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Show By DAVID GRAHAM PUTT .T.IRS, Author of "TT&CQSZMcr CHAPTER XXIV. Continued. As the Albatross steamed into tho little harbor, I saw Mowbray Lang-don's Lang-don's Indolenco at anchor. I glanced toward Steuben Point whore his cousins, the Vivians, lived and thought I recognized his launch at their pier. Wo saluted tho Indolence; tho Indolence saluted us. My launch was piped nwny and took mo ashore. I strolled along the path that wound round the base of tho hill toward the I kennels. At the crossing of tho path down from the house, I paused and lingered on the gllmpso of ono of the corner towers of tho great showy palaco. I was muttering something I listened to myself. It was: "Mill-holland, "Mill-holland, Mrs. Mulhollnnd and tho four little MulhnllnmlH." And I felt like laughing nlotid, such n joko was It that I should bo envying a policeman his potato patch and his fat wlfo and his four brats, and that he should bo ti- In a position to pity mo. V You may ho Imagining that, through All, Anita had been dominating my I mind. That Is tho way It Is In tho romances; but not In life. No doubt there aro men who brood upon tho Impossible, nnd moon end maunder away their lives over tho grave of n dead lovo; no donbt thero nro people I who will say that, becauso I did not shoot Iingdon or her, or mysolf, or tly to a desort or poso In tho crowded places of tho world ns tho last scene of a tragedy, I theroforo enrod little about her. I offer them this suggestion: sugges-tion: A man strong enough to give a lovo worth n woman's while Is strong enough to llvo on without hor when ho finds ho may not live with tier. Ah I stood thero that summer day I looking toward tho crest of tho hill ' nt tho mocking mnunoleum of my dent' rlreatn, I realized what the Incessant battle of tho street had meant to me "Thoro Is peaco for nie only In the storm," said I. "Hut, thnnk Cod, there Is peace for mo somewhere." Through tho follngo 1 had glimpses N of somo ono coming slowly down tho r.lgzng path. Presently, nt one of tho turnings half-way up tho hill, appeared v Mowbray Langdon. "What Is ho do-f do-f Ing horo," thought I, scarcely ablo to bcllovo my eyes. "Hero of all places!" And then I forgot tho strangeness of his being at Dawn Hill In tho strangeness strange-ness of his expression. For It was ap- pat-Cut, oven at tho distance which 1 separated us, that ho was suffering from some great anil recent blow. He luoked old and haggard.; he walked like a man who nolther knows nor cares where ho Is going. Ho had not seen mo. nnd my Impulse Im-pulse was to nvold him by continuing on toward the kennels. I had no es- pedal feeling against htm; 1 hud not " lost Anita because sho cared for him ' or ho for her, but becaus'o she did not enro for mo simply that to meet would be awkwurd, disagreeable for ns both. At tho slight nolso of my movement to go on, ho hnlted, glanced round eagerly, lis If he hoped tho sound had been mndo by somo ono he wished to see. His glance fell on mo. Ho stopped short, was for an Instant disconcerted; then his fuco lighted up With dovlllsh Joy. "You!" ho cried. "Just tho mnnt" And ho descended more rapidly. At first I could maho nothing of this remark. Hut ns ho drew nearer and I nearer, and his ugly mood became f moro npparent, I felt that ho was looking look-ing forward to provoking mo Into giving giv-ing him n distraction from whntovor wns tormenting htm, I waited. A few minutes nnd wo wcro faco to face, I outwardly calm, but my auger slowly lighting up ns he dollborately applied to it tho torch of his Insolent eyes. He was wearing his old familiar air of cynical assuraiico. Evidently, with his recovered fortune, ho had recov-, recov-, ered his conviction of his great superiority su-periority to the rest or the human rnco tho child hud climbed back on tho chair that mndo It tall anil lind forgotten Its tumble. And I was wondering won-dering ngaln thnt I. so short a time boforo, had been crude enough to be fascinated and fooled by Uioro tawdry poslngs and preteiiHes. For tho inun, as I now saw him, was obviously shallow shal-low nnd vain, a slavo to those poor "mnn-of-tho-world" passions ostentation ostenta-tion and cynicism and skill at vices old ns mankind and tedious as a treadmill, tread-mill, tho commonplnco routine of tho Idle and foolish and purposeless. A clover, hnndEomo follow, but tho moro pitiful that ho was by nature abovo tho usos to which ho prostituted himself. him-self. IHo fought hard to keop his eyes steadily stead-ily on mine; but they would waver and shift. Not, however, before I had found deep down In them tho beginnings begin-nings of fear. "You seo, you wore mistaken," said I. "You have nothing to say to mo or I to you." Ho know I had looked straight to tho bottom of lils real self, and hud seen tho coward that Is In every mun who has boon bred to appearances only. Up roBO his vanity, tho coward's sub-ntltuto sub-ntltuto for courago. "YouHhlnk I am afraid of youV ho noorod, binding nnd blustorlnu like tho school bully, "I don't In tho least enro whether you aro or not," replied I. "What aro you doing horo, anyhow?" It was as If I had thrown off tho cover of a furnace "I enmo to got tho woman I lovo," ho cried. "You store her from mot You tricked mot Hut, by God, Dlncklock, I'll never pause until un-til I got hor back and punlBh you!" Ho wns bravo enough now, drunk with tho fumes from his bravo words. "All my life," ho raged arrogantly on, "1'vo had whatovor I wnnted. I've let nothing noth-ing Interfere nothing nnd nobody. I've been too forbearing with you first, because I knew she could nover enro for you, nnd, then, becauso I rather admired your pluck arid Impudence. Impu-dence. I like to seo fellows kick their way up among .us from tho common flooplo." I put my hand on his shoulder. No doubt the fiend that roso within me, as from tho dead, looked nt him from my oyes. Ho has groat physical strength, but ho winced under that weight and grip, nnd across his face flitted the terror that must come to any mnn nt first sense of being In the angry clutch of ono stronger thnn he. I slowly released re-leased him I had tested nnd realized my physical superiority; to uso It would bo cheap and cowardly. "You can't provoke mo to descend to expression. I rather expected Mm to show somo of that nmused contempt with which men of his sort always recetvo a now Idea that Is beyond tho rango of their narrow, conventional minds. For 1 did not expect him to understand why I was not only willing, will-ing, but oven eager, to relinquish a woman whom I could hold only by nssortlng n property right In her. And I do not think ho did understand under-stand me, though his manner chnnged. to a sort of grudging respect, llo was, I bellove, nbout to make some Impulsive, genorous speech, when wo heard tho Quick strokes of Iron-shod hoofs on tho pnth from tho kennels nnd tho stables Is thero any sound moro arresting? Past us at a gallop swopt a horso, on his back Anita. Sho wns not In rldlng-hnblt; tho wind fluttered the sleeves of hor blouso, blow her uncovered hnlr this way and thnt nbout hor beautiful face. Sho sped on toward tho landing, though I fancied Bho had seen us. Anita at Dawn Hill Langdon, In a furious temper, descending from tho houso toward tho lnndlng Anltn presently, pres-ently, riding like mad "to ovortako him," thought I. And I read confirmation confirma-tion In his trlumphnnt eyes. In another an-other mood, I suppdso my fury would have boon beyond my powor to restrain re-strain It. Just then tho dny grow dark for me, and I wnnted to hide away somowhere. Heart-sick, I was ushamed for her, hated mysolf for having blundered Into surprising her. She renppenrcd at tho turn round which sho had vanished. I now noted thnt sho wns riding without snddlo or bridle, with only a halter round tho horse's neck then she had scon us, hnd stopped and como bnck as soon ns sho could. She dropped from tho horse, looked swiftly nt mo, nt him, at mo again, with Intenso anxiety. "I saw your yacht In Mie hnrbor only a moment ago," she said to mo. Sho wns nlmost panting. "I feared you might meet him. So I came." "As you seo, ho In quite Intact," said I. "I must ask that you nnd ho leave tho place at once." And I went "HOW T 1 1 AT IJO I tit 1 1 M .12 FKAlt TIIANOICD MY WHOLE WAY OF I.OOKINO AT IlKIt, AT HIM. AT KVHUVTIIINQ I" your level," said I, with tho eusy philosophy phil-osophy of him who clearly has tho bettor bet-tor of tho argument. Ho wns shaking from head to foot, not with terror, but with Impotent rage. How much wo owo to accident! Tho moro nccldent of my physical superiority su-periority had put him at hopeless dls-advnntngo; dls-advnntngo; had mado him feel Inferior to mo as no victory of mental or moral superiority could possibly havo dono. And I niyHolf folt n greater contempt con-tempt for li 1 in than tho discovery of his treachery and his shallowness had togother Inspired. "I slian't Indulgo In flapdoodle," I went on, "I'll bo frank. A year ago, If any man had faced mo with n claim upon a woman who was married to mo, I'd probably havo dealt with him as your vanity and what you call 'honor' would force you to try to deal with u similar situation. lint I llvo to loam, and I'm fortunntely. not nfrald to follow fol-low a new light. Thero Is the vanity of so-called honor; there Is also the demand of Justice of fair play. As I havo told hor, so I now tell you sho Is free to go. Hut I shall say ono thing to you thnt I did not say to her. If you do not deal fulrly with hor, I shall soo to to It that there aro ton thorns to every roso In thut bed of rosos on which you llo. You nro contemptible In muny ways porhapa that's why women llko you. Hut thoro must. bo somo good In you, or possibilities of good, or ou could not havo won und kept hor lovo." Hn was stnrltiB at mo with a dazed rapidly along tho path toward tho kennels. An exclnmntlon from Langdon forced mo to turn In splto of mysolf. Ho wns linlf-kneolliig. was holding hor In his arms. At that sight, tho snv-ago snv-ago In mo shook himself froo. I dashed toward them with I know not what curses bursting from mo. Lang-don, Lang-don, Intent upon hor, did not tenllzo until I sent him reeling backwnrd to tho earth and snatched her up. Hor white face, hor closed oyos, hor limp form mndo my fury Instantly collnpse. In my confusion I thought that alio was dead. I laid hor gontly on tho grass and supported hor head, so Binall, so gloriously crowned, tho faco so still and sweot nnd white, llko tho stainless ontranco to n stainless shrlno. How that horrlblo fear changed my wholo way of looking at her, at him, at her nnd him, nt everything! every-thing! Her eyelids woro quivering hor oyes woro opening her bosom wns rising nnd falling slowly as sho drew long, uncertain breaths. She sliud-dorod, sliud-dorod, sat up, started up. "do! go!" sho cried. 'Tiling him bnck! Iliir.g lilm back! Itrlng him " Tfiero she recognized mo. "Oh," she said, and gave a grent sigh of relief. Sho leaned agaliiBt a tree and looked at Lnngdon. "You nro still horo? Then toll him." Lnngdon gazed sullenly nt tho . ground, "I can't," ho answorod. "I don't bollovo It. Ilesldos ho has given you to mo. Let us go. Lot mo tako you to tho Vivians." Ho throw out his nrn.s In a wild, pas-slonnto pas-slonnto gesture; ho wns utterly unlike himself. His emotion burst through nnd shnttored pose nnd cynicism and hard crust of colflshness llko the exploding ex-ploding powder bursting the shell. "1 can't give you up, Anita!" ho ox-claimed ox-claimed In a tone of utter desperation. "I can't! I can't!" Hut her gaze was nil this tlmo stoad-lly stoad-lly on me, ns If sho feared I would go, should she look away. "I will toll you mysolf," she said, rapidly, to mo. "Wo Uncle Hownrd nnd I read In tho pniwrs how the had all turned agnlnBt you, and ho brought mo over hore. Ho has been telegraphing for you. This morning ho' wont to town to search for you. About an hour ngo Lnngdon camo. I rofused to seo him, its 1 havo ever since tho time I told you nbout at Alva's. Ho persisted, until nt last I had the Bervant request him to leave the house." "Hut now there's no longer any reason for your stnylng. Anita," ho pleaded. "Ho has said you aro free. Why stay when you would rcnlly no moro bo horo thnn If you woro to go, leaving ono of your ompty dresses?" Sho hnd not for nn Instnnt taken hor gazo from mo; and so strnngo woro hor eyes, so compelling, thnt I seemed unable to move or speak. Hut now sho relensed me to blnzo upon him nnd nover shall I forgot any detail of her fnco of volco ns sho Bald to him: "Thnt Is false, Mow-bray Mow-bray Langdon. I told you the truth when I told you I loved him!" So violent wns hor emotion thnt sho had to pause for self-control. And I? I wns overwhelmed, dazed, stunned. When sho went on, sho wns looking at nolther of us. "Yes, I loved him, nlmost from tho first from tho dny he camo to tho box nt tho rnces. I was ashamed, poor creature crea-ture tlrat my parents had mado mot I wns nshnmed of It. And I tried to hnte him, and thought I did. And when ho showed mo that ho no longor cared, my prldo goaded mo Into tho folly of trying to listen to you. Hut I loved him moro thnn over. And nB you nnd ho stand here, I nm nshamod ngaln nshnmed that I was over so blind nnd Ignorant nnd prejudiced as to compnro lilm with" sho looked nt Lnngdon "with you. Do you bollovo mo now now thnt I huniblo mysolf before him hero In your prosonco?" I should havo had no heart at all If I had not felt pity for lilm. Hit fnco was gray, and on It woro those signs of ago that strong emotion brings to tho surfneo after 40. "You could havo convinced mo In no other wny," ho replied, nftor n silence, si-lence, nnd In n volco I should not havo recognized. Silence ngaln. Presently ho raised his head, and with something of his old cynicism bowed to her. "You havo avenged much nnd mnny," said ho. "I havo ofton had n presunttmont thnt my dny of wrath would como." Ho lifted his hat, bowed at mo without with-out looking nt mo, nnd, drawing tho tnttors of his pose still further over his wounds, moved away toward tho lauding. I, still In a stupor, wntched lilm until un-til ho had disappeared. When I turned to her, sho dropped her oyos. "Unclo Howard will bo bnck tills aftornoon," said sho. "It I may, I'll stay nt tho houso until ho comes to tnko me." A weary, half-suppressed sigh oscaped from her. I know how sho must bo reading my sllenco, but I was still unablo to speak. Sho went to tho horso, browsing near by; sho stroked his muzzlo. Llngorlngly sho twined hor fingers In his mano, ns If about to spring to his back! Thnt reminded remind-ed mo of n thousand nnd ono changes In hor little chnnges, each a trifle In ttsolf, yet, taken nil together, making mak-ing a comploto trnnsformntlou. "Lot me holp you," I mnnaged to sny. And I bont, nnd mndo a step of my hand. Sho touchod hor fingers to my shmildor, sot hor narrow, graceful foot upon my palm. Hut sho did not rlso. I glanced up, sho was gazing wistfully wistful-ly down nt mo. "Women hnvc to learn by oxporlonco Just ns do men," said she, forlornly. "Yet men wjll not tolorato It." I suppose I must suddonly havo looked what I was unablo to put Into words for hor oyes grow very wldo, and, with a cry that was a sigh and n sob, nnd n lnugh nnd a enross all In ono, sho slid Into my nrms and hor faco was burning ugnlnst initio. "Do you romomber tho night nt tho tlieutor," sho murmured, "when your lips nlmost touchod my neck? I loved you thon Hlack Matt Hlack Matt!" And I found volco; und tho horso wnndorcd nway. Tho End. |
