Show WINGS OF loel ovel by Arthur 11 Nelson Copyright 1915 by Robert M. M McBride Co I Continued from yesterday fro think that men have have ha given up lI own hearthstones and risked tir iI all tearing themselves awa away from Ir ir friends and the bosoms of their mules from loving wives perhaps dithe dEthe prattle of little children forC for tor C Silent Places for this this the the court court- ip of danger to think of ot that is hi to lize what mysteries lurk within a aI aman I man n soul toul Well I have Known 1 my n the best and the worst of ot them the quick flood of my reminiscence e them go by one after alter another a llant and picturesque crew There ere was II H. H H. the Prince of Pleas Pless decadent d cadent son of the the- warrior Goths Jl dja great sybarite for all his lila fight fight- ancestry who trekked with me to toe e VIctoria falls talis an and and carried by roxy ozy an amazing arsenal of sporting The was the state service arm It is a a. a thing There was 01 old 1 Lord Melton K IC C C. B. B back to England as mural I a whole shipload of ot horns Id most most hIdes most of which he had got goto I o the native chiefs for tor Melton set sel- any accident killed anything sel-I sel time To serve him was a a. perilous 1 Ingi ng for he let fly his dumdum bullets bullets' 1 t promiscuously as he scattered I British sovereigns I There here was wa Rene Duval the sculptor JH played with death once too of oten ofen en r at mangy old lioness In he had rashly stalked by bit his windpipe right out when his gun creech Jammed after ner he had fired two shots into her kia 4 After that the lioness decamped L out In the bush bUshs I found round her here e next day all aJl crumpled up p lIke like a trag t rag and cursed her there was was' thing bIng else to do We buried burled p poor or val ival under a a. frowning where whereS where S s will never disturb him d trekked straight home Th There re was also a a. lady lady the the first and andt t t o 0 take me rue Into her pay It was I S plains that tha trip and they the II I ly y was the handsome eccentric JUntus Diane de do Montfleur a comely P w but peppery In the mouth a a eking Diana and she looked it who i dup to her name and went wenton on the In light marching order rely orely to look on while madame In the 1 In abbreviations contrived I miss four large eland well wen bunched j sixty paces was to sign articles of 01 livery ivery She nearly always missed shooting kilts though a trifle fr ert were ere wickedly ly becoming and figure was beautiful an and svelte She 8 very much snuck a matter of ot form S Countess Diane Diana ind nd there was Banister the Yankee He had bad a a. mania for ex ex- ex sing ing a a. fever smitten country andS and I me med with a a. barbaric lust to trill kill He Het S t tt trail trait of bleaching bones behind a until n-until until upon a a. day an old rogue I smet 1 met him in the narrow wa way He I HeL biped that grim beast full of ot lead L In the states states but but he kept In like a a. brute Nemesis Before I end nd came the rhino had gored him I tee and marked him for tor life with a alet let d leg In the sequel his fickle nb e in America Jilted him heartless- heartless a and cr married a ival millionaire who the good sense to stay atie at ie and Improve his opportunities the conventional contour of ot Fiancees are horribly un- un ahl ble things thines And Banister himself llast St acc accounts is doggedly limping o with rifles and and counting fir ea n steps hiding his from the world tr world trying trying to gel ti here e were many more whose namest names t ces faces I cannot stop to recall they fees now to the ends of or the there was the Rt Hon Ce Ce- es eso o JI the unreal Rho Rhodes es of the Blue ik nor yet the formal Rhodes of or but the real Rhodes without sl sk the great adventurer whose osal dream of empire made Africa I rope reel That was the Rhodes n new I r was his old lieutenant In the it t Plot Plot and and I have havene j ne out alive That fact tact seems seem ul enough to me But you who Iy know what the Rhodes dream f. f save only from dark discredited ru rs 8 stifled overseas from the shad- shad t o ot dead lead events vent and from the thees es ea of discreet chroniclers who will wUl t tell ll II you all they know you know you wilt will II 1 rather father skeptically ePt I CallY perhaps But n 11 Rhodes is gone to face a higher rt of ot inquiry and I let it pass S What Is your unbelief to me IS CHAPTER II Il J I The House of es erday I had decided not to call thanked something in Rayles- Rayles ft's tA eyes had repelled me But the haunted me After Atter all wh why ul uld l I r be a It boor Today I would v the e gentleman tomorrow I would 5 t it would wipe the slate clean of ot jr and and she would forget I Ih d taken me in truth until mid mid- Ir oon to make up my mind to face fold Old cynics cynic's chilling eyes eyes But at atIt ati atit i It lt was the time honored i Pr or a gentleman to call and be ed Indefinitely and anti I had hati as Cl da ITa right to the name name as as my clever pin Mr Sheridan Severn barrister aw w But he had held to the gen gen- mn's ans estate and presumably ly y was wasI I I. I pounding away at the law in kind while white I t had gone In In for tor the of ot adventure and und the Dark Darkes es of or the Earth You may not your pour our life lite upon the plane o of ot the arIan fian without g getting some of ot the thein in hi your eyes eyes d et it Is a vague enough thing I a gentleman Jt lt has its limits fitI lita possibilities For example I tadd that a a. certain wild hen hench- hench h. h ot of mine by name some- some the Wanderer was very ery Wr a gentleman man on the whole for page rage age I suppose he was a 0 savage not altogether sure He lie was a kind of ot latter day Perseus Jn In n quest ofa of ofa ofa a mythical monster some terrific Gor Gor- gon But he did not know that then and neither did I. I I believe there was something amiss with his memory a hiatus And so so without seeking a better better better bet bet- ter pretext I mounted and took the road to the House of or Old had given me his di direction direction dl di- r in one of ot his laconic sentences the the gray house on the hill It wa was not hard to find for tor the house was a awell awell awell well known landmark of ot the country round and a Boer with a broken nose noe of ot whom I stopped to inquire the wa way pointed to the road and told me it was a matter of ot an hours hour's ride I came up to it at last as an the afternoon was waning It Tt was a h huge ge fantastic pile built together of or hewn stone of ot an aged white grayish hue and it stood In a commanding position upon an upland crowned by a gigantic kop The building Itself was perched right at the top of this enormous egg shaped hill tilli which at an amazing expenditure expenditure ex ex- ex- ex of ot labor had been leveled for the purpose purpose-a a strange and certain certain- ly 13 an Inconvenient dwelling site But as I found out was a strange and uncommonly inconvenient person and the location had one Irresistible Irre Irre- charm chann it afforded a lovely view for miles around There was a broad avenue curving splendidly up the flank of the hillside hemmed by a double row of ot beautiful eucalyptus trees and the entrance was was guarded by a tall Iron gate resting upon two great stone pillars And somehow this dwelling which was built in the Gothic style of ar architecture ture reminded me of ot some feudal castle castle cas cas- tle of ot the Middle l Ages and it wanted little play of or the imagination to see in himself a a. feudal captain of or the most approved stamp But there it stood a frowning tribute to the forgotten past and there he lived in medieval magnificence like a robber robber robber rob rob- ber baron of ot long ago A Kaffir boy opened the gate gate and took charge of ot my horse I stared up the tree flanked avenue and espied a vision of ot beauty book in hand upon a feudal terrace A A. moment moment mo mo- ment meat after arter the vision vanished flitting flitting flit flit- ting indoors at my approach Her I flight proved to be only temporary and doubtless had to do with one of ot those purely feminine readjustments in hi which all alt women Indulge on oc occasion aslon for by the time I had got to the end of ot the trees and reached the house I could see her ber white figure in the vestibule Fortune had elected to be kind for tor once when she might have frown frowned d d. d There was vas no Juggling of ot a bell nor any argus in waiting to usher me rae with cold formality into a room where the chilling shadows of conventions reigned like frigid little gods The door was I wide ajar framing the picture which I never forgot of or the girl all in white the girl of the square square square- and I looked at her with a queer catch catchIn In my throat I had not said three w words wards She gave me a dazzling smile that set my head awhirl She was smiling still her face tace half hall turned back as I followed her mechanically mechanically mechanically me me- into a handsome drawing room with tall French windows Possibly Pos sibly too she may have blushed a lit little lit lit- tie tle That was my entry to the pOS pOS-J en enchant enchanted enchanted en- en chanted chant d mansion quick to put me at my ease ase This Is a belated pleasure she said swiftly and her eyes swept my face tace with all a womans woman's Intuition Candidly I had given you up I had fancied that perhaps m my father father- But you must not mind him him him-he he Is my myown myown myown own particular bugaboo and she laughed You did not mean to come come Why did you change your mind 1 That was the kaleidoscopic emptiness emptiness emptiness ness of my my life I confessed candidly Perhaps it was the craving for something something something some some- thing m more re elevating than the society of wild men men and and the wish to have at least one priceless memory to take with me out there I pointed point point- ed cd vaguely to the edge of the horizon She measured me with eloquent eyes And is your life then so empty Well that is strange strang I have sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times thought it must be grand to be beable beable beable able to forget the prosy littleness of civilized existence and boldly launch oneself into the unforeseen Wh Why that is the very of ot Romance Romance- that Is life But how can I thank you for that brave deed of yesterday 1 Oh if it I might find a a. wa way But tell me how may I make myself eleVating B By forgetting yesterday I answered an- an an an- i She seemed a little astonished Will that please you Well Vell I will try but 1 I warn you that I shall not succeed You make too much o of it I protestEd protested pro pro- tested Ah well was as the quiet answer I Ido Ido Ido do not think so I saw Raw it all t saw aw you ou stoop right over o that horror to make sure sure If It you had stumbled If your our hand had erred by Just one little inch well Y yOu would not be here To you rou as well as to me that thing was dead dead- ly Its eyes Oh I cannot banish It I too I said have failed tailed to banish banIsh ban ban- ish all I saw She b bent nt forward shuddering You i mean its eyes Yes they were dread dread- ful You are quite wrong J 7 said I I meant- meant other eyes ees more perilous to me nip I the the most perilous perhaps In Atri- Atri II ca I said it slowly slowly deliberately deliberately to save t my soul I could not have left teft it un un- spoken The words positively uttered themselves In the next second I WOUld have given glyen much to recall them I 1 saw I was In deep water She reddened reddened reddened red- red slowly to her temples but finally final- final finalI I ly threw thre hack back her head and laughed In In truth it clear cleared I the tho atmosphere I iJ AIm Ah she said I I am not dense and the subject shall be changed How How quick you are for one who is condemned con con- to the society of wild men But please do not uncork any more mor compliments The cork flew out unbidden 1 I humbly apologized Mercy on us us' us s Then dont don't drop th the bottle It seems she said eald graciously that men must sa say these things an and I I have noticed always that the braver the men risen the worse they always say them After Alter all it is an exclusively r masculine prerogative though I dare say you are quite puffed up with It H doesn't It demand a decoration None I said daringly which h is I not fashioned in your likeness It was a long shot at a venture She turned her amused eyes upon me rue I and they had a curious effect of seem selm ing to probe electrically into my soul I met them abashed I had an conviction that I 1 was treadIng tread tread- Ing lug on dangerous ground You are very exacting but I am ax I anxious to please And I suppose you yot meant by that my picture Well Veil you yot shall have it it It is little enough to of of- of fer ter in return for tor that dreadful risk o of ot r yesterday We Ve got up together together she she was the th 5 purpose implied in her words and I f if it the truth is told to prevent her from fron 1 carrying out that purpose for I felt fell that I had permitted myself to go far and my presumption was rapidly re re an unforgettable lesson I stammered out a hasty remonstrance but she checked me quietly and step step- ping into a hidden bidden alcove in the re recess re- re cess case of ot the window seat she took tool some object from a drawer of or a little ros rosewood wood secretary and put it into my r hand 1 She shivered slightly and handsome miniature portrait of herself herself her her- self imprisoned in a little oval case 01 of heavy gold set with a circle of ot spar kling diamonds It had been fash tash- as ea I learned later by a Russian L painter o of some repute who had drifted drifted drift drift- ed out to South Africa under a cloud and had been bElen glad to get stray com corn commissions missions of that sort The case had I been made in Paris by a famous jeweler jeweler jew jew- eler eier and must have cost a very pretty penn penny I wish you to keep this if it you will UI she said so winningly that Iwae overtaken over over- taken by a blush of ot shame It is all I that I can can offer otter you and you and yet it is so SC S little She slightly and raised one hand to her eyes as if It to shut out some disagreeable sl sight ht i Keep it It please It Is m my earnest de deo sire I would have given ever everything thing I I r I i owned In the world to possess the portrait por por- trait but somehow I found the grace S to reply It wont won't do J I am afraid Perhaps I I have presumed unpardonably but bul S there are still such things as honor hono and fair tall play play Let me undeceive you yot I as to myself I am unfortunately a a needy mercenary whose only lode star stai is hard gold gold and and of ot that I have pre little little little-a a grasping person J I assure you a chance hanger on or I In a a. pleasant world a mere penniless pen peri- peri adventurer Now you have my t measure You ma may be sure of or those things she said quietly At least you ou are a L brave man I like brave men Will Wil I you accept my friendship with the i picture I hesitated weighed the miniature ft in t my hand I r was not too great a aim sim to perceive that I had b been en I cleverly driven into a cul cuI de sac To rC refuse that princely prince bauble wn was in fn perhaps her priceless iri friend friend- nd I ship It is still too little she threw in very verv pat with my thoughts It Is said I J very low too fh fine e a reward for a so o poor a a. cavalier This costly keepsake Is overweight To re refuse re- re fuse tuse it is very difficult but to accept It would be sheer presumption You are in error such things are not for me I have learned today a much needed lesson in manners manners believe believe me ale me i it t shall not be |