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Show ia'FHE MAIDS OF iiyHHi PARADISE I JPwJ-fffi Robert w Chambers - -KiiSlllLlI Aul,,orof'Cardiai1',,r'ie Conspirators" HT "-r3f8yM? jj-jjs-at-Arms'etc. I -MP5 Olrv. in Myers CnnwrfM hwPFfriii. I Tfrom Last Week.) I i brfsbt blush spread over brow and I KSLuwae lovo-artor all," sho I ISr her breath. "God bo with I BW-I Iv0 'ou' I Sirebl" cried Mornac, as two I Mum took station bcsldo mo. , i I He eed pascd out flr8t; l fo,lowod; l'e I .countess ca.no behind me. I H k at ber as wo stumbled out into I K torch Ht garden. S mlfo smiled adorably. Her forofa- I Mai to0 "ou,1,cd thQ 8u,,otmo 8m" I A Midler dressed llko a Turco lifted I H torch nd set It In tho flower bed un- nw I Kr the Mil. Illuminating tho spot UA I Haree wero to stand. Ab this bo1 I Kier turned to como back I saw his I V'Ealab Den-Ahmed I "I cried, hoarse-I hoarse-I M- "V0 Marau0Ut8 do tn,B butcher's I B Tho Turco stared at mo no though fvo I itanned. go I saiah Den-Ahmed is a disgraced I HKldlcrl" I said, In a ringing voice. I I 'It's a He!" ho shouted, in Arabic I Hit's a Me, 0 my Inspectorl Spoatot I H mre theso men tricked moT .Aro you I H'cot Prussians?" I HI "Silence! Sllcncol" bawled Mor- I Mm, "Turco, fall Inl Fall In, J say! I Hlfllia" You mcnac0 mo?" o snarled, , I fl cocking his revolver. r I HI Then a man darted out of tho red - I HUadows of tho torch-light and fell up- I HU Mornac with n knife, and dragged I H hlmdoivn and rolled on him, stabbing I .H him through and through, whllo tho Mg H (mutilated wretch screamed and - H jicreamcd until his soul struggled out M (through tho flame-shot darkness and 1'O.Y. . (fled to Its last dreadful abode. H The Lizard rose, shaking his fagot week 'tnlfe; they fell upon him, clubbing loped i,nj stabbing with stock and bayonet, 'crl H 'but bo swung his smeared and sticky J H blade, clearing a circle around him. sited H ' "llnl no couI(l llavo ut his way are H frco 0&(l not Trlc-Trao shot him in tho the H back of tho head. Then a frightful tumult broko looso. H Throe of (ho torches wero knocked to ' H the ground and trampled out as tho 'ft' H Insurgents, doubly drunken with wlno ' and the tasto of blood, solzed mo and odl- M tried to forco mo against tho wall; mr- but tho Turco, with his shrill, wolf- '"E .: llko battle yelp, attacked them, sabcr- t0 'H bayonet In hand. Speed, too, had er- restetl a r'no- trom n half-stupefied rc" 'H ruffian, and now stood nt bay boforo ,r.' H the countess; I saw him wielding Ms or 'fl tcav' weapon llko a flail; thon In tho -M darkness Tilc-Trac shot nt mo, so close that tho powder Ilamo scorched , my leg. Ho dropped bis riflo to spring for my throat, knocking mo flat, and, h M crouching on me, strovo to strnngla mo; and I heard him whining with , eagorneso wlillo I twisted and writhed , to free my wlndripo from his thin o ' fingers. r' 'fl At last I toro him from my body c and struggled to ;ny foot. Ho, too, was' t on his legs with a "bound, running, , doubling, dodging; and at his heels I 8aw n dozen sailors, broadaxes gilt- , tcrlng, chasing him from treo to shrub. 'H "Speed!" I shouted "tho Bailors ' from tho For-de-Lanco!" H I bad picked up a riflo with a bro- ken bayonet; tho countess, clasping my left arm; stood swaying in tho riflo smoke, eyes closed; and, when a horrid ncreechlng nroso from tho M depths of tho garden whero they wero ,a destroying Trlc-Trnc. sho fell to shud-,' shud-,' oorlng, hiding her faco on my shoul- der. H Suddenly Speed nppearcd, carrying a drenrhpd llttlo flguro, partly wrapyod m a ..nllor's pea-jacket, slim limbs drooping, bluo with cold. "Put out that flro In'thoro," ho 'H ?a ,' lloarFely: "wo must got her into wd. Hurry, for God' sako, Scarlett! riioro's nobody in tho houso!" H "Jncquollnvl Jncquellno! bruvo 1U- tH "0 nrcionno," murmured tho count 'H n88' '"'""K forward and gntherlng :H Q ui1co''scIouh child into her strong, V young nrmt). 'M A fiesh company of snllore passed , on tho doublo, rllloB trailing, their of- ;H ncer shouting encouragement. And I i18 no cnmo '" V,QW of tl10 aomnphoro, , saw tlm signal tower on flro from , 80 Jo top. Tho marines fired stoad jMl "y from tho windows above us. '1'lioy want tho lied Terror!" laaghcd ' o sailors. "Thoy shnll hnvo It!" m I'lackoned, scorched, nlmost suffo- Mj 'ntt'd, I Btnggerod bnck to tho tearoom, H hc ro tho countoss stood clnsplng Jac m iluHino, huddled In a blanket, and '"'noothliig tho child's wet curls away H rroin u fncQ nB wllt0 nB doMu H ' Together wo carried hor bnck "irougli tho amoUIng hallway, up tho H 'airs to my bedroom, and laid hor in H '"' L,1' H , T'"' child opened hor oyos as wo drew tho hhmkots. "Whore I Speed ?" olio nsked, dream A momont latqr ho cnmo In, and slio tllred her licu'i languidly and smiled. Jncnuollno! Jncnuollnol" ho whls- 1'i'red, liemllng cIobo nbovo hor. I .i1?,0 you lovo "Ie Speed t" ,t An, Jacqueline," ho Btninmered, more than you can understand." I I V . ' Lato thitt, nlg'jt tho light cavalry I "ounLorlent rodo'into Paradise. At, 8tabblng Him TTirough and Through. dawn tho colonel, established In tho mayory, fron whence Itn foolish occu-pndt occu-pndt had fled, sent for Speed and me, and when we reported he drew from his heavy dolman our commissions, restoring re-storing ue to rank and pay In tho regiment regi-ment do mnrche which ho commanded. At sunrlso I had bado good-by to tho sweetest woman on earth; at noon wo wero mllos to tho westward, riding llko demons on Uuckhurat's heavy trail. I am not sure that wo ever saw hlra again, though onco, weeks later, Speed, and I and a dozen hussars gavo chaso to a mounted man near St. Drleuc, pnd that man might lo been Hucfc hurst. Ho led ua a mnrnlflcent rnnse BtralgU to tho coast, where we rodo plump Into n covey of Prussian hus-snrs, hus-snrs, who wero standing on their saddles, sad-dles, hacking away at tho telegraph wires with their heavy, curved sabers. That was our first and last sight of tho enemy In MUier Prussian or communistic com-munistic guise, though In tho long, ter-rlblo ter-rlblo days and nights of that winter of '71, when threo French armies froze, and tho whlto death, not tho' Prussians, Prus-sians, ended all for France, rumors of Insurrection cnmo to us from the starving starv-ing capital, and wo heard of tho rod flag flying on tho Hotoldo-VIllo, and the rising of tho carbineers 'under Flourcns; and bomo spoko of the leader lead-er of tho Insurrection and cnlled him John Duckhurst. Then, for threo blank, bitter months, freezing and starving, the First regiment regi-ment do mnrcho of Loriont Hussars stood guard at Brest over tho diamonds dia-monds of tho crown of Franca CHAPTER XXII. The Secret. Tho nows of tho collnpso of tho army of the Cast found our wretchedly wretched-ly clothed and hnlf-starved hussars etlll patrollng the environs of Brest from Belalr to tho Pont Tournant, and from tho bnnks of the Klorn clear around tho ramparts to Lnnnlon bay. For threo months our troopers scarcely scarce-ly left their saddles, except to bo taken ta-ken to tho hospital In Itccouvrnnco. Suddenly the nightmans ended with n telegram. Paris had surrendered. On tho flrst day of March, by papers from London, wo learned that tho war was at an end, and that tho preliminary prelimi-nary treaty of Sunday, tho 2Cth, had been signed at Versailles. Tho saino mall brought to mo an astonishing as-tonishing offer from Cairo, to assist in tho reorganization and accept a commission In tho Egyptian military police Speed and I, shivering In our ragged uniforms by tho bnrrack stove, discussed tho matter over a loaf of bread and a few sardines, until wo fell asleep In our grcnBy chnlrn. When I awoke In tho black morning hours I know that I should go. All tho roaming Instinct In mo was roused. I, a nomad, had stayed too long In ono stnlo place; I must bo moving on. Lenvo of absence and permission to travel pending acceptance of my resignation, resig-nation, I nslced for and obtained boforo 4i,n nfniiin trumnots nwoko my com- tho stnblo trumpots nwono my cum-rado cum-rado from hlo heavy slumber by thd barrack stove. Speed nwoko with tho trumpets, and stared at no whoro I knelt before tho stovo in my civilian clothes, strapping up my llttlo packet. "Oh," ho sold, briefly, "I know you wora going. "So did I," I replied. "Will you rldo to Trocourt with mo7 1 have two weokfi' permission for you." Wo bolted our breakfast of soup and Hack bread, and bawled for our horses, nlmost craved with Impntlonco, now fant tho momont had como at last. Far nhenil wo caught sight of tho emokoof a locoraoth o. "Landorncau!" gasped Speed. "Mdo hnrd, Scarlett!" Tho otatlon mnBter snw us ond united unit-ed tho moving train nt a frnntlc signal from Speed, whoso uniform was to bo reckoned with by all station mnstors, and ton minutes later wo stood swaying sway-ing in a cattle car, huddled closo to our horaes to keep warm, while tho locomotive toro eastward, whistling frantically, and an ocean of black smoko poured past, warming with sparks. At Qulmperlo somo gendarmes aided us to disembark our horses, nnd n sub-officer sub-officer respectfully offoicd "us Hospitality Hospi-tality at tho barrack, acroES "tho Q'iare; but wo wore In our saddles ie moment our horses' hoofs struck he pavement, gnllopltiR for Paradise. Jtlth a sweet, keen wind blowing, hinting hint-ing nlready of tho sea. As wo dismounted In the court yard the sin Hashed out from tho fringes of huge, snowy cloud. "There Is Jncquellno!" cried Speed, toBElng his brldlo to .no In his oxclte-ment, oxclte-ment, and left me planted there until aervnnt cnmo from the stable. Then 1 followed, ecry nervo quivering, quiver-ing, almost dreading to set foot with-in, with-in, IcBt happiness awako mo and I And myself in tho freezing barracks once more, my brief dream ended. After a whllo n glimmer of common sense returned to me. I squared my shoulders tnd breathed deeply, thon rose and wallu i tho window. A stop at th and I wheeled, trembling. The Countess o VnBsart stood In ho doorway, u smllo tremlliig on hor lips. In her gray ees I read hopo; niul I took her hands In mine. Sho stood silent win, bent u,m)p oxn9to n her silent shneHs; ami I told her loved hor, and that 1 asked for her love; that I had found einplojment In hgypt, and that It was sufllrlcnt to Justify Jus-tify my asking her to wed me. "As for my ilame," Unlil. "you know Hint Is not tho namo I bear, jet, know-ing know-ing that, ou have given mo jour lovo. Vou read my dossier in Paris; you know why I am alone, without kin, without n family, without a homo, Vet ou belle that I urn not tainted with dishonor. And I am not. L.strn, this Is what happened; this Is why 1 gavo up ad; nnd ... this Is my nnnio!" . . . And 1 bent my head and whlspored tho truth for tho first time In my life to any living creature. When L hnd ended I stood still, waiting, wait-ing, head stilt bo ed beside hers. Sho laid her hand on my hot fnco and slowiy'drow It close bcsldo hers. "What shall 1 promise you?" she whispered. "Yourself, Ellno." "Take me. . . . IB that all?" "Your love." Sho turned In my arms and clasped hor hands behind my head, pressing her mouth to mine. (THE END.) |
