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Show THE DARK STAR 1 By ROBERT W. CHAMBERS Author of -'The Firing Line," "tu Secret," "Th8 righting Chance," "The Danger Mark," "Lorraine.- ; "Cardigan," etc. j Perhaps she was thinking of the dead man where he lay in the crowded ca:' tithe ti-the dead man who hud confronted her with bloodshot eyes and lifi ed pistol whose voice, tiii-k witii rae. had denounced de-nounced her whose stammering, un-1 un-1 aiJKlit Loniu; st u milled ovi-v the foreign words with which hi; meant to .--end her to her dija th this dead man who once cad ht-en lie rrna.ii ionif a.uo very, very Ioni ;tKi, when tjero wan no bitterness in life, no pain, no t r.-ac':iery when life was yuun in the western world, and fate xiuly hockom-d her, w;"rin. a smiling mask and crowned with t lower h. "I hoi)e," remarked tbe Princess Mist-chenka, Mist-chenka, "that it in sufficiently early in the morning for you to escape observation. observa-tion. James." "I'm a scandal; r know it," he admitted, ad-mitted, as tne car swun into the Rue Soleil rt'Or. 'I'lie Princess turned to the drooping' crirl beHide her and laid a loed hand lightly light-ly on her shoulder. "My dear," he said gently, "tliere Is. only one chance for you, and if we let it paws it will not come again under mill- ! tary law." Use lifted her head, held it high, even tilted back a little. I The princess sa id : "Twenty - four hour.s wi'.l be given for all Germans to leave France. But you took your national! y from trie man you married. You are American." The girl flushed painfully. "I do not care to take shelter under his name," sht said. "It I- he only way. And you must get to the coast in my car. There is no lime to lose. KJvery vehicle, private and nublie. will tie seized for military uses this morniug. .IS very train will lie crowded; ectjry foot of room occupied on the channel chan-nel boats. There is only one thins for you to do travel with me to Havre as my American maid." "Madame would you do that for me?" "Why, I've got to," said the Princess Mistchenka with a shrug. "I am not a barbarian to leave you to a firing- squad, I hope." The car had stopped; the chauffeur descended and came around to open the door. "Caron," said the Princess, "no servants serv-ants are stirring yet. Take my key, find a cloak and bring it out and a coat for Monsieur Neeland the one that Captain Scngoun left the other evening. Have you plenty of gasoline?" "Plenty, ma dame." "Good. We leave for Havre in five minutes. Bring the cloak and eoat tpilekly." The chauffeur hastened to the door, unlocked it. disappeared, then came out currying" a voluminous wrap and a man's opera cloak. The Princess threw the one over Use Duinont; Neeland enveloped himself in the other. "Now," murmured the Princess Naia. "it will look more like a late automobile party than an ambulance after a free fight if any early servants are watching watch-ing us." She descended from the car; Use Dti-mont Dti-mont followed, still clasping the cat under her clonk ; and Xeela nd followed her. "Be very quiet," whispered the Princess. Prin-cess. "Thepe is no necessity for servants serv-ants to observe what we do " A small and tremulous voice from the head of the stairs interrupted her: "Naia! Is it you?" "Hush, Ruhannah! Yes. darling, it is T. Everything is all right and you may go back to bed " "Xaia! Where is Mr. Neeland ?" continued con-tinued the voice, fearfully. "He is here Rue! He Is all right. Go back to your room, dear. I have a reason rea-son for asking you." Listening, she heard a door close above; I then she touched Use on the shoulder and motioned her to follow up the stairs. Halfway up the Princews halted, bent swiftly over the banisters: "James!" she called softly. "Ves?" "Go into the pantry and find a fruit basket and fill it with whatever food you can find. Hurry, please." He discovered the pantry presently, and a basket of fruit there. Poking about he contrived to disinter from various tins and Ice boxes some cold chicken and 1 biscuits and a bottle of claret. These he wrapped hastily in a napkin which he found there, placed them in the basket bas-ket of fruit, and came out Into the hall just as Use Pumont, in the collar and cuffs :md traveling coat- of a servant, descended, carrjiug a satchel and a suitcase. suit-case. "t lood business!" ho whispered, de-light'd. de-light'd. "You're ail right now, Scheher-azadt-! And for heaven's sake, keep out of Krjincf- hereafter. Do you promise?" j He had taken the satchel and bag from hr-r and handed both, and the fruit has- 1 ket, to Caron, who stood outside the door. In t!ie shadow y hall those two confronted con-fronted each other now, probably for the last time. He took both her hands In his. ; "Good -bye. Scheherazade dear," he said, with a new seriousness in his voice which made trio tone of it almost tender. "G-good-bye " The girl's voice choked; she bent her head and rested her face on the hands he held clasped in his. tic felt her hot tears falling, felt the slender lingers w itbln his own tignten-eonvulsively tignten-eonvulsively ; felt her lips against his hand an instant only; then sho turned and slipped through the open door. A moment later the Princess Naia appeared ap-peared on the stairs, descending lightly and swifllv, her motor eoat over her arm. "Jim," she said in a low voice, "it s the wretched girl's only chance. They know about her; they're looking for her now. But I am trusted by my ambassador; ambassa-dor; I snail have what papers I ask for; 1 shall get her through to an American steamer." "Princess Naia, you are splendid! ' ; "You don't think so, Jim ; you never did. Be nice to Rue. The child has been dreadfully frightened about you. And," added the .Princess Mistchenka Mist-chenka with a gaily forced smile, resting , her hand on Neeland's shoulder for an j instant, "don't ever kiss Rue Oarew unless un-less you mean it with every atom of your heart and soul. I know the child. And I know you. Be generous to her, James. All women need It, I think, from such men as you such men as you," she added laughingly, "who know not what they do." If there was a subtle constraint in her prettv laughter, if her gay gesture lacked spontaneity, he did not perceive It. His face Hushed a trifle under her sudden badinage. "Good-bv," he said. "You are splendid, and I do think so. I know you'll win through." "I shall. I always do except with you," she added audaciously. And "Look for me tomorrow!" she called back to him through the open door; and slammed it behind her, leaving him standing there alone in the dark and curtained house. CHAPTER XXXV. THE FIRST DAY. Neeland had undressed, bathed his somewhat battered body, and had then thrown himself on the bed, fully intending to rise in a few moments and await breakfast. But it was a very weary young man who stretched himself out for ten minutes' min-utes' repose. And, when again he unclosed un-closed his eyes, the austere clock on the mantel informed him that It was five not live In the morning, either. He had slept through the first day of general mobilization. Across the' lowered latticed blinds late afternoon sunshine struct red. The crests of the chestnut trees In the rue Soliel d'Or had turned rosy; and a delicate deli-cate mauve sky, so characteristic of Paris in earlv autumn, already stretched above the city like a frail tent of silk from which fragile cobweb clouds hung, tinted with saffron and palest rose. Hoisting the latteen shades, he looked out through lace curtains into the most silent city he had ever beheld. Not that the streets and avenues were deserted; they swarmed with hurrying, silent people peo-ple and with taxicabs. Xever had lie seen so many taxicabs; they streamed by everywhere, rushing at high speed. They passed through the rue Soliel d'Or; tiie rue de la Lune fairly whizzed with them; the splendid avenue was merely a vista of flying taxis; and in every one of them there was a soldier. Otherwise, except for cyclists, there i and a little frightened and confused with the sense of their contact. "So 1 shall give you your tea, now," she repeated. She did not mention her manual inability in-ability to perform her promise, but presently pres-ently it occurred to him- to release her hands, and she slid gracefully into her chair and took hold of the silver kettle with fingers that trembled. He ate everything offered him, and then he talked Oh, heaven! How he talked! Everything that had happened to him and to Sengoun from the moment they lett for rue Soleil d'Or the night before, this garrulous young man detailed with a relish for humorous circumstance and a disregard for anything approaching approach-ing the tragic, which left her with an impression that it had all been a tremendous tre-mendous lark indiscreet, certainly, and probably reprehensible but a lark, for all that. Fireworks, shooting, noise, and architectural archi-tectural destruction he admitted, but casualties cas-ualties he skimmed over, and of death he never said a word. Why should he? The dead were dead. None concerned this young girl now and, save one, no death that any man had died there in the shambles of the Cafe des Bulgars j could ever mean anything to Rue Carew. Some day, perhaps, he might tell her that Brandea was dead not where or how he had died but merely the dry detail. de-tail. And she might docket it, if she cared to, and lay it away among the old, scarcely remembered, painful things that had been lived, and now were to be forgotten for-gotten forever. The silence of intensest interest, shy or excited questions, and the gray eyes never leaving his this was her tribute. Gray eyes tinged with golden lights, now clear with suspense, now brilliant at a crisis, now gentle, wondering, troubled, trou-bled, as he spoke of Use Dumont and the Russian girl, now charmingly vague as her mind outstripped his tongue and she divined something of the sturdy part he had played golden-gray eyes that grew exquisite with her pride in him, tender with solicitude fur him in dangers already al-ready passed away this was her tribute. Engaging gray eyes of a girl with fhe splendor and mystery of womanhood possessing pos-sessing her attracting him, too, fascinating fasci-nating him, threatening, conquering, possessing pos-sessing him this, the Greek gift of Itue Carew, her tribute. And he took all, forgetting that the Greeks bore gifts; or, perhaps, remembering, remember-ing, rejoicing, happy in his servitude, he took into his heart and soul the tribute this young girl offered, a grateful, thankful thank-ful captive. The terrible cataclysm Impending, menacing" men-acing" the world, tht seemed powerless, yet, to grasp and comprehend and understand. un-derstand. (To be continued tomorrow.) I seemed to be very few soldiers in Paris I an ofi-l t';ift immediately noticeable. ' A'.zo t.'K-re were no omnibuses to be I seen, no priate automobiles, no electric! vehicles of any sort except great itray 1 army trucks trundling by with a sa.pper at liie wiie- And, except for the whiz and rush or the molors and the melancholy siren blasts trom tiieir horns, an immense silence rc-ined in streets. I'iieie w.iy :io laughter to be heard, no loud calling. no gay and animated bao;nau'e. people who met and stopped conversed in undertones; gestures were sober and rare. And everywhere. In the intense stillness. still-ness. Keel Cross flags hung motionless In tile late afternoon sunshine; everywhere were posted notices warning the republic of genPr.il nioi'ilization on dead walis, on tree-ijoxes, on kiosques, on bulletin boards, on the facades of public and ecclesiastical ec-clesiastical buildings. Another ordinance which Neeland could read frojn where he stood at tlio window warned all citizens from the streets after eight o'clock in tho evening; and on the closed iron shutters of every shop in sight of his window were pasted white strips of paper bearing, in black letters, the same explanation: "Femie a cause de la mobilisation." Nowhere could he see the word "war" printed or otherwise displayed. The conspiracy con-spiracy of silence concerning it seemed the more ominous. Nor, listening, could he hear the sinister sin-ister voices of men and boys calling extra editions of the papers. There seemed lo be no need for the raising of hoarse and threatenine; voices In the soundless capital. capi-tal. Men and youths ol all ayes traversed tne avenues and streets with sheafs of fresh, damp newspapers over their ragged arms, but it was the populace who crowded after and importuned them, not they tho people; and no sooner did a paper-seller appear than he was stripped of his wares and was counting his coppers under the trees before hurrying away for a freih supply. Neeiand dressed himself In sections, always al-ways returning to the window to look out; and in this manner he achieved his toilet. Marotte, the old butler, was on the floor below, carrying a tea tray into the wide, sunny sitting-room as Neeland descended. "I overslept," explained the young American, "and I'm nearly starved. Is Mademoiselle Carew having tea?" "Mademoiselle requested tea for two, sir, in case you should awake," said the old man solemnly. Neeland watched him fussing about with cloth and table and silver. "Have you-any news?" lie asked after a moment. "Very little, Monsieur Neeland. The police have ordered all Germans Into detention de-tention camps men, women and children. It is said that there are to be twelve great camps for these unfortunates who are to assemble in the Lycee Condorcet for immediate transportation." Neeland thought of Use Dumont. Presently Pres-ently he asked whether anv message had been received from the Princess Mistchenka. Mist-chenka. "Madame the princess telephoned from Havre at 4 o'clock this afternoon. Mademoiselle Made-moiselle Carew has the message." Neeland, reassured, nodded: "No other news, Marotte?" "The military have taken our automobiles automo-biles from the garage, and have requisitioned requi-sitioned the car which Madame la Princess Prin-cess is now using, ordering us to place it at their disposal as soon as it returns from. Havre. Also, Monsieur le Capitaine Sengoun has telephoned from, the Russian Rus-sian embassy, but Mademoiselle Carew would not permit Monsieur to be awakened." awak-ened." "What did Captain Sengoun sav?" - "Mademoiselle Carew received the message." "And did anyone else call me up?" asked Neeland, smiling. . "II y avait une fe une espece de flame," replied the old man doubtfully, "who named herself Fifi la Tzigane. I permitted myself to observe to her," added the old butler with dignity, "that she had tho liberty of writing to you what she thought necessary to communicate." com-municate." He had arranged the tea table. Now he retired, but returned almost immediately immedi-ately to decorate the table with Cloth of Gold roses. Fussing and pottering about until the mass of lovely blossoms suited him, he finally presented himself to Neeland for further orders, and, learning that there were none, started to retire with a self-respecting self-respecting dignity that was not at all Impaired by the t"ars which kent welling up in his aged eyes, and which he always w-inked away with a demi-tour and a discreet dis-creet cough correctly stifled by his dry and wrinkled hand. As he passed out the door Neeland said : "Are you in trouble, Marotte?" The old man straightened up, and a fierce pride blazed for a moment from his faded eyes: "Not trouble, monsieur; but when one has three sons departing for the front dame! that makes one reflect a little " He bowed with the unconscious dignity of a wider liherty. a subtler equality which, for a moment, left such as ho Indifferent In-different to circumstances of station. Neeland stepped forward, extending his hand: "Bonne chance! God be with France and with us all who love our liberty. Luck to your three sons!" "I thank monsieur " He steadied his voice, bowed in the faultless garments gar-ments which were his badge of service, and went his way through the silence in the house. Neeland had walked -to the long windows win-dows giving on the pretty balcony with its delicate, wrought-iron rails and its bri'Iiant masses of geraniums. Outside, along the avenue, in absolute silence, a. regiment of cuirassiers was passing, the level sun blazing like sheets of crimson fire across their helmets and breastplates. And now, listening, the far clatter of their horses came to his ears in an immense, unbroken, rattling resonance. reso-nance. Their gnid-frineed standard passed, and the sunlight on the naked sabers ran from point to hilt like liquid blood. Sons of the Cuirassiers of Morsbronn, grandsons grand-sons of the Cuirassiers of Waterloo what was their magnificent fate to be? For splendid it could not fall to be, whether tragic or fortunaV. The American's heart began to hammer ham-mer In his breast and throb in his throat, closing it with a sudden spasm that seemed to confuse his vision for a moment mo-ment and turn the distant passing regiment regi-ment to a glittering stream of steel and flame. Then it had pnssed; the darkly speeding speed-ing torrent of motor ears alone possessed the Avenue; and Neeland turned away into the room again. And there, before him. stood Paie Carew. Ca-rew. A confns-ed sense of unreasoning. Immeasurable Im-measurable happiness rushed over him. and, in that sudden, astounding Instant of self-revelation, self-amazement left him dumb. She had given him bo) h her slim white hands, and he held to them as though to find his bearings. Both were a trifle irrelevant and fragmentary. "Do you e-care for tea. Jim? What a night! What a fright you gave us. There are croissants, too, and caviar. I would not permit anybody to awaken you; and I was dying to see you " "I am so sorry you were anxious about me. And I'm tremendously hungi-y. You see, Sengoun and I did not mean to remain out all night. I'll help you with Hint lea; shall I? " lie still ret.'ilned hpr hands In his; she smiled and flushed in a breathless sort of way. and looked sometimes at the tenkettle as thouuli she never before hud seen such an object; and looked up at him as though sin- had never until that moment b In Id any man like him. "The J'iince:s X.-iia. lias left us quite alone," rhe said, "ta I must nivc you some toa." alio was nervous and Binilliur, |