Show taw rj waw A WARRIOR BOR by ST 5 deorge GEORGE RATHBORNE of e si jf II 11 on the sp der 1 web dr jacks 11 id v it si so caprice etc copyright 1901 street and smith new now york CHAPTER VII take care captain brand artemus looked into his companion companions s lace face as the other made this strange and unexpected announcement himself something of a practical joker it BBS w as natural that the dramatic student of human nature should be suspicious lest be he tall fall a victim to sime deep laid plot to bring down upon his head bead the laugh that cuts so keenly but bat charlie looked as grave as a deacon had he been attending the obsequies of the man who was hung he lie could not have appeared more sol dmn matters of this character always pos hessed tor for him a peculiarly strong in terest and he was wa eager to glean the particulars well it isn t given to most of us to see a man hung and then meet him afterward alive and well tell me about it charlie my boy there in t a great deal to narrate at the time an insurrection in chill was causing the most intense excite ment and some very bloody battles were fought about santiago I 1 chanced to be as I 1 said in val paraiso one day I 1 found myself in a crowd of excited citizens and soldiers in the midst of whom stood a prisoner a spy caught red handed upon whom they were about to execute sum nary judgment that was captain nathaniel the word was given and I 1 heard a roar from five hundred throats as the wretch was jerked off his feet one moment I 1 saw him as he dangled in space hands and feet ing out wildly a spectacle I 1 shall nev er forget to my dying day there came a sudden shot and kedge hedge fell to the ground in a heap some one had cut the rope with a well aimed bullet immediately the deuce of a row broke out but bless you the affair died away as speedily as it began and then gradually it dawned upon the minds of the crowd that a great hoax had been successfully carried out for when they looked tor for kedge in order to complete their artistic lit tie tle job behold the man who had al ready been partially hung had digap feared nor were they able to discover him though valparaiso was thorough ly y searched that Is my little story and I 1 am almost ready to swear that our capt brand in yonder is the identical kedge browd grown a little gray in the ser vice of beating the world but just the same old sixpence artemus nodded and they separated tor for a time but their meeting had not been un observed the ubiquitous baron had his eye on them and possibly figured out some wonderful game as connected with his mysterious conversation charlie went back to arline and capt brand and the three chatted for ft a while then arline graciously consented to play several favorite pieces while charlie idly glanced through a book made up of fugitive songs and music it was while doing this he suddenly came upon an opportunity to make another test of the man s identity so charlie handed the well worn book of music to the fair girl play that tor for me an old favorite always revives pleasant recollections charlie was so situated that a side glance into a massive pier glass gave him an excellent view of the man who had arisen from the dead what stuart had so accidentally yet fortunately come across was the ahl lit llan ilan national hymn he watched the effect upon capt brand when the first rather weird notes 0 of this spanish american music throbbed upon the air brand sat bolt upright upon the divan involuntarily he seemed to gasp for breath his tongue partly protruded from his mouth as though he were being choked while his hand crept up to his throat and clutched his loose collar as it if to tear it away charlie exulted in the sight it con firmed armed his suspicions there was no longer the faintest doubt remaining in his mind this nas as the man finally they said good night charlie managed to whisper a few sentences in arline s ear while the captain waited malted at the door so that he lie was assured of seeing her again on the morrow capt brand led her away one smiling glance she sent back over her plump shoulder gods what a thrill it gave the bachelor who re calved it here was a miracle he felt dazed felt as though he walked in a dream he who had scoff ed at such a ridiculous thing as love at first sleat who hart hall always declared the holy passion a flower of slow growth founded upon mutual friend ship and esteem now discovered his theory in utter ruin and not only that but himself engulfed in the chaotic debris finally he be aroused himself to a realization of the tact fact that there were a few more people in the world besides arline brand how about the baron had he learn ed of his mistake by this time with re isolde rard ard to the identity of the countess isolde the idea of taking arline tor for the fascinating countess was absurd how could so shrewd a man have been de A 5 i aia 41 celver why did an occa occasional lonal fin gerina do abt still find lodgment in cha lie lies s heart no v oman could play puch a game arlina arline must be what she seemed hank and his miserable warnings so he trusted blindly it if there was a pit he would fall into it headlong tor for love had already blinded him or was the russian bear still on guarda could the hotel be surrounded by his emissaries ready to entrap the wonderful adventuress 9 having decided to smoke a weed and take a look around ere retiring to his bunk charlie lighted up and saunter ed toward the open door leading to the street when hen he stepped out ol 01 the hotel door he was astonished to discover di scovel little knots of men dressed in the well known uniform ot of the antwerp gendarmes standing near the hotel de la paix then it burst upon him that he had not placed enough chough significance upon what the baron had confided to him this did not mean the mere arrest ot of a clever adventuress charged with no specific crime save that ot of enslaving men of rank and compelling them through her witchery to contribute from their wealth toward her regal support it stood for something grander something that might yet shake a greater part of europe with a mighty convulsion since the conspire acy in which the countess isolde was connected concerned more than one imperial throne charlie forgot that he had been sleepy his eyes were never brighter than now it seemed that the countess bad had nn fin ally made a stupendous blunder and Peter hoffs hour of triumph was at hand it would mark an epoch in the lives of many prominent men in europe when isolde brabant vanished behind the walls of a military fortress some who had been in the toils would breathe easy tor for the first time in many moons and drink a bumper to her long residence in her new and exclusive palace so charlie watched and waited deep in reflection when his cigar was about halt con burned he thought he lie would saunter down the street a short distance to see what effect it if any his appearance might have upon the officers on guard the result was really more than he had anticipated he had not gone more than a dozen paces before wilhoit aitho it the least warn ing he felt a rough hand laid roughly upon his arm As he turned to see what was want ed a second hand gripped his other arm A bended face looked into his own Messie messieurs tirs I 1 am afraid you he began silence have made a little mistake silence on your life was hissed he saw frowning pistols it was inas evident that the officers meant business charlie began to grow a little indig ludig nant see here send tor for the baron he insisted he is engaged but he is my friend he will be angry with you tor for making so lous ous a blunder so but we carry out his orders now not a word more confound do you hear not one word on your life charlie shrugged his shoulders ah ali a whistle evidently a signal the game was about to be called even as he stood there held fast by his captors he saw a man enter the door of the hostelry it was i another and another followed until charlie had counted a round dozen at the same time there was a stretching of lines in the street sig nals passed from mouth to mouth and charlie understood that the well known hotel de la paix was in the center of a strong cordon of officers through which escape was impossible alas tor for the countess it was her hour of doom he listened swayed by contending emotions somehow arline was in his mind perhaps there might be a fight some of those who would be found in the society of isolde brabant were desperate men connected with au an archis ts and nihilists sworn to re duce society in europe to one dead level they might take their lives in their hands and endeavor to give battle still the awful influence of peter hoff hoffs s dreaded name was sufficient under ordinary conditions to freeze the fighting blood in the veins of most men however brave they might be to his surprise he heard no shot not even a shout or a scream the baron s sudden appearance in their midst must have paralyzed the conspirators presently they would be trooping forth under escort to be hurried away to gloomy prison cells and as tor for himself charlie smoked calmly on this was another experience that was all he seemed bound to suffer in the cause tot of arline brand because she chanced to resemble the notorious countess isolde in possessing an en on figure and also golden hair and eyes that rivaled the summer skies of italy forsooth the baron must fall into error and bring about this en ell well perhaps all thlu 5 would work together for good it if he but put his shoulder to the wheel N abel ani the trio caise was one in which lie duld stand considerable knocking cair c about with complacency he watched the hotel door the baron would v be sorry on ac fount count of his blunder naturally he would want to make amends and charlie had already concluded to en on list his valuable services in the work of unmasking calta n brand it if anybody could accomplish this matter surely it was whose long experience and facilities tor for se curing information would stand him in good stead ah ali there were signs of life A number of sombre closed vehicles came dashing down the gassen they drew up before the hotel A few loungers gathered in the door way out of idle curiosity heads ap feared at the windows across the way as though some spirit of intuition passing through space gave warning that strange events were occurring charlie charlies s captors began to move along toward the hotel door and of course he was forced to accompany them he was still twenty paces away when the baron came out bearing upon his arm a lady with a sylphlike form but who was heavily veiled charlie s traitor heart leaped at sight of her the graceful carriage was so III e that of arline so queenly and perfect yet he knew beyond peradventure that this was the countess who had finally fallen into the toils tolls of the fowler charlie was inclined to ruah ruh and seize upon his friend the baron but those two guards held his arms in a grip of steel attract the attention of he could not s nee the other had eyes only for the woman at his side know ing h s men were capable of executing the orders pravio isly given so he assisted her into a vehicle and swept one last glance around charlie cried out other sounds there were in the street just then at any rate the baron never vouchsafed a single look in his quarter bit waed an arm jumped into the vehicle and was gone by this time the gendarmes were issuing from the hotel each with a companion most of the prisoners be ing gentlemen As fast as the vehicles were filled with guards and captives they dashed away charlie a turn came he attempted a protest but was roughly shoved along and thrust into one of the closed ve hides which presently lumbered down the street and so the innocent suffered with the guilty to be continued |