Show 1 I 1 by SEWARD W HOPKINS author of jack robbins of america la in th tin china sea two gentlemen of 0 hawaii on a pal charge etc 01 by i baxi CHAPTER I 1 hello dick old gloomy face e I 1 bet a cigarette you haven t laughed since breakfast what breakfast 9 I 1 haven t seen a smile on his face in a week the scene was the lotus club new york city and I 1 richard gilbertson Wll Wil bertson just entering was the old gloomy face alluded to the facetious person who so alluded to my impassive face was bilkins the dude and youthful mem ment ber her of our coterie the second speak er was major simmons who besides being a first rate companion a man of middle age or more was park corn missioner of new york there was unknown to the major and dickins a good reason tor for the ab sence of smiles I 1 was desperately in love with edith broughton and edith was in love with me so far so good but in an evil hour a rival came upon the scene and though he did not sue aeed in winning edith s heart he did succeed in so far winning the father and the mother of edith as to prevail upon them to espouse his cause and in the effort to compel edith to ac capt him they had absolutely forbid den me the entrance to their housa and had so restricted all the move ments of edith that all intercourse between ua us was impossible the cause of this was plain enouf enough while I 1 haa hau a comfortable income my rival ralph Gravis court was a millionaire lived in magnificent style drove splendid horses spent spen money lavishly and notwithstanding his forty odd years was the greatest catch of the season in new york the conversation turned on gravis court and the major became feminis cent he was called the lucky uncle said the major whose years gave him a deep knowledge of the past he had an elder brother charles gravis court who was a successful stock operator and who amassed a fortune of over a million dollars charles had a wife and one child his ills wife died when the child was only six months old one year afterward charles died leaving the child a girl sole heiress of his fortune and ralph Gravis court next of kin his executor and guardian of the child six months after charles died his daughter died and Gravis court inherited the fortune that Is 1 why he was called the lucky uncle when the major had finished I 1 sat moodily engaged with my thoughts which were unpleasant enough pshaw said he don dont t get blue lets go to the circus tonight what do you say saya after a little chaff about the program we both accepted the majors invitation and a few hours later we via an IL ourselves at madison square garden elbowing our way with the rest of the throng in through the en trance and into comfortable seats pro tided vided by the major As one circus Is like another so the gaudily uniformed band w m as like every other circus band and blared out cir cus music until the throng was seated then came the clown and after him a herd of trained elephants we watched them attentively and were rather sorry when the great clumsy sagacious brutes moved out of the ring st here a a sight said bilkins digging me in the ribs it was a sight indeed the next occupant of the ring was the lion Llon tamer he was not particularly tall not more so than myself but of such mai sive muscularity that I 1 gazed at him with undisguised admiration I 1 had in my college days been something of an athlete myself and I 1 had an honest admiration tor for the strength and iron like limbs of the man before us he was clad only in tights and through them the swelling muscles of hia his thighs seemed about to burst about his waist he wore a bejeweled girdle the bangles of chica seemed to be gold and silver coin from his waist up he wore nothing his skin was white and through it his iron muscles rolled and swelled like those of some giant of the past whose deeds as written now seem groundless legends in which there can be no probability or oi truth upon a neck of massive beauty was pained a head over which a sculptor might rave it was like the head of a greek god so perfect was it in its outlines its matchless poise its per feet skin and its wealth of glossy black hair the lions were not the full majestic african kings we see in menageries mena gerles and in illustrations they were a smaller variety with a mottled brown coat but with legs and neck that bespoke tremendous power and eyes that flashed ominously and voices that were from time to time lifted in angry growls when the keepers had treed freed tho the lions from their chains an act that seemed to fill the audience with tear fear stepped from his chariot and went among them they brouchel hel as he approached hed and cringed at hia his touch it seemed to me as if they recognized and acknowledged the power of the man over them following came some acrobats and dancers and while chev pleased us they tailed failed to charm or to win from the audience the tremendous applause that had rewarded daubl keck during the time they were out some of the employed emp loyes of the circus began working on a trapeze that hung high higia up above our heads ropes were pulled bars were raised in position and when the sustaining and guy ropes were made fast there were two fixed horizontal bars with a flying trapeze between them suddenly a hush came over the audience as a girl appeared and walked to a spot directly under the trapeze nita Barlo barlotti was without doubt the most beau ful alil who had ever appeared before a T ew york public her features were matchless abo 81 had a wealth of darl brown hair which was tightly drawn into a knot eo so that it would not interfere with her in her performances on the bar her face was perfect in its contour and every feature was a poem and yet it seemed to me that she looked sad woefully sad not like one who en joyed the triumph of a successful ap bearance pe arance out but like one who was ashamed shamed or who loathed the part sha she played or to whom some great sor row or bitterness had come that bad had driven all the brightness from her life the trapeze queen drew herself onto one of the bars and hung lightly in midair mid air head downa ards with no sup port bu bui her toes then she swung to and fro and letting go from the bar she seemed to soar through the air and clung to the flying or swinging trapeze on this she gave a marvel ous exhibition of her fearlessness and wonderful skill skin in all of which her writhing white muscles shone and every beauty of her form seemed to display to advantage the audience watched her in breath less silence and when at last she had finished there arose an uproar the like of which was never heard before in madison square garden there were two men in that audience who were mere evidently much in te rested in the queen of the flying trapeze I 1 had seen the lion tamer clad in ordinary evening dress looking like a handsome pow erful man of the world standing near the ropes watching the beautiful acrobat nar rowl there was a smile of encouragement on his face and he was among the first in the applause a then as nita reached the ground a tall black bearded mean looking ital lan fan forced himself through the group of attendants and taking the girls girl s hand in his led her away from our sight and I 1 noticed that although her countenance was dead to us dead to the tremendous applause and greeting she had won from the people when she passed it was to him that her beautiful fu I 1 head was bowed and one bright fleeting smile showed itself on her lips when her eyes looked into his the next act ft fell 11 flat and as neither nor Barlo barlotti was billed to appear a second time we soon lost interest and before the crowd began to get restless we left the garden and went home dont dent forget Gravis courts stag to morrow evening said the major as I 1 was leaving him you will be there I 1 suppose hang Gravis court I 1 replied yes I 1 will be there it if for no other reason than to show the fellow I 1 am still alive and in the arena good said the major and good night Gravis court s genius tor for entertain ing Is indisputable said the major on the following evening as he dil kins and I 1 sat together among a of more kindred spirits all forming an appreciative audience at Gravis court stag entertainment true I 1 replied with a tinge of malice one almost forgets who his host is with so much to amuse z the program was a sort of vaude ville there were songs skirt dances dance comic sketches by more or less ta Is mons artists in their line and the time was so well filled and passed so pleas antly that the hours glided by almos imperceptibly bilkins with his usual curiosity and push was rummaging around in some cabinets he had succeeded in opening and he suddenly electrified us all by exclaiming by jove dick major look at this the major Gravis court and I 1 reached him at the same moment by heaven that face he cried thrusting a photograph into the ma jor jors hand that is a likeness of alice gravis court my brothers wife taken some tour four years before she died said our host calmly Is it almost shouted bilkins it if it isn t the queen of the flying trap eze I 1 im m a dutchman I 1 what do you meana asked gravis court and the major told him about nita and Mal maligna ignis s circus probably more a fancied resemblance than a true one he said calmly as be he took the photograph an I 1 replaced it in the cabinet from which bilkins had removed it nothing more was said that night about the occurrence but it had produced in my mind an impression tha could not be shaken off on the following day when I 1 awoke the first thoughts that came to me were of Gravis court a picture of the dead woman with some wild fancy that I 1 was furthering my own affairs and helping myself by seeking to over throw Gravis court I 1 was led by the extravagant phantom of my brain to trinity cemetery having arrived there I 1 sought and found the family plot of the Gravis courts in which a marble monument reared its head over three graves three sides of the monument were carved on one I 1 read sacred to the memory of CHARLES GRAVIS COURT born feb 18 18 died june 10 IS 18 on another I 1 read ALICE beloved wife of charles Gravis court born april 6 18 died july 21 18 blessed are the pure in heart tor for they shall see god she has joined her savior on the third ALICE infant daughter of charles and alice Gravis court died oct ath IS aged 2 years what a tool fool I 1 am I 1 muttered as I 1 turned away amay the air seemed to have grown chilly since I 1 had come there and I 1 drw dr w my coat close around me and returned to my car ariage like all meddlers having been dis appointed I 1 was determined to try again and my next visit was to the bureau of vital statistics at mott street upon making my errand known some little wonder was apparent among the clerks bit b it I 1 vas was readily accommodated and was oon eon looking over the death records of sixteen years before the year la in which oc burred according to the marble shaft in trinity the death of alice daugh ter of charles and alice Gravis court at last I 1 found what I 1 was looking for I 1 held in my hand the certificate of death of the child whose untimely removal had made ralph Gravis court a millionaire nothing was wrong about the every form of law had been complied with the cause of death was smallpox small pox the signature of the physician attached wa C Sig Sigi motta notta M D doctor dinsmore the secretary ot of the new york medical society was a friend of long standing I 1 felt I 1 could rely upon him and was soon at his door he greeted me cordially and I 1 had no in telling him what I 1 wanted to know he ile smiled and pro ceedee to look over some old folios he had taken from a recess in his book case care after a tew minutes spent thus he said I 1 find here the name of charles Sig motta as a member of our society fourteen fifteen even twenty years ago he does not seem to have been prominent but little mention being made of him except the fact that he attended meetings I 1 barly recall the name and do not recollect the man but there Is no doubt he was a physician in good standing he is not a member now wait ah ali here it Is he resigned thirteen ars ago where he is now I 1 do not know it is not important 11 1 1 said what I 1 want to I 1 now is this sixteen years ago documents document 9 say death certificates signed by him above sus dicion would they not nota to the best of my 0 yow o W ledge and belief they would dociak jAn smore I 1 know of thing that indicates to the contrad contrary 01 having once moie jd raad my ions laid to the ground I 1 thanked the doctor and hurried home to be continued K |