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Show look as you do. He is old, very.very old. He speaks sometimes as you do, sometimes as they do in Yian. I speak also in both manners."' "Then speak as they do in Yian," I urged, impatiently, "speak as why, Ysonde! why are you crying? Have I hurt you? I did not intend I did not dream of your caring! There. Ysonde, forgive me see, I beg you on my knees here at your feet" I stopped, my eyes fastened on a small golden ball which hung from her waist by a golden chain. I saw it trembling against her thigh, I saw it change color, now crimson, now purple, pur-ple, now flaming scarlet. It was the symbol of the Kuen-Yuin. She bent over me and laid her fingers fin-gers gently on my arm. "Why do you ask me such things?" she said, while the tears glistened on her lashes. "It hurts me here "' she pressed her hand to her breast "it pains I don't know why. Ah, now your eyes are hard and cold again; you are looking at the golden globe which hangs from my waist. Do you wish to know also what that is?" "Yes," I muttered, my eyes fixed on the infernal color flames which subsided sub-sided as I spoke, leaving the ball a pale gilt again. "It is the symbol of the Kuen-Yuin," she said, in a trembling voice; "why do you ask?" "Is it yours?" "Y yes." "Where did you get it?" I cried, harshly. "My my stepfa '" Then she pushed me away from her with all the strength of her slender wrists and covered "her face. If I slipped my arm about her and drew her to me if I lussed away the tears that Jell slowly "between her fingers If I told her how I loved her how it cut "me to the heart to see her unhappy after all, that is my own business. When she smiled through her tears, the pure love and sweetness in her eyes lifted my soul higher than the high moon vaguely glimmering through the sunlit blue above. My happiness was so sudden, so fierce and overwhelming that I only knelt there, "her fingers clasped in -mine, my eyes raised to the blue vault and the glimmering moon. Then something in the long grass beside me moved close to my knees and a damp acrid odor filled my nostrils. "Ysonde!" I cried, but the touch of her hand was already gone and my keep still and listen to what I have to say. Is that door shut tight?" Barris locked it and sat down. "Thanks." said I; "Barris, where is the city of Yian?" An expression akin to terror flashed into Barris' eyes and I saw him stop breathing for a moment. "There is no such city," he said at length, "have I been talking in my sleep?" "It is a city," I continued, calmly, "where the river winds under the thousand bridges, where the gardens are sweet scented and the air is filled with the music of silver bells " "Stop!" gasped Barris, and rose trembling from his chair. He had grown ten years older. "Roy," interposed Pierpont. coolly, "what the deuce are you harrying Barris Bar-ris for?" I looked at Barris and he looked at me. After a second or two he sat down again. "Go on, Roy," he said. "I must," I answered, "for now I am certain that I have not dreamed." I told them everything; but, even as I told it, the whole thing seemed so vague, so unreal, that at times I stopped with the hot blood tingling in ears, for it. seemed impossible that sensible men, in the year of our Lord 1896, could seriously discuss such matters. mat-ters. 1 feared Pierpont. but he did not even smile. As for Barris, he sat with his handsome head sunk on his breast, his unlighted pipe clasped tight in both hands. When I had finished, Pierpont turned slowly and looked at Barris. Twice he moved his lips as if to ask something and then remained mute. "Yian is a city," said Barris, speaking speak-ing dreamily; "was that what you wished to know, Pierpont?" He nodded silently. "Yian is a city," repeated Barris, "where the great river winds under the thousand bridges where the gardens gar-dens are sweet scented, and the air is filled with the music of silver bells." My lips formed the question: "Where is this city?" "It lies," said Barris, almost querulously, querul-ously, "across the seven oceans and the river which is longer than from the earth to the moon." "What do you mean?" said Pierpont. Pier-pont. "Ah," said Barris, rousing himself with an effort and raising his sunken eyes, "I am using the allegories of another an-other land; let it pass. Have I not told you of the Kuen-Yuin? Yian is the center of the Kuen-Yuin. It lies hidden in that gigantic shadow called China, vague and vast as the midnight heavens a continent unknown, impenetrable." im-penetrable." "Impenetrable," repeated Pierpont, below his breath. "I have seen it," said Barris, dreamily. dream-ily. "I have seen the dead plains of Black Cathay and I have crossed the mountains of Death, whose summits are above the atmosphere. I have seen the shadow of Xangi cast across Abaddon. Abad-don. Better to die a million miles from Yezd and Ater Quedah than to have seen the white water-lotus close in the shadow of Xangi! I have slept among the ruins of Xaindu, where the winds never cease and the WulwTulleb is wailed by the dead." "And Yian," I urged, gently. There was an unearthly look on his face as he turned slowly toward me. (TO BE CONTINUED.) ?S53kSssS iTHE MAKER! (OF MOONS I I I ROBERT W. CHAMBERS 1 & & Illustrations by J. J. Sheridan x & 4 (Copyright, G. P. Putnam's Sons.) SYNOPSIS. The story opens In New York, Roy Car-tJenhue. Car-tJenhue. the story-teller. inspecting a fli'.eer reptile owned by George Godfrey of rifTany's. Roy and Barris and Pierpont. two friends, depart on a hunting trip to Cardinal Woods, a rather obscure locality, local-ity, Barris revealed the fact that he had Iplned the secret service for the purpose pf running flown a gang of gold makers. Prof. I.aGrange. on discovering the gang's formula, had been mysteriously Killed, Barris received a telegTam of instructions. in-structions. He and Pierpont set out to locate the gold making gang. A valet reported re-ported seeing a queer Chinaman in the supposedly untenanted woods. Roy went hunting. Vie fell asleep in a dell. On awakening he beheld a beautiful girl at a small lake. A birthmark, resembling a 3ragori's claw, on Roy's forehead bad a mysterious effect upon the girl, who said tier name was Ysonde. Suddenly she disappeared. dis-appeared. Fleeing in terror Roy beheld l horrible Chinese visage peering at him from the woods. Rarris and Pierpont returned. re-turned. Rarris exhibited a reptile, like that owned by Godfrey. A ball of supposed sup-posed gold, he held, suddenly became alive. He told of the Kuen-Yuin, a Chinese Chi-nese nation of sorcerers, numbering 100,-HJO.OOO. 100,-HJO.OOO. and explained that the Moon Ma-Ker, Ma-Ker, their ruler, whose crescent symbol was a dragon claw, was supposed to have recently returned to eartb. Barris Pierpont Pier-pont and Roy failed to find Ysonde's dell. Later. Roy, hunting, came to the beauti-:ul beauti-:ul sDot. where he found Ysonde. She told him how her stepfather, evidently a Chinaman, made gold and of his mysterious mysteri-ous actions. CHAPTER VI. Continued. "Where is this city?" I asked, faintly. "Yian? I don't know. It is sweet with perfume and the sound of silver bells all day long. Yesterday I carried a blossom of dried lotus buds from Yian, in my breast, and all the woods were fragrant. Did you smell it?" "Yes." ' "I wondered, last night, whether you did. How beautiful your dog is; I love him. Yesterday I thought most about your dog, but last night " "Last night;" I repeated, below my breath. "I thought oT you. Why do you wear the dragon-claw?" I raised my hand impulsively to my forehead, covering the scar. "What do you know of the dragon-claw?" I muttered. mut-tered. . "It is the symbol of Yue-Laou, and Yue-Laou rules the Kuen-Yuin, my stepfather says. My stepfather tells me everything that I know. We lived in Yian until I was 16 years old. 1 am 18 now; that is two years we have lived in the forest. Look! see those scarlet birds! What are they? There are birds of the same color in Yian." "Where is Yian, Ysonde?" I asked, with deadly calmness. "Yian? I don't know." "But you have lived there?" "Yes, a very long time." "Is it across the ocean, Ysonde?" "It is across seven oceans and the great river which is longer than from the earth to the moon." "Who told you that?" "Who? My stepfather; he tells me everything." "Will you tell me his name, Ysonde?" "I don't know it, he is my stepfather, stepfa-ther, that is all." "And what Is your name?" "You know it. Ysonde." "Yes, but what other name?" "That is all, Ysonde. Have you two names? Why do you look at me so Impatiently?" "Does your stepfather make gold? Have you seen him make it?" "Oh, yes. He made it also in Yian, and I loved to watch the sparks at night whirling like golden bees. Yian is lovely if it is all like our garden and the gardens around. I can see the thousand bridges from my garden and the white mountain beyond " "And the people tell me of the people. peo-ple. Ysonde!" 1 urged, gently. "The people of Yian? I could see (hem In swarms like ants oh! many, many millions crossing and recrossing the thousand bridges." "But how did they look? Did they dress as I do?" "I don't know. They were very far away, moving specks on the thousand bridges. For 16 years I saw them every day from my garden, but I never went out of my garden into the streets of Yian. for my stepfather forbade me." "You never saw a living creature near by in Yian?" I asked In despair. "My birds; oh. such tall, wise-looking birds, all over gray and rose color." She leaned over the gleaming water and drew her polished hand across the surface. "Why do you ask me these questions," ques-tions," she murmured ; "are you displeased?" dis-pleased?" "Tell me about your stepfather," 1 Insisted. "Does he look as I do? Does he dress, does he speak as I do? Is he American?" "American? I don't know. He does not dress as vou do and he does not "Flung Like a Corpse on My Own Threshold." two clenched fists were cold and damp with dew. "Ysonde!" I called again, my tongue stiff with fright but I called as one awakening from a dream a horrid dream, for my nostrils quivered with the damp acrid odor and I felt the crab-reptile clinging to my knee. Why had the night fallen so swiftly and where was I where? stiff, chilled, torn and bleeding, lying flung like a corpse over my own threshold with Voyou licking my face and Barris stooping above me in the light of a lamp that flared and smoked in the night breeze like a torch. Faugh! the choking stench of the lamp aroused me and I cried out: "Ysonde!" CHAPTER VII. "What the devil's the matter with him?" muttered Pierpont, lifting me in his arms like a child; "has he been stabbed, Barris?" In a few minutes I was able to stand and walk stiffly into my bedroom where Howlett had a hot bath ready and a hotter tumbler of Scotch. Pierpont Pier-pont sponged the blood from my throat where it had coagulated. The cut was slight, almost invisible, a mere puncture punc-ture from a thorn. A shampoo cleared my mind, and a cold plunge and alcohol alco-hol friction did the rest. "Now," said Pierpont, "swallow your hot Scotch and lie down. Do you want a broiled woodcock? Good, I fancy you are coming about." Barris and Pierpont watched me as I sat on the edge of the bed. solemnly chewing on the woodcock's wishbone and sipping my Bordeaux, very much at my ease. Pierpont sighed his relief. "So," he said, pleasantly, "it was a mere case of ten dollars or ten days. I thought you had been stabbed " "I was not intoxicated," I replied, serenely picking up a bit of celery. "Only jagged?" inquired Pierpont. full of sympathy. "Nonsense." said Barris. "let him alone. Want some more celery, Roy? It will make you sleep." "I don't want to sleep." I answered: I "when are you and Pierpont going to catch your gold-maker?" Barris looked at his watch and closed It with a snap. "In an hour; you don't propose to go with us?" "But I do toss me a cup of coffee. Pierpont. will you that's just what I propose to do. Howlett. bring the new-box new-box of Pantella's the mild imported; and leave the decanter. Now. Barris. I'll be dressing, and you and Pierpont |