Show i r he heys Q ys ery Road load J y Jl l Phillips i iO 1 s Oppenheim en elm O by Little Brown A g Co c. CHAPTER HI Continued III-Continued Continued 20 20 4 y I Si give I glue give I e all she said oU olf if do not understand the people of race We cannot give in driblets driblets- i j u kiss Ciss y here her a caress there the promise more tomorrow God never never made madet madel l t Ii iia Hk like that When I give It will the he full glory flory of ot love Bring Paul Pauli tt i t ct ck to me nie and you mn may v k know n o c what that a l' l lot l can call mean menn Gerald Gerold rose to his feet iJ I I should go to my ray task n ft stronger ton tn be he complained a little bitterly t f f you you could throw me the dole one onet lt t I S ht give ghe to a beg beggar ar She gave gage him her finger tips She SheilS as ilS standing b by his side so near that f ip e desire to hold her In his arms and ke tram from rom her lips the one kiss hev he lie j Ik sued Saved v d was almost Irresistible At that 2 ment he almost hated her 1 T. T 1 ent a you even the grace to prend pre pre- Sd nd he muttered 11 She laughed wringing ing her fingers lightly as though his lips had seared eared hem em J You TOU have been spoilt she mur- mur 1 aced The women omen you OU have pla played ed ith have been your our too willing slaves z of homage a n trifle of ring oring a 8 few tew shadowy shadow caresses that caresses that all aU you have hae known of love Walt Gerald spent that afternoon In the thet Ity t the next neit few tew da days s 's In making rest- rest f. f as preparatIons for his absence from fromi i radon On the afternoon of the last h ho he was to see ee fid nd y l b he recognized I I in him at t- t tonce once the n an n whom hom he had seen watching over de and nd her niece In n yde park The me meeting took place the sitting room room of the South Ken Ken- i ington hotel Hens Heus er who leaned upon two sticks was brought 1 hither ther by a tall youth his son who r a alted i for him outside out the door He f. f Iras aas as s D as ae thin as a skeleton his cheeks fIre ere sunken unken and r. er every now and then Ills ls voice se seemed me 1 to tn die away It Is my mv first day dar out of the postal hostal hostal hos- hos tal tal he tol told 1 Gerald apologetically j t cold on the way hack back anti and andT Dr y T lungs are not good Please a ask ash l I hat questions you de desire lre I am subject sub sub- Ct t to attacks of weakness 11 II understand Gerald said that you iou reached Sokar I I reached reache It It he admitted hut but I Bins last I I 1 was powerless to act ot I 1 took I With frith me mf eer every penny penn of ot money we could could uld scrape together but b by the time timet t teacher the city elty I was penniless I 1 lodged at the house of a n saddler whose ii panic game e you will find In the hook book I have ha gIren you ou He lie took me to look at the fortress Fie rIe showed me the room where When the brother of mn mademoiselle lies lles He told me much about Major Kross Kross- Heys the commandant of the fortress nut But of what avail was It ItYe We Ye had hadnot hadnot not Mt not enough h money mone between us to pay for tM a bottle of wine I Hour nw do you propose Gerald Inqui Inquired inquired In In- qui rl re-rl that I can approach I Kross ross ross- treys lI s The way Is arram arranged ed Heus pr replied replied re re- re- re plied en eagerly There Is a n woman Ii living living liv liv- vI v- v I ing In the the town half hoa German half English Her name Is Elsa I Francks today Is her slave You o fist first to her Her address Is In the little book you have She speaks English English Eng Eng- lish fish and French Fench besides her own language lan Inn i guage n f even nn some gome Russian Talk to her frankly She will trill bring you ou to Kro in s 's There is one thing though You Tou must go as af an nn American No 0 Noone Noone one will wilt de dc an anything to help you al although al- al though the they are all h greedy reed for mone money 1 they If they think that you are En English lIsh It will be quite easy that There are arp many n Americans In Ru Russia sla pro prospect rag rag- There Is a great reat oil on field on the plains south of ot Some say 1 there Mere re Is oil ol there others den deny It That Thu ThatIs t ts t's Is s liow hots your bribes l must hp he worked You u will buy property It will be tH worth h nothing You will find that s 's h has as land Iund to sell so 50 has s II I understand Gerald said 11 You Y u l leave e a tomorrow 7 mM At ten o'clock from Kings King's s 's Cross Crass Gerald assented The boat hoat leaves at night raised rJ hl his right hand The he Father of God speed peed you jou ou he J said td Id Speed Is It er very necessary The government IIII has kept that young oun man mun slice hoping that some ome day he hl would be useful as ns a bribe or a hostage h e. e but hut t there iere re are still many man fanatics In Russia haters naters of or his race who would tear him rob limb from limb If It they knew JI I I shall shull be In Petr Petrograd In a fortnight fort- fort night Gerald declared and at ut Sokar I hope a few tew days In later Inter ter RIl Ier ce more raised d his hand hond d d muttered Inaudible words ord ss though his strength sE scented Deemed r F he tried to kneel wh when n Panne Pan Pan- Ee ne came Into the rooms room She Ville raised d hiro to his feet and called to his sun on All IB is well 81 she said dismissing f I them m. m Take care of your our strength You n must be rod one ne of the Oral first r t to tu welcome him The man mun bowed nis head hend and prayed V y Then his son led him It away wa iii Gerald also rose fi tl his Ills feet teet He Ile had nerved eT ed himself for this Interview I 1 I shall liall have hare the pleasure ox of wish wish- Ing K madame farewell 1 he asked he bi aunt aun sends sentIs you ou her excuses excuse ant t Prayers Pauline replied d She I Is i too dl a agitated to risk a meeting You do not t quite know what this means to DI 01 I i know l Herald said what Its Ita reA rc- rc A may mean to me C le t f poked at him a 8 little tittle sad sadly y iv tin Unhappy country she sighed ta try C p a furnace of at woe wo U aud 1 suffering yet jet In the Jumble of ot It there ar are a few millions still who would kneel through the night and pray for you If It the they e knew your mission J fI I bid bidou you ou farewell Gerald and every throb of at my bod body will live with you I have sworn that no word of love shall pass m my lips Ups nor any f feeling r of ot love lo linger lingern In n my heart so long as m my brother lies In that fortress But I I Iam am here I would give gie you ou anything n that would speed you ou on your our journey It Is for you yon to choose She stood perfectly passive her her arms hanging by hy her sides Her Hr e eyes es looked sadly Into his her lips were composed and still For a moment the We fires burned In his blood He Ue took a Quickstep quick quickstep quickstep step forward She waited unmoved yet Jet without shrinking So the they they faced faced one another for a moment She extended extended extended ex ex- tended her hand Gerald seized It then dropped it I shall do my best he promised cd hoarsely Goodby She listened to his departing footsteps footsteps footsteps foot foot- steps she even moved to the window watching him leave the lie hotel and step stop Into his waiting automobile He Ile was well enough to look at looking good as ns ever In n his slim lithe way and with his fine tine carriage Nevertheless there was neither love nor pride In her eyes ees as ns she watched him There hele was something else which seemed to point back down the avenues a of ot the history of her family something perhaps which had sounded the knell of ot their doom generations before It was there thereIn In In her lips her hel eyes spelled out Inh in n h her r fixed stare the stare the cruelty of t race whose hose heart Is given only to passion Chapter IV Gerald worn out with long and comfortless comfortless comfortless com com- travel pulled the long Iron Sell hell outside the closed door of ot Elsa Francks' Francks house in n Sokar with a sense of at relief that the first part of his quest was us accomplished The street was one which formerly had been possessed possessed possessed pos pos- of ot some pretensions The houses were tall solidly built and had apparently apparently ap op- been occupied by a wealthy wealth class of ot merchants They were now let nut in tenements Exactly I i I II l I r 1 i is fa s l I u I 1 1 Gerald Rose to His Hla Feet and Bowed opposite where Gerald stood waiting men and worn women shrunken looking creatures s. s must most of them were them were continually continually con cun- pacing pasing In and out of or a broad broud entrance from frost which the gates had hud been done away Hway with ullO altogether ethel with sacks or baskets of ot partly finished boots and the sound of fitful hammerIng hammering ham ham- mering seemed to denote a n factory devoid devoid de de- void old of ot machinery In the center of the road were some rust rusty rails ralls around which some grass gruss was growing the th the remains retrains of ot an electric cur car sr ce service Most lost of ot the houses seemed emp empty or overfull over over- full full locked locked and battered haltered with broken window mutes frames and clo closed ld shutters or converted Into tenement houses Thelong The Thelong lon long street full of holes hols and strewn with all ull manner ml of lit refuse in a 1 steep MIL hill Vay 1 beyond It the so so- called i fortress a sinister r gray Jray building of mun many mane stories glittered in the tIle afternoon afternoon after urtel noon sun The door dour tr lr trout front of which A Adark was standing was suddenly opened dark dark corpulent woman dressed apparently In It nothing but hut a oni and shawl thrust out nut her tier bend I ht Geraid Gerald Geraid Ger Ger- aid ald handed her liar a n card on UIl which through h the friendly ollices of the time hotel porter r. r was veils inscribed d Ills his hl de desire lre to tu see Madame Francks The rue woman turned it over looked Gerald up and aud down with wide mouthed astonishment astonish ment went and finally motioned him to 10 toen en enter ener er As AN 51 soon us as he hud hod done so u o and find stepped Into the little cobbled courtyard courtyard court court- yard ard she drew the bolt and muttered d something which he understood understand n as tin un Invitation to follow her She SlIe IJU pushed lIld open s 4 Ill heavy O door on the right and Inti they ascended a n gloomy gloom staircase 8 1 The he re ryas clo close e almost stifling There Sf seemed to be ht no window or any m means tn f of giving light or ventilation Arrived on the first floor Hoor she site threw open the door of a n room and und departed with a wholly Incomprehensible grunt runt Outside slit she begun began to shout apparently apparently through the door dour of ot another apartment There was a vl vigorous duet time the other voice shriller but scarcely more pl pleasant Then there was us silence toll followed owed b by the sound of or some one moving about hout In the adjoining room Gerald r ld took a seat sent upon a couch upholstered up up- holstered bolstered In tamed purple TOI VI Vt which several sorted soiled erf oJ imItation ml imI- tation lace loce had been thrown The room Itself was large lorge and lofty lotty but scantily furnished There Ther was a n huge undecorated stove In one corner which notwithstanding the heat of nf the day already exuded eluded fumes fames of ot burning coke Tile The polished floor was Innocent nt of at any an rug tug or carpet cover covered with stains and fragments of ot cigarette and cigars There was a piano littered I with soiled and torn copies of at music I In a distant c corner a small gramophone gramophone gramo phone with black enamel mouthpiece blistered by bv the continual heat of the room T The walls were hung with the faded remains of some solve former attempt at decoration The rhe windows vs were covered covered cov coy ered with a sort fort of ot wire netting which kept out ut alike light and air There was ever everywhere where an an odor of ot stale tobacco tobacco to to- bacco smoke mingled led ledwith with a strange smell of chen cheap inc incense nse or crude perfume perfume per per- fum fume of oC some sort Gerald exceedingly sensitive to surroundings felt a momentary momentary mo mo- faintness as he sat Silt and waited for the woman whom h he had hind come to visit He began to fid fidget et in his place He walked up and down I He Was len even meditating nn attn I upon one of ot the window ow fastenings when he was aware of at the sound of or orhea hea heavy footsteps footstep outside The door was aas opened A woman entered and came came- toward him with an Inquiring expression expression expression ex ex- upon her face It seemed to Gerald that the newcomer new new- comer cotner alone was needed to complete the squalor of ot his surroundings She was ryas a bin big hl woman coarsely built and with Indications of obesity She wore a dressing gown of or some sonic red material trimmed with soiled flailed white fur and fastened round her waist with a u girdle Irdle Her hair was a bright yellow abundant abundant dant but badly arranged It la lay In loose coils colls upon the top of ot her head fastened with some flamboyant orna- orna orna orna- ment Her lIer features were not Ill Ill- l shaped but hut were partly concealed under a thick coating of at powder She had hud eyes ees of ot a r. r peculiarly light blue shade large and saucer like T when she first entered the room but with a habit of ot narrowing at Intervals She spoke In English with a It strong German German Ger Oer- man mun accent You wish to see me rue sir I am nm Elsa Francks Gerald rose to his feet and braved bowed Madame he said I have ha found my way ere under the name of ot Harmon Harmon Harmon Har Har- mon P. P Cross I have hn told every everyone one that I 1 am an American looking for tor an opportunity to Invest est money That i stor story Is not true It is my wish If you lU will allow me to be p perfectly candid candid can con did youA you Oll A jou ou can caul sit down she he Invited regarding regarding re re- garding Gerald erald with suspicion not unmixed unmixed un un- mixed with favor I will hear henr what you Ou have to sa say She threw herself In lump at the far tar end of ot the sofa and und pointed to a battered horsehair easy cas Bring hiring that to the side of at me she continued I do not hear very well vell welland and ond It Is some time since I listened to English Id Tell fell me what you OU want I 1 have ha n a further confession to tomake make male Gerald began WI I am ant an aD Eng EnS' lishman There are ure Englishmen and Englishmen English English- men she said Indulgently Some are different from others You You are are not those whom our officers have hR had to correct In the streets and cafes of ot otI Berlin Now Nos' what Is your business please It Is Iser er very difficult to state Gerald Gerald Ger Ger- ald aid admitted frankly and I am only emboldened to approach you ou because In III these times and ond In nus Russia la especially es es- one needs mone money If Ie you OU will do me a service I can cun find you ou a great at deal of mone money Geralds Gerald's methods had at nn any rate succeeded In exciting the Interest of ot the woman he had come to visit He Het h. h d h h 1 u Imps Ills Ill's tyre iiii 11 1 er pa ue e e eyes p were filled with the light of ot cu cu- t There I Is not much we would not do for tor money nowadays over O here she declared laughing IU hardly You are a n nery very ery interesting Intel num Go on faJr f J. J Eros keys lh is u a friend of or jours Gerald said Imo llo ho ha the woman laughed So you ou dabble In politics eh Never l mind s 's Is DI my friend What |