FaiDAY, UPCCN9I» iM, tm.
j|pp|pp;p!Pf|EpiPip.y^ i-jiiHf r
TIEB TWOB'A-iTBSK MBTAT Ca. BUKUNGTOM, M. C.
'AGE
■-\-
The Broken Coin
By £M£RSOK HOUGH ||
Front tite Scraano by 1
Grace Cnnard 1
A Story of Mystery and Adventure
tdlS* by Wright A* P&ttt»9ia)
SYNOPSiS..
Kttty Gray', nfv.spnpftp ftnis trt
ft.cuno.suop hJiU' o; :i.:b;v;UCi5 coiri, V.w
muliiitccl :nsehi»Lvoij vri. \viijch
her cu.Vto;iliy s2tsi-hor. ::i tiu; oJ-i'-i--
of li:^r ini.uiisrlny: lb Lu iJki*
\‘fpuUiy of lo ji'svO out th«*
Ktf.Ty 6tigifost,e*J ;:y t^y intiv;ni>U»>r». JsliC-
follOAvcf?, diiiJ G*i arrival i;i GiYtssVioitcn
her. adventures whi:^ chajsin^ tUe sccrtjt.
0/ t.h«» hioUoii r,iM .
SEVENTH IPISTALLMEMT
CHAPTiZR XXV,
Divided. ■ ^
As Kitty apin’oacK^d ilie little room
of the couat’s paiac.o—v.liic’j before
now had proved to oe eoinetlxing of a
Etonn center in tbo affairs of the Gret=-
hoffen coin—rthfiie caiiie to her tho
cbnrietloB tiisl luigUt bp others
beside herself v,ho would have sonie
inkline.as to tlie whereabouts of the
Dil^ing portion of the coin, aud who
might therefore arriye ui>07i the Ecens
at much the same tiice ixs that of hsr
own visit. She Tv&s not altogether
•urprtsed at tlie a-iiidon interruption
of her laBors, just at the uionicnt oj,
Itaused for breathing space, liearfl a
.stisady footfall advancing to the door,
heard the calai voice of Count Fred-
ericii liinjsc’if, ■
: “GentleiKor.!’? ■
The ictrudfrs, whatever ilie errand
of eacli, toQk thsir eyes from one an-
: other and turned liow. reccEiiizi::? yet
aaotlicT mia -who soaree had'coma ia,
friendship.
..“You honor las gruailyi gisntlumen,"
Said Count Frederick vith his usual
coolaess in- any extraoriinary' situa
tion. . "Eg{ might I asi£ why you caro
■ thus to; disarrar.ge my. apartmfint?
Had . I l^no^yK your own .curiosity. re
garding it, I misht have aslietl soine
of my servants to assist you in a
eearch iijore orderly."
"1 V. as sent bacit by my master," be
gan ths Eirarger—■R.hc waB none other
than Bartef, ths late »uccessor to Eu-
dolpli ia Count Saehlo’s good graces,
“ile had left csrtain of his belong-
ings-^some Eilver cases of the toilet.
Monsieur le Comte—he did not trouble
to asK yoa about them, and now he
aeiit me—”
indeed! That is most plauslbte!
her success.
.A* she saw heriei; the object of a
poised weapon, elis swerved aside In
stinctively—called out instinctively for
help.
“Roieau!" she exelaimbil, for, wom-
anllUe, she had l,ci::ed the value of
a strong man's arm, and her first
thought was of tiie faithful servant
who so strangely I'.jd attached him
self to her own varying fortunes. And
RoUau came basientng from his
iratchitt^ place outsidr^ the door.
He aaw the little room occupied by
a man—who r.cw suddenly had en
tered—and who a^onaced Kitty, so
that, to save her life as she svppoced,
she was on the jKiirit of surrendeHng-
to him boih pioc-.,^. of the coin. 'JCte
sight of his mi3trc£» in danger was
euough far Eoleau. "tVith his custoicr
ary battle cry he jtlunged immediately
into the conflict, careless of the threal-
ealng weapon. In the laelee the twe
half coins both \iere dropped upon tbe
floor.
Even BOW the ruliu^ impulse of Kit
ty did not quite forsake her. She
■looped and regnini d one of the half
colDS, but the strugfrUng men, shitting
here acd there in the room, kept her
from kscaring the other. In the blind
Instinct for escap? she fled now to
the open ha!!, taking that direction
■which led bnck from the front of the
building.
Rolcnu heanl i rr pass, and could
not join her in flight—tut be heard
her give a cry of alarm whoso caueo
hs could only guess. His energies werp
tally occupied hy tl-.e combat With this
She Felt a Hard Hand Clo»e Upan Her .
Mouth. I
stranger—^whom now he saw to be one
of Count Sachto'a roen. He had noted
hlM ot the hunting lodge. Ha hiniseU
had not time to reason aa to the pra»-.
ence of thU new factor in the general
imbroKllo, bat at last, able to bs^ng
bis own weapon* Into play, he ctayed ■
tha iMue for a tlnje^ Tliey botji had •
tine to recogutee one another as they i
stooA, the one as much baffled as the :
other, and neither qalta comprshend-
in« What the other wa» doing here.
Voiy naturally the aounda of all this
confoaion could not be eoncealeilU The
■ecsam of a womatt had ran* widely
tbaosch the hallt, and uaed as the;
war® to extraordinary clrcumstaacea
hercabOttU, the serranta could not faU
invutlxate the cauaa of thia. They
haatened In the Mreoiloa of the up-
Tww, tot their adTance waa lUyed bjr
tSik eoauand at the saaater ot tie
pi«]ae« hlmMlf.
Tk« men itt tbe vc«m W tlMOr
But why seelt for them in my rooms,
* when his quartera were In quite an
other part ot the palace, my dear sir?"
"As to that,” replied the other with
calm effrontery, "I cannot say. I only
catne here because the servants told
me that this was the room. Ot course,
it there has been any mistake—”
“Cease, 1 say,” exclaimed Count
Frederltit, frowning now, his face
.0;:shiHg.
He turr.eil from Uoleau to the other
intruder in his apartments. Roleaa
stood dumb. The other shook tlB
head. ’
"Monsieur le Comla," said he, Ahe
young woman was here when I en
tered—when this man also eaterea.
She passed yonder—when £he had the
opportunity—and took with her one
haif the coin. TUera lisa the oth»r on
your floor. She disappeared—we heard
a cry—"
Count Fredericlt stooped and picked
vp th* object pointed out to him. It
■wae Uis own half ot tiie coin—or thai
which he had called his ov-n—since he
bad taken it from her.
So *hec, lie rejected, she had found
thfc way to liis most secret hiding
placc—she was on the very point ol
success v.'lien this last contretemps
had interfered with her plans. A new
feeling of admiration tor her keen
ness and iHTSlstencc once more came
to ,Count Frederick’s heart. For a
moment he stood regarding half-rs-
gretfuily the bit of metal in his liatid.
"1 shal! not offer (Ms trinket to
you. iny fri.^nd," eaid lio grimly to
the man IJai-tel, as he pocketed the
coin, “for of course you were noi loot
ing for coins—only toilet urttclee—sll
ver cues, did you ray; sir? Vmi hhal!
take bade an eveeileiit sat ot niy owe
to Count Sathio. with my compli
riients. Toil him that it would seem
ill So mo tiJ.1t any gue.^t of mine sliould
Buflor lifk ot loDS either to his person
of bis prniierly vihilc he was biiic-ath
iny rocfl”
With l.iiPFe slipping words, which
brougi't color to the oiiier’t; face.
Couot Vretlei'toit ttirned coolly aw'ay,
and once more tuccd Uoleau. That
waa in his fae now which did not be-
Bpeali reni.orseicssnesa, revengeful
nesf,. No, scmething softer lay in tbt
man’s coot gray eyes.
CHAPTER XXVI.
Solitary Confinement.
When Kitty in her blind! impulse OJ
self-preservation sprang out of Conal
Prederick’e room, she did not at first
coutemplate continued ilight. Once
out of reach of immediate danger, abc
PAUsed, loatb to leave what she bad
come there to obtain, and loath also ts
abandon her stout-hearted ally ia h!.*
time of stress. She turned back,
paused just outside the door once
more. As she did so, yet another dooi
opening into the hall was pushed
silently ajar—opened fully. Yet an
ether man, whom never in bar life
had «he seen before, now stepped out
She felt a hard hand close upon hei
mouth, more than ba!f-stl2ing hei
•cream for help. “Silence! ’ she heard
his voice insist. “Go ou ahead ot me
Once more Kitty undertook tc
ficreasn, and again the firm hauc
■topped her voice. It seemed to hei
that some pungent aroroatio dru{
mied the car with its fumes. Shi
struggled less violently. Eventi
seemed tc pass by her in a drcum
and she regarded them c.arele8B;y
apathetically. In short, either in pan
or in whole, she had lost conscioua
nes3.
When at length she fully regalnet
her senses she w»» alone—alone wltl
t terror which seemed to her mor«
overpowering than any shd yat hat
known, instead of her own aitart
menta in her hotel, inatead ot the roon
ot Count EVederlek or the huntlni
lodge ot his Quondam friend, Cotsm
Sachlo, she found herself sarroundec
by four barraa walla—in what «di#c*
or in -what pla«e. she could not suesa
There aeemed tome aort of door-
y«*. Tker* was a imall, falgfa, barrM
window; bat the latur waa at auet
ballot as ta b« almoat bayond ln>
MMfe. For the time Kitty «a» ot the ;
Mief that her aenses inust leave her |
forever The sense ot solitude waa a !
poignant torture. : 1
How long she tiad thus remained !
Bhe could not tell, when at length the j
close-fitting door Id cne side of the |
tour .walla opened. An cld wumau.
came in, bringing some food for her. :
rotty tried her ia every lan;^age i
which Ehe had ever known, bjt got no j
answer. The old wpmau siiook her j
bead, and after a time retreated si- j
leStly as th^ had come. . '
Gott!?.s r.o ar.Ewer to her appetl for
help, Kitty sat down cuce more, fight- ;
ins herself to retain lier fi.ciiltie3, her!
calm, ter poise. Eecspe? l!c\v could |
there be. hops foKtliul? For J'lioe che ;
waa fit tier wit’s tru'/ ts slie Icoked;
about her; S!ie sat rjc-:cy c;!;,i siient, .
too dizeiJ, suiTcrijig tcc liuich, i;:o u'a-.
certain ia her ow.n mhiij to plan intol-:
ligenily any courst- of act iip.'., £lie :
wa&.trought to sc.nii.'fjiat by'
heari:;.'; tiro tiijkle cf olUoct on
the ikxr at I’.cr feet.
It M:.s ;; Jlit Vt Etcnc V.KrT.Cd t'Sht-
ly in-'a lUUe wad. of pap.c;-. ;Sui:e!y
it liid iicta. meant as scnio coniniunl-
catieii to iier—£ro.".i toineone o'titsiJe
the rcc.ni. It must have ccir.t.- tlirougli
the v,'int3o’.v-
S.’i? onen,cd t!ie'pa;;er end .sraopthei’,
it cui.. As she reaJ it wondered
iic-w many othc^r peraotis theve were ia
this strange country wUo could claim
acqaaiiitiiiice witii her own plans-
“Better write an imagitiary story for
your paper ani return to America.
.Give up the coin* and you will gain
your freedom. Uefute and you will
fare badly.”
who waited for -tiiri impatiently
•hocgb at the rendezvous which iiad
IteM .established
“Wisil, well; then, isartoi, ’ exclaimed
the count, “why the delay? What’B
wrong? You are not gein* tc tell me
th* €aiR€ Sfjry (hat Rudolph brougUt
—you Huve Dot failed
The ghi;niefacej look of the other
^ave hini his own answer Couut
-Sachio himself way to hearty
cuTst's 0/ ail imvnipp-tcjici^. ^
"The flounc maiJied c3!o br.U‘ the
coin,** went on the unfQi*tui>ii» me**
setisxT. *'I doa’t kiiow .\\h:clV r.-wiis..
The. girl—tht) young .Airi!c:'k':-:a*~^ot
tiie ori5?r ptocc*-. I s;:^* her piclt ii up.
But, she uiU *Lot boilil . 1 doii i-
kno-\v ’.vhich c.uo set; I
• kno-\v thc’.i c'uch hr.s. d.no-!i£j-'—(he
Li:J h:ive
beeii -.curi'i-?d gwoy i).y ,soir,e c’hnr
scar. 1 h?r.r'd.lir-r' 6crci*j:i, all was
fiilent."
c'?c:::icd -. It i.: a?ioihcr
£EiaUi?r V.hilt I riyr. *:* in':/ l:uvs tltn .-
as r.> the r:rl ::Us! c-i-
cap'd ycii?“
e:-:c Cl• oncy. ’ J-"-
i. C-Oil’ll
not prcve'iit tile r-r.u.'
a:iO V^^ co;:ut hi; tbe'
c:hcr* to do
in::-1"' • .
• lii-y clUclI T:irrs
S( ho" li’.t* i; Cj*—
iilMl i.ghJs li'.,' .,
the--!’. V, c-; e tW'C* ct’: :-Jsi rro-'^nt-
heBiC*s youricil'.V”
“Vcs, it sceir.f'd-r.r :U’ou:-'.’ ' -•.•►'ryon&
iiiteri\=^;ted ifi the .coir* tur.u- all at
once/’ • ■
“XalUrrJly, the. computilion asks:
?,UicV: wot'', cf fl) of u?!. And v.'/.v.i.U
i
V--'*" 'm
a J
An Oiii Woman Carno in Bringing Some Food tor Her.
Thfse ritrangc words siuiiK-Hiv
i,irought Kitty b;ick to a train o.
thought vviiicii for ilte lirae liaii beeii
broken. She fvlt qiiicltly at her bc si;i!i
and at her waist tor the bit of coin
which she had broug'ut away tro;.!
'ount Frederick’s rciotn. It wau gon -'
j\t some time during her journey from
Count Frederick’s palat e to this place
—long or short w'-ietlic-r it had been,
the could not tell—the coin had bJon
taken from her.
Kitty sprang to the sill of the little
window and peered out for an in-
staut; hut her hcM was too feeble.
She sank back, not seeing what would
have given her great joy to see.
Apparently some eye had caught
sight cf her face, brief as had been Us
appearance. In truth, Uoleau. hound-
like, had run his game to earth. It
was he who had caught sight of her
just tor an instant. Later she heard
once more the tinkling of some falling
object upon the floor. She picbed it
up—it was a substantial file, which
evidently had been flung through the
window' by someone having the Intent
to aid her. This thought gave her hope.
Almost as soon as she grasped it she
fell to work at the bars which had re
strained her.
Meantime, at the scene from which
she had been so unceremoniously ab
stracted but now. Count Frederick re
mained still pondering on the strange
events which had been brought home
so close to him. He was too much
preoccupied in his concern over the
young woman’! disappearance io note
carefully anything else that went on
about him. When one of his house
hold placed a message in his band, for
the time he gazed »t it, scarce com
prehending that it came from the roy
al palace.
Since he had left unattended the
servant of Count Sachio. whom he
had found in his own room, the Utttei
seised the present opportunity to es
cape from the {dae* anil to find bit
own matter, Count Sttchio himseU—
act quickly. Tell me. whiit happened
then?"
'*Th© Count I’Vederick allowed her
to escape—strangely, he ao-'med ta
have small resentment for hor after
ail. Nor did he have too uiucii for
Roieau, whom he niiisi hive rni-.kcd a
wholly faithit'.^s Sijrvaut. He rM;! not
punich bim—hut even sent liini od
after the girl! Excelleiiey, my word
tor It, he seemed to miss the girl as
much as tlie cola—did Count F>ed-
eriek.“
Follow them then. Bartel. Follow
Rcleau—if yoii cau fl«d bim—iie wiii
lead you to the girl, wherever she may
be. For myself, I canuot guess."
It was this eounsel, followed dili
gently by the unhappy messeiigei- ot
Count Sachio, wliich resulted in a
quick shifting ot the forces of Kitty’s
enemies. It ■aas true Roieau had
gained access to a point within sight
of Kitty’s window, where still he
tried to be of aid to her—still lieped
she soon would be able to aid herself.
But here he was surprised b.v tivese
emissaries of C'ouot .Sachio—it was
none less than the iioblemiin himself
who led the forces now.
Therefore when, after all her toil,
Kitty at length managed to make her
escape through the barred window, it
was but to find herself oncc more a
prisoner—Roieau once more a prisoner
with her'. The fact ot captivity had
not changed only the phases of cap
tivity. She and her ally had only ei-
changed captors. Who her last prison
guardian bad been Kitty could not
tell. Now. without doubt, she waa
once more to be subjected to the scant
courtesy of the aobleman ot Qrahof-
fen.
CHAPTER XXVII.
The Cttunterfelt Coin.
Count SVederick finally aroused
tkimaetf from the apathy of inaction
In which Kitty'* luddea disappearance
bad left him Now Ite teamed that
the message from the king asked hfs
attendance at tUe palace as eoon i«
might be. Tbe king bad, it Ecemed. a
communication which he Sesiied to
make to Count Frederick fit once.
Confouud his royal hfghnessf" «i-
claime'd Frederick to himself. "1 never
leave bim but he aska me back at
once. Ke is always in some trotible.
and t am ill-disposed now to be nurse
to asy .kiag. 'fr I bays allairs ot ay
own to trouble me sutficiently "
Kevprtheless. grumbling, he went
his way i-j the pak'-ce, f»r the rcyat
will was ecmeibiiig not yet at least to
he set aside.
"Crod: Count Frpiieric'j,’’ Micliael
greeted l:i:u. "1 aslicd yjLii'leturn 'le-
rau.Ee of a. ,£"^t’.ez tho'aght tl;;it hud
ci)!i;e to .in;’ mind.’’. ;
“.la to v,‘l!;jt, your Majesty? EiJ. !t
coii-.e to you kloue, uiias£-i3i.cd'.”'
Til':* v.'as too mii.c-li .pff'^crv.^icC
ip hr.i;2eif vviili ‘jarcL'sii;.
. “Trs. fbsscrrfi^y.' It i.? rejarJ’;.:,? i::.=
^ V , ■
“The coi.i! I Hsousht your !i':;3r’6ly
ecircii' liiiie for ii—io litfie that ycu
[pve it. av.ay :vinasi;ei to. cne vhu is.
.rot ercj) ot orr country- a Eii'uiigcr—
liie youiig Aineiican." ' ' •
.‘Tri.'ci.'iily. That'is true. And Ihsd
cmifa.fur r.'.y act. i^ut,- soa yca, ou'e
docs rot m:!ke g-ifts unrcijuiicd. Now
the youn^' Ani'cricy.n has disaupeured,
and su .has the coir.. Perhaps, rather,
I should revc:-so tlSf.t, and say th;a the'
coin' has disnppeartd a«d with it tJiS.
young American. At least, that is tr,
..say—thiy 'ooth arc gone. So 1 seat
. for you. iiiy dear Frederick, to tell me
what to do."
-The nobleman stood for a moment
blit half coiicealing his real feelings,
gauging Vhe icaa before hiSn, this imi
tation ot a king,
“She was a: most charming young
person," began tbe king, trying to
conceal his own thoughts. '‘Do you
not think such hair as hers is rare?"
“Rare, indeed, your majesty—sbe is
in all things rare," suddenly ex-
claiintd the ':ount.
“And where is siie gone?”
“I do not know—I have no idea."
“But you cau find her—you cenaiiily
can bring her back”
"I hope it, your inajesty—1 hops it
very much. But then, as to the coin?”
he added, somewhat maiiciously—tor
he knew well enough where sat the
wind in royal quarters. |
“Oh, yes, abjut the coin. Well, 11
was only going to i-sik you to find fij
for me.” i
"That seems sinipip. your majesty! j
lilvsn though I do i^ot know where the |
young girl is.” * j
"That is why I ask you, my dear;
count." }
"Agreed then, your majesty, Ot;
wbat use is a servant of the king If I
bo cannot do the king’s wiii? 1 ac-|
cept your errand. I will soon return i
to you the coin—at least, I hops so.,
After all. perhaps it has no such value ■
as you hceni to tliijtk—1 am sui^ it has ‘
less value fo^you thau other things,
that wo niight nuntion.” [
Count FreiiericU liiJ not add aloud
what wiJii in his own mind—-tlie truth
—that tile coin haii more valu« tor
him tiiati lie ii! ati; time before now .
had helici' ii.
I’rosenily !v t xciiscd himself from
the ro>al pr.seiir;' and departed tc
put into effect a liule plan of his own
v.hich he fancied n’ifitii blunt both
horns ot this dilr i.iiiia into which the
naivete of Kin;; .\Mil’ael so suiidmily
had placi'i! him
As luck would have It, there had
been thrown, into iiia hands the king's
half of the ccin.
Count ■ Frederick thoug!;! fnr a mo
ment before he a plan. Tlieu
he made a hurried journey to u ecr-
taisi .I'Uversmitii in whose siviil he iuiu
muf li coiitidcHce.
"-Make me," lie raid as he laid uiKm
tne eouater his pn.re ol the eolu —"a
replica ot tins—a'lisoluteiy, line for
line, so tiiat I i!iys>lf cannot !rll !he
two apart. 13o yuii hear me? Can it
be done'!’’
‘■yes, exceUency," said the workman,'
“it can be doae—so nicely that I my-;
self scarcely could tell them apart.” i
■'Then Quick wiih it.” said fount
Frederiik. “How soon?" '
'By tomorrow, eicellenry, J profnise '
you a duplicate.”
it was therefore on the morrow,
that Count Frederick was able once |
more to visit the royal palace with a •
mind more at peace with cireum- i
stances. \VitIi him he carried what!
was apparently the king's halt ot the j
coin which he had given to the young I
American so carelessly, and which |
now at ouce he coveted again—since;
the young American herself was gone.
"So soon!" exclaimed Michael. "You
are the acn:e of puuctilioosnes.'i and
efllciency, my dear count. You are
indeed a mau ct results. Go now to
my cabinet again and help yourself to
such jewels as you fancy.”
“No more, your majesty. I thank
you. If I iiave been of service I am
pleased. Jewels are not for me. They
are for viomen—and no woman Sias
jewels from me now. I have reformed,
your majesty. 1 shall be taking my
self to a monastery next.”
King Michael laughed loudly at this
Jest on the part ot his former boon
companion. “Not bo far as that for
me," he said. "I am not yet ready for
any monastery. I swear I can remem
ber a queen's face and a queen's figure
when 1 see tb^:m, well as ever. And 1
saw them both bere not so long ago.
I thought I had secured the chance to
see them yet again—when I gave her
as our gift this which you have re
stored to me now. It seems I failed
in that. But should tbe wune case
come up asain for action—-should she
by lstea> or accident meet us Again—
I am in poaiession once more ot wiuit
ianuerly waa mine. PerbaM tb« •£•
fair cmM be imdertakeo de novo, mT
dear eount She gave t to yoii t*
nsttUB to .ine? Well, no coaiter, aaly I
hope that in wme way, on oome in,
she will come back Bgiln."
“I trust it, your majesty," said Coeot
Fl%derlclc tervehtly; and the deluded
monarch, pleased at tbe quick exeev*
tion of bis wUbes, knew nothing of the
deeper machinations of the keen braia
«-hich he fancied etill was is bis serv
ice.
chapter XXVlll.
Means to an End.
Ki:!y, left aloiie once more, found
herself in bettor heart than , she had
ijeen but now. At least, she had seen
ttoie;'.::—had foijiiii cues more proof
cf .hia f:iithfjir.r-ss .^iid bis eificiency.
Surely ho would help her to escape yet
.i'.sain. And as for Sachib—better he. .
0,;' V.tlie.l;afw somethiag. than a
str.-.r.i'-xr of ^Ise knew, nothing
at ;’,!!! Of kite SeSr-air had beeti knock- .
i:'3 :-t I'.er heart ia sucli fashion that
;ha ii’'.:3!;.;o.’!3 of..opportunity foand no
", Jjiic kov.‘ shs tegaa to- j.-lan ■
cv.te wore;
S’::-? KCt:.?!.t to study the exits Of the
.apart’rfeut in .which she.fouud-herseif
.'i'i G-re 'V'.'ere two doorsj so ifseemed,
bc-lh ■ fa.'itenefl. She pushed strongly
at ti'is; it ouened botoro her. She
st.'od once mpre face.i' face with
Count Sacln'o. the mocking co.ispira-..
t'jr v.'!;o hf.(J of lata bad. so much to
uo. with her owu misfortunes!
. ''TJademoiselie!'' eaid he. “I am so
pleased."
•Tor myself," rejoined Kitty Indig-
naiitiy, "I was -neirer s6 much dis
pleased as 1 am now. So the gentle
men of this country in this way show
their qualify—in iheir treatment of
woinen? I complijnent you;’’ '
''Your words are at .least better than
your absence, mademOi^eile—I like
neither."
"And what of me? What shalT I
say Rf a man who treats me as a crim
inal ? Nay, a criminal would be treat
ed belter iu mS' country—he wonld ,
have a trial. There woud be proces*
ot law, observance of the law. Is tha
habeas corpus writ a. thing unknown
iu this country—have the people never
yet wrung that Tight from the hands
cf t.vrants? In toy country there are
some recourses which any citizen may
have.”
"Vour own country? Why did yon
ever leave it, mademoiselle?"
"The reasons concern me alone, sir."
"Indeed, yoa mistake—they do not
concern you alone. We are many ot us
in this country also concerned with
them. We would that you never hid
corte from America. There are many
reasons moving to that. And, Indeed,
we even ask your return to your own
country."
“So, then, it wa,'i your message to
me that 1 got? Most melodramatic
of you. Count Sachio—but by wbat
right do you demand my return?"
"There are some large right!,
mademoiseile, which need small ex
planation.’’
“But which allow you to hinder me
in the perl'ormatice ot my rwn duties—
to ask t;u' to bo unfaithful to my em
ployers? ^\'liy, you even ask me to
deceive the imhlic—to prc,si.'nt a coun
terfoil—tv> pretend that I have done'
what 1 havi? n-it dnnc."
"So? you cannot take such
frCiHi ."illvirc'.'’'
' i\y, 1 v,iil not. To deeeiie, to pre-
i:> (■ lUiiterfoit—thoae ore attrtb-
uteii Cl’ yci'.r kingd'om, not of my ofvn
coutnr.v, A;acrica. In riy coii-itry we
have h'Hter standards—men and wom
en alilie—for which I heartily a;;j
glad,''
!;a.ve a. stingin.T tongue, ma-
deinci^eUe,’' said Count Sachi-i, red un
der his !-w,!r;h3 akin. 'Terhaps it will
grow nsiliier if U'fi umisod. I shall
leave \, ii h; re—ii:i:i! y.m are willing
io say jcu are wiili C.ret:::i-TlTe)i
and ready to return to ypur oivn c'jun-
tn*. This land. inr.der.iv.iPOili^ can
keep its own seerela—it en;il-.l even
close •■vt'T the secret of the iiL-^appear-
ance of a young woman—aait leave
her fate a mystery. 1 trust tiiat jou
will reconcider what you hava said."
A moment and he had left her oiiea
more, liefore ha passed ihrouRh the
door she glanced beyond. The roaiu
was occupied, apparently, by his
friends—escape on that side was im
possible.
The other door still remained faa-
tened. Kitty turned to it with bur
glarious intent—using an art learned
when she was a schoolgirl. With nof
better instrument than a hairpin, she
bad seen wonders done at opening
locks.
Her brisk interchange of compU-
meBts with Count Sachio had sat her
pulses stirring once more. She want
ed to set out—she wanted to escape,
and she proposed to escape. Once
mor. . ee, she admitted to herself, she
wov' 1 be willing enough to take the
a'\ a which but now she had
f lied—willing enough to take ship
i- ek home, to see the familiar aky
1.ne of her own city, to !in(J her own
place back in the smoky and grimy
city, her own place in the hum and
grind ot the old newspaper. How
good it would seem to her now to see
the faces of the local room. They
might chaff her all they liked. 'Ye*,
she would go back home.
And now, with achoolgirl finesse in
the employment ot tbe small instru
ment fit her dtsposal, she succeeded
In her burglary. She felt the lock turn
at last—felt it give—saw that she
could open the door. She did gpen
It—and closed It again.
Back ot her she heard once toore
tho creak ot the other door w It
opened. She tamecl—to iSucounter
store tha figure et Count S«ebl«.
R* *mi2ad «t her as ooca more h*
entered vnannonnceiL
tTO BE CONTINUBD.}
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