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Show 1 The Case and The Girt Mr"'' I i "MY FIANCEt" I ' 8YNOr8IB.-Answerlng an aaver- ftk tUement calling for a young man fit willing to tngagiy In service of dan- m-L Ker, Matthew West, ax-servlco man T lust returned from France, where NL& ll0 haa been captain of engineers. fS meets Natalie Coolldge, writer of i the advertisement, and without be- jy-i Ins Instructed ei to tils probable Wz. duties, Is engaged by her. Matt MH known he's golna It blind, but tlio H Ktrl Is so charming that lie just MB' can't ay ho. Beside, the war has merely Intenstned hi thirst for HEf3 adventure. K CHAPTER I Continued. H 2 H "Tako the gentleman's bag to tho H blue room, Sexton," sho said calmly, i "and Uicn lay oat his evening clothes." m "Yes, miss." HK "I will bo In tho hall when you come HH down, Captain, but Uicro Is no hurry." HB West followpd tho servant up Uie Vy softly carpeted stairs, finding the HP. i apartment assigned him not only cx- Hi -rj trcmely comfortable, but even elegant Hi J la Its furnishing. Evidently ho was In Hi -J, a homo of wealth nnd roflncmcnt. Who He J could this strango girl bo? this Nn- HI J tnllo Coolldge? And what could Ishe HK It possibly deslro of him? Ho stood lm- r'l V morsed In theso tliouglits, when Sexton HJf'fc spoke. HM "Sliall I assist you. slrr HHk. "Not.lt will not be necessary. What HHHjL Is the hour for dinner?" HflH"v "Seven o'clock, sir." H "I have ample time, then. That will HHm be HH- The man retired noiselessly, closing HHV the door "after him, and West began HHH slowly -to dress, rather amused at the HH care he took, that all details should HHW be as correct as possible. Unqucstlon- HHjjL ably the girl Interested him oddly, HHVpv Re endeavored to analyze what con- Hft siltuted her peculiar attractiveness, iJpuV BU without arriving at any definite EJhHL' conclusion. She was young, of course, KjflH and undeniably pretty, with eyes really QdH, remarkable, and a smile not to be UHH' easily forgotten. Then she was so IHjK self-poised, so confident of herself, so Hh naturally Informed. All these things HJHV had their charm, and, coupled with HHL her undoubted beauty, left his brain HHflr la a whirl. HJH lie was satisfactorily dressed at HHjH last, and descended the broad stairs, HUW conscious of a thrill of expectancy; HHY nor was he doomed to disappointment HHm Miss Coolldge met 1dm In tho dimly Hmwj lighted vacancy of the hall with smll- HMP Ing eyes of welcome. 8he was in eve- HHyp nlng dress, a creamy satin, reYeallng HHT white shoulders, and rounded, beautl- HK ' fully noldcd arms, visible beneath HjB, .folds ef filmy lace If he had dreamed HhY 'the girl attractive before In the plain- Hr Rosa of street costume, he .now beheld HHJ ln her new vision of loveltneeu. Bts HjHr 'heart throbbed at the sight, every HH serve tingling to the Intimate tone HHB ef her velce She was apparently la HJ, the highest spirits, eager to overstep HHVi all conventionality. HLHf "Again you please me," she said, " surveying him critically. "Really this ID fa toe much, the wonderful way in Hf which yen meet every test" MB Toh mean la clothenr HHjlf "In everything, so far. Clothe IHHv yea; 4e they not reveal the very sen HHH; ,ef. a man? I hardly think I could HjHJBg ever have forgiven If you had corns HjHJf I ewn set looking the part yea are to hhV Uy" HHflP Ner could I have forgiven myself, B HJft ,, tf I am to enjoy the pleasure of ,tak- ieH Hra tog yoa In to dinner." v WHtfj "That privilege Is yours even with- H HH et the asking. Hut," qulsslcally, and HIHk glancing up frankly Into his eyes, HHofHI "Ton may not care when the time nnlHB comes. For the great teat arrives first fm law uck up' CflP,lni for you are go- H1HL ing te have the shock of your life. D I) Hi Whatever you do, even If you feel that If IMP you Hre atout t0 'A,nt Uon,t' toT m a If Ml' ,akc' ,t Jonr tan sttovr " 1 iMl "Hut," he protested, "give mo sqme I IBJ) warning, somo opportunity to prepare U lilt 'or m,cn on emergency." HlflK "lto" 8ll lnuB,nHl Ea1 "there ts ISK no time; It Is ordained to fall upon m I 9l y0U Mke ,liun,,erl)0,t- They are all B I all tn tliero wolllnS fr us now. You will M i aw 0Ter tno your n,," 1 sff" ZIe nccon,nniilcd her, amused, yet nS 1 Hi bewlldcretl, through tho wtdo archway IP ilH nt0 t,1C nnro brllllantly Ushtcd draw-K draw-K aflW' '" Toom' II wns a nngniacent apart llllf 'ment, containing a half doxen people. Is liHil'i The one ncnreBt tno entrance was a W XIIB ton ef middle age, exceedingly pomp-Si pomp-Si UUlt onB BnJ dtRtilflcd, who Immediately it ' S" lrose t0 l,ls ttet xPc1antly. Miss It tit 'Coolldge cordially extended her hand m Htt ln xrcet,l)C- fl "So glad to learn you could, be out I U (Judge." she wild, the least perceptible B j fiXL beeltaney In her voice. "Permit me to M ! mm .present Judge Cable of the Supreme 8 rati "urt; Captain West my fiance." m K HO CHAPTEK II I - 5aw S llivlw M,M Coollt,0 Explains. 1E For on Instant West was absotiitely m IHasli 'helpless to assert himself. The calro InR isssuranee of the girl's voice In this m aWm unexpected Introduction left his brnln M itffftff iPnrnlyaed with bewlldennent Tet his 8 KPTm (features did not betray his condition, mt hlc nor did he entirely lose control over SB lillfl J himself. Fortunately h was not com-3$l com-3$l II l tPHed to speak, as Cable voiced his 0 ' ! I0wn Bnrprts0 fluntly, ft i ft i "Well, vrell." he exclaimed. "This M ' t 'Ii- H wr,a,nlir startling. Matnlle. I am. M WkdKBKk Ln,5ec1, brBft r wor1 t congmt-1JMHJH congmt-1JMHJH 1"" 'ou, sir. Captain-Captain " "&" iLwiJT-iii By Randall Parrish CopyrlgBt 1922 by Alfred A. Kaopf, he. West I think was tho nnmo? You aro then In tho service, sir?" "Discharged from tho Engineers." "Ah, exactly. I can hardly ndjust myself. Friends, como forward. I hnvq to make an announcement extraordinary. ex-traordinary. It seems this sly minx has arranged a surprise for all of us. Pcrclmnco this was tho purposo of our llltlo dinner party?" "Oh, no, Judge," protested Miss Coolldge, her checks flushed, yet otlicnvlso perfectly cool and eelf-possessed. eelf-possessed. "Itcally, this was unexpected, unex-pected, oven to myself." I was not so much as aware that Captain West was In tho city until a very short tlmo ago. I am sura ho will bear mo out In this statement." "I could not do otherwise, and bo truthful," West felt compelled to admit ad-mit "But what Is this nil about?" asked a female volco eagerly. "Rcmembor wo hnvo not heard, Judgo Cable." "It Is my pleasure then," ho Bald gnllantly, bowing, nnd at onco Inntt-tutlng Inntt-tutlng himself as master of ceremonies, cere-monies, "to Introduce to you, Miss Nntallo's fiance, Captain West Mrs. Lonsdato, Professor Scott Miss Margaret Mar-garet Willis, Colonel LcFranc, Mrs. WUbcr Somcrs. Possibly there may bo no necessity of my prcsentlngtho next gentleman Mr. Pcrclval Coolldge." "Oh, but -there Is," tho last mentioned men-tioned Interposed, a toll, rather portly port-ly man, with grey hnlr nnd mustache, "I must confess this Is as much a surprise sur-prise to mo. as to any one present However," ho grasped West's hand with apparent cordiality, "1 hasten to add ray congratulations, and to wish Natalie alt tho brtpplness possible." Tho group slowly Jroko up, tho members still discussing the undoubted undoubt-ed surprise of this announcement West found himself confronting Colonel Colo-nel LcFrance and Pcrclval Coolldge, the latter Instantly eneaeintr him In conversation, evidently seeking mora definite Information. "This engagement with my niece," he said uneasily, "must have been rather sudden? Even your name Is quite unfamiliar to mc." "It was, indeed," admitted West, who had now completely recovered his nerve, and even begun to enjoy the situation. "Since my return from abroad." "You were with the array In Franco?" "In an engineer regiment I have been In America only two weeks." "Ah, Indeed. And this ts your home?" Realising that the elder Coolldge was diligently searching for Information, Informa-tion, West decided the best method would be a full confession. "Oh, no," he said candidly, "I am from the South Atlanta, Georgia. My father la a district Judge, Robert Peel West quite widely known, and my mother belonged to the Bullock family. I am a graduate of the University Uni-versity of Virginia, and also ef the Massachusetts Polytechnic. Before the war I was connected for a short time with a well-known firm ef engineers en-gineers la this dty, but since my return, re-turn, I have set resumed professional work. Flavlng bees wounded ln France, I have felt entitled te a little rest after my return." "Quite Interesting, I am twre." Coolldge Coo-lldge turned te the colonel. "You art southern also, I bellevel" "Very much so," was the qalck response. re-sponse. "And I cbanee to know the Tnle lu Certainly Startling. Natalie." name of Judge vTeet rather well. I congratulate your niece on her choice of a life companion. There Is no better bet-ter blood In Georgia." West passed the ensuing evening rather pleasantly, although obliged to bo always on his guard ugnlnat any Incautious remark. Mr. Perclval Coolldge Coo-lldge was outwardly cordial enough, yet his manner continued distinctly reserved, and somen hat cold. West, however, attributed this lorgely to the nature of the man, and finally dismissed dis-missed the thought from his mind altogether. al-together. The person who continued to puzzle him most ws Natalia Cow j lldgo, nor was ho ablo to approach her In any way so as to obtain n whispered whis-pered prlvato word of guidance. Ho ventured upon thin lco onco or twlco most carefully, but tho Information obtained was Infinitesimal, although It boro to bomo extent on tho problem confronting him. The colonel Innocently Innocent-ly lifted the veil slightly, permitting him to learn that this waB n week-end party, and that Miss Coolldge was tho mistress of the plucc, her parents having hav-ing been dead for two years. Pcrclval Coolldge, her father's brother, nnd a manufacturer In the city, was her guardian, nnd tho nffatrs of the estate were not yet entirely liquidated. Bo-yond Bo-yond this he apparently knew noth. Ing of tho family history, which he felt at liberty to communicate. West was assigned to escort Mtsa Willis, a tall willowy blonde, and qulto talkative, Into dinner, but her conversation ran largely to tho theatrical the-atrical offerings In town, and he found It Imposslhlo to change her trend of thought Into other channels. Once tho smiling Natallo appealed to him, familiarly fa-miliarly calling him "Matt" across the table, and he responded with equal Intimacy, In-timacy, yet her eyes avoided his, and It wnaVlalnly evident to his self-con-sclousncss, thnt her rcmnrk was merely part of tho play. More nnd moro her actions mystified nnd perplexed per-plexed ; ho cquld not discover tho key iu hit iuuuuu uiouvp, or guess ni ncr purposo In this masquerade. Nothing remained but for him to go quietly forward, for-ward, playing tho part aligned. Sho coolly and deliberately defeated every effort ho mndo to get hor alone, and yet this was accomplished in a manner man-ner so ns not to attract tho attention of others. Even Perclval Coolldge, who, West felt, was watching them both shrewdly, never suspected the quiet game of hldo and seek being played under his very eyes. As the evening progressed West became almost al-most convinced thnt Natalie's principal princi-pal object was to dccelvo this gentleman gentle-man ; thnt sho really cared nothing for what the others might think, or say". It was all a masterpiece of acting, so exceedingly well done, as to finally convince the young man thnt she was greatly In earnest as to Its success. Sho desired Perclval Coolldge to have no lingering doubt of her engagement And, finding all opportunity of explanation ex-planation denied him, West yielded to tho inevitable, and, for tho evening at least, silently accepted his fate. Nor did circumstances favor him when the company finally broke up, and retired for the night no had thought this moment might be propitious, propi-tious, but she calmly outgeneraled him again, suddenly bidding the men remain and smoke as long as they pleased, and disappearing herself up the stairway with Mlrn Willis, West convinced that her retirement was final, soon sought his own room. It was eleven o'clock of a bright, moonlight moon-light sight and, feeling la bo degree sleepy, he seated himself at the window win-dow to finish his cigar. Again and again hie mind reviewed the strange events ef the evening, unable to arrive ar-rive at any definite conclusion. The "harder he sought to delve Into the mystery, mys-tery, the more obscure it became. lie had, indeed, reached seme eea-elusions eea-elusions -already. These might set be correct yet they were already Ira-planted Ira-planted In his mind. The guests ef the night were mere puppets, having no real connection with the game being be-ing played, utterly Ignorant of what was going oa behind the nceaea. The only one present having any real part was Perclval Coolldge, and Wt had taken an Instinctive dislike to this inte his mind to account for Mine Oeo lldge's unexpected announcement ef an engagement between them this would excuse any future intimacy; would enable them te meet alone freely free-ly without ,arosJng comment This appealed to him as the most reasonable explanation of thfaltuatlon. But beyond be-yond this vague gueaa, It was Impossible Impossi-ble to delve. Tired by th caelcataees of with thinking West finally sought the bed, nnd must have slept although scarcely aware that he ,had closed his eyes. Some slight noise aroused him. The door lending Into the hall, which he had failed to lock, stood partially ajar, and his eyes caught the vague flmpse of a figure gliding swiftly through the opening. With one bound he was upon his feet springing recklessly forward. The hall was dark, but for a patch of moonlight at the further end. Agalnet this he caught aa Uwtant, flitting gllmpao of the Intruder. It was a woman, wo-man, yet even as hie eyee teld hint this, she seemed te vasiah Inte thin air tho ball was esapty. Vague and tadlOatt an waa that fitetlrig vision la the mnHght Wert felt no doubt as ft the Identity ef hie visitor the vomaa waa Xatatte Coe-Udge. Coe-Udge. Ills one gtUupae ef her vanish. Ing figure assured aim of this fart, aad he drew back Instantly, unwilling to follow. Where eke had gone he neither neith-er knew, nor cared. She bad come to his room secretly, supposing him asleep, nnd this urprlsing knowledge dominated his mind. What could such an act mean? There was mystery hire, at least a mystery beyond his power of discernment However, this recognition rather hardened hhn to his task, than otherwise. Tills time he locked the outer door carefully, and lay down on the bed j wondering If there would be any foilh I er developments. As he attempted U think, ne was llrtfnlng eagerly for the slightest rund of movement In the hall. There was none. He could only wait nnd watch for the next move ' Perhaps the morning would bring full explanation. With this conception ln his mind, his head sought tho pillow, nnd ho lapsed Into unconsciousness. The long training of nnuy scrvlco caused West to awoken early, whllo tho Iiouro was yet quiet, but with tho dawn already red ln tho east. Ho crossed to tlio window, nnd looked out, cnught the flutter of n white skirt, and realized Instantly that, early ns the hour was, Natalie Cootldgo was already al-ready up qnd about. Ho wondered If her presenco might not be nn Invitation Invita-tion for him? Perhaps she had deliberately de-liberately chosen this early hour, bo-foro bo-foro tho others awoke, to explain her strange conduct of tho previous evening? eve-ning? At least hero was nn opportunity oppor-tunity to dco nnd talk with her nlone. Ho dressed swiftly, and slipped noiselessly downstairs, unlocking the front door, and emerging Into tho fresh It Was a Woman. air, without encountering any stray members of tho household. He passed beyond a vine-draped arbor before she realized his approach, and straightened up, welcoming hlra with a little laugh, her eyes full of demure mischief. "I rather suspected army discipline had not entirely .worn off," sho said pleasantly, "and that you might stilt rtrAV tft tin an wil eteawN "And docs this expectation account for your presenco?" "Not wholly; it has become a habit with me. However, I promised to be' rtiry frank with you; did I not? Then I will begin now; this morning I really re-ally hoped I might see you for a moment mo-ment before the others were stirring we have so much to talk about" "It certainly seems so to me," he responded honestly, yet not greatly encouraged en-couraged by the amusement la her eyes. "Surely you cannot expect real service when given so blindly?" "No, I do not I mean to trust yea folly. It ts the only way; but do yet still truly wish to serve?" "I am ealkted in the cause- without with-out reserve," he Insisted warmly, "While I learned but little last evening, eve-ning, that llttle-iwai enough; 'to' convince con-vince me there la something strange under the surface. Your calling me to your assistance te bo Joke yen actually need me." "I need some eoe ea whose Judgment Judg-ment and courage I can rely," she an swered earnestly, "and I believe no that you are the one. It Is rather an odd situation. Captain West tat the circumstance surely Justify my action. ac-tion. Perhaps .Ishall have time to partly explain' aewf" She seemingly found It difficult to btgin her story. The, flush deepened oa her cheeks, and her lips parted. "it really setma'so ridiculous," she explained at last desperately. "Almost like a dream of fancy, and I hardly know how te put the situation Into words. If I were tea years younger I would almost be convinced myself that it was all Imaginary, yet everything every-thing I tell you la true. I wonder If you will believe roe?" "0o not question that I realise fully your earnestness." "Yet I am going to test your credulity, credul-ity, Just the same. Those people you met last' evening have nothing to do with the story none of them, at least, unless It may possibly te Perclval Coolldge. I am rather afraid of him; I always have beta. I believe he knows what all this trouble means, but I do not dare ge and talk with him about It That la really what Is the matter, I suppose there is bo one I eaa talk te; they weeld only laugh at "Mjr fattier was Steves Cootldge, asI was very wealthy. He did not marty uatil late ta life, and. I have reaee (e belters H was a great dte-apsotntmeat dte-apsotntmeat te hie brother Perclval tkt a chllC waa kera. Perhaps I eaght smH to make soth a statement but much has eacuirsd to Impress) see with his dislike" "He Is your guardfaar "Tea; you learned that last ntghtr "From the colonel; he seemed (4 enjoy talking, and naturally. I ,, curious. Has Perclval Ooolldre wealth of bis own?" "You mean that feet story rbout torn one else pretenln to be hsr7" |