i|Srjl*c% e LASH of I
3. ICIROIMSIANQ;
FWJIFFFF HARRY IRVING GREENE _
Author of~Yoson<\e of the. Wilderness"
tllustrictlons ljy Magnus O. t
■ COPYVIOMT I4K) A. W. <». CIIAfMAN ?£-'Vo?2*
SYNOPSIS.
Ahner Tlalliday, a miserly millionaire.
AH found gagged, bound anil insensible in
llila room, his safe rifled and $40,000 miss-
BIIK- The thread of the story is taken up
J»y his nephew Tom. Living in the same
Blouse are other relatives; reckless Bruce
IHalliday and pretty Clare Winton. Bruce,
!who is a bond broker, lias been trying: to
jralse $10,00t) to put through a deal and
wtavo himself from financial ruin. He has
applied to his miserly uncle and to others
'for the loan hut has been refused. Tom
trends for William an old-time
I'ricni! connected with a detective agency,
Hlii relating the story Tom reverts to his
iacquaintance with a Mrs. Dace, a wealthy
widow, whose business agent Is Richard
[Mackay, a boodler and political boss.
Tom i* Jealous of Mackay and is deeply
[ln love with Mrs. Dace. Bruce Halliday
k/arns him to shun her as an adventuress.
CHAPTER Vl—(Continued.)
*'T_,ast night I happened to be pass-
Nag this place. I had no intention of
nspyiug upon you—l never dishonored
lyou by such acts—but fate ordained
Itliat I should be just in time to see
lyou alight with Richard Mackay. The
wloor of the lower entrance remained
(open for a few seconds after you had
Centered. I saw your scene with hiin
(before you entered the elevator."
Never in my life had I seen such a
Hchange come over a human counte
nance as swept hers at my words.
[The color fled in a flash and her
itiheeks became ashy gray. Into her
the instant before so soft there
(leaped the glitter of a leopardess as
ishe gathers herself for the leap. Tense
J and seeming to crouch, I saw the
iieopardess in every outline of her
kurved body. Then as suddenly she
S-elaxed; the glitter faded and the
teat of anger gave way to the cold-
Iness of scorn. She stepped backward
jwith a mocking bow.
"You honor lue greatly, my dear s/lr,
land T assure you that I shall never
forget it. Yesterday you told me that
U was an angel exalted above your
jjtope; today 1 am a fallen thing be
'neath your contempt. And all be
cause of a miserable occurrence like
!».hat! And you would have left me
with no opportunity to explain my
[guiltlessness had I not forced you to
(grant me that right."
"Your guiltlessness!" T returned as
Jleily. "I have charged you with no
jgnilt beyond treachery to me. You
Jiold me that no other man made love
Ito you, and I believed you. You had
Jtold m« that Mackey was merely your
[financial agent, and I pinned my heart
(upon your naked word. You have
crucified it. Yet I could forgive you
were it not for the fact that this man
jl.s married and has a family and you
iai-o well aware of it. I leave the ques
tion of your guiltlessness towards his
(wife to your own conscience."
Her bosom heaved and her hands
►tightened. "Listen," she said in a
Voice hard as steel. "You shall hear
tme out now, for there are things that
|you must know. Not that I care for
:your opinion, and not that I care to
lret.ain even your friendship after this,
but because it is my duty to myself
;aud to Mr. Mackay, who seems at
least, to respect me. I had told you
Biuch of my affairs, but not every
thing. Mr Mackay made certain in
vestments for my husband, and it was
principally that brought me
back from the Orient. lie has been
kind enough now that I am alone In
the world to protect them for me and
give me the benefit of his judgment
and experience that I might not have
to exist on the charity of friends. That
makes it necessary that I should some
times see him. As to what the world
says about me, I do not care the snap
trt my finger, for it has always ma
ligned me and I do not even take the
jjains to deny what it may say. As for
that 'scene in the hall,' as your high-
Mess seems pleased to designate it, I
have only to say this. I was taken ill
last night at a late luncheon at which
he happened to be present with oth
ers, and he hurried me home In his
car. 1 was very faint when we ar
rived here and he supported me with
his arm across the walk and into the
building. Before the elevator came
down I must have lost consciousness
for a moment, for when I regained
my senses he was holding me in his
arms to prevent my falling and bend
ing over me as he asked me what he
could do for me. In a moment I had
recovered my strength and requested
him to release me, which he immedi
ately did. He escorted me as far as
my door and left me there at my re
quest after I had assured him that
Janet would do all that was necessary
lor me. Mr. Mackay did no more than
any other gentleman would have done
under the circumstances."
The pride of her poise was magnifi
cent and the cold dignity of her tones
that of an outraged empress. Never
before had she seemed so beautiful,
BO pure, so womanly. " And groping for
something, no matter ho-v slight,
upon which to once more fasten my
faith in her, my jealousy and black
suspicions once more fled before her
bearing and explanation, and in their
place love and belief came surging
back. The terrible smothering weight
within me was lifted and 1 could have
cried aloud in the blessedness of my
relief. I fell upon my knees before
her as I brokenly begged her forgive
ness: clutching her convulsively by
the hand and pleading my heart out
that she be merciful. She listened In
t"ence to my arreals until they were
exhausted and then told mo I must
rise.
"I do not know what to say to you,"
•ato returned as I stood before her
in abject penitence. "That you have
hurt my pride more than it was ever
hurt before perhaps you may appre
ciate. I scarcely know what to think
of a love so ready to defame its ob
ject and so willing to condemn it un
heard. Certainly I could never go
through a scene such as this again. If
our acquaintance is to continue as be
fore, you must have unquestioning
faith in me. Should you ever doubt
me again I should despise you."
"I never shall. I have learned my
lesson and it will never be forgotten.
May I hope to be restored?" I begged
humbly. She turned her face away.
"That I cannot say now. I have
been hurt and it will take time for the
wound to heal. Still, in a measure I
am not without appreciation of your
feelings, for if I lacked that apprecia
tion I should have commanded you to
leave me permanently before this.
Neither do I think I blame you as much
as some women might. But at least my
day has been spoiled and I do not
care to leave the house. Also, I wish
to be alone. You may call me up in
a week if you wish, and I will tell
you at the end of that time how I feel
about it. Ido not now know whether
I can bring myself to a total forgive
ness or not, and if 1 find I cannot I
shall so inform you. But 1 am going
to try."
I would have given yqars of my
life to have taken her in my arms in
a final appeal, and must have made
some motion that caused her to fear
such an act, for she stepped back
ward quickly. "Please leave me now.
I will send you the keys by a mes
senger when I have recovered myself
sufficiently to make a search for
them." I obeyed her instantly, hum
bly.
"I shall be hopelessly miserable un
til the week has passed, and can only
pray that you be merciful," I impor
tuned from the entrance. She nodded
her understanding and I closed the
door between us upon my second ban
ishment.
I did not receive my keys, however,
until the next day. "Janet had mis
laid them," said the note, and nothing
more.
CHAPTER VII.
I have now come to the period im
mediately preceding the running of
the Derby, and upon the events of
that day 1 must dwell with some par
ticularity for the reason t hat they
form a very important part of this
narrative. Mrs. Dace was togo with me. j
After torturing me by a week of si- j
lence and suspense, I had been i
received back first upon probation, I
and soon later, more or less uncondi
tionally. It would do no good togo '
into the details of our readjustment of |
our former relations. There are some
things which may be expressed by
cold ink, but you have to see the hu
man countenance with its lightning
play of expression, and hear the hu
man voice in all its wondrous inflec
tions in order to form a correct mental
picture of certain scenes. But on the
whole her restoration of me was both
womanly and gracious. I came to her
a kneeling and penitent sufferer; she
touched me upon the forehead and I
arose healed. My spirits revived in
stantly in the sunshine of her forgive
ness and I renewed my worship.
The race was to be the out-of-doors
social as well as sporting event of the
season. I was an admirer of the beau
tiful. Next to a beautiful woman, a
thoroughbred horse appealed to me
as the most perfect of the world's
creatures. And although I had never
bet upon them, I had kept myself
well posted upon their performances
through the medium of the press.
Bruce, however, enthusiast.
Coming in contact as he did with
many of the more horse
owners and turfmen, he generally had
a store of more or less reliable in
side information as to both the run
ners and the imps who rode them.
Consequently I was not surprised
when upon the second day before the
great race was to be run he came to
me in a state of whispering excite
ment.
"Say, old man, I have got the best
thing that is ever going to happen
in this world, and of course 1 want
you to be in on it. I wouldn't trade
It for Aladdin's lamp. You know that
Eagle Boy horse that we have been
watching for the last year? Well,
he has developed into a simon pure
world beater. I got this on the dead
Q. T. from his owner who would break
his arm to do me a favor. That horse
is smashing all records by moonlight,
and even the railbirds haven't got on
to it yet. He is going to run away
from that bunch like a locomotive
leaves a mud turtle. And the odds
will be long against him. I am going
to plunge, and advise you to do the
same But if you dare breath it I'll
poison you."
I was not startled. As a matter of
fact for some time past I had had my
eyes on this great son of Black Eagle
as much the best horse of the lot;
therefore the news of his midnight
performances merely corroborated my
own judgment. I answered in an off
hand manner:
"1 rather look to see him win my
self. Hut you know I do not bet and
therefore cannot take advantage of
the opportunity. But 1 thank you just
the same for the Information."
Brute's countenance foil. "That'»
'so. You bonded fellows have to be
pretty careful of your sporting trans
actions." He brightened up again
and whispered hoarsely in my ear in
stage fashion: "However, in this in
stance you had better take a change;
let some friend put it up for you; say
some wise relative, for instance. A
hundred or two lost would not damage
you much, and a few thousand gained
would be ambrosia and nectar." He
winked cunningly.
Once more I told him that 1 could
not violate my traditions, and he
shrugged his shoulders; and away he
went at Eagle Hoy speed himself,
doubtless hot on the trail of some of
his particular cronies to whom he
could break the glad tidings. For
when Bruce had a chance to do bis
friends what he thought was a favor
he did not let the grass grow under
his feet until he had done it. It was
one of the traits that lay back of his
popularity. Of course 1 sincerely
hoped he would win, but I was always
afraid that his recklessness would
some day get him into trouble.
The afternoon upon which the race
was run will forever remain seared
upon my memory. I had been wise
enough to putin my order long in ad
vance at a fashionable stable, and as
a result my two-wheel outfit was about
as neat as could be found anywhere.
As I drove up to Mrs. Dace's with the
silver-mounted harness glittering in
the sun and the cob arching his neck
and tapping the boulevard with his
polished hoofs as daintily as a dan
cing girl, 1 experienced much the
same sensations as does a schoolboy
on the first day of his long vacation
when life as a well nigh endless prim
rose way stretches before him in a
vista glorious to contemplate. I was
at the full tide of youth and hope.
Charged to the full with health and
vitality, desperately in love with and
half accepted by one whom I thor
oughly believed to be the most beau
tiful woman in the world, 1 shook my
fist defiantly in the teeth of the grin
ning specter of my lack of money.
And realizing my domination for the
day the specter cringed and fled be
fore me.
The great migration of the day was
in full movement. Automobiles were
whizzing past honking like flights of
wild geese. Victorias and traps, drags
and tallyhos streamed behind them in
an endless procession. It was life
teeming and exultant. The world was
on parade dressed in its best clothes
and with its pockets lined with money,
and right royally did it proclaim the
fact, its headache of the morrow an
untlioiight-of thing
Mrs. Dace came down in a creation
I had never seen before, but which
fairly made me gasp with delight. I
shall make no attempt to describe it,
but the general impression it gave me
was of fleecy clouds in which were
blended delicate and changeful rain
bow tints that came and flitted like
summer shadows. She seemed rather
to float than walk, and when I gave
her my hand at the curb and she arose
from it to the high seat with the light
ness of a feather. I could scarcely be
lieve that she was made of warm, firm
flesh. The aggressiveness of her beau
ty challenged nearly every eye that
we passed, the men craning their
heads for a longer look, the women
searching her enviously. In my pride
of her and the enthusiasm of the mo
ment I whispered in her ear that she
was the most beautiful woman in all
the world and that I loved her dearer
than my own life. My reward was
a smile and a flash of her wonderful
eyes.
"I am glad you think so, Tom, even
though of course you are wrong. And
it is sweet of you to be so devoted to
me. 1 am really very happy to bo with
you." My fingers tightened about the
reins and my teeth clenched. In my
heart I swore that she should become
mine though the heavens fell.
We turned into the crush where the
converging boulevards emptied their
streams into the rolling sea of ve
si u . XM
In IVIy Heart I Swore That She Should Become Mine.
hides. Bugle calls vibrated tn our
ears; college yells shattered the air;
the beat of hoofs sounded like the
long roil of drums. Through the wide
entrance to.the club grounds we drove
into an arena banked by 30,000 peo
ple. Already the racing was on and
before us swept a cloud of preliminary
racer# with the jockeys humped over
their necks like so many colored sim
ians. Not far away I saw Clare
standing upright on her seat, her face
aglow with excitement and her head
nodding rapidly as she carried on a
running fire of conversation with a
cluster of friends. Her eyes fell upon
me and she waved her hand witli the
airy grace of a plume; but as she no
ticed my companion her smile grew
thin and vanished as for a moment
she surveyed her with a face that was
absolutely expressionless. Mrs. Dace,
whose attention had been attracted to
my cousin by my waved reply to her
salutation, returned Clare's gaze,
smiling faintly. Amusement lurked
within her eyes like a reflection deep
down in unruffled waters.
"My cousin, Miss Winton, of whom
I have often spoken," I explained
nonchalantly. The one at my side
gave her attention to the tlying racers.
"An exceedingly pretty girl. You
are very fond of each other, T be
lieve," she returned with a slight
rising inflection. I hastened to an
swer.
"In a way, yes. She is a very good
and sweet girl and we are the best of
friends. But of course that is all."
Through the press Bruce came jam
ming his way. his necktie awry from
the scuffle and his face a-grin with en
thusiasm. He bobbed my companion
a hurried bow and then shouted
something to me as a surge of the
crowd bore him along.
"Last call for prosperity in the bet
ting ring," was all that 1 could catch
of it as, still gesticulating, he was
swept away. Mrs. Dace looked after
him.
"What did he mean by that?" she
demanded. I enlightened her.
"Oh, Bruce has got a straight tip
from a horsey friend of his that Eagle
Boy is going to win. So I suppose he
is now going to back him to his limit.
He would as soon sit down and watch
the hands of a clock go around as to
see a race unless he had a wager on
it." The light of interest came into
her eyes.
"And you think what?" she queried,
searching my face. I meditated.
"To tell the truth I think his horse
will win. 1 know something about the
beasts, you know, having been raised
on a Kentucky stock farm. The horse
is a wonder, sure enough, and Bruce
says he has been breaking records by
moonlight. Then, too, Pettit, who
rides him today, is a fiend in the sad
dle. He can lift a horse off his hoofs
and carry him around the track be
tween his knees as a witch rides a
broom. If I was to bet on the race
Eagle Boy would carry my wealth to
day."
"And the odds?" she mused.
"They are ten to one against him
at present, bwt they will go down like
a falling rocket when the crowd has
once had an opportunity of seeing him
in motion. He is a Pegasus. He seems
to soar rather than run. li' they have
a horse that can beat him. that horse
can catch birds." I was surprised at
the warmth of my own enthusiasm.
She opened her purse with a snap
and her fingers dived into its depths.
Presently she drew forth a SSOO bill and
crumpled it into my palm. "Bruce is
a shrewd fellow and you are a born
horseman. I am going to rely upon
your combined judgment. I wish you
would go and place this on him for
me," was her announcement. Now. 1
had always considered that to consent
to be an agent for a woman in a gam
ing transaction was rushing in
where angels might well fear to tread.
1 hesitated.
"But of course I do not know which
one will win. It is difference of judg
ment that makes horse racing pos-
Well Placed Among the Leaders, I Saw the Powerful Haunches of Eagl»
Boy.
sible, you understand." I warned lier.
She tightened my fingers about the
money, thrusting my hand from her
imperiously.
"I have said that T am going to re
ly upon your Judgment. At ten to one,
should I win, ! will have made $5,000.
Do you wish me togo myself? If not,
you had best hurry."
For the first time really chilled by
doubt and feeling my convictions ooze,
I continued to protest. "But he may
be pocketed, he may foul another
horse, he may be left at the post—
anything may happen in the race to
make him lose." She looked at me
steadily, silently, 1 thought almost con
temptuously, and without more words
I pocketed the bill. Through the
crush of the betting ring I fought my
way, placed my money in the hands of
a perspiring man who stood upon a
stool and came back to her warm and
crumpled. Already the Derby racers
had galloped the course in their pre
liminary warming up nnrt were now
chafing before the flag. T gave her Ihe
ticket for her wager and resumed my
seat in a throbbing hush.
Then came a roar like the crash of
surf and a thunderous wave of sound
boomed across the field and was
echoed back by the distant walls. In
a compact bunch and stretching them
selves like greyhounds the horses
swept past us. For an instant I felt
a sensation of giddiness and closed my
eyes; then opening them once more
riveted them on the field as it cir
cled the course with the speed of
hawks. Well placed among the lead
ers I saw the powerful haunches of
Eagle Hoy working with the smooth
power of pistons as they steadily
drove him into the foremost rank.
With a roar of hoofs they turned the
last curve and came into the stretch,
while the sea of humanity rising upon
tiptoe burst into full tongue. Mrs.
Dace was upon her feet and watching
them with parted lips. I sat beside
her with parched lips, my knees
shaking. Then from out of the bunch
a black horse that shone like a pol
ished shoe forged a yard at a bound,
and putting a good length between
himself and his nearest follower, led
the way homeward in a burst of speed
that was truly magnificent. Pettit
was fairly lifting him from his feet,
his whip flicking, stinging him on like
a venomous yellow striped wasp. I
fiercely clutched my companion's arm.
"Eagle Hoy wins,"l roared in her ear.
Then as in a nightmare I saw the
happening of an evil thing. A dozen
yards from the wire and when two
more leaps would have brought him
victory, there came a stumble that
sent the great black one crashing to
the ground, while over him his near
est rival hurtled as a jumper clears
a fence. From the vast crowd there
arose first a cry, shrill and explosive,
followed by an instant of silence and
then a raging tumult. I heard an in
voluntary exclamation from the lips
of the woman at my side and turned
to her with the cold perspiration
bursting from my forehead. Her lips
were tightly compressed and she was
gazing fixedly at the fallen horse as
he arose with difficulty. The jockey
was ulready limping about and the
mob surging upon the track.
"I guess that race is settled for all
time," she said quietly as she snapped
her pocket-book shut. "I suppose we
might as well be going." Her face re
sumed its placidity, but she turned It
away from me. Half dazed by the sud
denness of the catastrophe my hand
hought hers in a sympathetic squeeze.
She did not respond.
I whipped through the crush reck
lessly in my chagrin and bitterness.
Silently cursing my folly 1 drove
her homeward with but a perfunctory
attempt at conciliation. Even to that
she did not reply, and I decided that
I had better remain quiet until she
had recovered her equilibrium. I had
never seen a woman whom ij consid
ered a good loser, and there v\os that
in her demeanor now which i|arned
me lu caution. Silence on the ■art of
the fair sex T had always regarded a#
ominous, and before her quietn
now sat wretchedly.
CHAPTER VIII.
I know of few things more unc-om
fortable than for a man to pose be
fore the woman he loves in the garb
of a sage, and being suddenly un
veiled to realize that he stands re
vealed to her as a naked fool. That I
had been asinine enough to air my
opinions to her as a self-styled expert
upon such an impossible proposition
as the winner of a horse race galled
me to the marrow. My humiliation
was all the more complete for the
reason that in this, the first financial
transaction in which I had advised
her, she had come to grief. No one
knew better than I the unforgivable
ness of my offense. Man may lead
woman astray in love and be wept
over through the darkness of many
a night; he may counsel her out of
her hope of a hereafter and yet die
with her arms around his neck; he
may separate her from the world and
still reign as ber king, but when he
separates her from her pocket-book
he becomes a rascal or a clown in her
eyes. .Tust how Mrs. Dace made me
know that I had lost caste in her
favor was not a thing that could be
analyzed, but in some mysterious way
she saw to it that I knew it. Perhaps
it was by the almost imperceptible
arching of her eyebrows when i
chanced to express my views upoa
some matter; perhaps it was in the
occult way some women have of mak
ing you uncomfortable when they
wish you to be so without discernable
physical manifestations on their part,
and perhaps it was partially due to
my own sensitiveness upon the sub
ject. More than likely it was a com
pound of the three. Be that as it may,
1 became almost timid in her pres
ence; and knowing that this would
never do, grow desperate. T had never
believed that a man could retain a
woman's love unless he could com
mand her respect as to his mentality,
and I, therefore, determined to re'n
state myself to my former position at
any cost. Clearly the only way I
could do this would be to reimburse
her for her loss in so delicate a man
ner that she could neither take offense
nor refuse. 1 pondered over the mat
ter for about ten days and determined,
to take a plunge, sink or swim. 1
transferred what money I had in tin
savings bank to my overdrawn cb>ck
ing account.
1 had been watching the steady rls<
of a certain stock upon the exchang
for some months with secret covetous
ness. It pertained to a vast system o
underground railways which were t<
honeycomb the depths beneath th<
city. The franchise had been securei
through political sorceries, and th«
capital to float the enterprise was bf
ing raised by public investment A
steadily as the mercury mounts unde
a summer sun the stock had advancei
point by point from a merely noinitia
sum until it had reached thirty cent
on the dollar. The more I pondere
upon the yearly increasing value o
such a system as the overhead street
became more congested, the more
became convinced that public rumo
would be verified and that the stoc
would soon be at par. Without coi
tiding In any one except my broke
and binding him to secrecy. I ma
gined a considerable quantity of it an
watched its dally rise with a heai
that mounted as steadily as my fo
tunes. A week later I strolled ovr
to see Mrs. Pace.
(TO BE CONTINUED )
His Busy Day.
"The visitor who left Just no
didn't seem to make a good lmpre
slon."
"I should say not! Ills remar?
were illuminating, but they bored n
to death "
"Indeed ?"
"Yes; he was Introducing a ••
kind of desk lamp "