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Show gjdreth.'aiid Local Color i . By. Mary Muiiett 1! .flr was stirring, in' of tlio St. r.gnls club and for Hie twen-mopned twen-mopned ihe persplra-i persplra-i (imc. h!so he glanced ipen before him. The rplaxUV lay in llils ran thus, in writing n detective or .1 scene on the St haven't oven been In dlv coy on local color, nis. like the goon old were and I shall ho refill , WICKS." jCffnn blithely enough. What in thunder do about the levee? As nk. I" Vfl!n 110 Prod-It Prod-It It danced. It was noppmg that he pro-id pro-id observer might call k again. Mo was still and muttering- when It?" drawled tho new-miellcd new-miellcd something fry-tfie fry-tfie lack-duster smile ks funny' to othcra. jave my reason, Dnn-"tell Dnn-"tell jno something : la thundT " And that It's dirty, ow. But." brightening ii docs." ' ' from up north. He's wit here on. a houso-g houso-g down with him 'to on as he finishes tele-t tele-t here and I'll intro-kcr intro-kcr after truth about cits two hundred and , so maybe he'll unk so. After feeble proximo pro-ximo v.hleh he valn-put valn-put some backbone, iy to his touring car outside ' er own up. ho said to start; "I Intended cenneer act and sur-carrylng sur-carrylng him oft": but unceremoniously, Mr. telephoned the whalf-crew whalf-crew get up steam. f river this evening and , br 10 In fhe morning, vant to send word to telephone from the ray down." his eyes and leaned !" he -whispered. "It's dream I've had this ghed Tolman, turning lose me!" was the firm i lifelong yearning to ed; and as the auto of homeward traffic, lered what 3ort of an store for him. jnforth disappeared In r, from which he shot-thing malediction, to let me. wako up!" re I've cot to go to illldreth tried to ac-temps ac-temps at which ho failure to go with ed big as the bcgln-Inian bcgln-Inian pointed to two ! s, the houseboat In snuggling close beings, be-ings, cool, green and on the sunny shore-Id" shore-Id" brcczo was lazily rnnL Illldreth drew isant anticipation, d off by pirates Is it'" ho remarked as fed gangplank and feral other autos on steamboat. ver on the house Tolman as he led 'but here's a room you can make' tho ly. I'll send a boy , and I'll come after nor," Cho usual inartlcu-hospltable inartlcu-hospltable western FRANTICALLY WAVING IIER HANDKERCHIEF ,AT THE TWO BOATS WHICH HAD" GONE ON DOWN THE STREAM. fashion, he was presented to person after person. When he finally took the place beside his host he retained but two facts out of the medley of Introductions. Tho small boy was his host's little son Harold. That fact was not particularly interesting, but at the thought of the other he shot a satisfied glnnce toward tho opposite end of the table. It was the place w,hcrc one would naturally nat-urally expect to find the wife of one's host; but Illldreth recalled with satisfaction satis-faction the worlds of their Introduction In Tolman's hearty voice: "Dolly, here's a prisoner I captured at the club. Mr. Illldreth, my cousin. Miss Neville." It went over and over In his mind. "My cousin. Miss Is'evIIlc. My cousin. Miss Neville." Just then her brown eyes flashed him a smile and Illldreth felt a little thrill explore every corner of his being. If that afternoon, when he was strug gling vainly to dcllne tho local color of the levee, anybody had hinted that Inside In-side of two hours he would bo going Into a tremor at a glance from a gin's laughing laugh-ing eyes, he iould have scorned the prophecy. Of course, the Idea of love at first sight had sweetened his salad days. Youth Is prone to sugar Its lettuce, but he had long ago abandoned such Immaturity. Imma-turity. Tot here ho was" beaming upon his host and laying himself out to be engaging to his host's small hoy, all because "Cousin" Dolly smiled at him from, tho other end of the table. Hlldreth was not one to scorn a moans to an end, and before dinner was half over small Harold was his slave, a victim vic-tim to an Invitation to an Indian encampment. en-campment. When Tolman himself confessed con-fessed to a weakness for Indians and suggested that they all po together. Hlldreth Hll-dreth tried to look as If his heart was not turning pleased somersaults within him. But it was. Mcanwhllo the two boats had slipped away from the levee and headed upstream, up-stream, bringing a cool rush of air in at tho windows. "Ah-h-h-h!" said Tolman. "Now we to give his family the least trouble, gathered gath-ered his family about him as nearly as possible, and Is awaiting the flnnl summons sum-mons with perfect calmness. Recently he remarked to a friend: "Is there anything any-thing more natural than the death of a man at my age? But my family will not become reconciled to tho Idea." Tolstoi has been In feeble health for some- time and Is not undertaking any now work, lie tells his iinily and friends that no will not live much longer and that he Is ready when the time comes. Brutal Act of Graud Duke. Socletv in St. Petersburg Is much agitated agi-tated bv the story of a rash net said to havo been committed by Grand Duke Nicholas, the czar's kinsman, -who commands com-mands the troops In tho Russian capital. capi-tal. At a recent military review Grand Duko Nicholas noticed an officer whose uniform was dirty and even torn, and who presented a generally dilapidated appearance. ap-pearance. The grand duke walked quickly quick-ly up to the offender and publicly rebuked re-buked him In tho presence of his regiment. regi-ment. The officer, Lieut. Markoff. Stepped forward and shouted a most Insulting In-sulting word at tho grand duke. Tho grand duke, quick as lightning, drew his sword and slashed at the insubordinate officer, cutting off his right liand at ono stroke. Tho fainting ofllcer was removed to tho nearest military hospital and the rovlcw proceeded as though nothing had happened. Subsequently, for- tho sake or appearances, an investigation Into the rise was conducted by a military commission com-mission composed of high officers, who decided that tho grand duke had acted quite rlghtlv in quelling open resistance to his authority by force In spite or the apparent friendship no existing between Russia and Japan, am of their mutual understanding In rpsnn to the American government n proposal for the neutralization of the Manclunlan railways. Japanese spies are- said to Ut warm!ng In tho Russian towns as hp did just prior to the late war while Russia Is losing no opportunity to keep nosled on Japan's plana and movements. There Is a belief In diplomatic circles that both powers are preparing for another an-other death grapple, and It is bel texed In Russia thnt Japan Is secretly engageu n prepartttlonH for an offensive movement In the direction of Vladivostok. Poles Are Astonished. Numbers of English POllV.WL.Whi linth nartles are on exhibition at tne Y&rsa'w1 office of. the Polish H.wln.Wl hSKn tt'te'rmSas tested' by K nosS.hib urouwd much wonder among lhTnxMzvoshtchlks have aroused the Ire of the regular izvoshtcbl le . as t o St. lvtorsburg cabbies are culled. i n- m lux ol ' the tuxirab makes them fear IiVdr old-fashioned vehicles will be driven from t he b reels. They are organizing toS? SoSrt nKSwrnts. no"' 'VuMranowiimPC" PU.,ll.h lallnll ,' okA, SoVrtc.1 I '"" " 13.00U, against 10,527 In U"8' begin to live! Dolly, what would you say ,to dessert on deck?" "I'd say. 'What a nice place? to meet you!'" and. promptly pushing back her chair. Miss Neville led tho way upstairs. Prom the steamboat behind them came the faint pulsations of -the engine; but the house boat itself moved as silently as If It were a great swan. Out of tho tall of. his eye. Illldreth observed tho best looking man of the crowd maneuver Miss Neville into a sort of pocket among the deck furnishings, which pocket the man Immediately closed by seating himself him-self at the entrance. There was a moment mo-ment .when Illldreth might have defeated tho maneuver, but he stuck grimly to his host's vicinity. It would be daylight for t a good hour yet! So. letting the man make the most of his little triumph, Hlldreth took a hint out of Shakespeare and attached young Harold and therefore young Harold's papa to his side with hooks of steel by tolling tales of- his Nebraska ranch. Gradually Grad-ually the slowly drifting panorama of the shores grew dim: And having extracted ex-tracted a reluctant good night from, tho rapt Harold. Tolman disappeared with him down the gangway. "Don't forgot his prayers!" called a baldlsh young man who had Joined the group. And to Hlldreth he added, "Makes a model 'wlddy man.' doesn't he? Always has tho little chap next do him at the table, puts him to bed and hardly lets him out of his sight. By tho way. speaking of ranches, did you ever run across any of the Bar Circle outfit?" 1M1 , , , The two men were still deep In ranch talk when Tolman came back. "You don't happen to be for sale, do you?" he said, smiling down at Hlldreth. 'The way that boy of mine covets you makes me tremble for the rest of the commandments when he gets around to Illldreth experienced tho pious satisfaction satis-faction of the chess player who has made a good opening. "I'm his to command. he laughed. "I'm afraid I shall by no menns stand so high, though. In Miss Neville's opin ion," he added. "I'd like very much to 'make my manners' to her. but or the situation reminds one of the corking of Santiago harbor, and a non-combatant feels a natural hesitation about trying to lift tho blockade." "Humph!" said Tolman. peering through tho dusk. "I guess I'm enough of a combatant to take a hand. You come with me." The? house boat's Apollo his name turned out to be Jenks glanced up at their approach, and when Tolman, asked him to take a look at one of the autos he professed a willingness which was abnormally abnor-mally cheorful. But thorc was a lingering quality about his departuro wlIch would have stirred almost anybody to pity. Hlldreth, Hll-dreth, however, merely sighed contentedly content-edly as he took the vacated chair. "Judging from my sensations," he remarked. re-marked. "I fear Mr. Jenks Is consigning me to depths I have always considered well, beneath me. I can generally gauge the depth I am sent to." ho continued, "by tho height to which my spirits rlsej and from-thc way they are climbing now I think It must be the nethermost limbo this lime." "Oh, your spirit barometer Is out of order," or-der," said Miss Neville, with candor. "Mr. Jenks and CqusIii George have been fussing all day about, that auto. I tell them that when- they are not In an auto-mobilo auto-mobilo and swearing by It, they arc under one and swearing at it." "Then I'm lo regard myself as a ministering minis-tering angel?" chuckled Illldroth. "A relief column, allowing Mr. Jenks to gratify a consuming desire to go down nad swear at the autos? I don't doubt the swearing, but " he shook his head. "By tho way, Miss Nevlllo, 1 may as well break It to you that I contemplate becoming be-coming a connection of yours. There Is tnlk of vour small cousin Harold's acquiring ac-quiring mc by purchase." "If that's so," laughed Miss Neville, "I may as well accept you at once as a member of the family." "It might save time," was tho thoughtful thought-ful reply. Hlldreth planned all manner of pos- i slhlo and lmposslblo things as he lay In I his berth that night. And he surprised Dame Destiny by actually carrying out some of tlieso plans during the next few days. Perhaps his audacity rather pleased her, for she gave him such a lift as ho had not dared dream of. "Is that you?" tho voice of Tolman called over tho telephone pne day. "If your yearning for a piratical career Is still unsatisfied wo want you to go off with us for a little trip. Can you go?", "Can I?" Illldreth replied in tones which made the telephone buzz. "If you go without mo I'll como after you, if I have to swim." As the boats meandered up the Mississippi Missis-sippi and along the byways of the Illinois. Illi-nois. Hlldreth would listen with a very good imitation of attention to Tolman's bits of Information, but the only geographical geo-graphical fact which really penetrated his consciousness ' was his nearness to Miss Neville. Occasionally also, he was made awaro of Apollo denies' proximity by the rather 111 concealed animosity oC that Individual. 1 When they had landed at Peoria. Jenks was Invited to Join Harold and Hlldreth In making the rounds of a street fair. He proved to be a good deal of a death'3 head at the feast, but Harold made up for that by "moving In a trance of rapture. "My!" he exclaimed, when he came face to faco with tho gjorles of the shooting shoot-ing nailery, "I wish Cousin Dolly was hero!" "You're pretty fond of your cousin, aren't you?" he said with a benignant smile. "Yep!" was tho succlnt reply. "She's goln' to bo my second mamma." "What!" Hlldreth exclaimed boforo he could stop himself. "She's goln' to be my second mamma," calmly repeated Harold before losing himself him-self In the Joy of sighting along a rifle barrel held by tho suddenly assiduous Jenks. Of course, there Is no such phenomenon phenom-enon in naturo as that a man s mind shoutdvslt down In a chair. Nevertheless, Neverthe-less, Hlldreth felt a If his had been on the point of achieving that act and, at the critical moment, some ono had Jerked i the chair away. He was Incredibly Jarred. Even In the elyslum In which he had lived for the past week, he had met occasional oc-casional anxious fears, but not one of them had so much as whispered the name of Tolman! He had been too much absorbed ab-sorbed by his own hope of happiness to give more than a passing thought to Tolman's bereavement or possible conso-lutlon. conso-lutlon. He wondered If he were the only ono In the party to whom It was not an open secret. There was Jenks. Could It be that to Jcnka, too, Harold's remarks had( been a revelation? Or had his supposed rival been In the secret all tho time? Hlldreth looked at him, but. either from delicacy or rrorn embarrassment, Jenks nad turned away. As they started back lo the boat. Hlldreth Hll-dreth trying not to be too precipitate-managed precipitate-managed to pronounce a question: "How long since Tolman lost ids wife?" "Oh. not very long," said Jenks, after a' moment. "The boy" Hlldreth Indicated Harold, who was llattenlng his already sufllclent-dv sufllclent-dv snub noae ugo.inst a shop window "the boy says MIos Neville Is to be his 'his second mamma.' " "Yes, I believe that's all settled," laughed Jenks. Then, with unexpected consideration, he changed, the subject and tlnalK- madu an excuse to co back to the fair, taking Harold, with him. ! Hlldreth, glad of any respite, struck blindly off into tho lirst side street, as if the TmpB of chagrin and pain with which . he fought could be escaped If be only went fast and far enough. When the ; hour set for leaving drew near and he had to get back lo the boat, there was only one thought clear In his mind: lie must, he must try to retreat In good order, or-der, i' He was full of proud Intentions of drawing draw-ing off discreetly, hut not In any too hasty a fashion, so he did what he should have dona If nothing had hnppened to enlighten him ho went dfroctly to Miss Nevlllo's sldo ns she sj:ood at the rail. But Hildreth's military talents were evidently ev-idently of a circumscribed character. Ho nad shown himself prompt In attack, active ac-tive In -pursuit, but he evidently had not been planned with a view to exocullng masterly retreats. As tho girl boside hlrn looked up with the smiling eyes which from the first tlmo he hud looked into ihein hud held ills, whole happiness In their clear depths, Hlldreth turned abruptly ab-ruptly away to hide tho pain which tightened tight-ened his heart. "A telegram for you, Mr. Hlldreth." Hlldreth mechanically took the envelope. enve-lope. He tore It open and read somethinghe some-thinghe did not know or care what. "No bad news. I hope.V said Miss Nevlllo Nev-lllo anxiously; for as he looked up, she saw the trouble In his eyes. "Kn no." 1k sal,! absently. "But I'm afraid It Is!" Illldreth again bent his head over the telegram, In which, no matter what its contents might be, he suddenly recog-. nlzed possibilities of relief, it contained, In fact, only these words: "How about that local color? Am waiting wait-ing for light on it. WICKS." Hildreth's mind groped hurriedly among the possibilities which the receipt of an Important telegram always opens up. "It's not really bad news," he finally said, "bul It's rather urgent. I wtmder where 1 can find Mr. Tolman." "He Is over on the steamboat. I think. But I hope you won't have to leave us.' "Humph!" mused Hlldreth bitterly. "I suppose she Is politely suggesting that hero Is a chance to remove myself " Aloud he said: "I'm vcrymuch afraid that la Just what I must do. I think I'll hunt, up Mr. Tolman and find out where I can get a train." ... , , Whatever doubts ho might have had about Miss Neville's unwillingness to part with him. there was no question aooui his host's reluotanccfi But Illldreth Insisted upon the necessity neces-sity of his reaching St. Loul3 more speedily than the boat could. So It was arranged that ho should be landed at Boardstown. - . After ho had been landed at the Boardstown levee he looked around for some ono to carry his luggago to the station. , ... "How can I get these things to the train?" he asked of tho usual group of levee loungers. ... , "Mebbc vou can get Haley s hack, one of the loungers observed. Indicating a rickety landau reeling down tho street toward the levee. Almost before It had stopped a woman jumped out and ran down to tho water's edge, frantically waving her handker-chlcfthoiigh handker-chlcfthoiigh without result at tho two boats, which, after merely slowing down to lot Hlldreth make a quick landing, had gone rapidly on until they were now well down tho stream, where, ten miles below, they were to tie up. 1 "Didn't those boats land hero?' she i i "Jtist( slowed up' to let this gentleman S2IS Hlldreth lifted bis hat as the -woman !jjE; turned toward him. iHrCE "You " she scorned to bo taking a Kin rapid and somewhat puzzled survey of Kin him "you were one of. the pilots?" I Hoi "No," Hlldreth shook his head. "A. iBBi mere guest." ; 1 Kw "Oh, of course" with an embarrassed BJRffi laugh. "I think you must be Mr. 1111- ah droth. "liwis on my way to catch the SRlB boat at Peoria." she went on "My bus- laMPH band .wrote that he would bo there to- ts J5 night, and I thought. I would surprise fl mk& "Wo were to have been ihero," said BINi Hlldrolh. "but tho plans were changed." HH19 "Oh, that's It! Well, as my train was 9B coming Into town here. I had a glimpse IBK of the boat and well, I doubt if the por- SBV ter has caught his breath, yeti" wStn She laughed, but made a rueful grimace Ifmtat in the direction of the boats. tijBH "George Tolman, aren't you ashamed iflSfi to run off that way and leave your wlf-i HK- In this predicament!" she exclaimed. HS Hlldreth Jumped. Then he thought WKn that his ears must have deceived him. sS3tt "May I know," ha asked feebly. MOB "whom L have the pleasure of of want- Kn "Why" with n look of surprise, almdst of suspicion "why. I I thought you wero my husband's guest." HNS "I was Mr. Tolman's guest." Illldreth HR "Well Mr. Tolman Is my husband." BB Hlldreth swallowed and tried again. HE 'JYotir husband V Then you arc Mrs. flH "A not unnatural inference." was the jjBfl ironical reply. all "Then you're you're not dead?" BBl "N not yet." regarding him in evident HI alarm and moving closer to the group n9H "Mrs." Tolman," Illldreth said hurried- HBfl ly in a low tone. "I can see that you think I belong In an asylum, and I don't Hffl blamo you. But will you please tell me Rfl once more are you Mrs. George Tol- 1H9 man. the wife of the owner of those HS boats and" he clinched Ihe matter "the HHl mother .of little Harold?" HBfl "I am!" remarked the lady stiffly. HH "Well." aald Hlldreth, "I don't pre- HH tend to understand it, but I assure you HH I'm delighted to find that you arc the flBju kind of angel you aro instead of the WW kind I. thought you were." He turned KBjnfl to the deeply Interested spectators. Hl "Those boats, are to tie up about ten flBjQl miles below here, and I -want a good BHHB team to take this lady and myself down HDra It was with some difficulty that Hll- HHl droth reassured Mrs. Tolman as to his Hal Identity and his sanity, bul when. In the flHl course of their ride, he had given her. H of tho comedy of errors which had ship- HH' wrecked him on tho Boardstown levee. Ru sho regarded him with the sympathy with HH which a woman always rewards a man H for whom she 'has no sentimental use 1HN herself when he lets her Into tho secret BiH of his romantic intentions. H "I wonder." 6he saJd with a shrewd bB smile, "whether Mr. Jenks will feel that flJH you deserve a reward for finding tho HB 'lost' Mrs. Tolman?" "Oh." protested Hlldreth, "Jenks mis- fljflj understood mc. of course." BH , Later. Hlldreth contented himself with discovering, by Indirect tactics, that the flB 1 baldlsh young gontleman who had called SH I Tolman a "wlddy man" used the phrase flH 1 as a figure of speech for any husband iW H whose wife was not present, whether due B I to her actual decease or, as In the gflj I case of Mrs. Tolman, to the sudden HI- iflfl i ness of a dear sister. B As for Harold's declaration that his H 1 cousin Dolly was - to be his "second D I mamma," that was a flattering rccognl- I Hon of Miss Neville's extreme deslrabll- Hi I Ity that Illldrcdlh forgave Its share In M I his discomnturc. BBH It was not until he was back In St. HB Louis, rapturously dividing his lime be- HH tween the house bout and the jeweler MSI who was making the engagement ring to BH order, that Hlldreth found in his pocket wai the telegram which had acquired and lost HH Importance with such extraordinary sud- IHlf denness. At first he tried to write a Hll reply, but tore up the feeble attempt. flEfl and finally wired the long suffering H Wicks as follows: fljj "Local color of levee extremely va- riablo. Generally black. but roso color IBn at present. Particulars later. FRED." MR |