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Show T! ' -tti MAIDS of ' (t ROBERT w: 6RAJveRS j0Wl'' wim$W& " Author of "Cardigan" The Conspirators" liaids-at-Arms etc .W&2Mg copyright ay bobt. w chambers copyright s P.r. collier j, SO SYNOPSIS. Scarlett an American soldlor of fortune for-tune In tlu; f-mi'loy of the French lm-4erlal lm-4erlal Police at the outbreak ot th-9 Fran-io-lJruKian war, Is ordered to arret John Jiuckhur.it. a leader of the Communism Com-munism and suspected of having stolen the French crown Jewels. While search-In search-In for iiurkhurst, Scarl'tt is ordered I" arrest f'ountess do Vassart and her group of socialists and escort them to the Bel-Klan Bel-Klan border. i-:arlett Hnds Sylvia klven of the Od-on disguised as a peasant and carries her to La Trappe where tli-countess tli-countess and her friends are assembled. All are arrested. The countess save.s Boarlctt from a fatal fall from the rool "f the house. He denounces Buckhurbt as the leader of the Reds and the countess coun-tess conducts him to where Kuckhurst Is Kecreted German Chlans descend on the place and Huckhurst escapes durins the melee. Scarlett is wounded. He recovers re-covers consciousness in tire countess house at Morsbiorm, where he Is cared for by the countess. A llerce battle is fought in the streets between French and Prussian soldiers. Huckhurst professes pro-fesses repentence and returns the crown fewels to Scarlett. He declares he will give himself up to the authorities. Scarlett Scar-lett doubts his sincerity. Huckhurst urges the countess to go to Paradise. Buck-hurst Buck-hurst admits that he receives pay from the Prussians for Information which he does not give. He secures passports to the French lines for Scarlett, the countess coun-tess and himself. Scarlett reports to the secret service in Paris and tlnds Mor-nac, Mor-nac, shadow of the emperor in charge'. He deposits the crown jewels and later, when making a detailed report, tlnds that pebbles have been substituted for the real Ptones. Sliced, a comrade in the service, warns Scarlett that Mornac is dangerous. He also informs him that all the government govern-ment treasure is being transported to the coast for shipment out of the country. Scarlett and Speed escape to Join a cirrus. cir-rus. The circus arrives at Paradise. An order Is received by the mayor calling the citizens to arms. CHAPTER XI. In Camp. We went Into camp under the landward land-ward glacis of the cliffs, in a field of clover which was to be plowed under fD a few days. We all were there except ex-cept Kelly Eyre, who had gone to telegraph tele-graph the governor of Lorient for permission per-mission to enter the port with the circus. cir-cus. Another messenger also left camp on private bueiness for me. Presently we were all sitting around the long camp-table in the glare of two Bmoky petroleum torches, eating our bread and ham and potatoes and drinking drink-ing Breton cider, a jug of which Mr. Horan had purchased for a few coppers. cop-pers. The hard cider cheered Byram a little; lit-tle; he drew a cherished cigar from his vest pocket, offered it to me, .and when I considerately refused, he carefully care-fully Bet it alight with a splinter from the fire. Its odor was indescribable. Byram appeared to have recovered something of lite buoyancy and native optlrr.lsin:. "Gentlemen," he said, "let's 'kinder saunter over to the inn and have a night-cap with Kelly Eyre." The lighted door of the inn hung ajar as we crossed the star-lit square; ' Byram entered and stood a moment in the doorway, stroking his chin. "Bong jo6r the company!" he said, lifting his battered hat. The few Bretons in the wineroom returned re-turned his civility; ho glanced about and his eye fell on Kelly Eyre, Speed's assistant balloonist, seated by the window win-dow with Horan. "Well, gents," said Byram, hopefully, "an' what aire the prospects of smilin' fortune when rosy-lingered dawn has came again to kisB us back to life?" "liottcn," said Eyre, pushing a telegram tele-gram across the oak table. Byrnm's faco fell; he picked up the telegram and fumbled In his coat for his spectacles with unsteady hand. "Let me read it. governor," said Speed, mid took the blue paper from Byrnm's unresisting, stubby lingers. "Oho!" he muttered, scanning the message; "well well. It's not so bad as all that " "Well, eir?" said Byram, Ln a low voice. "Well, governor? Oh er the telegram?" tele-gram?" asked Speed, like a man fighting fight-ing for time. "Yes, tho telegram," said Byram, patiently. pa-tiently. "Well, you see they have Just heard of the terrible smash-up In the north, governor. Metz has surrendered with Bazalne's entire army. And they're naturally frightened at Lorient. . . . And . . . well . . . they won't let U8 pass the fortifications." "Won't let ua In?" cried Byram, hoarsely. "I'm afraid not, governor." Byram stared at us. We had counted count-ed on Lorient to pull us through as far as the frontier. "Now don't take It so hard, governor," gov-ernor," said Kelly Eyre; "I was frightened fright-ened myself, at first, but I'm ashamed c? It now. We'll pull through, anyhow." any-how." "Certainly," said Speed, cheerily. "We'll drum up the whole district from Pontivy to Auray and from Penmarch Point to Plouharnel! Why should the Breton peasantry not come? Don't they walk miles to the Pardons?" A gray pallor settled- on Byram's sunken face; with it came a certain dignity which sorrow sometimes brings even to men like him. "Young gentlemen," he said. "I'm obliged to you. These here reverses come to everybody, I guess. The Lord knows best; but If he'll just lemme run my show a leetle longer, I'll pay my debts an' say, 'Thy will be done, amen!' " After a painful silence he rose, steadying himself with his hand on Eyre's broad shoulder, and shambled out across the square, muttering something about his elephant and his camel. Speed paid the insignificant bill, emptied li is glass, and nodded at me. "It's all up," he said, soberly. "Let's come back to camp and talk it over," I 6aid. Together we traversed the square under un-der the stars, and entered the field of clover. In the dim, smoky camp all lights were out except one oil-drenched torch stuck in the ground between the two tents. Speed had some cigarettes, and he laid the pink package on the table. 1 lighted one when he did. "Do you really think there's a chance?" he asked, presently. "I don't know," I said. "Well, we can try." ' "Oh yes." "I'll tell you what," Speed said, "if we only had that poor little girl, Miss Claridge, we'd catch these Bretone. That's what took the coast-folk all over Europe, so Grigg says." Miss Claridge had performed in a large glass tank as the "Leaping Mermaid." Mer-maid." It took like wildfire according to our fellow-performers. We had never seen her; she was killed by diving into her tank when the circus was at Antwerp in April. "Can't we get up something like that?" I suggested, hopelessly. "Who would do it? Miss Claridge's fish-tights are in the prop-box; who's to wear them?" He began to say something else, but stopped suddenly, eyes fixed. Jacqueline Jacque-line stood behind me in the smoky light of the torch Jacqueline, bare of arm and knee, with her sea-blue eyes very wide and the witch-locks clustering cluster-ing around the dim oval of her face. After a moment's absolute silence she said: "I came from Paradise. Don't you remember?" "Of course I remember you, Jacqueline. Jacque-line. And I have an idea you ought to be in bed." "Won't you sit down?" asked Speed. "Thank you." said Jacqueline. She seated herself on a sack of sawdust, saw-dust, clasping her slender hands between be-tween her knees, and looked earnestly, at the elephant. Speed asked her, jestingly, jest-ingly, why she did not join the circus. "It is what I wish." she said, under her breath. "And ride white horses?" "Will you take me?" she cried, passionately, pas-sionately, springing to her feet. Amazed at her earnestness, I tried to explain that such an idea was out of the question. She listened anxiously anxious-ly at first, then her eyes fell and she stood there In the torch-light, head hanging. "I should like lo see a circus," she said. "Then 1 should know what to do. That I can swing higher than any girl in Paradise has been demonstrated often," she went on, earnestly. "I can swim farther, I can dive deeper, I can run faster, with bare feetor with sabots, sa-bots, than anybody, man or woman, from the Beacon to Our Lady's chapel." "So you can dive and swim?" asked Speed, with a glance at me. "Like the saimcn in the Laita, monsieur." mon-sieur." "Under water?" "Parbleu!" After a pause 1 asked her age. "Fifteen, M'sieu Scarlett. Won't you take me?" she asked, sweetly. "I'll ( ell you what I'll do, Jacqueline," Jacque-line," said I. "Very early in the morning morn-ing I'll go down to your house and see your father. Then, if he makes no objection, ob-jection, 1 11 get you to put on a pretty-swimming pretty-swimming suit, all made out of silver scales, and you can show me, there in the sea. how you can dive and swim and play at. mermaid. Does that please you ?" She looked earnestly tX me. then at Speed. "Is it a promise?" she asked, in a quivering voice. "Yes, Jacqueline." "Then I thank you, M'sieu Scarlett. . . . and you, m'sieur. And I will be waiting for you when you come. . . . We live in the house below the Saint-Julien light. . . . My father is pilot of the port. . .. . Anybody will tell you." . . . "I will not forget," 6aid I. She bade us good-night very prettily, stepped back out of the circle of torchlight, torch-light, and vanished there is no other word for It. CHAPTER XII. Jacqueline. The stars were still shining when I awoke in my blanket, lighted a candle, and stepped into the wooden tub of salt water outside the tent. I shaved by candle-light, dressed in my worn riding-breeches and jacket, then, candle in hand, began groping about among the faded bits of finery and tarnished properties until I found the silver-scaled swimming-t'ights once worn by the girl of whom we had heard so much. The stars had begun to fade when I stepped out through the dew-soaked clover carrying in one hand a satchel containing the swimming suit, in the other a gun case, in which, carefully oiled and doubly cased in flannel, reposed re-posed my only luxury- my breech-loading shotgun The Lizard was standing on his door-sill door-sill when I came up; he returned my greeting sullenly, his keen eyes of a sea-bird roving over me from head to foot. A rumpled and sulky yellow cat, evidently just awake, sat on the doorstep door-step beside him and yawned at intervals. inter-vals. The pair looked as though they had made a night of it. "You took my letter last night?" I asked. "Yes." "Was there an answer for me?" "Yes." So I took the letter and read it a formal line saying the Countess de Vassart would expect me at five that afternoon. "Look here, Lizard," I said, "I intend in-tend to be friends with you, and I mean to make you look on me as a friend. It's to my advantage and to yours." "To mine?" he inquired, sneeringly. "And this is the first thing I want," I continued; and without further preface pre-face I unfolded our plans concerning Jacqueline. "Entendu," he said, drawling the word, "is that all?" "No, not all. I want you to be my messenger in time of need. I want you to be absolutely faithful to me." "And what is there in this, to my advantage, ad-vantage, m'sieu?" "This, for one thing," I said, carelessly, care-lessly, picking up my gun case. I slowly drew out the barrels of Damascus, Damas-cus, then the rose-wood stock and fore-end, fore-end, assembling them lovingly; for it was the finest weapon I had ever seen, - K'2-y . "Will You Take Me?" She. Cried. and it was breaking my heart to give it away. The poacher's eyes began to glitter as I fitted the double bolts and locked breech and barrel with the extension rib. Then I snapped on the fore-end; and there lay the gun in my hands, a fowling-piece fit for an emperor. "Give ll?" muttered the poacher. huBkily. "Take it, my friend the Lizard." 1 replied, smiling down the wrench in my heart. There was a silence; then the poach- i er stepped forward, and, looking me square in the eye, flung out his hand. I struck my open palm smartly against his, in the Breton fashion; then we clasped hands. "Strike!" he cried; "take my friendship friend-ship if you want it, on this condition what 1 am is my own concern, not yours. Don't interfere, m'sieu; it would be useless. I should never betray be-tray you, but I might kill you. Don't interfere. But if you care for the good will of a man like me, take it; and when you desire a service from me, tell me, and I'll not fail you, by Sainte-Eline Sainte-Eline of Paradise!" He turned on his heel, kicking off his sabots on the doorsill. "Break bread with me; I ask it," he said, gruffly, gruff-ly, and walked before me into the house. Prom the ashes on the hearth a spiral of smoke curled. The yellow cat walked in and sat down, contemplating contem-plating the ashes. Slowly a saffron light filled the room; Jacqueline awoke in the dim bed. She swathed herself in a blanket and sat up, looking at me sleepily. "You came to see me swim," she said. "And I've brought you a fish's silver sil-ver skin to swim in," I replied, pointing point-ing at the satchel. She cast a swift glance at her father, fa-ther, who, with the gun on his knees, sat as though hypnotized by the beauty of its workmanship. Her bright eyes fell on the gun; she understood in a flash. "Turn your back!" she cried. I wheeled about and sat down on the settle beside the poacher. There came a light thud of small, bare feet on the stone floor, then silence. The poacher looked up. "She's gone to the ocean," he said; "she has the mania for baths like you English." And he fell to rubbing the gunstoek with dirty thumb. The saffron light in the room was turning pink when Jacqueline reappeared reap-peared on the threshold in her ragged skirt and stained velvet bodice half laced, with the broken points hanging, carrying an armful of driftwood. Without a word she went to work so swiftly that the pink light had scarcely deepened to crimson when the poacher, laying the gun tenderly in the blankets of Jacqueline's tumbled bed, came striding back to the table where a sea-trout smoked on a cracked platter, and a bowl of bread and milk stood before each place. We ate silently. Ange Pitou, the yellow cat, came around with tail inflated. in-flated. There were fishbones enough to gratify any cat, and Ange Pitou made short work of them. The poacher rose, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and made straight for his new gun. "You two," he said, with a wave of his arm, "you settle it among yourselves. your-selves. He touched his beret to me. flung the fowling-piece over his shoulder, shoul-der, and walked away. Jacqueline placed the few dishes in a pan of hot water, wiped her fingers, daintily, and picked up Ange Pitou. "Show me the swimming suit," she said, shyly. I drew it out of the satchel and laid it across my knees. "Oh, It has a little tail behind like a fish!" she cried, enchanted. "I shall look like the silver grilse of Quim-perle!" Quim-perle!" "Do you think you can swim in those scales?" I asked. "Swim? I Jacqueline? Attendez un peu you shall see!" She opened her arms; the cat sprang lo the doorstep and vanished. Jacqueline looked at the swimming suit, then at me. "Will you go down to the beach, M'sieu Scarlett?" But I had hot traversed half the strip of rock and hard sand before something flew past a slim, glittering shape which suddenly doubled up, straightened again, and fell headlong into the thundering surf. After a long, long while, far out on the water she rose, floating. Tossed back once more upon the beach like an opalescent shell, Jacqueline, Jac-queline, ankle-deep in foam, looked out across the flaming waters, her drenched hair dripping. "Look!" she cried, flinging her arms above her head, and dropped Into space, falling like a star, down, down into the shallow sea. Far below I saw a streak of living light shoot through the water on, on, closer to tho surface sur-face now, and at last she fairly sprang into the air. quivering like a gaffed sal mon, then fall back to float and clear her blue eyes from her tangled hair. Presently she climbed to the sun-warmed sun-warmed hillock of sand and sat down beside me to dry her hair. Ange Pitou, coveting a warm sun-bath sun-bath in the sand, came . wandering along pretending not to see us; but Jacqueline dragged him into her arms for a hug, which lasted until Ange Pitou broke loose, tail hoisted but ears deaf to further flattery. So Jacqueline chased Ange Pitou back across the sand and up the rocky path. "Come to the net-shed, if you please!" she called back to me, pointing point-ing to a crazy wooden structure built above the house. As I entered the net-6hed the child was dragging a pile of sea-nets to the middle of the floor. "In case I fall," she said, coolly. "Better let me arrange them, then," I said, glancing up at the improvised trapeze which dangled under the roof-beams. roof-beams. She thanked me, seized a long rope, and went up, hand over hand. I piled the soft nets into a mattress, but decided de-cided to stand near, not liking the arrangements. ar-rangements. Meanwhile Jacqueline was swinging, head downward, from her trapeze. Her cheeks flamed as she twisted and wriggled wrig-gled through a complicated maneuver, which ended by landing her seated on the bar of the trapeze a trifle out of breath. "You think you could drop from there into a tank of water?" I asked. "How deep?" "Say four feet." She nodded, swinging tranquilly. "You would try whatever I asked you to try?" "If I thought I could," she replied, naively. "But that is not It. I am to be your master. You must have absolute confidence con-fidence in me and obey orders instantly." instant-ly." "Blen." "Then hang by your hands!" Quick as a flash she hung above me. "You trust me, Jacqueline?" "Yes." "Then drop!" Down she flashed like a falling meteor. me-teor. I caught her with that quick trick known to all acrobats, which left her standing on my knee. "Jump!" She sprang lightly to the heap of nets, lost her balance, stumbled, and sat down very suddenly. Then she threw back her head and laughed. CHAPTER XIII. Friends. At seven o'clock that morning the men in the circus camp awoke, worried, wor-ried, fatigued, vaguely resentful, unusually un-usually profane. By eight o'clock a miraculous change had taken place; the camp was alive with scurrying people, galvanized into hopeful activity by my possibly unwarranted un-warranted optimism and a few judiciously judi-ciously veiled threats. Clothed with temporary authority by Byram, I took the bit between my teeth and ordered the instant erection of the main tents, the construction of tae ring, barriers and benches, and the immediate renovating of the portable tank in which poor little Miss Claridge had met her doom. By the standing-stones of Carnac, I swore that I'd have all Finistere in the tent. "Governor," said I, "we are going go-ing to feature Jacqueline all over Brittany, Brit-tany, and, if the ladieB object, it can't be helped! By-the-way, do they object?" ob-ject?" The ladies did object, otherwise they would not have been human ladies; but the battle was sharp and decisive, for I was desperate. "It simply amounts to this," I said: "Jacqueline pulls us through or the governor and I land in Jail. As for you, heaven knows what will happen to you! Penal settlement, probably." And I called Speed and pointed at Jacqueline, sitting on her satchel, watching the proceedings with amiable curiosity. "Speed, take that child and rehearse her." Speed took Jacqueline by the band, and together they entered the big white tent. (TO BE CONTINUED.) Persevering Chinamen. There are oil and salt wells In China more than 2,000 feet deep that have been drilled through solid rock by hand with the most primitive tools. |