THE MEDFORD DAILY TRIBUNE. MEliFOKD, OKWiOX. TITKSDAY. OCTOHKK 1?). Y.WX
The
(Continued.)
.. ..SYNOPSIS
CHAPTER I Jack Hillinrd, a
wealthy New York clubman, hears a
mysterious voice singing in the night
under his window.
II He inserts an advertisement in
a personal ccolnmn to find the singer.
He receives a reply.
Ill, IV, V, and VI He visits the
mysterious singer, but she wears a
uiak. He falls desperately in love
with her, but he has not seen her face!
The unknown woman gives her name
as Mme. Angot, which is assumed.
They have dinner. She refuses " to
see him again.
CHAPTER VI.
INTO THE FOO AGAIX
PRESENTLY she spoke, still play
ing softly.
"My father was an American,
my mother Italian. But I have
lived in Europe uearly all my life.
There! You have more of my history
than I intended telling you" The
music went dreamily.
"I knew it! ' Who but an American
woman would have the courage to do
what you are doing tonight? Who
but one of mine own countrywomen
would trust me so wholly and accept
me so frankly for what I am an
American gentleman?" 1
"Softly!" she warned. "You will dig
a pit for your vanity." . ,
"No. I am an American gentleman. t
and I am proud of It. though this state-
ment in your ears may have a school-
boy ring."
"A nobility. In this country? Impos
sible!" "fCnr the' kind von find In the Al-
manach de Gotha. I speak of the ho-1
blllty of the. heart and the mind." He i
was very much in earnest now.
"Indeed!" The music stopped, and
she turned. She regarded his earnest
ness with favor. He continued: I
"I have traveled much. 1 bave found
noblemen everywhere. In all climes,
and also I have found beasts. Ob, 1
confess that my country Is not wholly
free from the beast! But the beast
here is a beast shunned, discredited. 1
outcast. On the other side. If he be
mentioned in the Almanach, they give
him sashes and decorations. And they
credit us with being money mad! It
Is not true."
"But, if you are not money mad, why
these great fortunes?" dubiously. i
"At a certain age a fortuue In this
country doubles itserf without any ef
fort on the part of the owner. Few of
us marry for money, and when we do
we at least have the manhood to keep
the letter of our bargain."
- "And when you marry?" she queried.
"Well, It Is generally the woman we
love. Dowries are not considered.
There is no social law which forbids
a dowerless girl to marry a dowcrless
man," laughing. "But over there It is
always and eternally a business con
tract simply. You know that."
"Voo n liliotnaoa fiAtlffnit " 1 lot I nnul tr
'But they talk of nobility on the
other side. That is it; they talk, talk-'
Italy, France, Germany! Why, I had
rather be the son of an English farm
er than a prince on the continent. And
I had father be what I am than the
greatest nobleman In England."
"Go on, go on! I like it. What do
you call it Jingo?" she laughed. I
"Call It what you will. Look at the
men we produce. Three or four hun
drcd years ago Europe gave us great
poets, great artists, great soldiers,'
great churchmen, and great rascals. I
admire a great rascal when he Is a
Nnpoleon, a Talleyrand, a Machir.veill.
But a petty one! We have no art, no
music, no antiquity, but we have a
raco of gentlemen. The old country Is
not breeding tbem nowadays."
"Slgnora. dinner Is served," the maid
announced. ' j
"Signora!" thought Hlllard.
"After you. Mr. Hlllard." she said.
He bowed and passed on before her,
but not till he bad passed did he un-
ftejatead tb tnanejrvex.. 'Toollpwher
Lure
fif the
Mask
By
HAROLD
MAC GRATH
Copyright. 1908, by h Bobba-
Merrill Co.
would have been nothing less than the
temptation to pluck at the strings of
her mask. Would be bave touched It?
Ue could not 'say.
That dinner! Was he in New York?
Was It not Bagdad, the bottle and the
genii? Had he ever, even In his most
romantic dreams, expected to turn a
page so charming, so enchanting or so
dangerous to bis peace of mind, a
game of magical hide and seek?
And she? A whim, a fantastic, un
accountable whim the whim of a wo
man seeking torgetfulness. not count
ing the cost nor caring, simply a
whim.
On the little table was a Tuscany
brass lamp of three wicks, fed by olive
oil. It' was sufficient to light the ta
ble, but the rest of the room was sunk
In darkness. He half understood that
there was a definite purpose lu this
semi-illumination. She had no wish
that he should by chance recognize
anything familiar in this house.
"May I ask you one question ?". he
asked. . .
"No," promptly. There was some
thing in bis eyes that made her grow
wary of a sudden.
"Then I shan't ask it. I shall not
ask you if you are married."
"And I shall not say one way or the
other."
She smiled, and he laughed quietly,
j A running conversation; a fencing
match with words and phmses; time
after time she touched him; but with
all his skill he could not break through
her guard.
"And that interesting dissertation on
the American gentleman?" she said
Icily,
"That's the trouble with posing as a
moralist. One must live up -to the
,IZ "
precepts. Would you believe me If I
told you that at the age of three and
thirty I am still heart whole?"
She parried, "I trust you will not
spoil that excellent record by making
love to me." She readied for the
matches, touched of one, watched It
bum for a moment, extinguished it
and then deliberately drew a line
ncross the center of the tablecloth,
"Now, what might that represent?"
be asked curiously. ;
"A line, .Mr. Hlllard. The moment
you cross that line that moment yon
I'ave this house. On guanl!"
"Come, that is not brave. You can
retreat till your shoulders touch the
mati but x must gtand lhlg gI(le of the
nne( unable to reach you. And you
have the advantage of the mask be-
BWes. You are not a fair fencer."
..Tne odds gQould be ,n m favor 1
-am a wonjnllr My wrlst is ot B8
8tan jours" ' '
v
"l'liysioally, of course, I may pass
the lino, to roach the salt, for Instauco.
Will that bo against the rules? You
have put teiuptallou In my path."
"Bid Satan get behind thee."
"I wish 1 know the color of your
ryes. Behind those, holes 1 sou nothing
but points of lire, no color."
"They 'are blue. But supposing I
wear this mask because my fueo Is
dreadfully scarred?"'
"Vanity, yes; but scars, never. At
least never so deep as you yourself cuu
make. You wear that musk but out
of mercy to me.". '
Once she rose and approached' the
window, slyly raising the mask and
breathing deeply of the cold air which
ruslied in through the crevices. Wheu
slio turned she found that be, too, bad
risen. He was looking at the steins,
one of which he held lu his baud.
Moreover, be returned and set the stein
down beside bis plate.
'Tell me, why do you do that?"
There was an auxlous note lu bor
voice.
. "I have au Idea. But let us proceed
with the dinner. This salad"
"I am more Interested lu the Idea."
She pushed uside the Balad and took
a sip of the ruby burgundy. Had be
discovered something?
"May I smoke?" he asked.
"By all means."
He lighted a cigarette and put the
case near the Hue.
"Do you enjoy a cigarette?"
"Sometimes," she answered. "But
the idea"
"Will you not have one?" He moved
the case still uearer to the line.
She reached out a linn round white
arm. "
"One moment.". he said. "Let us un
derstaud each other thtu-uu jiij ."
"What do you nienV" her arm ns
ed in midair.
"To touch a clgari'tti? you must er,'s
the line to this sii'o."
She withdrew her arm slowly.
"1 shall not smoke, if I cr.isod the
line I should establish a !n onerous
precedent. And I . must have that idea."
"The mirror over the piano ri.ndiseil
me. I bave seen It somewhere before.
Then there Is that old copy of Botti
celli. The frame is familiar, but I
could not plice it. This stein, how
ever!" Ho laughed. The laughter wns
boyish', even triumphant.
"Well, that stein?" She was now
leaning across the table, her fingers
tense on the cloth.
"I bought that stein two seasons
ago. This is the Sand fords' place, and
you are the veiled lady who hns been
riding Mrs. Snndford's favorite hunter
In the park."
They stood up simultaneously. In a
matter of this sort be was by far the
quicker. In an Instant he had caught
nor by the wrist, at the same time
drawing her irresistibly round the ta
ble toward him.
"I must see yonr face. 1 shall never
be at peace If I do not."
"Certainly you will never know any
peace if you do. Bo careful."
His free . hand stole toward tho
strings of her mask. She moved not.
His face Vas very close to hers uow.
If only she would . struggle! He re
leased her wrist.
"No; I haven't the courage. If I take
that mask from your face It will be
the end. And I do not want this ever
to end. If you will nut let me see your
face of ynur own tren will, en be It. I
shall see it some day, inari; we. Fate
does not cross two paths in this man
ner without a purpose." He stepped
back slowly. "You do not understand
the lure of that mask."
"Perhaps I do. I am beginning to
admire your self control. Mr. Hlllard.
But I am tired now, and 1 must ask
you to go."
"Once more, will you let me see
your face?"
"No. If, as you say, fate Intends for
us to meet ngaln you will see It. But
I bave my doubts. So It is my will to
pass out of your life as completely ns
j though I hud never entered It from
one fog Into another. No. I am not a
happy woman. I am not happy lu my
friendships. Listen to me," and her
voice grew low and sweet. "Let me
appeal to your imagination. This light
adventure shall be a souvenir for your
old age. One night romance stepped
Into your life and out of It. Think!
There will always be the same charm,
the .same mystery, the same enchant
ment. I shall always be Cinderella
or the sleeping beauty or what your
fancy wills. Do you understand me?
"Nothing," she proceeded, . "nothing
lasts so long In tbe recollection as a
pleasant mystery In other days, In
Other times. Well, on my side I shall
recall' this night pleasantly. Without
knowing it you have given me a new
foothold in life. I did not believe that
there lived a single man who could
keep to the letter of his bargain,
Good night! And do not lean out of
any more windows," site added lightly.
"You nre right," he said reluctantly,
"something to dream over lu my old
ago. And certainly I shall dream of
It a flash of sunlight In the window."
Then slowly he reached down to
ward her wlncglnss. She understood
his purpose and essayed to stop him,
"Do not deny me this little thing,"
he said, .
She let ber band fall. He took tbe
glass, held it against the light to see
where ber Hps bad touched It Care
fully be cfmred out tbe. wine from tbe
opposite Kldu and kissed tho rim.
"1 shall keep this glass. I must have
some visible object to inako sura that
this hasn't been n dronm."
"You may kiss :iy bard, Mr. 11 II nrd."
lie bent quickly and kissed not tbe
baud, but tho wrist where the murks
of his lingers still remained faintly,
lie squared himself hmd . gaxed long
and steadfastly Into her eyes. There
wits u tlntui- In her heart that alio,
was unable to dellne on his part ho
realUed the sooner he was gone the
bettor. There was a limit to his self
control. Ho gained tho street some
how. . There he stopped and turned.
Did tho curtain move? He wasn't
sure, but ho raised his hat. settled It
firmly on bis head and walked rapidly
away.
Thero was little sleep for 111 m that
night, and In the morning the first
thing he did wns to pick up tho wine
glass. It was all true. And then his
good resolutions melted and vanished,
lie must havo one more word with her,
happen what might, So at 10 o'clock
bo called a cab and drovo rapidly to
tho Su nd ford place. Snow had fallen
during the night, and many of the
steps were still spotless white. Impos
sible! Ho leaned from tho cab and
rubbed bis eyes. Absolutely Impossi
ble! For what did be sec? Wooden
shutters over all tbe lower windows
and the iron gates closed before tho
doors! And not a footprint anywhere.
This was extraordinary. Ho Jumped
from the cob, rau up tho steps and
rang tho bell rang It ten times with
nilnuto Intervals. And no ouo an
swered. Then ho henrd a call from
"lie curcjul!" :
across the street. A man stood In ono
of the nreaways.
"Nobody home!" he shouted. "Gono ,
to Egypt."
"But there was some ono here last
night," Hlllard shouted back. , ;
"Dreaming. That bouso has been
empty since November. I happen to
be the caretaker." j
Hlllard went back to his cab dazed.
No one there last night? Come, come;
there was a mistake somewhere. He
would soon llnd out whether or not ho i
had dined there the nlglit before.
"A caii.'e olliee!" lie cried to the
cabby. Hurry:"
once there he telephoned downtown
a::U secured SaiM'ford's cable address, i
Then l.o tilled out a blairi;. which cost
hli.i 510. I.a: that night at the clob i
he ren.;vcd l:l:i rep!;. It was terse I
You Ele cra.-y. limine nhrrolutelv empty !
SANUKOKU.
(To be continued.)
NOTICE OF SALE.
In (lie matter of tho estate of
George M. Needles, deceased.
Notice is hereby given that in pur
suance of nn order of t lie county
court of Jackson county, Oregon,
-made on the 1-1 th day of October,
1909, in the matter of the above
named estate, the undersigned admin
istrator of the estate of snid deceas
ed will sell at public auction to the
highest bidder for cash, on Monday,
the 2.r)th day of October, 1909, at 10
o'clock a. m., in front of what is
known ns the' "Horseshoe Club Sa
loon," situated on Front street in tho
city of Medford, the entire stock of
merchandise contained in said sa
loon, consisting of n large amount of
whisky in barrels, in bottles and oth
erwise, together with n 'variety of
other kinds of liquor usually kept by
retail vendors thereof; nlup including
two pool tables, bnlh in good condi
tion, and each completely equipped
with fixtures; also a stock of tobac
cos, cigars, pipes, cigarettes, etc.,
nnd a full set of decanters, glasses
and tumblers, nnd other articles used
in connection with and in a saloon
where liquors are sold by retail. For
n more definite knowledge of the kind
nnd amount of liquors, fixtures, etc.,
to he disposed of at snid sale, inquire
nt the' office of Colvig & Reames,
Medford, Oregon.
Dntcd October 15th, 1909.
CLARENCE L. REAMES,
Administrator of the Estate of George
M, Needles, Deceased.
Savoy Theatre
TONIGHT
THE STAMPEDE Most thritlf mq ami realistic western picture ever
'shown, taken on the "101 ranch."
SPRING HAS COME . ,
THE ETERNAL ROMANCE
OTHER FEATURES
WANTED
Timber and Coal Lands
ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING CON
TRACTS TAKEN AND ESTIMATES
FURNISHED.
B. H. Harris & Co.
MEDFORD, OREGON
Office in Jackson County Bank Upstairs
When we suggest that you -
Toast Your Bread
On Breakfast Table
"We do not moan that you should eat off
the stove toast
With an Electric Toaster
and have crisp, hrown, delicious toast
costs lc per meal to operate. "We
have the .best toaster on the market for
sale at $-1.50. Clean, appetizing, sanitary
ROGUE RIVER ELECTRIC CO.
Successors to Condor Water & Power Co. -
APPLES AND PEARS AND ALL KINDS Ob'
FRUIT AND ORNAMENTAL TREES.
YAKIMA VALLEY NURSERY
Largest Commercial Nursery in the Pacific North
west. Not in the combine. Competes with all first
class nurseries.
L. E. HOOVER, Agent
MEDFORD, OREJON
4 WEDroBD, ouooir M.
Stato Depositary
Established 1888.
Capital and gurpltu $125,000
Roiourrei (700,000
Advertise in
ONE DIME
RESOLVED
Tho host resolution for you
,to make is to come to us for
your i,cxt suit, if you want
something out of the ordinary.
Wo do tho host work and charo
the lowost prices.
W. W. EIFERT
THB PROOELBBIVB TATXOS
HIGHEST ATTAINMENT IN
SYSTEMATIC BANKING SERVICE
Tho Jnel( on County Hank rcnpoet
full.v Holiciia your nceoimt, subject
to your cheek, willi the strongest
guarantee of safety nnd efficiency.
Wo offer tho highest attainment in
systematic hanking service, which
assures tho groatost care in ovory
financial transaction, with this oblig
ing institution.
W. I. VAWTER, Prcsidont.
G. R. LINDLEY, Cashior. ,:
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