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Show rvTHE MAIDS OF NBMf PARADISE llSnraHOflr Robert W.Chambers TOIbI Au,horof "Cartlthe Conspirators" M . r ,0rw,,Hvtr, f- -MUdbrPrCeltfr&Son Continued from Last Wsck.) irlght blush spread over brow and fii it was lovo after all," sho I undor her breath. "God bo with day I lovo you." arch!" cried Mornac," as two irs took station besldo mo. ed pnBsed out first; 1 followed; onntcss came behind mo. mrago," I Btammored, looking at her as wo stumbled out Into orch-llt garden. smiled adorably. Her forofa- had Mounted the guillotine emll- oldlur dressed llko a Turco lifted h and set It In tho flower bed un-ho un-ho wall, Illuminating tho spot ) wo wero to stand. As this sol-turned sol-turned to como back I saw his ilah Uen-Ahmed 1"I cried, hoarse-'Do hoarse-'Do Marabouts do this butcher's ?" u Turco stared at mo oa though nod. ,i i Mali Uon-Aliined is a disgraced crl" I said, In a ringing voice, s a Hot" ho shouted, in Arabic a Ho, O my Inspector! "SpoM theso men tricked meT Aro you JTruBslans?" tenccl Sllencot" bawled Mor-I Mor-I "Turco, fall Int Fall In, I say! Bl You menaco mo?" ho snarled, ng his revolver. ( Bn a man darted out of the red ftws of tho torch-light and fell up-ornnc up-ornnc with a knife, an'd.dragged flown mid rolled on him,' stabbing hrough and through, while tho Kited wretch screamed and mod until his soul struggled out Mgh tho flame-shot darkness and Ho its last dreadful abode. IB) Lizard rose, shaking his fagot 1 ; they fell upon him, clubbing H Stabbing with stock and bayonot, a to swung his smcarod and sticky L clearing a circle around him. U think ho could havo cut his way Bind not Trlc-Trac shot him in tho of the head. jfin a frightful tumult broko looso. of tho torches wero knocked to' mound and trampled out as tho Bents, doubly drunken with wlno c tasto of blood, seized mo and no forco mo against tho wall; Bo Turco, with his shrill, wolf-Battlo wolf-Battlo yelp, attacked them, saber-Bft saber-Bft In liand. Speed, too, had Bd a rlflo from a half-slupoflcd B, and now stood at bay before, lmntee3; I saw him wielding .his ii I weapon llko a (lull; lliori'ln'tho Bess Trlc-Trac shot at mo, sa that tho powder flamo scorched. K- Ho dropped his rlflo to spring M throat, knocking mo flal,.and, :a fl'ns on mo fitrovo to stranglo ml I heard him whining with ig mCBa whllo I twisted and writhed H- my wlndplpo from his thin , Bpst I toro hlra from my bodyi Haggled to my feet. Ho, too, won' Is M lce8 wlt'1 n Douml running, tflg. dodging; and at his heels I .is ft dozen sailors, broadaxes gilt-21 gilt-21 chasing blm from treo to li. W ffed!" I shouted "tho sailors '" Qlio For-de-Lnnce!" Ifd picked up n riflo with a bro-"H bro-"H Wyonot; tho countess, clnsplng ait nrn, ,t00tl swaying In tho jrnioko, eyes closed; and, when vii rrld screeching arose from the' If tho garden whoro they wero tig Trlc-Trac, she foil to shud-hiding shud-hiding her fnco on my shoul-nly shoul-nly Speed appeared, carrying ted llttlo figure, pnrtly wrapped illor's pea-jacket, slim limbs ;, bluo with cold, out that flro In thero," ho arsely; "wo must got her Into urry. for Qod'e sako, Scarlett! nobody in tho housol" Jellnel Jncquollnol bravo lit-lonne," lit-lonne," murmured tho count-iu count-iu dlnK fonvnrJ n"l gathering us- ? nseIous child into her strong, Ion ff8- ,n ali company of Bailors passed double, rifles trailing, their of-Tillering of-Tillering encouragement. And it flamo m v,ow of tuo semaphore, jibo signal tower on flro from 5 lop. Tho marines fired stead- jmu tho. windows nbovo us. S3-1 want tho lied Terror!" laughed IS0"- "They shall havo It!" fT'icd, scorched, almost suffo-taggorod suffo-taggorod back to tho tearoom, y?'o countess stood clasping Jac l huddled in a blanket, and JMg tho child's wot curls away S'ttco as whlto as death. 1 Wln wo carr'"l hor back m tho .making hallway, up tho Wj? In' hodioom, nnd laid her in iSfhlld opened her oyes as wo th blnnkots. jro lH Speed '"Bho aaked. dRam. fe"? '"VT h camo ,n- sl B, nm taJ '""WMy and srallod. M'leline! Jiicqucllnaf ho whls-U" whls-U" iding clocr abovo hor ou lovo me. Speed?" fflJ.inueimo." ,la Btammored, IV'nii you can understand." H ' flfint nlrtt tho rtt cavalry Hr,,nl roJo Into Paradise. At, 'BflBBBBBfliitox-. ?.Ljme 8tabblng Him Through and Through. dawn tho coloiiol, established In thq mayory, from whenco Itn foolish occu .pant had fled, sent for Speed nnd mo, and whon wo reportod ho drew from his heavy domnn fyir commissions, restoring re-storing ub to rank and pay In tho regiment regi-ment do marhe wflich he commanded. At sunrise 1 lind' bade goodby to tho sweetest woman on oarth; nt noon wo woro miles to tho westward, riding, llko demons on Duckhurst's heavy trail. I am not sure that wo over Baw him again, though once, weoks later, Speed, and I and n dozen hussars gave chaso to a mounted man near St. Drleuc, p.Dd that man might havo been Buck hurot. Ho led un a marnlficent chase straight to tho coast, whero wo rode plump Into n covey of Prussian hussars, hus-sars, who wero standing on their saddles, sad-dles, hacking awny at tho telegraph wires with their heavy, curved sabers. That was our first .and last sight of tho onomy In either Prussian or communistic com-munistic guise, though In tho long, 'terrible 'ter-rible days and nights of that winter of 71, when three French armies trozo, nnd tho whlto death, not the Prussians, Prus-sians, ended all for France, rumors of Insurrection camo to us from tho starving starv-ing capital, and we heard of tho red flag flying on tho Hotol-do-VlIlo, nnd the rising of the carbineers undor Flourens; and bo mo spoko of tho leader lead-er of tho Insurrection and called him John 13uckhurst. Then, for threo blank, bitter months, .freezing and starving, Uie First regiment regi-ment do marcho of Lorlent Hussora stood guard at Dreot over tho diamonds dia-monds of tho crown of France. CHAPTER XXII. The Secret. Tho nows of tho collnpso of tho army of the East found our wretchedly wretched-ly clothed and half-starved hussars Htlll patroling the environs of Brest from Bolalr to tho Pont Tournant, and from tho banks of tho Elorn cloar around tho ramparts to Lnnnion bay. For threo months our troopers scarcely scarce-ly loft their saddles, except to be taken ta-ken to tho hospitnl in rtecouvranco. Suddenly the nightmare ended with la telegram. Paris had surrendered. On tho first day of March, by papers trom London, wo lenrncd thnt tho war ,wns at an end, nnd that the preliminary prelimi-nary treaty of Sundny, tho 2Cth, had been slgnod nt Versailles. Tho samo mall brdught to mo an astonishing as-tonishing offer from Cnlro, to assist in tho reorganization nnd accept a commission in tho Egyptlnn military police Speed und I, shivering In our Ragged uniforms by tho barrack stove, discussed tho matter over a loaf of tread and a fow sardines, until wo fell nsleep In our greasy chairs. When I nwoko In tho black morning hours I know that I should go. All tho roaming instinct In mo was roused. I, a nomnd, had stayed too long In ono stale place; I must bo moving on. Leavo of absence, nnd permission to travel pending acceptance of my resignation, resig-nation, I asked for nnd obtained boforo tho stable trumpets awoke my comrade com-rade from his heavy slumber by tho barrack stove. Speed nwoko with tho trumpots, and stared at mo where I knelt beforo tho stovo In my civilian lothcs, strapping up my llttlo packet. "Oh," ho said, briefly, "I know you wero going." vu "So did I," I repHedrSWlll you rldo to Trocourt with me? I havo two weeks' permission for yqu." Wo bolted our breakfast of soup nnd Hack bread, and bawled for our horses, almost crazed with impatience, now that tho moment had como nt laBt, Far nhead wo caught sight of tho emoko of a locomotive. "Landorncnul" gasped Speed. "Rldo hard. Scarlett!" Tho station mnnter saw us nnd,hnlt-ed nnd,hnlt-ed tho moving train at n frantic signal from Speed, whoso uniform was to bo reckoned with by all station masters, nnd ton minutes later wo stood swaying sway-ing In n cattle car, huddled closo to our horses to keop warm, whllo tho locomotive toro enetwnrd, whistling frantically, and nn ocean of black smoko poured past, swarming with sparks. At Qulmporlo somo gendarmes nldeil us to dlseinbnrk our horses, nnd n "it-odlcor "it-odlcor respectfully offpmd up (inapt tullty at tho barracks across tho XT" - -i - "' n m squaroj but we wero In our saddles tho moment our horses' hoofa nr,ic'c the pavement, galloping for Pnrad so. with n Bweet, keen wind blowing, hinting hint-ing already of (ho sea. As wo dismounted In tho court ynra the sun flashed out from tho fringes or a huge, snowy cloud. "There Is Jacquellnel" crlod Speed, tossing his brldlo to mo In his excitement, excite-ment, nnd left mo planted there until a servant enmo from tho etablo. Then I followed, every nervo qulvor-Ing, qulvor-Ing, almost dreading to set foot within, with-in, lest happiness nWako mo and I find myself in tho freezing barracks once more, my brief dream ended. Aftor a whllo a glimmer of common sonso returned to mo. I squared my shoulders nnd breathed dcoply, then roso and walkr'' tho window. A stop nt th nnd I wheeled, trembling. Tho CountcBo do Vassnrt stood In tho doorway, a smile trembling on her lips. In her grny oyes 1 read hopo; and I took her hands In mlno. Sho stood silent with bent head, exquisite n her silent shyness; and I told her l loved hor, nnd that I nsked for her love; that 1 had found omployment In Egypt, and thnt.lt was suftlclcnt to Justify Jus-tify my asking her to wed mo. "As for my nnmo," 1 said, "you know that Is not the nnme 1 hear; yet, knowing know-ing that, you have given mo your lovo. You rend my dossier In Paris; you know why I nm alone, without kin, without a family, without a honlo. Vet you bello that I am not tainted with dishonor. And I am not. Listen, this Is whnt happened; this Is why I gavo up nil; and . . . this Is my name!" . . , And I bent my head and whispered tho truth for tho first time In my life to any living cronturo. When I hnd ended 1 stood still, waiting, wait-ing, head still bowed beside hers. Sho laid hor hand on my hot face and slowly drow It close besldo hors. "What shall I promlso you?" sho whispered. "Yourself, Ellno." "Take mo. . . . Is that all?" "Your love." Sho turned In my arms nnd clasped hor hands behind my head, preoslng hor mouth to mlno. (TOEJ3NIX) |
