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Show ! THE I SPOOL Or TLAMEl 7ty LOUIS JOSBTH VAfCC I I I i Illustrations by Ullsuorili YounQ. Vopyrliiht I0u9 k 1 "By LOUIS' JOSEPH VAJVCE i CHAPTER t. A stlil and sultry dusk had fallen closing an oppressive, wearing day: one of those dajs whose sole function' seems to reside in rendering us Irrl tahly conscious of our too cIobo cas ings of too-solid flesh; whose humid and Inert ntmosphero, sodden with tepid moisture, clings palpably to the body, causing men to feel as if the) crawled, half suffocated, at the hot torn of a sea of rarefied water. The hour may have been eight; It may have been not quite that, but It was almot dark. The windows were oblongs, black as night In tho yellow walls of O'Rourke's bedchamber in the Hotel d'Orlent. Monte Carlo I hae the honor to make known to jou the O'llourke of Castle O'llourko In the county of Galvvay, Ireland; otherwise and more widely known as Colonel Terence O'Rourke; a chevalier of the Legion of Honor of France; sometlmo an ofucer in the Foreign Legion In Algiers; a wanderer, wander-er, spendthrift, free-lance, cosmopolite cosmopol-ite a gentleman adventurer, he's been termed. He was dressing for dinner. The glare of half a dozen electric bulbs discovered dis-covered him all but ready for public appearance not, however, quite ready. In his shirt sleeves he faced a cheval glass, plucklly (If with the haggard eye of exasperation) endeavoring to outmaneuver a demon of Inanimate perversity 'Which had entered into his dress tie, inciting it to refuse to assume, as-sume, for all his coaxing and his stratagems, strat-agems, that effect of nonchalant perfection per-fection to much sought after, so seldom sel-dom achieved. Patent' was the thing possessed by a devil; O'Rourko made no manner of doubt of that. Though for minutes at a time he fumbled, fidgeted, fumed, it was without avail. His room itself was In a state of "mslderable disorder something due mainly to O'Rourko's characteristic efforts ef-forts to find just what he might happen hap-pen to desire at any given time without with-out troubling to think where it ought -properly to-be,- . Something of this confusion, mirrored mir-rored in the glais, wasjlkowlse re Heated in O'Rourko's eyes, what time ho paused for breath and profanity "Faith, 'tis worse than a daw's nest, tho place," he admitted, bcandnllzcd. "How ever did I one Iono man do all that, will je be telling me?" Ho flung out two helplcbs baffled hnndsj and let them fall. After a medltatlvo pause he added "Damn that Alsatian'" Alsa-tian'" with rcferenco to his latest nnd leabt competent valet, who hnd but recently ben discharged with a flea In his ear and a month's unearned unearn-ed wage In his pocket. "For knowing mo wajs," blglied O'Rourko, "there was never nnjoito tho liko of Danny." For as many as three livelong dajs this man had been reduced to tho necessity ne-cessity of dressing himself with his own fair hands and that at least thrice dally, who did nothing by halves And, somehow, mjsterlousij, his discarded garments had for the most part remained where lie had thrown them, despite tho earnest efforts ef-forts of the femmo de chambre to restore re-store something resembling order, from UiIb man made ehaos For servants nil liked well the O'llourko, improvident improvi-dent soul that ho was, freehanded to a fault. You are invited to picture to jour-self jour-self O'Rourko as lnvarlablv ho was in one of his not infrequent but ever transient phases of affluence: that Is, a very magnificent figure Indeed. Standing a bit over six feet, deep of chest and lean of flank, with his long, straight legs ho looked what ho had been meant to he, a man of arms and action. His head was shapely, its dark hair curling tho least In tho world; and, Incredibly stained, a transparent trans-parent brown, his features were lean, eager, and rendered very attractive by quick bojlah cjes In whose warm blue gray depths humor twlukled more often than not, though those same eyes were not seldom thought ful, a trace wistful, perhaps, with the look of one who recalls dear memories, mem-ories, old friends nnd sweethearts loved and lost. . . . For ho had begun to live early In llfo and had much to look back upon, though for all that It's doubtful If ho were moro than thlrtj at tho time he becamo Involved In-volved In the foi tunes of tho Pool of Flarao, For the rest of him, barring the refractory re-fractory tie, the man was strikingly well groomed, while his surroundings spoito for comfortable circumstances. On tho authority of tho absent and regretted re-gretted Danny, who had long served the O'llourko In tho intlmato capacities capaci-ties of bod) -servant, confldnnt and chancellor of tho exchequer (this last, of course, whenever there happoned ' to be any exchequer to require a chancellor), chan-cellor), there was never anyone at all who could spond monoy or wear clothes like himself, meaning tho master. mas-ter. And at this time O'nourko was ostensibly in funds and consequently (as the saying runs) cutting a wide swath. Heaven and himself only knew tho limits of his resources; but his manner a Monto Cristo might havo aped to advantage. His play Whs a woniTbr of tho Casino; for tho matter of that, his high-handed and extravagant extrava-gant ns had made the entire Principality Prin-cipality of Monaco conscious of his presence in the land. Anil jou fall in tho leabt to understand tho nature of the man if jou think for a moment that It Irked him to be ndmlrpd, pointed point-ed out, courted, pursued. He was, Indeed, In-deed, never so splendid ns when nware that ho occupied tho public eje. In short, he was Just an Irishman . . . So, then, It's nothing wonderful wonder-ful that he should seem a thought finical fini-cal about the set of his tic Now ns he stood scowling at his image, and wishing from tho bottom of his heart he hnd never been fool enough to let Datmv lenvo him. and calling fervent blessings down upon tho head of the fiend who first designed design-ed modern evening dress for men he found himself suddenly with a mlndv divested of any care whatever and attentive at-tentive alone to a sound which came to him faintly, borne uport, tho heavy wings of the sluggish evening air. It was nothing moie nor less than n woman singing softly to herself (humming (hum-ming would piobably be tho more accurate ac-curate term), and it was merely the tune that caught! his fancy; a bit of an old song he himself had once bren wont to sing, upon a time when ho had been a happier man. It seemed seem-ed strange to hear it there, stranger till that the woman's voice, Indistinct as it was, should have such a familiar ring in his memory. He frowned In wonder and shook his head, "Tho age of miracles Is past," he muttered; "'twould never be herself. I've had mo chance and forfeited It. 'Twill not come to me a second time. . . ." The singing ceased. Of a sudden O'Rourke sworo with necdlesB heat, and, plucking away the offendlug tie, cast it savagely from him. "The dlv-i vie fly away with e!" he said. "Is It bent on driving me mad je are? I'd give mo fortune to have Danny back! ... Me fortune faith!" He laugh-1 ed the word to bitter scorn. " 'TIs meself that never had tho leaBt of an)-- j thing like that without 'twas feminine with a 'mis-' tacked onto the front, of itt" And he strode away to tho I window to cool off. It was like him to forget his exasperation exas-peration in the twinkling of an eje; another mood entirely svvajed him by , tho time he found himself gazing out into the vague, velvety dusk thnt mo- I nientartly wab closing down upon tho ! falry-llko panorama of tirraccd gar- ' dens and sullen, silken ben IIU j thoughts had winged back to that I dear womrn of whom that fragment J of mclodj had put him In mind, nnd I ho was sighing nnd heavy of heart I wlth longing for the sight of her and i tho touch of her hand Hven as he watched, staik night fell, , black as a pocket beueath a portcn-1 tons pall of cloud. . . . Far out i Upon tho swelling bosom of the Med- itorranean a cluster of dim lights be-1 tVajed a stealthy coasting steamer,! O'Rourke Caught hit Breath, Stunned. making westward. Nearer, In the harbor, har-bor, a fleet of pleasure craft, riding at anchor on the still, dark tide, was revealed in many faint, wraith liko shapes of gray, all studded with jcl low stars. Aihoro, endless festoons or colored lamps draped the gloom of the terraces; tho facade of the Casino stood out lurid against the darkness; tho hotels shono with reflected brilliance, bril-liance, the palaco of the Prince de Monaco loomed high upon the penln-aula, penln-aula, Its elevations picked out with lines of soft fire. The O'Rourko shook his head, condemning con-demning it all. '"Tis beautiful," he said; "faith, jes! 'tis nil of that. Put I'm thinking 'tis too beautiful to be good for one like somo women I'vo known in me time. 'TIs not good for Terence that's sure; 'tis the O'Rourke that's going stalo and soft with all this easy living. , , Me that has moro than many another to live for and hope for and strive fori , . And I'm lingering here in tho very lap of luxury stuffing meseif with rare food, befuddling mesolf with rarer wines mo that has fought a I day and a night and a half a day atop of that on nothing and a glass of muddy water' ilskltig mo money aa if there was no ind to It. throwing It nwny In scandalous tips like any druuken sailor' And all for tho scant satisfaction of behaving like a fool of an Irishman. . 'TIs sickening dls. gustlng; naught less , . , I'm thinking this night ends It, though; come the morning I'll bo pulling up stakes and striking out for a healthier, simpler place, where there's boiuo thing afoot a man can take an Inter est in without losing his Bclf-respect . . . I'll do Just that, I will!" This ho meant, flrmlj-, and was glad of It, with a heart Immeasurably lli;ht ened bj the strength of his good res olutlon He began to hum tho old tune that the unknown woman's voice had sit buzzing In hi brnln, and broke off to map his fingers defiant ly nt the Casino "That for jo'" ho flouted It 'Fitting tin re with our painted smile nnd jour cold cjes, liko the braen huzzj vc aio Goddess of Chance Indied' thinking jo havo but to bide vour tl-no for all men to come nnd render up their souls to jo' Here's once e loi madam; after this night I'm done with ve not a sou of mine will ever again cross jour tables. ta-bles. I'll have je to understand tho O'Rourko's n refomied character from tho mc ruing on'" Ho Inughrd softtv. In high feather with ills conceit, nnd thinking cheer fully of the dajs of movement and change that were to lollow, tho song In his heart shaped ltrelt In words upon his lips "I'm I'ndilv AVhock Troin llalhlmck, Not lnnK ago turned soldier O At grnnd titlark, Or Mnrni or sick, Nonn than I will proe bolder O'" His voice was by wny of being a tenor of tolerable qualltj" nnd volume, but untrained nothing wonderful. It was Just the way ho tl oiled out tho rollicking stanza that rendered it Infectious, In-fectious, Irresistible. For as he paused the voice of the woman that had reminded him of the song capped the verse neatly. "An' whin we ret the rouU AVId a sliout. How the pout' AVId a reailj light-about Gora the bould oldler-bo !" O'Rourke caught his breath, star tied, stunned. "It can't ho " he whispered. For if nt first her volco subdued In distance, had stirred his memoiy with a touch as vague and thrilling as the caress of a woman's hand In daikncbs, now that ho heard tho full strength of that soprano, bell clear and spirited, he wus sure he knew- the singer Ho told himself that there could be no two women In the world with voices Just like that, nol another than her he knew could havt rcndreil the words with so truott spirit, so rare a bmgue tinged ni that hnd been with the faintest qualnttbt exotic inflection imngln able. Hut she had stopped with tht Acrso half sung. His pulses quicken Ing O'Rourke leaned forth fiom tin window and carried It on: "O. 'tis thin the ItullPs fair In clixiKilr v Tear ttirlr lialr' Hut-' 'Tis dlv vie n bit 1 carej' Crl-i the bould colillnr-boi '" There fell a pause. He listened with his heart In his mouth, nut heard nothing. And It seemed Impossible to surmise whe ice, fiom which one of all the rooms with windows opening upon that sldo of the hotel, had come the volco of tho woman. Slio might as wll have been above ns below him, or on either side he could not guess Hut he was determined Now there was henenth his window . balcony with a floor of wood and a rail of Iron-filigree a long balconv extending from one rorucr of tho ho tel to the other At lntervnls It was (.plashed with light from the windows I of chambers still occupied by guests belated or busj. like himself, with the task of dressing for the evening. The window to his left wns alight, that on his right, dark With half his bodv en the bnlcunj. his legs dangling with In tho room, O'Rourke watched the opining on his left with Jealous breathless expectaucj. Not a sound tamo therefrom. IIo hesitated "If that weren't her loom, I'd hear jomebody moving about," ho reasoned I " 'TIs frightened Bhe Is not suspect I In 'tis me. . . . Put how do I know 'tis herself? . . . Faith! could me earB decelvo me?" With that he took heart of hope and broko manfully into the chorus, sing Ing directly to tho lighted window, singing the first line with ardor anil fervor, with confidence and with hopo singing persuablvelj', pleadlnglj', anx lously, IriblstentI)'. "Tor the worrld Is all befo-ore, ua " he snng and then paused. Ho heard echo. And ngaln he essajed, with ll.i.t In hlb tone to melt a heart ol Ice: "For the worrld la all befo-ore ua " And now he triumphed and was lifted out of hlmbelf wnn sheer de light; for from the adjoining room cama tho next line: "And landludlia ado-ore ua " Unable to contain himself, h( chimed In. and In duet thoy sens H out to the rousing finale: "They no'er rajfuae to aco-ora ua, Hut chalk Ua up wtd Joy V tuate her tap, we tear Jitr cap 'O. that'a the chap or me,' crlea ahe Whlroo! In't he the darllnt, the bould aoMler-boy' aoMler-boy' " As the last note rang nut nnd died the next window was dnrkencd; tht woman had switched off tho light IIo hcrrd a frlnt rustlo of silken ruffles. ruf-fles. "'TIs herself," ho declared In an agony of anticipation "herself and nono other! And I'm thinking she'll be coming to tho window now" , He wns right. Abruptly ho discovered discov-ered her by the reflected glow from the Illumination behind him. He wnh conscious of tho pallid oval of her fare, of a sleek whlto sheen of arms and shoulders, of a dark mass of hair, but more than all else of the glamour of ejes that shone Into his softly, tike limpid pools of darkness touched bj dim starlight. Inflamed, he leaned toward her. "Whist, darling!" ho stammered. "Whist! 'TIs myself 'tis Terence" Put she was gone. A low, stifled Inugh was all his answer that and the silken whisper of her skirts as she scurried from the window. He flushed flush-ed crimson, waited an instant, then flung discretion to the winds, and found hlmBolf scrambling out upon the balcony. Heaven only knows to what lengths tho man would havo gone had not tho slam of a door brought him up standing; sho had left her room! So she thought to escape him so easily! Ho sworo between his teeth I with excitement nnd tumbled back whenco he had como. Regardless of the fact that he was still In his shirt- I sleeves ho rushed madly for tho door On tho way a shooting-Jacket on the door, perhaps In revenge for neglect nnd III treatment, maliciously wound 11- ' "The Dlvvle!" He 8ald Beneath Hli Breath. self nround his feet nnd all hut threw him headlong, only a frantic clutch at tho footrall of the bed saved him, ' Kicking the thing savagely off he flung himself upon the dooi nnd threw t It open. Ills Jaw dropped. t The lift shaft was directly opposite , Peforo It, In more or less patient wait ing, stood a very joung and beautiful '. woman In a gown whose extieme can dor v,as purpnssid onlj by the pcrfec , tlon of Its design nnd .ippolntment both blatant of tho Rue de la Palx; , a tjpe as common to tho cognosccnt of Monto Carlo as the Swiss hotel por ters. Put O'Rourke did not know hei fiom Kve "Tho dlvvle!" bald ho beneath his breath. Ho vvaa mistaken, but tho joung woman, nt first btartied bj his unccr cmonlous nppcarancc, on instantaneous instantan-eous second thought di elded to por in 1 1 him to discover thnt twin Imps, nt least, resided In hr ejes. And when his disappointment prevented him fiom rtcognllng thtm, her dnvsn-Ing dnvsn-Ing smile was swiftly crnsed and her ascending ejebrows spoke eloquently enough of her hnuhtj displeasure. Sjnchroiiouslj the lift hesitated at that lauding and tho gate clanged wide; tho joung woman wound her skirt about her and showed him a hack which at anj other time would havo evoked his unstinted ndmlratlon. Then tho gate bhot to with a rattle and bang, and the lift dropped out of bight, leaving tho man with mouth agapo and cjes as wide. i A beaming hut elderly femme do chambie on dutj in the Lonldor, remarking re-marking O'llourke's pause of stupeflcd chagrin, hoped and believed he need ed her services. Sho bore down upon Mm accordinglj. "M'sieu" Is desirous of ?" IIo caino out of his trance "Noth Ing," ho told her with acid brevltj. "Put, jes," he unconsidered with haste. "That lady who but this moment mo-ment took tho lift her name?" I "Her name, m'sieu"? Ma'ra'fiello Vol-1 Vol-1 talre." ' "Impossible'" he told himself aloud utterly unablo to forgo anj connecting link between tho lady In tho lift and her whose voice had bewitched hlra. "Put UBSiiredlj-. m'sieu'. Do I not know I who hnvo waited upon her hand ami foot these three days and to whom bhe has not given as much as that ' The woman ticked a finger nail agtl.itt her strong white teeth. "Ma'm'sello Vlctorlno Vol talre," she asserted stubbornly. O'Rourko fumbled in his pocket and found a golden ten-franc piece, surrendering surren-dering it to the woman as heedlessly as though It hnd been as many centimes. cen-times. "I'll bo leaving mo room In five minutes, now. And do je, for tho love of Heaven, me dear, iry to set me things tho least trifle to rights Will ye now, liko the bost little girl In tho world?" Tho best little girl In the world, who was forly-flvo If a day, promised miracles with a boh of a courtesy But so disgruntled w,is O'Rourko that ha shut his door In her face. "TIs mosolf that's the fool," he said savagely enough, "to think for a moment that ever ngaln I'll net me eyes on her pretty fao-,-Ooi5 bless It, wherever she may be! . , , For why should I desorvu to I. the penniless pen-niless adventurer!" |