6 THE MEDFORD DAILY TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON, FRIDAY, OOTOHKU 20, 1900, I The Lure of the Mask By HAROLD MAC GRATH Copyright. 1908. by lha Merrill Co. Bobbs. (Continued.) SYNOPSIS CHAPTER I Jack Hilliard, a wealthy New York clubman, hears a mysterious voice singing in the night under his window. II He inserts an advertisement in a personal ccolumn to find the singer. He receives a reply. IH, IV, V, and VI He visits the mysterious singer, but she wears a mask. 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. TI Hilliard and Dan Merryhew decide to go to Italy. . Merryhew loves Kitty Killigrew, a comic opera singer, who has gone to Italy. Hil liard receives a black mask in an en velope. Vm and E Hilliard and Mery hew arrive in Italy and later dine with Mrs. Stanford, an American So ciety woman, who tells Hilliard con siderable about the mysterious wo with whom he is in love. She is now posing as an opera singer in Kitty Killigrew's opera company. "Oh. there's a restaurant but it's not i much better than this. It's bad flies and greasy plntes." I And by the time they bad found the i Elstorante Tornaghl miserable and uninviting they were laughing. j "Only I wish 1 knew where they were going." was Hlllard's regret. "Theyr said MerrUiew. "Yes. The woman with Kitty is the woman I'm going to find if I stay in Europe ten years. And when I find ner 1 m going to marry her." ' La SUjnorina turned again in a passion fierce ana sudden. does not know you. but I am certain he does. He forgets himself sometimes in the way he bows to you." Kitty paused, then asked: "Won't you tell me what the secret Is?' "How beautiful that white sail looks!" "You know all about me," went on Kitty stubbornly. "Because you told me. I never asked yon a single question." "Is it-love?' "Love!". - La Slgnorina shrugged. "Poor Kitty, you are trying In vain to make a romance out of my life. Ton should not read so much.' "It is not curiosity." declared Kitty. "It is because I love you and because it makes me sad when I hear you laugh, when I see you bent your bands against the chair as you did just now ui bignoriun turned again in a pas sion which was as Uerce as It was sud den. "There is a man," she tilsscd, her eyes dilating. "But I loathe him, I hate him, I abhor bim! And were it not wicked to kill he would have been dead long ago. Enough! If yon ever ask another question I will leave you." "I am sorry." said Kitty. "He was oonnus gooa. saiu Aierrinew, pour ing himself a third glass of very indif Terent Beaune. j "And they may be going anywhere but to Monte Carlo Paris, Cherbourg, Calais. In my opinion. Monte Carlo is the last place two such women are likely to go to alone." So they sat in the dingy restaurant I !. X B ,TsmuS aDU snrawing faise to you and broke your heart1 Till thn navf tr-l ( r nma l J. . - uuuvuuucu. At N0( Kitty, only my pride." 4 that afternoon they arrived without It s strange world." mused Kitty, further mishap at the most interesting' .Xet n9 turn t0 our affalrg. T station of its size in Europe, Monte ccIvcd ,ctter today .!o: . I "From home?' eagerly. - And then Into the omnibus adjoin- t nave DO home. Kitty. The letter l -Ca.e th?..maD rUh tbe 80ar- 18 from a frlend ,n Naples- Mr. Hil- lard and Mr. Merrlhew. friends of yours, are in Italy." n - . Kitty could scarcely believe her ears. "Where are they? Where are tbey stopping?", "That I do not know. But listen. They have started out to find us. When I tell you that Mr. Hlllard is the gentleman I dined with that night before we sailed you will understand ; my reasons for wishing to avoid him. From this time on we must never ap-1 pear on the streets without our veils. . If by chance we meet them we must 1 give no sign. It will be only for a lit , tie while. Your letter will come soon, and you may renew your acquaintance , with these two gentlemen when you return hnmil Tr mow l,n howl .. parent shadow She was at this mo- ! but If you wish to stay with me my merit the most precious thing upon will must be a law unto you." which the eye may look, a wholly Not t0 8)enlt to tbe )f wo n)cet uwiuluui nutllitu. IVIUV ii.UllKreW. ihnmV The" Riviera, from San Remo on the Italian side to Cannes on tbe French, possesses a singular beauty. Villefranche stands above Nice, be tween that white city and Monte Car- ( io. ii is quiec ana lovely. For this reason the great army of tourists pass it by. There is no casino, no band, no streets full of tantalizing shops. On the very western limit of Villefranche, on' the winding white road which rises out of Nice, is a modest little villa, so modest that a ballerina wonld scorn It and a duchess ignore it In the balcony La Slgnorina reposed in a steamer chair, gazing seaward. The awning cast a warm glow as of gold upon her face and hair, a trans- than she cnuld fly. She was held"" by curiosity, by i.uiitlmoiit, by the roman tic mystery. "I have chosen." she fciiUl at length. "I shall stay with yon." "Thanks, Kitty. Ai:d r.rw tuo af fairs of t!io company. Vi have played three day am! !.:ivo tu; t i UMullly. To night will bo tho Inst r'uauco. Win or lose, tomorrow we Khali return to Ven ice. I do nut Ill:t the Idea of going to ?!oi:ti Carlo ut night. It Is not ex actly wile. Hut sluco beggars uiuHtu't lie choosers we must go. Again I warn you to speak to no one whtla I am playing and under no circum stances rnlso your veil. They havo bo- gun to notice uc, but It will end to night I was mad to think tliat I could win. And. by tho way. Kitty, we shall not go back to tho Campo Formosa." Kitty accepted this news brightly. It there was one place she hated It was tho Campo. "Now run and dress.' advised La Slgnorina. "Let mo dream n little more while tho sun sets." She know men tolerably well. After thirty they ccaso to follow visions they seek tnuglble things. No, they must nover meet again, it would uot bo wise. Her heart, galled by disll luslon, might not withstand much storming. And she bad no wish to add this Irretrievable folly to the original blunder. She wns afraid. No; they must go their separate ways till tbe end. W itb a sigh she rose aud went Into the room. Kitty was busy with the finishing touches of bor toilet Tbe older woman kissed her fondly. "And do yon realize that you are the most beautiful woman In the -world?" asked Kitty. "Little flatterer!" "And if I were a man" Kitty paused "I'd fall in love with you and marry you." La Slgnorina looked Into the mirror. Tho Italian played like an old hand, a number once in awhile, but making It o point to Hlnke on the colors. Itcd begun to repent Itself. lie doubled and doubled. On the sixth coiwocu tlvo turn he played Hie maximum of U'.CKHt francs and won. The diplomat touched him on the arm significantly, but tho player shook his head. Ten minutes later he lind wou 40.U0O f runes. Again lie refused to leavo his chair. "If ho stiiys unw," said Hlllartl, will lose It all. .Ills friend Is right." "Forty thousand francs, S8.O0O!" murmured Merrlhew sadly, couldn't he have luck like this? Why OKAY VKI THE fnscluntlon Is not to be de . be seen. Vice the. sars the t standing in the casement window. stared at her silently, not without some envy, not without some awe. What was going on behind those dreamy eyes? . "Hilda?" said Kitty. "Yes. Kitty." "Who and what are you?" Kitty asked bravely. ' La Slgnorina's eyes wandered till they met Kitty's. "And what good would It do you to know? Would it bring money from borne any sooner? You already know that I am unhappy. The adventuress : always Is." "Adventuress?" Kitty laughed scorn fully. "The proprietor pretends he urged Kitty in dismay. "But that is cruel of you. They are both gentlemen." "I do not know Mr. Merrlhew. but I can say that Mr. Hillnrd Is n gentle man. As for being cruel, I am not: only selfish." "Are you not a queen who has run away from a kingdom?" asked Kitty bitterly. "One reads about thorn every day In the papers." "My dour, you nre free to choose one of two pn I lis. I shall not urge yon one way or the other, but you must choose now." Several minutes passed. Kitty look ed out to sen. and I. Slgnorina closed her eyes. In her heart Kitty knew thai she could no more leave this woman CHAPTER XII. GRAY VEILS of Monte Carlo described It must e shall be attrac tive, says the mother of Satan. At Monte Carlo it Is more than at tractive; it Is compelling. A subtle hypnotism prevails, the lure of gold. Fool and rogue, saint and sinner, here they meet and mingle and change. To those who give Monte Carlo but a trifling glance, toss u coin or two on tbe tables and leave by the morrow's train it has no real significance. It Is simply one of the sights of Europe. To this latter class belonged tbe two young men. They had no fortunes to retrieve, no dishonesty to hide, no res titutions to make, no dancers to clothe and bouse. It wns but a mild flirtation. They had searched Nice aud Monaco and Mentonc, but the women they sought were not to be found. They decided, therefore, that the women had gone on to Paris. My system needs a tonic," said Merrlhew. We'll hold the funeral after to night's play. Of all the dnmfool games It's roulette." And I can prove It." Merrlhew re plied. "I have Just $."0 left." lie took out the gold and toyed with It. "Can't you hear It?" lie asked. "near what?" "The swan song of these tender na poleons." Merrlhew had played the numbers. the dozenr-. f'.ie column';, fie colors, odd and even. Sometimes he would win a little, but a moment Inter the re lentless rake would drag It back to tbe bank. Nature has c"ono this very prettily. Quite clever with her colors, don't you know," he drawled, plucking the down on bis upper lip, for he was trying to raise a mustache, convinced that two waxed points of hair at each corner of his month wouldSImpress tbe hotel waiters and other faccblnl baseborn. 'Don't be d jackass!" Hlllard was out of sorts.- . .' i "Yon agreed with mo that I was one. Why not let me make a finished prod uct?" good bumoredly. Well," Merrlhew finally said, "you might as well let me have my letter of credit now." - ' You will not set eyes upon it till we return to Genoa. That's flnni; . I know you, my boy, and I know Monte Carlo. Even with your fifty, u watch and a ring I'm afraid to trust you ont of sight" 'I can see that you will never for give nor forget those bad cigars. Come on. We'll take a look at our Italian friend. He's a bad loser. I have seen him lose his temiier too. it's my opin ion that he's a desperate man." "They usually are when they come to Monte Carlo." , So they walked round to tho en trance to the gaining balls, where tho lights, tho gowns, the Jewels, the spur- j kllug eyes, the natural beauty and the.j beauty of enamel, the vaguo perfumes, tho low murmur of voices, tho soft rustle of silks, tho music of ringing gold, all combine to produce a picture as beautiful as a mlrugc and as false. They Joined the never ending proces sion which, passers In and ont of the swinging doors day after day, year after year. "There's the chap with tho scar. He Is a handsome beggar," Hlllard admit ted. "I wonder whnt sort of blackleg he Is. He's no ordinary one, I'm cer tain. ' I begin to recognize tho face of the man with bim. He's a dlutlogulsh-e&J?lJjlfflftk." (To be contiuiied.) Notice to A. F. & A. M. COMBINATION RANGE BOILER INSULATOR AND ! HOT FIRELESS COOKER Thoro will bo work in the third de gree Friday evening. . CITY NOTICES. -f4-f-f4-f-f -f -f-f-f-f-f-f Continued from Page 2 tho citv of Mcdford. which chock shall bo held bv the citv of Medford on tho conditions hereafter set forth. If said cruntce, his associates, his suc cessors or nssii'iis. shall begin the nctuiil work on tho thiiurs mentioned in this ordinance with in four months from its pnssaee and taking effect, ti ml shall prosecute, tho sumo with dil igence until substantially completed, so that not less than twenty-live hundred dollars ($2500) shall have been expended in tho iichinl construc tion work of installing suid plant oft the trou i ul in said citv within six months from the date of. the taking effect of 'this ordinance, then, and as soon us tho said sum of twoutv-fivo hundred dollars ($:i.r00) shall have been so expended, und said fact cer tified as hereinafter set forth, said check mnv be withdrawn upon depos iting in lieu thereof a sufficient bond. in the penal sum of two thousand dol lars ($2000), guaranteeing tho con struction of suid plant in uccordunco herewith, so ns to have the same! substantially complete within 12 months after the date of the pnssugo and taking effect of this ordinance It is understood and agreed that the citv engineer of the citv of Medford shall determine the question us U the amount of work actually done, and that the repayment of said cheek hall onlv be made upon tho certifi cate of said citv engineer thnt suid work has actually been performed within said time. It is further understood and agreed that time is, mid shall be of tho es sence hereof, and that if said gran tee. his associates, his successors or assigns, shnll fail to begin actual work on tho things mentioned in this ordinance within four months I mm its passngo and Inking effect, or to prosecute tho same with reasonable liligcnce, so that there shall havo ac tually been expended, ns aforesaid, within the aforesaid six months, the said sum of twentv-five hundred dol lars ($J."l)0) in the actual work of construction on the ground in said citv. then nil rights of the said gran tee, his associates, 'his successors or assigns, in or to said certified check, shall be absolutely forfeited to said city, and said city shall retain the same-and. nil thereof as liquidated damages for the breach of this con tract. Section 22. - This ordinance shall take effect and be in full force from and after its passage, approval and posting. " ''. Pone at Medford. Oregon moo. , ' The foregoing ordinance was paus ed bv tho citv council of the citv of Medford, Oregon, on the 22nd dnv of October; 1009. bv the followine vote: Welch, nve; Merrick, nvo; Wortmnn, no; Eifort, 'ave; and Dnmmcr, nvct Emcrick; absent. 1 , Approved thiB 23rd dnv of October, 1909. W. II. CANON". Mnvor. . Attest: ROBT. W. TELFEIt. . Citv Recorder. he I 1 utoo' et' mm i tea; :m 1 . mm i BIJOU THEATRE BILLY EMPEY VAN. Manaoer. TONIGHT AND SATURDAY Richard Darlina Stock Company :"A BACHELOR'S ROMANCE" : A beautiful four-net comedy Hoot Mon, Did you see the Scotch specialty by Billy Van and Chas. Overton? New stago and more room. -A scat for everybody. Admission, as usual, 10c and 20c Containing two indispensable luxuries and two sources of econ omy. Call and let us demonstrate its merits. J. W. WHITNEY Office in Aikin Plumbing 'Co. 's Store, Medford. 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 APPLES AND PEARS AND ALL KINDS OK FRUIT AND ORNAMENTAL TREES. YAKIMA VALLEY NURSERY Largest Commercial Nursery in tbe Pacific North west. Not in the combine. Competes with all firbt class nurseries. L. E. HOOVER, Agent MEDFORD, OREGON RESOLVED Tlio hcHt resolution for you to mnko in to come to ns for yonr next Biiit, if you want nomethinR out of the ordinory. We do tho beat work and chnrge the lowest pricen. . ' W. W. EIFERT THE PEOORfcSSlVE TAILOE When we suggest that you Toast Your Bread On Breakfast Table ' We do not mean that you rshould cat off the stove toast With an Electric Toaster and have crisp, brown, delicious toast costs lc per meal to operate. We ' , have the best toaster on the market for sale at $4.50. Clean, appetizing, sanitary ROGUE RIVER ELECTRIC CO. I 1 Successors to Condor' Water & Power Co.