering with an airplane and I asked him to take me with him and he did." She dropped her ejex. "Now bo's agreed to marry mo," Trevor turned white-lipped from thu door where he hnd been giving an order or-der to Bathtub. "Andrea," he said, Ids eyes biasing with anger, "you will pleaso keep out of this conversation until you are called upon for a few responses." He turned to the bishop. "Pleaso overlook Miss Poller's lllp-pancy," lllp-pancy," ho continued. "There Is only one reason why 1 should marry hor and she me and that Is t.'j.it wo love each other beyond the power of tho words to express." "But, my dear man." said tho bishop. bish-op. "I know who I.ndy Andrea Is, only too well; the question Is who on earth are you? I lake It I'm not wrong In thinking that you have got me here with tho Idea of pei-numllng me to perform per-form n ceremony which will shower nu with llme-llght far tho uuxt six months," "Nine days Is tho accepted limit," murmured Andrea nnd added hastily, "I was Just spcnklnj: to myself." Trevor Ignored her. "Your question," ho said to the bishop, "Is n natural one." IIo went to tlio lilgh desk, took certnln papers and, flushing slightly, handed them to the bishop, who glanced over them with undisguised Interest. "So," he said flnnlly, "yon nre n retired re-tired oIIIcpp of the Jtoyol Flying Corps, a D. S. O. nnd you nlso hold tho croIx do guerre I" He tapped a devil's tattoo on the arm of his chair and gradually the furrow on his brow clenred and ho smiled. "Unexceptional credentials; but as I nin'ln peril of becoming n very much Interested third party, I can not refrain from asking If you nre In n position to render such flmiuclnl comfort to this young lady nnd to her family as I believe It has reason to expect ex-pect from her original betrothed." "I am not buying Andrea," said Trevor Tre-vor quickly. "Millions for herself If shu needs them; not n cent of tribute for tho fnmlly. Not to wnsle your time further," lit' continued, "I wish to suy Hint I consider you entitled to the thousand pounds' reward offered for her discovery alive and am prepared to hand you the sum In gold at once. If you have any scruples as to taking It personally, there Is surely no reason why you should not accept It for your mission. In return you will marry us Immediately by the rites of your church, which you doubtless know will bo accepted us legally binding In my own country. "If you refuse." said Trevor grimly, grim-ly, "you and your companions will bo detained, forcibly If necessary, ns witnesses to a ceremony performed In neccirdiinco with native custom." "What I" exclaimed the bishop, aghast. "This Isn't an argument," said Trevor Tre-vor dryly; "It's n proposition, quite fair and above-board. You take It or leave It liu.ldo of live minutes." The bishop turned to Andrea. "Would you " ho stammered and stopped. "I nm quite Indifferent ns to method," sold Andrea quietly. "No ceremony cer-emony can add to the pledge that I havo made In my heart. He tins my love. Ho enn have my body and soul for the nsklng." The bishop was silent for n moment, his eyes tlxed on the sudden glow thnt Illuminated Trevor's face; then ho IT- ' iH TJ-. -Ltf lM- KT rf-"i hi "You Will Marry Ua Immediately by the Rites of Your Church." snld, "Well, my dear, that settles It-settles It-settles It llnally, In fact, that I can't help but percelvo that you are both equally In husto to repent at leisure." Ho arose with a resigned sigh. "Five minutes are soon up," he said to Trevor. Tre-vor. "Will you agree to toko time out while I talk to my associates?" "Most certainly," answered Trevor gr-ively and opened tho door for his lordship. In ten minutes tho associates were persuaded; In half an hour, with the assistance of the diamond magnate's "iigiigonient ring, Andrea and Trevor were mndo man and wife according to tho ancient usage of the rinireh nf F.nglund; nnd Just live minutes after tint, Bathtub announced dinner. It wns high time, for In spite of the toast Hint she hnd had with her ten. Andrea was faint and pale with hunger. Nothing Noth-ing short of the stimulus In the excitement ex-citement of being innrrled for the very llrst time In her life could have snved hor from collapse. That wus a great and merry dinner. Tho toasts that were drunk to the l.rldo were many, some hearty, somo witty: but the one that stood out above all others wiia that In which she pledged herself. She stood, glnss In hand, and looked down at the kindly, encouraging faces of the four men. "This, tho swan-song of the Honorable Honor-able Andrea Poller," she said In a voice Hint started a bit gaspingly but soon steadied to a clear How, "who worshiped wor-shiped false gods flippantly during twenty-live years of her life, who traveled trav-eled blindfolded through a bciutlful world to the feet of u Calf of Gold nrd mercifully died on n certain beach at four o'clock of a morning. She drinks with you to Andrea Itobert Oddniau Trevor, tho happiest woman tho Imp-plest Imp-plest wo the " Trevor leaped to his feet, put his BF3iMiBBBtfL ttC arm around her nnd patted her on (he shoulder. "There, thero I" ho eoothed desperately, his faco flushed with embarrassment. em-barrassment. "Kiss her, you duffer!" roared the three divines In one voice. CHAPTER XIV. They were all early to lied, the word linvlng gone out to break camp at diiwn for safari. The bishop nnd his companions were northward bound, Andrea and her man headed for tho south ami tho const. In thu cold mist of the mornlni; they parted with tight handclasps and earnestly murmured "God-bless-you's." Incidents, following rapidly one after the other, kept Andrea's mind oft the coining encounter with her old world until she was actually on Its verge. Late one afternoon they came upon Hie buy and Trevor waited expectantly for her to recognize the scene of her ravishment. He was disappointed, for the thin, Inslgnlflcnnt strip of yellow sniiil tucked under the red clllt diminished dimin-ished by dlstnnco to the proportloi of a railway embankment, meant nothing to her Inexperienced eyes. At Inst he pointed it out to her. "Behold," "Be-hold," he said, "tho beginning nnd the end of nil things." "Why," exclaimed Andrea. "Is It really the beach our beach? How It's f-hi imk i; "It has," said Trevor solemnly. "The erosion on this bit of coast Is n foot for every hundred years. We'd better hurry If we want to make n landing." He chartered two sailing boats from a Greek fisherman nnd In nn hour the heath hud broadened, the cliff hnd risen to almost Imposing heights; whllu they were still well off the shore they shot Into Its shndow. The boat-mini boat-mini chose a landing at tho foot of the Cliff road, a qunrter of a mile away from the steep path by which Andrea laid' made her descent. As the safari began to form on the bench Trevor turned to Andrea. "We're going to jour old hotel, you know. It's really the only one. If you prefer, I can send for a motor-cnr for you and myself; hut we'd hnvo to wait half on hour." Andrea caught her breath as she realized that It wns only minutes before she would be In collision with a world. Her eyes ran down the line of their marching column already on tho edgo of an Incongruous setting, but still Impressing with thnt subtle digni ty which the free nnd half-naked black takes with him everywhere nnd which Is born of his absolute Imllffercnco to btondnrds not his own. "Let us go down nt the head of our men," sho answered. "You are right," said Trevor, plensed nt her shrewd Judgment. "Wo mortals," he added, "don't always recognize rec-ognize tho Importance of fighting nn ntmosphere with nn ntmosphere. To go In ns cock of our own walk Is a thousand times better than a motorcar motor-car and the back door." Andrea nodded. "I felt It but I could not put It In words like that." As Trevor, the white bond of n quarter-mlle-long nnd glistening black serpent of humanity, swung In between be-tween the gateposts of tho hotel's Imposing Im-posing portuls, the ever-opportune Marguerite stretched his neck, raised his barrel-head und bruyod. Abovo thnt raucous cry wounded tho spontaneous sponta-neous and uncontrollable peal of Andrea's An-drea's stiver laughter. Tho groups of men and women all but out on the hotel veranda stopped stop-ped in their various occupations as though paralyzed; drinks paused halfway half-way to thirsty lips, cigarettes burned unconscious fingers, knitting needles poised Instantaneously all but one pair. Thu manipulator of the exception excep-tion was a dear but very proper old lady wearing a cap of filmy lace on her plentiful whlto hair and enough lllmy hico on her person to muko tho porch chnlr, In which she but, look llko a stall at n Bed Cross bazaar. She was knitting a vast khnkl-colored swentcr and nt tho sound of Andren'H laughter shu gave no sign beyond pursing purs-ing her withered lips while she methodically meth-odically finished off tho stitch upon which she had been engaged. That done, sho raised a pair of heady black eyes so wonderfully nllve that It seemed Impossible they belonged be-longed to her wrinkled face and flashed flash-ed one look at Andrea and one nt Trevor. Tre-vor. "Well, my denr," shu snld calmly, presumably to the former, "It's u relief re-lief to have you back apparently nllve and well." No sooner were tho words out of her mouth thnn shu was swept Into Andrea's Impetuous embrace. "Oh. Aunty Owen I Oh, you old deurl" The lady defended herself with considerable con-siderable energy and was heard to grumble thnt even kissing hud degenerated de-generated Into a rough pastime. Having Hav-ing rescued herself from Andrea's arms, she suld, "Now thnt that Is over you will pleaso go to your room ami chnngc from that outlandish circus costume; you'll find everylhliig ns you left It except for a new lock oa tho door." Andrea glanced nt Trevor nnd leaned lean-ed over to whisper Imploringly In her nunt's ear. "Your husband?" enunciated the old lady clearly. "Well, that's a relief, too; but I prefer to meet him else-whero else-whero and after you havo presented documentary evidence. By the way," she added with ominous emphasis as sho resumed her knitting, "Harry Is still here." "I should say I nm," exclaimed n youth In the trim uniform of thu Flying Fly-ing Corps, as ho stepped out from thu hotel door. "Hello, Sister Andy." Then his eyes fell on Trevor. A slow smile of happy welcome spread over his face. "Well, I'll he d 1" ho exclaimed exclaim-ed fervently. "D' you know. Trevor, rBVAwHHH I'vo been saying from the first 'Cher-chez 'Cher-chez tho flylne-machlne.' Como In nud let rao wntch you have a drink." Trevor, quivering under tho pressure of tho control ho had summoned to carry him through the trying moment mo-ment nnd filled with nn Immediate love nnd admiration for Aunty Gwen, paused to direct his following to n nearby vacant lot. "Is thut marrlngo tip straight?" asked Harry. "Straight ns tho good bishop of Momu Mo-mu and two other missionary Johnnies could make It," replied Trevor. Harry was thoughtful for n moment, then ho snld, "Well, Trevor, I don't know how you're fixed for proof but you know thnt through lean yenrs and fat, I'm for you from tho break in bnlk. As one sportsmnn to nnother, I congratulate you on putting one 6vcr on that up-country animated leather-sock leather-sock of vlntnge wines. By tho way, you renllzo I've got to wire him." "Of course," said Trevor. "The sooner soon-er the better. Don't worry about Andrea's An-drea's food and raiment," he added flushing. "The truth Is, I'm pretty well heeled with the needful." "You Americans generally ure," snld Harry admiringly. "Sort of Jolly national na-tional tradition." Twenty-four hours Inter tho diamond dia-mond magnate, perennially flushed ns to face and heavy of pnunch made his Impressive nrrlvnl. When ho had washed and otherwise attempted to freshen his perspiring person he sent out a call for a fnmlly conference. It took place In the Trevors' Tre-vors' sitting room. Harry wns there resentntlve of the house of Pellor vor and his bride. The sole male rep-prcsentatlvu rep-prcsentatlvu of tho house of Pellor opened the proceedings with the following fol-lowing speech: "Hnmrnur," ho snld, "on the pnrt of my sister I wish to offer you nn unqunllfled apology. It seems that sho wns er suddenly carried car-ried nwny by an Impulse In conjuctlon with n flying machine, but you will be glad to know thnt Trevor here bus er has played the man all through nnd you nro permnnently relieved from nny further responsibility In the mntter. I don't think there's another bnlly thing to sny beyond repenting tho npology due you from my entire family." "Not a thing to sny, you young sycophant syco-phant of a whipper-snapper 1" thundered thunder-ed the red-faced magnnte. "Do you think I came down here to listen to your maiden speech, accept n dirty apology und get out with my tail between be-tween my legs? Well, I didn't, I came down hero to show this Interloping I vagabond of u scavenger whero lit ' and his wife don't get off." I A plenm crept Into Trevor's eyes, tho same gleam that had shone there when he had shot MacClostcr, but It turned Into his slow assuring smile ns his gaze met that of Andren nnd took noto of her alarm. lie remembered remember-ed that only ten minutes before he hnd promised on the honor' of a lover tc be seen only and not heard. "Aren't you a bit loto for that?" asked Horry unperturbed. "They seem to be running before the wind nlrendj nnd with n fair lead." He lit n clga retto and snapped the dead match through tho open doorwny. "You think so, do you?" snld the magnate, his eyes snapping malignantly. malignant-ly. "You'vo probably never henrd ol the shipping ring, but I'll tell you this tho lino Hint takes theso two two-two two-two whutchumay-cullums as passengers passen-gers Is ruined. They'll stay in Africa till they rot." Andrea stilled a yawn. "Itobert," she said In her coolest nnd best society voice, "If Sir Hamniar Is going to force us to wait here for one of your own steamers to put In I think you'd better bet-ter collect thnt thousand pounds rfc-ward." rfc-ward." It was tho end. The magnate gasped, sprang up nnd fled, pursued by n snioko arrow propelled from Harry's rounded mouth, Amity Gwen pursed hsr lips but kept on knitting; she could not, however, altogether hldu the luugh thnt was In her snapping c.vo. Andren dropped on her knees beside her. "Oh, Aunty Gwen," sho begged, "won't you pleaso lot me Introduce Hobert? He's tho dearest, most thoughtful, strongest nnd weakest man that a lucky girl ever loved." That night when all the hotel -vas In darkness and silence reigned Andrea and Trevor stood together by the coping cop-ing nt the edge of the cliff and looked across tho moonlit hay to the far-away Hue of the sea. Behind them was tho diulc, massed shadow of the Bougainville Bougain-ville trellis; at their feet und before them stretched nn open world, bathed In kindly nnd opalescent light. Andrea's eyes started at the top of the zlgzog path and followed'lt dellb-erately dellb-erately down thu cllff-sldo until they reached and swept the gleaming crescent cres-cent of tho beach ; then they rose and stared at tho placid moon. Nino weeks, no more, had passed slnco last , this sceno had held her, yet Into them I wns packed the germ of all her life almost to tho exclusion of preceding memories. Shu felt a welling within her of all tho major '.'motions unit frightened, turned from them to hldo her face against Trevor's shoulder. Her arms slipped up around his ueck and clung to him. "Oh, Whlto Man," sho whispered, "my Wonder Man, plunderer of my heart, If deslro to glvu Is any mensure, how far you hnvo led mo ulong tho shinlug rondl" (THK I3ND.) |