Show F F 9 1 feSTOR TOR Yi ril FLA FL A ARTS AND MASKS MAS KS dy by HAROLD macgrath author Autho of the man on the box etc ate with drawings by harrison fisher coper 1905 by boban I 1 co CHAPTER III continued what do you know about the ten ot of hearts I 1 began with directness I 1 am a shade all things are known to me you may be a lamp shade for all I 1 care what do yoa a know about the ten of heartso beware of it hollowly from under his toga he produced a ten of hearts I 1 my knees babbled and there was a sense of 0 looseness about my collar the fellow knew I 1 was an impostor I 1 why he denounce me mea Is the back of your card anything like this one onea ironically I 1 dare say it isn t but have your good time grave monk doubtless you are willing that the fiddlers shall be paid and wrapping his toga about him majesty cally he stalked away leaving me staring dumfound edly after his raced ing ng form discovered the deuce had I 1 been attired like yon romeo I 1 certainly should have taken to my heels but a fellow can not run in a capuchin s gown and re tain any dignity I T would much rather be arrested than laughed at I 1 stood irresolute what was to be donea how much did he knowd did he know who I 1 was wasa and what was his object in letting me run my coursed I 1 was all at sea hang the grisly old koman roman I 1 I 1 shut my teeth I 1 would see the comedy to its end no matter what befell if worst came to worst there was always teddy hamilton to fall back on I 1 made off toward the smoking room rumbling imprecations against the gods for having given me the idea iaea of attending this masquerade when it would have ben cheaper and far more comfortable to go to the theater but as soon as I 1 entered the amok ing room I 1 laughed it was a droll scene here we were all of us trying savagely to smoke a cigar or cigarette through the flabby aperture besig bated in a mask as the mouth it was a hopeless job for myself I 1 gave it up in disgust nobody dared talk naturally for tear fear of being identified when a man did open his mouth it was only to commit some banal idiocy for which during office hours he would have been haled to the nearest insane asylum and labeled incurable added to this was heat matching sahara s and the op press lve odor of weltering paint by jove only one man knew that the back of my card was unlike the others the man who had picked it up in old friand s curio curi shop the man who had come to blankshine Blank shire with me I 1 knew now he ile had been there buy ing a costume like myself he had seen me on the train and had guessed the secret I 1 elbowed my way out of the smoking room it wouldn t do me a bit of harm to ask a few polite ques eions of mr caesar of the sardonic laugh but I 1 had lost the golden eunity caesar had gone to join the shades of other noble romans in vain I 1 searched high and low tor for him once I 1 ran into hamilton his ills face was pale and disturbed and anxious what s the trouble hamilton 7 I 1 asked with forced gaiety he favored me with a penetrating glance the very devil Is the trouble he growled several of the ladles ladies have begun to miss valuable jewels anne of austria hab hah lost her necklace and queen elizabeth Is without a priceless comb altogether about ten thousand dollars Robbery 7 9 I 1 looked at him aghast that s the word curse the luck there is always something ot of this sort happening to spoil the t f in but who ever has the jewels will not get away with them what are you going to do doa I 1 have already sent tor for the village police now I 1 shall lock all the doors and make every man and woman pro duce cards for identification ab raptly leaving me thunderbolts out of heavens heaven st my knees and collar bothered me again the first attack was trifling compared to this second seizure how the devil was I 1 to get out are ou searching for mea in quiren a soft voice at my elbow I 1 turned instantly the blue dom ino ina had come back to me I 1 have been searching for you everywhere I 1 said gallantly oh ohl but that is a black one never mind the fib was well meant I 1 led her over to a secluded nook within a few feet of the door which gave entrance to the club cellars this door I 1 had been bearing in mind for some time it is well to know your topography the door was at the left of the band platform there was a tn twin in door on tile other mothr side IT V e 9 sat down have you eitard the newa news I 1 ailed no has some one tine been dincov ered mailing love to his own wife by mistake 9 its it s serious anne of austria and queen elizabeth hae hane been robbed of some jewels A thief among u us A regular galloping dick im I 1 m a thief myself for that matter you she drew away flom me a bit yes my nime is procrastination croci astl nation ah ali my grave capuchin we do not 1 steal time we merely waste aste it but Is what you tell me I 1 am very sorry to say it is the jewels were worth something like ten thousand dollars merciful heavens it is true infernally true look ing around to see if by chance caesar had reappeared on the scene how was I 1 to manage my escape escaped it is true I 1 might hie me to the cellars but how to get out of the cellars have yo i seen julius caesar I 1 asked caesara yes miss hawthorne the blue domino swung about and leaned toward me her hands tense upon the sides of her chair what name did you saya a strained trained n note ate in her voice hawthorne I 1 answered taking out the slip of pasteboard see seel it says that one blue domino was rented of monsieur ariard at five thirty this afternoon how did you come by that ticket she demanded it was a miracle I 1 purchased a mask there and this ticket was wrapped up in my bundle by mistake and I 1 beheld the girl I 1 had met in mouquin s you silence so th s Is the meaning of yo ir shuffling those oh it I 1 certainly cioll she laughed ind nd aie ale you miss Hawthorne 7 9 I 1 am still in the mask sir I 1 shall answer none of your questions this is the finest romance in the v world orld I 1 cried tou lou were talking about getting out she said shall I 1 lend you my dominoe but that would be useless such a prestidigitator as signer signor fan boccini has only to say presto and disappear at once I 1 assure you it is no laughing mat ter I 1 see it from a different angle an artist s model and yet a guest at this exclusive function 7 A commotion around the stage dis us presently we saw teddy hamilton mount the stage and hold up his hands attention ladies and gentlemen he called silence gradually fell upon the mote ly groups of masqueraders A thiet thief Is among us I 1 have had all the exits closed everybody w will 11 be so kind as to present cards at a lt the main entrance three ten spots of hearts have been tallied on the corn com paring lists we have been imposed upon the police are on the way very sorry to cause you this annoy ance the identity of the holders of the cards will be known only to those of us on the committee silence and then a murmur which soon became a buzzing like that of many bees 0 I 1 ax A the blue blud dom no swung about it is a curious coincidence her voice normal and I 1 was confused then I 1 am mis takena my chagrin evident all this while mind you I 1 was wonder ing if that cellar door waa wag unlocked and how long it would take me to reach it before the denouement one way or the other it does not mattel said she yet it if I 1 could reach the cellars absently then I 1 bit my tongue Cellars 9 who said anything about cellars 9 I 1 meant that this is not the hour for unmasking or disclosing one s identity coldly and yet when caesar whispered bea beware are the ten of hearts you turned and shuddered what have you to offer in 7 9 it was the horrid mask he wore well it wasn gasn t handsome of him what did you mean by cellars 9 suddenly becoming the inquisitor in her turn 19 oh I 1 was thinking what I 1 should do in case of fire nimbly that is not ohp th truth well no it jsn t can you keep a secreta I 1 whispered if I 1 it isn t a terrible one well I 1 have no earthly business here I 1 am an impostor an impostor yes and for the past few min utes since I 1 heal headd d of the robbery I 1 ive ve been thinking how I 1 could get out of here upon the slightest notice while the reckless spirit was upon me I 1 pro deuced the fatal card and showed th the e back to her you will find that yours is of a different color but I 1 am not the galloping dick it was only a hare brained lark on my part and I 1 had no idea it would turn out serious like this I 1 was going to disappear before they unmasked what would you advise me to do doa she took the card studied it and finally returned it there followed an interval of silence I 1 have known the imposition from the first she said what she touched the signet ring on my little finger I 1 have seen that once before tonight to night io no she mused you will not blow up the post postoffice office to night nor the police station she lifted the corner of her mask the blue domino suddenly clutched my arm please take me away take me away at once I 1 I 1 im in an impostor too two of us this was disaster I 1 give you my S solemn word there was nothing I 1 re fretted so much as the tact fact that I 1 hadrit t gone to the theater but I 1 am a man of quick thought and resource in the inelegant chras ing of the day me for the cellars I 1 come said I 1 to the girl there s only once chance in a hundred but we 11 take it together together 7 why to the cellars I 1 ve a pocket ful of matches we can make a try for it if there s a thief around and we are caught and proved impostors well I 1 leave you to imagine I 1 will go with you she replied resolutely the gods were with us the door leading to the cellars was not locked I 1 opened it passed the girl before me and closed the door I 1 am frightened she whispered so am I 1 I 1 offered to reassure hen her you are not afraid of rats are you youa bully I 1 cried then I 1 laughed how can you laugh it is horri ble she protested you would come though I 1 heard your dour uncle warn ou look at it the way I 1 do its it s a huge joke oke and years from now aull on 11 have great fun telling 1 it t to your granach grandchildren 11 n I 1 wish at this moment I 1 could seg seq so far ahead what was that seizing my arm click somebody had locked the door behind us to be continued |