PAGE SEVEN — T — I CAFEMA1 8T AM AND WATM , EATCEDAT, MAT »n. * II 1 — — r— — — — |

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Tit ministers eyes sought Court- ? landt'e face obliquely. Strange young man, he "thought. From the expres- • I slon of his face be might hare been a f spectator rather than the person most vitally concerned in this little scene. And what a pair they made! "Monsieur Courtlandt, you will give me your word of honor not to annoy mademoiselle again?" "I promise never to annoy her ! again." For the briefest moment the blazing I blue eyes clashed with the calm brown 1 onea. The latter were first to deviate j ! from the line. It was not agreeable j | to look into a pair of eyee burning j with the hate of one's self. Perhaps j ( this conflagration was Intensified by | the placidity of his gaze. If only there j had been some sign of anger, of contempt. anything but this incredlblo ! tranquillity against which she longed J to cry out! She was too wrathful to notice the quickening throb of the i veins on his temples. "Mademoiselle, I find no case against Monsieur Courtlandt, unless you wish to appear against him for his forcible entrance to your apartment." Mora shook her head. Tho chief of police stroked his mustache to hide the fleeting smile. A peculiar case, the like of which had never before come under his scrutiny! "Circumstantial evidence, we "know, points to him; but we have also an alibi which Is incontestable. We must look elsewhere tdr your abductors. Think; have yon not some enemy? Is there no one who might wish you worry and Inconvenience? Are your associates all loyal to you? Is there any Jealousy?" "No. none at all, monsieur," quickly ■ and decidedly. "In my opinion, then, the whole affair le a hoax, perpetrated to vex and annoy you. The old man who employed the chauffeur may not have been old. I have looked upon all sides of the affair, and It begins to look like a practical Joke, mademoiselle." "Ah! "angrily. "And am I to have no redress? Think of the misery I have gone through, the suspense! My voice Is gone. I shall not be able to sing again for months. Is it your suggestion that I drop the investigation?" "Yes, mademoiselle, for It does not look as If we could get anywhere with It If you insist I will hold Monsieur Courtlandt; but I warn you the magistrate would not hesitate to dismiss the case Instantly. Monsieur Courtlandt arrived In Marseilles Thursday morning; he reached Paris Friday morning. Since arriving in Paris he baa fully accounted for his time. It Is Impossible that he could have arranged for the abduction. Still, if you say. I can hold him for entering your ~ThatDwould be but a farce." Nora rose. "Monsieur, permit me to wish you good day. For my part, I shall pursue this matter to the end. I believe this gentleman guilty, and I shall do my best to prove it. I am a woman, and all alone. When a man has powerful friends, it Is not difficult to build an alibi." That is a reflection upon my word, mademoiselle," quietly interposed the minister. "Monsieur has baen Imposed upon," ' Mora walked to the door. "Walt a moment, mademoiselle," said the prefect. "Why do you Insist upon prosecuting him for something of which he is guiltless, when you could have him held for something of which he Is really guilty?" "The one Is trivial; the other Is a " anions outrage. Good morning." The attendant closed the door behind her. i "A very determined young woman," i mused the chief of police. "Exceedingly," agreed the minister. Courtlandt got up wearily. But the i chief motioned him to be reseated. "I do not say that I dare not pur- i sue my investigations; but now that < mademoiselle is safely returned, I pre- i fer not to." i "May I ask who made this request?" asked Courtlandt. "Request? Yes, monsieur, it was a request not to proceed further." "From where?" "As to that, you will have to consult the head of the stato. I am not at liberty to make the disclosure." The minister leaned forward eagerly. "Then there Is a political side to itr r "There would be If everything had not turned out so fortunately." *T believe I understand ndw," said Courtlandt, his face hardening. Strange, he had not thought of It before. His skepticism bad blinded him to all but one angle. "Your advice to drop the matter Is excellent" The chief of police elevated his brows Interrogatively. "For 1 presume," continued Courtlandt, rising, "that mademoiselle's abductor Is by this time safely across the frontier." CHAPTER VI. Battling Jlmmls. There Is e heavenly terrace, flanked by marvelous trees. To the left, far down below. Is a curving, dark-shaded.

turquoise boffy of water "called Lecco; ] to the right there lies the queen of I 'lakes, the crown of Italy, a corn-flower ] - sapphire known as porno. It is the Place of Honeymoons. Rich lobars come and Idle there; and lovere of modest means rush up to It and down j frcm It to catch the next steamer to i | Menagglo. Eros was not bom In Greece: of all barren mountains, unstirring, Hymettus, or Olympus, or whatever they called It in the days of the junketing gods, is completest. j No; Venus went a-tourlng and abode | a while upon thla same gracious spot, j once dear to Pliny the younger. ! Seated on one of the rustic benches, I his white tennis shoes resting against | the lower iron of the railing, a Bavarian dachel snoozing comfortably across his knees, was a man of fifty. He was broad of shoulder, deep of chest, and clean-shaven. He had laid aside his Panama hat, and his hair was clipped closely, and was pleasantly and honorably sprinkled with gray. His face was broad and tanned ; | the nose was tilted, and the wide j mouth was both kindly and humorous, j One knew, from the tint of his blue | eyes and the quirk of his lips, that j when be spoke there would be a bit | of brogue. He was James Harrigan, | one time celebrated In the ring tor his ; gameness, his squareness, his endur- j ance; "Battling Jlmmle" Harrigan, : who, when he encountered his first knockout, retired from the ring. He i had to his credit sixty-one battles, of which he had easily won forty. He I had been outpointed In some and had broken even In others; but only once had he been "railroaded Into dream- j | land," to use the parlance of the game.

"This la a Grave Accusation to Make." :

That was enough. He understood. Youth would be served, and he was 1 no longer young. Hs had, ugilTke the many in bis peculiar service, lived cleanly and with wisdom and fore- I sight: he had saved both hie money ; and his health. Today be was at ] peace with the world, with three I sound appetites the day and the j wherewithal to gratify them.' Today "Battling Jlmmle" was forgotten by the public, and be was happy In the seclusion of this torgetfulness. A new and strange career had opened up before him; he was the father of the moEt beautiful prima donna in the operatic world, and, dlffl:ult as the task was, he did bis best to live up to It It -was hard not to « offer to shake hands when he was 1 presented to a princess or a duchess; it was hard to remember when to change the studs In his shirt; and a white cravat was the terror of his nights, tor his fingers, broad and stubby and powerful, had not been trained to the delicate task of tying a bow knot By a judicious blow Tn that spot where tho ribs dlvaric&e he could right well tie his adversary) into a bowknot, but this string of .'white lawn was a most damnable thing. Still, the puttering of the two women, their dally ooncern over his deportment, was bringing him Into conformity with 6oclal usages. One thing he rebelled against openly, and with such | firmness that the women did not press j him too strongly for fear of a general j revolt. On no occasion, however lm- j pressive, would he wear a silk hat. ! Christmas and birthday^ Invariably called forth the gift of a silk hat, for the women trusted that they could overcome resistance by persistence, j He never said anything, but It was noticed that the hotel porter, or the gardener, or whatever masculine head (save his own) was available, came forth resplendent on .feast days and Sundays. Leaning back In whirop chair, with his shoulders resting against the' oak, was the Barone. altogether a different type. He was frowning over the pages of Bagot's Italian Lakes, and hs wasn't making much headway. He was Italian to the core, for all that hs aped the English style and manner. Hs could speak the tongue with

j fluency, but be i"tumble3 ahTYaltered miserably over the soundless type. | His clothes had the Piccadilly cut, and his mustache, erstwhile waxed and militant, was cropped at the corners. thoroughly Insular. He was thirty, and undeniably handsome. Near the fountain, on the green, was a third man. He was In the act of folding up an easel and a campstool. _ From a window In the villa came a voice; only a Hit of a melody, no i words, — half a dozen bars from Martha; but every delightful note 1 went deep Into the three masculine hearts. Harrigan smiled and patted the dog. The Italian scowled at the vegetable garden directly below. The artist scowled at the Italian. "Fritz, Fritz; here, Fritz!" The dog struggled In Harrigan 's hands and tore himself loose. He went clattering over the path toward the villa and disappeared Into the doorway. -Nothing could keep him when j that voice called. He was as ardent ; a lover as any, and far more favored. | "Oh, "you funny little dog! You J merry little dachel! Fritz, mustn't; let go!" Silence. ! The artist knew that she was cuddllng the puppy to her heart, and his j own grew twisted. He stooped over his materials again and tied the box j to the easel and the stool, and shifted them under his arm. | "111 be up after dinner, Mr. Harrigan," he said. | "All right, Abbott" Harrigan waved his hand pleasantly. . He was becoming so used to the unvarying statement that Abbott would be up after dinner, that his reply was by now ; purely mechanical. "She's getting her ! voice back all right: eh?" j "Beautifully! But I really don't think she ought to sing at the Haines' j villa Sunday." "One song won't hurt her. She's made up her mind to sing. There's nothing for us to do but to sit tight" i The artist took the path that led around the villa and thence down by many steps to the village by the wa- ■ terside, to the cream-tinted cluster of shops and enormous hotels. I Below, In the village, a man entered the Grand hotel. He was tall, blond. I rosy-cheeked. He carried himself like one used to military service; also, like i one used to giving peremptory orders. The porter bowed, the director bowed, | and the proprietor himself became a living carpenter's square, hinged. The porter and the director recognized a ! personage; the proprietor recognized the man. It was of no consequence i that the new arrival called himself Herr Rosen. He was assigned to a , suite of rooms, and on returning to I the bureau, the proprietor squinted ' his eyes abstractedly. He knew every j | woman of Importance at that time re- j | siding on the Point. Certainly It could I j be none of these. Hlmmel! He struck j his hands together. So that was it: { I the singer. He recalled the hints In j certain newspaper paragraphs, the little tales with the names left to the > I Imagination. So that was It? | What a woman! Men looked at her and Tent mad. And not so long ago j one had abducted her in Paris. The proprietor threw up his hands in de- . spair. What was going to happen to I the peace of this bucolic spot?- The youth permitted nothing to stand in his way, and the singer's father was | a retired fighter with boxing gloves! | In the ballroom that evening that little eon of Satan called mallce-afore- i thought took possession of Nora; and j there was havoc. If a certain Amer- j ^ lean countesv had not patronized her: j ' ' if certain lorgnettes (Implements of ( j torture used by said eon of Satan) bad not been leveled In her direction; if ' j certain fans had not been suggestively spread between pairs of feminine . heads, — Nora would have been as harmless as a playful kitten. From door to door of the ballroom J her mother fluttered like a hen with a duckling. Even Celesta was dis- I 1 turbed, for she shw that Nora's con- ' ' duct was not due to any light-heart eC ' fun. There was something bitter anc ironic cloaked by thos* smiles, that tinkle of laughter. In fact, Nora from Tuscany flirted outrageously. The Barone sulked and tore at his mat- 1 I lache He committed any number ( of-murdera, by eye and by wish. When | his time came to dance with the mlB- , chief-maker, he whirled her around savagely, and never said a word; and , I once done with, he sternly returned ] her to her mother, which he deemed ' the wisest course to pursue. I "Nora, you are behaving abominably!" whispered her mother, pale with indignation. "Well, I am' having a good tlmo . . . Your dance? Thank you." And a tender young American led ( her through the mazes of the waltz, as , some poet who knew what he was ] about phrased It. ( By way of parenthesis: Herr Rosen , marched up the hill and down again, j something after the manner of a cer- , tain warrior king celebrated In vara*. , The object of his visit had gone to the | ball at Cadenabbla. At the hotel he j

jssizaijT mSoFboa VS5V»=:' none to be had. la a furious state of ; xOs I !

"1 Am a Prince," H* Said Proudly,

mind he engaged two oarsmen to row him across the lake. And so It came to pass that when Nora, suddenly grown weary of the play, full of bitterness and distaste, hating herself and every one else In j the world, stole out to the quay to j commune with the moon, she saw him j jump from the boat to the landing j scorning the steps. Instantly she drew , her lace mantle closely about her face. It was useless. In the man the hunt- j er's Instinct was much too keen. | "So I hare found you!" j "One would say that I had been to hiding?" coldly. "From me, always. I have left ev- ' ery thing — duty, obligations — to seek you." "From any other man that might be a compliment" "I am a prince," he said proudly. She faced him with that quick resolution. that swift forming of purpose, | which has made the Irish so difficult j in argument and persuasion. "Will j you marry me? WU1 you make me ) your wife legally? Before all the ! 1 world? Will you surrender, for the 1 sake of this love you profess, your I right to a great inheritance? Will you j risk the anger and the iron hand of j your father for my sake?" i "Herr Qott! I am mad!" He covered his eyee. ] "That expression proves that your Highness is sane again. Have you realized the annoyances, the embarrassments, you have thrust upon me by your pursuit? Have you. not read i the scandalous innuendoes to the news- : papers? Your Highness, I was not born on the Continent, so I look upon my work from a point of view not common to those of your caste. I am j proud of It, and I look upon It with ! honor, honor. I am a woman, but I am not wholly defenseless. There was a time when I thought 1 might num- i ber among my friends a prince; but | you have made that Impossible." j "Come," be said hoarsely; "let us go and find a priest. You are right. I I love you ; I will give up everything, \ everything!" | For a moment she was dumb. This absolute surrender appalled her. But j that good fortune which had ever been at her side stepped into the breech. j.And as she saw the tall form of the j Barone approach, she could have thrown ber arms around his neck to I pure gladness. j "Oh. Barone!" she called. "Am I making you miss this dancer* "It does not matter, slgnorina." The Barone stared keenly at the erect and tenso figure at the prima donna's side. "You will excuse me. Herr Rosen," said Nora, as she laid ber hand upon the Ba rone's arm. Herr Rosen bowed stiffly; and the two left him standing uncovered In | the moonlight "What is be doing here? What has : he been saying to you?' the barone | demanded. Nora withdrew her hand from his arm. "Pardon me," said be ] contritely. "I have no right to ask i you such questions." ' It was not long after midnight when i the motor-boat returned to its abiding i place. On the way over conversation lagged, and finally died altogether. Mrs. Harrigan fell asleep against Ceshoulder, and the musician never deviated her gaze from the silver ripples whizh flowed out diagonally and magically from the prow of the boat. Nora watched the stars slowly ascend over the eastern range of mountains: and across the fire of his Innumerable cigarettes the Barone watched her. As the boat was made fast to the landing in front of the Grand hotel. Celeste observed a man In evening dress, lounging against the rail cf the The search light frcm the customs boat, hunting for tobacco smugglers, flashed over bis face. She could not repress the little gasp, and her tightened upon Nora's arm. "What is It?" asked Nora "Nothing. 1 thought I was slipping." CHAPTER VII. Colonel Caxley-Webster. Abbott's studio was under the roof of one of the little hotels that stand timorously and humbly, yet expectantbetween the Imposing creem-stuc-co ot the Grand hotel at one end and the elaborate ptok-stucco of the Grande . at the other. The hob-nailed shoes of the Teuton (who wears his mountain kit all the way from Ham- ' to Palermo) wore up and down -«*• stairs all jay; and the racket from

the steamboat landing, the shonta of ' the begging boatmen, the quarreitoc 1 of the children and the barking of en- : pedigreed dog* — these nolsea were In- . peasant from dawn until sunset. The artist glared down from his square window at the ruffled water*, or scowled at the fleeting snowa on the mountains over the way. He passed some ten orstwelve minutes to this useless occupation, but he could not get away from the bald fact that | he had acted like a petulant child. To ! have shown his hand so Openly, simply ! because the Barone had beaten him to | the race for the/ motor-boat! And j Nora would understand that be was !weak an«J without backbone. Harri- 1 gan himself must have reasoned out the cause for such asinine plays as ; ho had executed in the game of cbeck- | era. How many times had the old man called out to him to wake up and | move? In spirit he had been across I the lake, a spirit In Hades. He was j not only a fool, but a coward likewise, j He had not dared to . . . put It to the touch | To gain or loae It all. | He saw It coming; before long he and that Italian would be at each oth- ! er's throats. j "Come to!" he called, to response to a sudden thun'der on the door. | The door opened and a short, energetic old man, purple- visaged and hawk-eyed, came In. "Why the devil ' don't you Join the Trapptst monks, Abbott? If I wasn't tough I should I have died of apoplexy on the second j landing.' "Good morning. Colonel!" Abbott : laughed and rolled out the patent rock- : er for hla guest. "What's on your j mind this morning? I can give you j one without lee." I "Til take it neat, my boy. I'm not 1 thirsty, rm faint. These Italian archl- | tects; they call three ladders flights 1 of stairs! . . . Ha! That's Irish whisky, and jolly line. Want you to come | over and take tea this afternoon. I'm going up presently to see the Harri- : gans. Thought I'd go around and do I the thing Informally. Taken a fancy to the old chap. He's a little bit of all right. I'm no older than he Is, but j look at the difference! Whisky and ' soda, that's the racket. Not by the I tubful; Just an ordinary half dozen a day, and a dem climate thrown to" I "Difference to training." "Rot! It's the sized hat a man I wears. I'd give fifty guineas to see .the old fellow to action. But, I say; recall the argument we had before you went to Paris?" "Yes." "Well, I win. Saw him bang across the street this morning." Abbott mattered something. ' "What was thatr "Nothing." "Sounded like 'dem it" to me." "Maybe it did." "Heard about him to Paris?" "No." "The old boy had transferred his ! regiment to a lonesome post in the \ North to cool his blood. Thb young- ' ster took the next train to Paris. Ha I was there Incognito for two weeks b» | fore they found him and bundled him j back. Of course, every one knows thai he is but a crazy lad who's had too | much freedom." The colonel emptied his glass. "I feel dem sorry for Nora, j She's the right sort. But a woman can't take a man by the scruff of his neck and chuck him." "But I can," declared Abbott savagely. "Tut, tut! He'd eat you alive. Bo sides, you will find him too clever to give you an opening. But he'll bear watching. He's capable of putting her on a train and running away with her. Between you and me. I don't blame him. What's the matter with ricking the Barone on him? He's the best man In southern Italy with foils and broadswords. Sic 'em. Towser; sic 'em!" The eld fire-eater chuckled. The subject was extremely distasteful to the artist. The colonel, a rough soldier, whose diplomacy had never risen above the heights of clubbing a recalcitrant hlllman Into submission. baldly Inferred that he understood the artist's interest to the rose of the Harrigan family. He would have liked to talk more to regard to the Interloper, but It would have been sheer folly. The colonel, to his blundering way, would have brought up the subject again at tea-time and put everybody on edge. He had. unfortunately for hie friends, a reputation other than that of a soldier: be posed as a peacemaker. He saw trouble where none existed, and the way he patched up Imaginary quarrels would have strained the patience of Job. Still, every one loved him, though they lived in mortal fear of him. So Abbott came about quickly and sailed against the wind. "By the way," he said. "I wish you would let me sketch that servant of yours. He's got a profile like a medallion. Where did you pick him up?" "In the Hills. He's a Sikh, and a first-class fighting man. Didn't know ' "Not" as a usual thing Just want u for my own ure. How does be keep his b.ard combed that way?" "I've never bothered myself about the curl of his whiskers. Are my clothes laid out? Luggage attended to? Guns shipshape? That's enough for me. Some duy you have got to go out there with me." "Never shot a gun In all" my life. I don't know which end to hold at my shoulder." "Teach you quick enough. Every man's a born hunter. Rao will have tigers eating out of your hand. He's a marvel; saved my hide more "»«»i once. Funny thing; you can't show , 'em that you're grateful. Loae cast* j If you do I rather miss It. Get the East to your blood and youll never get it out. Fascinating! But .my llvar

1 Some one coming up to boy a picture." r ! The. step outside was firm and ua- - wearied by the climb The door opened - unceremoniously, and Oourtlandt cam* : to He stored at the eelonel and U« • colonel returned the store. U j "Caxley-Webster! Well. I say. this I globe goes on shrinking every day!" 9 cried Courtlandt. II The two pumped hands energetical 1 ly. siting each other up critically. I Then they sat down and shot que*0 tiouB. while Abbott looked on bewik f dered. Elephant* and tigers end chiu 9 tabs and wild boar and qcs.ll-rur.nlng 1 and strange guttural namrs; w ol, ring 8 nights In the jungles, freezing morals; togs -in the Hills; stupendous card t games; and what had Become of ao> s ; and-so, who always drank his whisk* [" | neat; and w hat's-hls-name, who inI j vented cures for snake bites! d Abbott deliberately pushed over aa 8 oak bench. "Am Ilioat here or not?" 8 "Abby. old man, how are you?" said x Courtlandt, smlltof warmly and holdI tog out his hand "My apologies; but the colonel and I never expected to see' each other again. And 1 find hla 8 talking with you up here under this root It's marvelous." "It'a a wonder you wouldn't drop a « fellow a line," said Abbott, to a (auto finding tone, as he righted the bench. »- "When did you come?" d "Last night Came up from Co mo." U "Going to stay long?" '■ "That depends. 1 am really on my d way to Zermatt I've a hankering to d have another try at the Matterhora." "Think of that!" exclaimed the :t colonel. "He aaya another try." fr « "You came a roundabout way," was r the artist's comment » "Oh. that's because I left Paris for Brescia They had some good flight* »t there. Wonderful year! They cross I* the channel in an airship and discover a the North Pole." <*, *• "Pah! Neither win be of any us* 6 to humanity; merely a fine ■ porting n proposition." The colonel dug into hi* pocket for his pipe. *But what do 0 you think of Germany V y "Fine country," answered Court. >{ landt. rising and going to a window; it "fine people, too. Why?" d "Do you — er — think they could whig i* ns?" • "On land, yea." "The devil!" "On water, no." n "Thanks. In other words, you b» • lieve our chances equal?" "So equal that all this war-scare la >Q piffle. But I rather like to see you English get up to the air occasionally. It win do you good. You've an II Idea because you walloped Napoleon that you're the same race you were then, and you are not The Englishspeaking races, as the Drat soldiers, have ceased to be." "Wen, I be dem!" gasped the colonel. "It's the truth. Take the American, he thinks there is nothing in the world but money. Take the Britisher, to is him caste is everything. , Take ths i* money out of one man's mind and th* K- importance of being well-born out o!

Jj 1 "I'll Take It Neat, My l.. "

e j the other . . " He turned from the e | window and smiled at the artist and d | the empurpling Anglo-Indian. I. "Abbott," growled the soldier, "that d ; man win some day drive me amuck. 8 j What do you think? One night, on a e ! tiger hunt, he got me Into an argument like this. A brute of a beast J Jumped into the middle of 1L Courtf landt shot him on the second bound, - and turned to me with — 'Well, as I " | was saying!' I don't know to this day i 1 whether it was nerve or what you ' Americans call gal]/' "Divided by two." grinned Abbott. ' "Ha, I see; half nerve and half galL ( To be continued.) t — ^ , , There Is more Catarrh In this section of the country than all otlirr diseases put 1 together, and until the last few years , was supposed to bo incurable. For a great many years doctors pronounced It a lo?al disease and prescribed local remedies, and by constantly falling to cure with 1-cal treatment, pronounced It Incurable. Bdf ence haa proven Catarrh to be a constitutional disease, and therefore requires constitutional treatment. Hall's Catarrh f Cure, manufactured by F. J. Cheney & , Co., Toledo, Ohio, la tho only Conrt;:ntlonal erne on tho market. It is taken !c- ■ tarnally In doaes from 10 drops to a tas1 R3°eiou,ItmSie5'»e2^^ » Address: T. 3. CBXKCt A OCX. Tallin, C. r Gold by DniRtsta, tie. - *aka Hair* Fa»Hy Pins torus titnllifc 4