Show if HEARTS AND MASKS HAROLD macgrath Autho the man on th box etc with drawings by danison fisher 1906 by bobbt co CHAPTER I 1 continued you will pardon my niece inter the old gentleman coughing a bit nervously it she annoys you uncle reproachfully heaven I 1 exclaimed aag ariy there Is a charm in doing un conventional things and most people do not realize it and are stupid thank you sir said the girl smil ing she was evidently enjoying her self so was I 1 for that matter do a trick tor me she commanded presently I 1 smiled weakly I 1 have done a trick with the cards not my life had depended upon it but I 1 rather neatly extricated myself from the trap 1 I never do any tricks out of busl ness hours uncle give the gentleman ten ants I 1 want to see him do a sleight of hand trick her uncle readily entering into the spirit of the affair dived into a pocket and produced the piece of silver it looked as it I 1 were caught there this may make it worth your while the girl said shoving the coin in my direction but again I 1 managed to slide under I 1 was not to be caught it Is my regret to ay frowning lightly that regularity in my busl ness Is everything it wants halt an hour tor my turn to come on if I 1 tried a trick out of turn I 1 might foozle and lose prestige and besides I 1 depend so much upon the professor and his introductory note ladles and gents permit me to introduce the world renowned signer whose marvelous tricks have long aled all the crowned heads of eu rope musingly italian for puppet p show I 1 know it but the dime museum visitors do not it makes a fine am pres slon she laughed and slid the dime back to her uncle I 1 m afraid you are an impostor she said I 1 m afraid so too I 1 confessed laughing then the comedy came to an end by the appearance of our separate orders I 1 threw aside the cards and proceeded to attack my dinner tor I 1 was hungry from time to time I 1 caught vague fragments of conversation between the girl and her uncle its a fool idea mumbled the old gentleman you will get into some trouble or other that matter it will be like a vacation a flash of old rome where I 1 wish I 1 were at this very moment I 1 am determined this Is what comes of reading romantic novels with a kind of grum ble I 1 admit there never was a particle of romance on your side of the fam lly the girl retorted happily there Is peace in the house where I 1 live do not argue with me I 1 am not arguing with you I 1 should be only wasting my time I 1 am simply warning you that you are hout to commit a tolly I 1 have made up my mind ah in that case I 1 have hopes he returned when a woman makes up her mind to do one thing she gen brally does another why can t you put aside this fool idea and go to the opera with mea I 1 have seen carmen in paris rome london and new york she replied evidently a traveled young per son carmen Is your favorite opera be sides not to night whimsically go then but please recollect that it anything serious comes of your tolly I 1 did my best to prevent it it s a scatterbrained idea and no good will come of it mark me I 1 can take care of myself bently so I 1 have often been forced to observe dryly 1 I wondered what it was all about but uncle dear I 1 am becoming so dreadfully bored that sounds final sighed the old man helping himself to the haricots hari cots verts the girl ate positively nothing but it seems odd that you can t go about your affairs after my own reasonable manner 1 I am only twenty the old mans shoulders shou rose and fall resignedly no man has an answer for that 1 I promise to tell you everything bat happens by telegraph small comfort imagine receiving a telegram early in the mom ing when a man s brain 1 without vit hout in or coherency of I 1 A would that you were back home with your father I 1 might sleep 0 nights then 1 I have so little amusement you work three hours a day and earn more in a week than our father and I 1 do in a month yours Is a very unhappy lot 1 I hate the smell of paints I 1 bate the studio and I 1 suppose you hate your tame acridly bah that Is my card to a living the people I 1 meet bore me not satisfied with common folks eh must have kings and queens to talk to I 1 only want to live abroad and you and father will not let me fetu bantly the music started up and I 1 heard no more occasionally the girl glanced at me and smiled in a friendly fashion she was evidently an artists model and when they have hair and color like this girls the pay is good I 1 found myself wondering why she was bored and why carmen had eo sud denly lost its charms it was seven clock when I 1 pushed aside my plate and paid my check I 1 calculated that by hustling I 1 could reach blankshine Blank shire either at ten or ten thirty that would be early enough tor my needs and now to rout out a costume all I 1 needed was a gray mask I 1 had in my apartments a capuchino capuchins robe and cowl I 1 rose lighting a cigarette the girl looked up from her coffee back to the dime museum ban I 1 have a few minutes to spare said I 1 by the way I 1 forgot to ask you what card you drew I 1 recalled the paragraph relative to mrs hi phen bonds by this time she was being very well tossed about in mid ocean As the old order of yarn spinners used to say little did I 1 dream what was in store for me or the gnp ence the magic name of hyphen bonds was to have upon my destiny whatever that means CHAPTER II 11 after halt an hours wandering about I 1 stumbled across a curio shop a weird dim and dusty musty old curio shop with stuffed peacocks hanging from the belling cel ling and skulls and bronzes and marbles paintings tarnished jewelry and ancient armor rare books of vellum small arms tapestry pastimes plaster masks and musical instruments I 1 recalled to mind the shop of the dealer in an in balzac s la peau de aba cba grin and glanced about not without a shiver for the fatal aass skin 1 I forgot that I 1 was wearing it myself that night I 1 was something of a collector of antiquities of the anani mate kind and for a time I 1 became lost in speculation speculation rath er agreeable of its kind I 1 liked to conjure up in fancy the various scenes through which these curiosities had drifted in their descent to this demi pawnshop the brave men and beautiful women the clangor of tocsins toc sins the haze of battles the glitter of ball rooms epochs and ages what romances lay behind yon satin slipper what grande dame had smiled behind that lory fan what meant that tarnished silver mask the old french proprietor was evidently all things from a pawnbroker to an art collector for most of the this Is what 1 want it was the ten 0 hearts the ten of hearts her amazement was not understandable yes tho ten ot hearts cupid and all that she recovered her composure quickly then you will not blow up the fico tonight to night no I 1 replied not tonight to night you have really and truly aroused my curiosity tell me what does the ten ot hearts mean to you I 1 gazed thoughtfully down at her had I 1 truly mystified her there was some doubt in my mind frankly I 1 wish I 1 might tell you all I 1 am at liberty to say Is that I 1 am about to set forth upon a desperate adventure and I 1 shall be fortun ate it I 1 do not spend the night in the lock up you do not look desperate oh I 1 am not desperate it Is only the adventure that is desperate some princess in durance ellel some villain to smite citadels to storm her smile was enchantment itself I 1 hesitated a moment what would you say if I 1 told sou that this ad yen ture was merely to prove to myself what a consummate ass the average man can be upon occasions why go to the trouble of proving it drolly I 1 am conceited enough to have some doubts as to the degree consider it positives 1 I 1 laughed I 1 am in hopes that I 1 am neither a positive ass nor a superia alve one only comparative dut the adventure that Is the thing that mainly interests me oh ahat Is a secret which I 1 should hesitate to tell even to the sphinx 1 I see you are determined not to illuminate the darkness and she turned carelessly toward her uncle who was serenely contemplating the glowing end of a fat perfecto I 1 bowed and passed out into sixth avenue rather regretting that I 1 had not tho pleasure of the charming young person s acquaintance the ten spot of hearts seemed to have startled her tor some reason I 1 wondered why the snow blew about ne whirled and swirled and oddly enough jewelry was in excellent order and tho pictures possessed value far beyond the from the shining metal of the small arms my elance traveled to the face of the prospective buyer it was an interesting ace clean cut beardless energetic but the mouth impressed me as being rather hard doubtless he felt the magnetism of my scrutiny for he suddenly looked around tho expression on his face was not one to induce me to throw my arms around his neck and declare I 1 should be glad to make bis acquaintance it was a scowl he was in evening drass and I 1 could see that ho knew very well how to wear it all this was but momentary lie took up a revolver and balanced it on his palm by and by the proprietor came sidling along behind the cases the slipshod fashion of his approach informing me that he wore slippers do you keep costumes 9 I 1 asked anything ou like sir from a crusader to a modern gentleman with grim and appropriate irony what Is tt ou are in search of a masquerade costume only a gray mask I 1 answered I 1 am to go to a masked ball to night as a gray capuchin and I 1 want a mask that will match my robe your wants are simple from a shelf he brought down a box took off the cover and left me to make my selection soon I 1 found what I 1 desired and laid it aside waiting for M ariard to return again I 1 observed the other customer there Is always a mystery to bo solved and a story to be told when a man makes the purchase of a pistol in a pawnshop A man who buys a pistol tor the sake of protection does so in tho light of day and in tho proper place a gun shop he does not haunt the pawnbrokers pawn brokers in the dusk of evening well tt was none of my business doubtless he knew what he was doing I 1 caughel suggestively and friand came slipping in my direction again this Is what I 1 want how much I 1 inquired fifty cents it has never been worn bo continued |