Show PLACED MOON i iH H iL dP T a SYNOPSIS Eleanora Elennora de tie Toscana was VIlS singing In Paris which perhaps ac accounted for tor Edward Edward Edward Ed Ed- ward Courtlandt's appearance there Multimillionaire Mul Mul- he wandered about where fancy taney dictated He lie might be In Paris one oneda one da day and the next Following the opera he lie goes to a R. cafe and Is accosted ac no- by a pretty young woman Sh She Sh gives him the address of Flora Fora Desimons vo vocal rival rhal of Toscana and Flora gives the address addless of Eleanora whom 8 s Is III I to see CHAPTER Ill Ill III Continued Oh stubborn Dutchman that he had been Blind fool ool To have run away instead o of fighting to the last ditch forbin for his bin happiness The De Delmone Imone mone woman was right it t had taken him a long tong longtime time to come to the conclusion that Ehe she done him hini an ill turn His Jaw set and the pressure of his lips Una broke the sweep of his m mustache stache converting It Into bristling tufts warlike and reso reso- lute What of the pretty woman In the Taverne Royale What about her At whose bidding had she followed him One or the other of them had not told the truth and he was Inclined to believe believe believe be be- lieve that the prevarication h had hd d its source in the pomegranate lips Ups of oC the To give the old barb one more twist to learn If It its venomous point still sun held and hurt nothing would have afforded the diva more de de- de- de light When the taxicab joined the long line Une of carriages and automobiles opposite opposite opposite op op- op- op the Austrian ambassadors ambassador's Courtlandt awoke to the dismal and disquieting fact that he had formulated formulated formulated formu formu- no plan of action He had done no more than to give the driver his directions and now that he had arrived arrived ar ar- ar- ar rived he had the choice of two alter alter- natives He could wait to see her herome tome come out or return at once to his hotel which as subsequent events affirmed would have been the more sensible course He would have been confronted confront confront- ed with small difficulty in gaining admission admission ad ad- mis mission Ion to the house He knew enough of these general receptions the announcing announcing announcing an an- o of his name would have bave convey conveyed con con- vey d nothing to the host who knew perhaps a third of his guests and UL UI luese CUt But such nn an adventure was distasteful to Court Court- landt He could not certain recognized I 1 of convention and tc enter a mans man's house unasked was colossal impudence Beyond this he realized that he lie could have accomplished pushed nothing the advantage would have ha been hers hers- Nor could he meet her as she came ame out for again the odds would have been largely in hi her favor No the encounter must be when they two were alone St SI must be surprised She must have no time to use her ready wit An Idea presented presented pre pre- prep Itself It appealed to him at that m moment as quite clever and feasible Wait he called to the driver He lie dived among the carriages and cars and presently he found what he sought sought her her limousine He had taken the number into his mind too keenly to be bo mistaken He saw the end of his difficulties difficulties- and to LD went about the affair af at- att fair with his usual directness It was only at rare times that he ran his bea heal heal- Into a de cul If her chauffeur was I regularly employed in her service he would have to return to the hotel but if he came caine from the gar garage ge there was hope Every man is s said to have his price and a French chauffeur might prove no notable exception t to the rule ule Are you OU driver for Madame da Toscana Toscana Toscana Tos Tos- cana Courtlandt asked of oC the man lounging In the forward seat The chauffeur looked hard at his questioner and on finding that he satIsfied satIsfied sat sat- the he requirements of a gentleman gentleman gentle gentle- gentleman man grumbled rumbled an affirmative The limousine was well known In Paris and he lie heas Was as as growing weary of these endless inquiries Are you OU in her employ directly or do you rou come from the garage I am from the garage but I drive mademoiselles mademoiselle's car most of the time especially nt M. t night It Is not mad madame me but mademoiselle monsieur My II I mistake A slight pause It was rather a difficult moment for Courtlandt The chauffeur waited wonderingly Would you like to make fi five ve 11 hundred undred francs How monsieur Courtlandt should have been warned by the tone which contained no Unusual unusual unusual un un- usual interest or eagerness Permit me mo to remain In mademoiselles mademoiselle's mademoiselles mademoiselle's selles selle's car till she comes comee I wish to ride tide with her to her apartment The chauffeur laughed He stretched his legs Thanks monsieur It Is LB very dull waiting Monsieur knows a good joke e. e Aid Ad to Courtlandt's dismay he realIzed realized real real- hat that his proposal had truly been ted acce as a je jest t. t I t 1 am aIS am jot lt joking I am In earnest I Five hundred francs On the wor word of or ofa ora a gentleman I mean ma mademoiselle no harm I am known to her All sun she has haa to do Is to appeal to you and youcan you youcan youcan can stop the car and summon the tho po po- po- po lice The chauffeur drew In his legs and leaned toward his tempter Monsieur If you are not jesting then you are arc a madman Who are you What do I know about you I never saw you before before before be be- fore and for two seasons I have driven en mademoiselle In Paris Parla She wears weara beautiful jewels tonight How do I know that you rou are not a gentlemanly thief Ride home w with lh mademoiselle You are crazy Make yourself scarce monsieur In one minute I shall call the police pollee Blockhead English of this order the Frenchman perfectly understood La la ha laI he cried rising to execute his threat Courtlandt was furious but his fury tury was directed at himself as much as at atthe atthe atthe the trustworthy young man getting down from crom the limousine His eagerness eager r. r ness had bad led him to mistake stupidity for cleverness He had gone about the affair with all the clumsiness of a boy who was making his first appearance at the stage entrance It was mightily disconcerting too to have found an honest man when he was in desperate need of a dishonest one He had faced with fine courage all sorts of dangerous danger danger- ous wild animals but at this moment he ho hadn't the courage to face race a policeman po po- policeman hiceman and endeavor to in a foreign tongue a situation at once so 80 delicate and so singularly open to mis mis- misconstruction construction So for the second time In his life Ufe he took to his heels Of the first time more anon He scrambled scrambled scrambled scram scram- bled back to his own car slammed the thedoor thedoor thedoor I door and told the driver to drop himat himat him himat at the Grand However he did not return return return re re- re- re turn to the hotel Mademoiselle da Toscana's chauffeur chaut- chaut eur scratched his chin in perplexity In frightening off oft his tempter he recognized rec- rec that now he ha would never be able to find out who he was He should have played wwi with him until mademoiselle mademoiselle selle came out She would have known instantly That would have been the time for the police To hide in the car What the devil Only a madman madman madman mad mad- man would have offered such a The man had been either an American or an Englishman for all his lis accuracy in the tongue Bah Dah Perhaps Perhaps Per Per- er- er haps he had heard her sing that night and had come away from the Opera moonstruck It was not an isolated case The fools were always pestering pester- pester tag ing ng him but no one had ever offered so uncommon a bribe five hundred francs Mademoiselle might not believe believe be be- lieve that part of the tale Mademoiselle Mademoiselle selle was clever There was a standing standIng stand- stand Ing ng agreement between them that she would always give him half hall of whatever whatever whatever what what- ever was offered him in the way of bribes It paid It was easier to sell his ils loyalty to her for two hundred and fifty francs than to betray her for five hundred She had yet to find him untruthful untruthful un un- truthful and tonight he would be bo as frank as he had bad always been But who was this fellow In the Bavarian Bavarian Ba Ba- varian varlan hat who patrolled the sidewalk sidewalk side side- sidewalk walk He hall had been watching him when the madman approached approach d. d Foran For Foran Foran an hour or more he had walked up and down never going twenty feet beyond beyond be be- yond ond the limousine He couldn't see seethe seethe the he face The dark coat had a military cut cue about me tue nips hips and ana snout snout- d ders ers From time to time he saw him hm glance lance g up at the lighted windows Eh well there were other women In the w world orld besides mademoiselle several o others He had to w wait lt only half haIr an hour for tor forer forler h her ler er appearance He opened the door and a nd saw to It that she was comfortably comfortably comfort comfort- a ably bly seated then he paused by the window touching his cap What Is it Francois A gentleman offered me five hundred hundred hun hun- dred d red francs mademoiselle If II I would permit ermit p him to hide in the car Five hundred francs To hide In Inthe Inthe the he t car Why didn't you call the police police po po- po- po l lice ice I I started to to to- to mademoiselle but he heran hean heran r ran an a away way Oh What was he like The p prima rima donna dropped the bunch of roses oses r on the stat seat b beside her Oh he looked well enough He had t the he air of or a gentleman He was tall with light hair and mustache But ashad as asI I had never seen him before and as mademoiselle wore some fine jewels I bade him be off Would you know him again 7 Surely mademoiselle The next time anyone bothers you c call all the po police ce You ha have e don done well a and nd I shall remember It Home The man in the Bavarian hat hurried hurried hur hur- n ried ed back to the third car from the l limousine and followed at a reasonably reasonably reasonably reason reason- ably safe distance She shut off oft the light and closed her eyes She reclined against the cushion once more striving not to think Once her hands shut tightly Never never never She pressed down the burning t thoughts by recalling the bright scenes at the ambassadors ambassador's the real generous applause that had followed I her two songs Ah Alt how bow that m man ui played They two had cost the ambassador eight thousand francs Fame and fortune Fortune she could understand but fane fage What was it Upon a time she believed she had known what fame was but that tuat had bad been when she was striving frIt frit fr for it A glowing article In a newspaper a portrait In n a magazine rows upon rows of curious eyes and a patter r of hands upon hands that was all and for Cor this she had given the best of her life ure and she was only twenty The limousine stopped at last The Theman Theman Theman man In n the Bavarian Davarian hat saw her alight aUght His car turned and disappeared It had taken him a week to discover where she lived His lodgings were on the other side of the Seine After Arter reaching them he gave crisp orders to the driver who set eel his machine off oft at top speed The man In the Bavarian I bat hat entered his room and lighted the gas The room W was S bare and c apty furnished Ho lIe took off his coat but retained his hat pulling it down still farther over his eyes Ills HIs face was always al always al- al ways In shadow A round chin two I full tuIl red lips scantily covered by a I blond mustache were all that could be bo seen Ho lie began to walk the floor Impatiently impatiently Impatiently im Im- Im- Im patiently stopping and listening whenever whenever when when- ever over ho heard a sound He waited lese less than an hour for the return of the car It brought two men They were well dressed smoothly shaven with keen eyes and Intelligent faces Their host who had never seen Been either elthor of ot his guests before carelessly waved hlo his hand toward the tho table where there were chairs He Ho himself took his stand b bythe window and looked out as he talked In another hour the room was dark and tho street deserted In the meantime the prima donna gave a sigh of relief She was was home It was nearly two She would sleep p till noon and Saturday and Sunday Sunday Sunday Sun Sun- day would be hers She went up the tho stairs Instead of taking the lift and though the hall was dark she knew her way Sho unlocked She unlocked the door of the tho apartment and entered swinging the tho door behind her As the act was mechanical her thoughts being otherwise otherwise otherwise other other- wise engaged sho shio did not notice that the lock failed to click The ferrule of a cane had prevented that She flung her wraps on the divan and d' put the roses In an empty bowl The door opened softly without noise Next she stopped before the mirror over the mantel touched her hair lightly detached the tiara of emeralds and became as Inanimate as marble She saw another face She never knew how long the tho interval of ot silence was She Sho turned slowly Yes it Is I said the man Instantly she turned again to the mantel and picked up a magazine re re- ro- ro volver She leveled it at him Leave this room or I will shoot Courtlandt advanced toward her slowly Do so he said I should much prefer refer a bullet to that look I am In earnest She was very white but her hand was steady He continued to advance There followed a crash The smell of ot burning burning burn burn- ing powder filled the room The Burmese Burmese Burmese Bur Bur- mese gong clanged shrilly and whirled wi wildly Courtl Courtlandt felt his hair stir in terror You must hate me indeed he said quietly as the sense of ot terror died away He folded his arms Try again there ought to be half a dozen bullets left No Then good good good-by by He left the apartment without another word or look and as the door closed behind him there was a kind of finality In the clicking of ot the latch The revolver clattered to the floor and the woman who had bad fired It leaned heavily ag against the mantel covering her eyes Nora Noa Nora cried a startled voice from rom a bedroom adjoining What has haa happened 1 Mon Ion Dieu what is it 1 A pre pretty ty sleepy-eyed sleepy young woman In th Ina tha a night dress rushed into the room She flung her arms about the singer Nora my dear my dear He forced his way in I thought to frighten him It went off ort accident accident- ally Oh Oh Celeste Celeste I might have lave killed him I The other drew her head down on her ler shoulder and listened She could hear voices In the lower hall haIl a shout of warning a patter of steps then the hall door slammed After that silence save for the faint mellowing vibrations of the Burmese gong TO 10 BE CONTINUED |