Show Road II Mystery I I r I A BEAUTY SYNOPSIS Fleeing SYI Fleeing from n a brutal stepfather an unhappy I home and a R proposed husband ahe he dett detests young French girl stands standS' Jn Inn a cou country 11 tr road on the verge verga of desperation fc l Halted h by nn an exploded tire tire two f r young youner Lord Gerald Gerald Dombey and Christopher Bent t I are attracted b by the girls girl's disc dis- dis t r c traded appearance She be bens s 9 them to take her away from her misery In a spirit of ot adventure nd thc they do BO so conveying con her to toMonte toMonte toMonte I Monte Carlo and putting her In safe hands har-ds for the night Myr Myrthe tile the speaks English her mother having been an nn educated woman I Chapter Chapler IIII III I I 3 Lady Mary Mrry D Dombey y was a young youn Oman of ot very pleasing appearance It Utere were occasions upon which tJ ilie e could leok stern stem This was one of hem h em m. m tl liy e I am nm never ne surprised at nt an anything hat eat at Gerald does she told Christopher lio o was seated next her at nt tI Sinner ble able ble but out I must sa say that I should shoulder fever der er have ha expected you oU to h have ve been nixed up in lU one of ot his escapades hat are you ou going to do with therl theIrl the theIrl Irl Irl rl M. M Ye hoped Christopher ventured a attle ahe he doubtfully that you ml might ht hehe heb he be b ble he e to make use ue of her as ns a n kind of ruler Mer der sewing maid or something of jat at sort Thank you Lady Mary InQ replied enthusiasm I am perfectly with the thc services ices of my own laid 1 riI m d. d L LLord Lord who had h taken taken only f languid guld Interest in the conversation cOD for the first r t time Where Is the young oung person now Inquired f uIn In n some rooms rooms one of the house house- jers ers at the hotel found for me sir replied llady i ady d Mary rose to her hel feet teet i f cant can't decide she said which of ofu 21 u two has lost his heart to this ragon of nf ifo c loveliness ITo v I er r I feel sure flInt that my advice Ice Is the m Y Send her had hack to her people Gerald strolled to the thc door with his hister ii ter r and returned to his place finger- finger fIngert roIlS t his cigarette case Irritably Lord tord sipped his wine u jl fI Iani am not suggesting for a single singh i went he observed that your our atti- atti i f toward towa d this young oun woman Is not d u not always s 's be entirely Irre- Irre but at the same time you ou 1ST h r remember that we are In a coun- coun J where here u such h Adventures are are to misunderstood I feel feci Inclined to Indorse your sisters sister's ade ad- ad e eX I id do all that I could to mirage h bor r to return to her people Well We'll talk to her In the thc morning Gerald promised I 1 shall retire to the drawing room J I persuade Mary lar to sing sine to me rue and two young oung fellows can smoke to r hearts heart's content content Give me your Gerald I Dont Don't Dont Don't think we e shall stop lon long If excuse II excuse us sir Gerald confided re he lie rose rosc to his feet fret Its lilts Christo- Christo r S first r t In night Monte l Carlo an and int nt to show shuw him the ropes Come g old chap and make male your Clur ux he added turning to hi hK uL nit dy Mary MarJ made room for ChrIsh ChrIs Chrls- ter cr h by her side stile She was scarcely jessed lessed of her hel brothers brother's good looks lous hr r Inn u was vic c t her hr fan fPH h her r eyes es cl- cl clear r as a u rule s sympathetic her tone i manner attractive Her n figure es es- ally illy In a D riding habit was unde- unde i 1 I her r skill s at golf g rind and tennis far the ordinary amateur It was for tacit of ot offers niters that at twenty twenty- years s of age she he was still un- un d. d u. u jey talked 1 for some sume time with In- In Lady Mar Marys Mary's s 's wit was keen and insight unusual During a pause lr conversation Lord s u Iid l the room through his ir eyeglass e tour our friend seems to get set on very ery J with Mary he remarked they've t e ee e always been pals Gerald d. f s d d. Sing Ding pretty we well at the bar Isn't ling sundering well The They s. s say hes he's hi r to be one of ot our youngest t s tr 8 said nothing for u nl III moments dry y has hus her aunts aunt's hundred thou thou- P pounds pounds he said raid at len length th She difficult young oung person pelson to marr marry marry- S her own mind though I 1 never Interfere ris cis Is a good fellow hut but I dont don't he be has an any thought of marrying yet Gerald remarked You Yon mInd If It I 1 take him off now sir All meet for lunch at the thc Golf morrow morrow 1011 stopher obeyed his friends friend's sum sum- without enthusiasm Gerald r was both Insistent and Imand urn Im- t and the two young young- men took M 1 gave eave a n few v minutes later ld d dragged his friend Into the theof he J o of the cn casino where her the they ob oh ohU U Ild their tickets for the Ceu C Gertie tf Ie he IeSt St and afterwards on II to the thc Sport Sport- J I the Mecca of of Gerald s cheor dethe fiers fie de- rs or the evening c at nt any rate rute Ipher breathed u a lit HP more here than In the casino the here were was ns less pernicious the 6 which he was surrounded re attractive After Gerald had hadt t seat at nt the baccarat table h ne lied e around for tor some time ascI I By y 15 Oppenheim Copyright by bI Little Drown 8 Co noted u by this strange cosmopolitan gathering theIr diversity In cluss class manners and dress ess Presently he be found a seat In the tie little bar bur ord ordered red reda a whisky and soda and leaned back to watch the thc never ceasing stream of pleasure seeking pleasure seeking loiterers Suddenly without Jt un any warning his thoughts played him a n queer trick He lie was back backon on the thc cool hillside with theodor the the- theodor theodor odor of the violets and the pines In his nostrils and the girl looking overtime over the time pate gate She turned her head and h he s w h 4 hn n I with frith their passionate terrified appeal her quivering tips lips her chillis chilli's fi figure ure the tender appeal of her the thc soul oral mid sweetness of her Innocent youth cling cling- ing lug like JIle some fresh sweet perfume perfume- to her tl trembling holl body Gerald stood suddenly before him his face aflame his e eyes es brilliant ills HIs voice volee quivered slightly with subdued excitement Christopher you moonstruck old dodderer he ire cried wake up I 1 1 l have haie seen the most most wonderful creature crea crea- creature ture on earth eurth I wont won't leave leac this place until I find out who she Jac Is What another adventure Christopher Chris- Chris topper exclaimed Youre not thinkIng thinking think think- ing about I ItIle That child No Ko was the tient rejoinder I tell you ou Its It's some here tonight She's either French or 01 Russian Hu or Italian Italian Italian-I I cant can't make mule makeup up In my ray mind which She Is with an nn older aldel who seems to be a sort of attendant Ever Every ones one's talking about here but no one seems to know who she Is ms Walt Wait till you ou see her I Im I'm not easily led lcd n away wn Ive I've seen the most beautiful women In most of the capitals of the world I was at nt Vienna and Home before the war you ou know but out I never nc never never- Dont Don't move ChrI Chris Dont Don't look as ns thou though h Ive I've b been E en n talking about them Here they conic I I Christopher watched the approach of of the t o with nn nn n u casual n at t first un but t reitl real enough as ns t the they then drew nearer The younger of the tile t two walked slightly In advance She y was rather over oyer the medium height n and J her cr carriage although she was wasn E n not not t In the least nS assertive was full fall a of oC N TiL r cr I I rf P t tt t D I Will Not Go B Back ck She Declared Fiercely the simple dignity of one who has been heen accustomed to command respect ct S She Slie he teas US slim shut yet et the outlines of her figure were so soft as to become nl- nl al almost most roost voluptuous She wore ore a dress dess of perfectly pin plain In block lace against n the shin of her neck nedi ouch and shoulders shoulders shoulders ders seemed of almost alabaster white white- n ne ests s. s Her only ornament Inn was a n long Ions double string of pearls of unusual size Her lIer hair glo glossy s and absolutely Jet black was lynx brushed from her forehead fore fore- head hend and around her ears so KO that It seemed almost like a sh sheath Her fler complexion n was as absolutely pallid her hir l lips n a natural scarlet Her Iles e eyes Wt wl re of ot n a deep lep shade of brown Inclined to be half closest closed as ns though she he heHE wire HE shoe t Her Imer E eyelashes were ere long long- and silk silky her eyebrows looked ech ell as ns though h they hind had been and find yet Ct left a n cOI conviction of entire Sut h details as nR remained re r of her toilette WI were ere unique yet et simple The woman who folo her no also ulso an air of ilea tion but hut she was a middle aged ed n with ith gray rny hair and somewhat t hl l unwieldy I figure th Sh She carried carlle herself with withIn m In r nIr lr of deference tO hn nn I I III II Well 1 Gerald whispered e. e excited ly Iy She Is very beautiful and very unusual un un- unusual usual Christopher r admitted Have nue you jou OU no Idea who she Is If I hunch hail found any one who knew who they were I should have hn been hren Introduced before now now was ns rime he blunt reply Freddie Carruthers hurts has gone rn down to ask ash the superintendent f The fhe two women Uh f subsided on to hi n couch cI The elder one gave P an on osier order to a n waiter alter u the younger one glanced Indifferently around I wish Carruthers would come Gerald muttered mattered Impatiently I r exu exaggerate lid did I 1 I. I Chris No the latter admitted I cant can't nn say n that you ou did dirt She Is Isery very ery wonderful wonder wonder- wonder r ful tul and pr very Interesting It la le quite your jour day for far 1 Gerald Grol laughed scornfully Youre not comparing our lit lift from the hills with wIth wIth-wIth with h her em are you OU he lie demanded Each Ench has bus her charm Christopher or replied Gerald d back In his chair 1 ac d laughed long and heartily Our little wild rose he said la like n a thousand others others others-n a pretty face a II fascinating age confiding manners manner In twenty four hours she would haw hav 9 taught you all nil that she sale could know kno knoof w of ur love lo and life She Is as much a yokel Intellectually as ns this girl IB to a am m mystery ster Are there any finy queens or o royal princesses wandering about th the e world nowadays s 's Chris I wear sweat this that t she looks as though she had d Inn stepped steppe uv ti 11 HUm u 11 Thank J. J hen tun a nere acre comes Carruthers IA IA I 1 A young man who had been heen star sar Ing trig In at the doorway recognized Ge Ger- Ger r mid lId and came cane across s to them No XO go old oh thing he confided confide leaning caning down The They are registered d here ns liS 1 Madame de and Mademoiselle l e de aunt aunt and niece The Time ol old d buffer uffer dd downstairs however er admitted d that he believed that to be an nn assumed as ns- summed name you bribe him or somo som n thing Gerald asked ed eagerly Old Johnny fairly A cornered me Carruthers explained The two la la dies he hc told me hud hind declared their r desire to remain Incognito It tt was wa s not therefore the business of t f a gentleman to be bc Inquisitive Whore Whre e upon I came away with my tall b between be be- e tween m my legs All the time same I don don't t believe he hc has the least Idea who the they y are ire Gerald sighted sighed I shall shull know her sooner or later he laC muttered but Its It's such a n waste of ot precious time thue You wont won't forget that we the promised to go and see early Christopher Chris Chris- reminded him Gerald stared at nt his friend Who ho the devil devil ll Why the child from rota the violet farm turm of ot cour course counsel e l I Id I'd forgotten all about her Myrtile came lying flying to the door Christopher saw baw her e eyes ejes es travel over over his shoulder he saw the sudden cloud upon UlOn her face A queer little stab ol of pain startled him luau b by Its very very- poignancy Monsieur Gerald he lie Is not with you Jou 1 she site asked Cd disconsolately Christopher shook his Ids head lie Ue was up lute late last night he hc ex e- I 1 went to his room but he hewus was fast asleep I dare say he will come on presently lie Ill promised to be hero heru early she- she said Has he spoken of ot- ire me has lias he said un anything thIng about abom sending me back Nothing Christopher red her Do you Jou still feel that you JOU dO dont don't want to go back 1 She stood quite still In the the- middle of ot the little apartment and looked ed at him Something about her was nl- nl It seemed almost as though she had bad passed from front girlhood to womanhood womanhood woman woman- hood In n the night I will not go 0 back brick she declared fiercely It Is not that I mind poverty or hard work It Is Pierre I could not bear him near me rue lie Ile shall never come conic near me otherwise I shall shull die Even you ou Monsieur lon leL r Christopher you do not wish me to die Her lIer e eyes eyet were cre swimming with tears She leaned a little towards him and Christopher patted her encouragingly Her lips were erg ery close cloRe to his fresh and sweet and miJ In Christopher conscious c it f E E. E t fa rare j r. r i t overmastering over over- mu mn mastering temptation turned away brusquely Come out outside he hc Invited I will take you u on un the time terrace and mal we will will sit bit In the sunshine She clapped her hands herself again almost Immediately They rhe wandered down from the fashionable fash ash I part of ot the promenade to the pebbly bei berch him and und along the tile sands Myrtile was never tired of the time wonder of ot It nil all Often however howe time she cast an ne anxious look lonk backwards You do not think Monsieur Gerald will be searching for tor us us' us she aline asked t timidly Christopher was con conscious of nf a n curl ous sense of anno annoyance which he could not altogether explain lie Ile led the thea a way up the steps and on to the time ter ter- race We will take a n spat seat here he SU sug We e can see the hotel and the turning to your OUr lodgings and youcan you JOU youcan can cnn watch for him She acquiesced ced willingly and id forthe for forthe forthe the next half hour she divided her at between the entrance to th hotel and the time pa passers At the er ermi i of that time timo she became n a little sot KO I con conscious It Is not right Monsieur Chris rs I she said tint that I sit alt ll here re With WUI I you In these clothes hes and without a Ii hut hat People look at nt us UR so o strangely You look very verJ nice Christopher ns as cured her and besides It Is no one ont else's business but our own It looks like hike three love affairs and badly mixed at that What Is Ie to become of I TO BE CONTINUED |