The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 13, 1899, Page 27

THE SUNDAY. CALL 25 at one ti a trip to Greece hop y for an answer to his sul ces her trip to Gree a most mat regarded by Coleman s war correspondent ¢ ondon. On the steamer he meets Nora Blacls, friend, who pays him marked att n. nued.] ve never been decorated for informing peo- “but 1 should say that you were Coleman remained cool. of their own affaira,” he observed, as much of an artist as I am.” 1g slightly she refiected upon this reply. Then of a sudden she “There is no use in being angry with you, Rufus. You always hopeless scamp. But,” she added, childlshly wistful, “have vou ly by Night'? Don’t you thinK my dance in the second act is ut of cou verybc by There was a long silence as they walked up and dowh the swaying fiffl"i “Do you know,” said Nora at last, “I like you, Rufus Coleman. . UFR - know any good reason for it either, unless it Is because you are a were tte. Now, when I was asking you if you were to be in London yo! fectly ¢ You knew 1 was anxious.” det cried Coleman, feigning amazement. “Why, what did 7 5 v Ay he sud- t so much what you sald,” began Nora slowly. Then sh 1ged her manner. *“Oh, well, don’t let’s talk about it any more. | « £ ble person sometimes." h. Only—you are a disagreeable p ometimeai han s. ~After two hours cribbled a message on a card and sent it below. He recelvee s Black hmli headache and felt too i1l to come on deck. oking room. The three card players glanced up, grl atter?” asked the wine merchant. ‘You look angry. Coleman had purposely wreathed his features in a fed expression, so he was for a moment furious at the denly ch It's_too_fool In the morning, as the vessel steamed up the Iri on deck, keeping furtive watch on the cabin ing he wa irl,” he thought to himself. 1o has succeeded in 'these begears e ha e me.” e mused that if he had another 3 would show her how disagreeable or detestable or scampleh he Cas under some circumstances, He reflected ruefuily that the complacencs T UWhich he had accepted the comradeship of the belle of the voyage gt have been somewhat overdone. Perhaps he had got a little out of T ortion. He was annoyed at the stares of the other men in the smok- Pag room, who seemed now te he reading his discomfiture. As for Jora ht of her wistfully and angrily as a superb woman whose t Rlack. he thou ompany was honor and_joy ‘ment for any sacrifices. G oAy S O mtter? - persisted the wine merchant. “You look grumoy,”’ nea G Moarpool as the -as belng slowly warped to the landing crowded the deck with thelr handb stage by s gs, the pas nates for fifteen minutes and then he pays me a lovely compliment. Then he ruminates for another fifteen minutes and cooks up another fine thing It is too tiresome. Do you know what Kind of man I like?” she afke softly and confidentially. And here she sank back in her chair until Coles man knew from the tingle that her head was but a few inches from his head. Her sleeves touched him. He turned more wooden under the Spe of the orris root and violet. Her courtiers thought it all a graceful pose but Coleman believed otherwise. Her voice sank to the liquid siren notg of a succubus. “Do you know what kind of a m I like? Really hke«fl like a man that a woman can’t bend in a thousand different ways il '\'E minutes. He must have some steel in him. He obliges me to admire h = the most when he remalns stolid; stolid to my lures. Ah, that is the only kind of @ man who can ever break a heart among us women of the world. ifs stolidity is not real; no; it is mere art; but it is a highly finished art and often enough we can't cut through it. Really we can't. And then we /“actually come to—er—care for the man. Really we may. Isn't It oa At the end Coleman arose and strolled out of the room, smoking a cigarerte. He did not betray a sign. Before the door clashed softly behind fifm Nora laughed a little defiantly, perhaps a little loudly. It made every an in the grillroom perk up his ears. As for her courtiers, they were entranced. In her description of the conquering man she had easlly con- trived that each ome of them wondered if she might not mean him. Bach man was perfectly sure that he had plenty of steel In his composition an that seeemed to be a main point. S Coleman delaved for a time in the smoking room and then went to his own quarters. In reality he was somewhat puzzled in his mind by a prc Jection of the beauties of Nora Black upon his desire for Greece and M jory. His thoughts formed a duality. Once he was on the point of sen his card to Nora Black's parlor, inasmuch as Greece was very distant he cotld not start until the morrow. But he suspected that he was m»h:mg the interest of the actress because of his recent appearance of impregna ble serenity in the presence of her fascinations. If he now sent his card it a form of surrender and he knew her to be one to take a merciless alvantage. He would ndt make this tactical mistake. On the contrary, he would go to bed and think of war. Tn reafity he found it to fasten his mind upon the prospective He regarded jcally in most affairs, but he could no His rejuvenated imagina- cynical of war, becau > had i tion began to thrill to the roll of battle, through his thoughts passi I the lightning in the pictures of Detaflle, De Neuville and Morot; lashsd shing headlong ry horse roaring over bridges; grand cuirassiers ds d t stolid. invineible red-faced lines of German infantry; furious and s of little villages of mortheastern France. a still fee] the spirit of a unlike a young girl em- ng saw ba ag: bloody grapplings in the str. i Theré was one thing at least of which he coul debutante. In this mattér of war he was not, too, terking upon her first ceason of this mood sittin ntly upon Co! 3 S Blee Coleman's usual manner did not return until he dire lev's appreciation of his state and then he snubbed him according to the HNtual of the Sunday editor of the New York Eclipse. Parenthetically it might be sald that if Coleman now recalled Nora Black to his mind at all it was only to think of her for a moment with an ironical complacence. He had Leaten her. When the traln drew out of the station Coleman felt himself thrill Was ever fate less perverse? War and love—war and Marjory—were In conjunction—both in Greece—and he could tilt with one lance at both gods. It was & great, fine game to play and no man was ever so blessed in vaca- tions. He was smiling continually to himself and sometimes actually on the polnt of talking aloud. This was despite the presence in the compart- Mment of two fellow passengers who preserved in their uncomfortably rigid, lcy and uncompromising manners many of the more or less ridicu- Jous ‘traditions of the English first class carriage. Coleman’s fine humor betrayed him once into addressing one of these passengers and the man responded simply with a wide look of incredulity, as if he discovered that he was traveling In the same compartment with'a zebu. It turned Cole- A suddenly to evil temper and he wanted to ask the man guestions con- Perning his edycation and his present mental condition, and so until the train arrived at Dover his ballooning soul was in danger of collapsing. On the smo drop, ago rall They made oilcloth top of the led into 1 to address a par- and soda. W The raflway man merch asked, ““Know rnf t. his' friends n one ting on of ship- s of the glowing and s of many o the populace was conne smokKing T man met the New med agitatec n fraternally by , introduce me m crazy to know I don't know that n Miss Black?" asked Coleman. v Of course you hasn’t been meeting anybody hough—cer thanks. I'¢ ed ‘to death. Come along and you ask he >w, T suppose— swever, when the deck itten, “Come fc hen look up head and w hum of c r. To-mc ing room, Tpon it was t arn ¢ in his chair, puffing at his clgar. He of ' > of certain After a time he th rose. Men His stnd made dra- ‘ ention of th 3 1 Nor to a 1rry yourself,” ed her. The lights of Queenstown were twinkling. A vith the moisture of rain-stricken sod, was coming from re got all these duffers very much excited.” sked the girl. *You don’t care, do ¥ lv it's rather absurd to be watched all ‘the time.” abhorred being watched in this case. “Oh, naused for a Aw—a friend of ced me for an introduction. Of course I told Tell him no. isk you.” K contemptuous gesture, “Oh, another Wille to his family him to run away,’ He,” said Coleman diffidently- ry night in a box.” aind_throw wine bottle on the stage instead of che declared positively, “I won’t see him.” not seem oppressed by this ultimatum. ‘‘Oh, all right. 1 h 0" home ‘he would prob- o get rid of me?”’ Iked in the shadows. * asked Nora softly. First train. “How long in London, Rufus Oh, I'm going right off to Greece. 0 know."” L oing to fight? The Greeks and the—the —the There's The Turks, I'm going right over there.” e ATl Refus/ sald the girl, mournful and shocked. pYou u t hurt or something.” Presently she asked, “And aren’t > 7 n London any time at all?" wered, puffing out his lips, “I may stop in London for I'm not sure of it. he ar or four days on my way home. when will that be?"” “Oh, I can’t tell. It may be in three or four months, or it may be a year from now. When the war stops.” She Said as He Joined Her. Adieus were falling as dead leaves fall from a great tree. The stewards The were handling small hills of luggage marked with flaming red labels. ghip was firmly against the dock before Miss Black came from her cabin. Coleman was at the time gazing shoreward, but his three peculiar friends “Oh, Miss Black?” He i toward her. It was impossible to tell whether she saw whether it was accident, but at any rate she suddenly ved toward the stern of the ship. Ten watchful gossips had 1 in her direction and more than half the passengers “There she :d him. ‘“What instantly nuc composedly noted ( s tr noted his defeat. He wheeled casually and returned to his three friends. They were colic-stric 1 with barse and yet silent merriment. Coleman was glad that the vo) over. After the polite business of an English custom-house the travelers passed to the waiting train. A nimble little theatrical agent of some -d forward to receive Miss Black. He had & tment engaged for her and he bundled her and her maid erance of enthusiasm and admiration. Coleman passing es heard Nora’s voice hailing him. framed in a carriage window, beautiful and by person turned to contemplate this viston. ng, “I thought I was not going to get He held out his hand. ““Good-by. ¢ of room in this compartment.” See- xed in observation of her she moved v back. c rtment, Rufus,” she sald. “Thanks. I prefer to smoke,” said Coleman. He went off abruptly. On the way to London he brooded in his cornér on the two divergent cmotions he had experienced when refusing her Invitation. At Euston T sent from London, das! ing t a short w at some forty “Come on in thi station in_Londo: as directing a porter, who had his luggage, when heard Nora speak at his shoulder. ““Well, Rufus, you sulky boy,” she 21 he at the Cecil. If you have time. come and see me.” ““Thanks, I'm sure, my dear Nora,” answered Coleman effusively. “But, honestly, I'm off for Greece.” A brougham was drawn up near them and the nimble little agent was waiting. The maid was directing the establishment of a mass of luggage on and in a four-wheeler cabh. ‘“Well. put me into my carriage, anyhow,” said Nora ron will have time for that.” fterward she addressed him from the dark Interior. “Now, Rufus, vou must come to see me the minute you strike London agaln—"" She hes tated a moment, and then smiling gorgeously upon him she said, “Brute! CHAPTER VIIL As soon as Coleman had planted his belongings in a hotel he wa: bowled in a hansom brickly along the smc Strand. through a dark city whose walls dripped like the walls of a cave and whose passages were only illuminated by flaring yellow and red signs. Walkley, the London correspondent of the Eclipse, whirled from his chalr with a shout of joy and relief at sight of Coleman. ‘“Cables,” he cried. *“Nothin’ but cables! All the people in New York are writing cables to you. Th> wires groan with them. And we groan with them, too. The in here in bales. However, there is no reason why you should rea Many are similar in words and many more are similar in spirit. the whole thing is that you get to Greece quickly, taking with »f money and enormous powers over nations.” . - < the row being “The most astute journalists {n Europe have been predicting a general Furopean sm car since 1878,” sald Walkley, ““and the proph- ets weep. TF v people who can pull off wars on sched- ule time, and they have to do It in odd corners of the globe. I fear the war business is getting tuckered. There is sorrow in the lodges of the come them all. “Che sense ¢ lone walves, the war correspondents. However, my boy, don’t bury your face in vour blanket. This Greek business looks very promising, very promising.” He then began to proclaim trains and connections. ‘‘Dover, Calais. Paris, Brindisi: Corfu, Patras, Athens. That is your game. You are supposed to skyrocket yourself over that route in the shortest possible time, but you would gain no time by starting before to-morrow, so you can cool your heels here in Lendon until then. I wish I was going along.” Coleman returned to his hotel, a_knight impatient and savage at being kept for a time out of the saddle. He went for a late supper to the grill- room, and ag he was seated there alone a party of four or five people came to occupy the table directly behind him. They talked a great deal even before they arrayed themselves at the table, and he at once recognized the volce of Nora Black. She was queening it, apparently, over a little band. of awed masculine worshipers. Either by accident or for some curious reason she took a chair back to back with Coleman’s chalr. Her sleeve of fragrant stuff almost touched his shoulder and he felt appealing to him ;educt!velfi' a flertums of orris root and violet. He was drinking bottled stout with his chop; he sat with a face of wood. “‘Oh, the little Lord?” Nora was crying to some slave. “Now, do you know, Le won't do at all. He is too awfully charming. He sits and rumi- the urchins came running and shouting; ladles waved their handkerchiefs from the balconies; the whole city was vivified with a leaping and joyous enthusiasm. The Athenians—as dragomen or otherwise—had preserved an ardor for their glorious traditions, and it was as if that in the white dust which lifted from the plaza and floated across the old ivory face of the palace there were the souls of the capable soldiers of the past. Coleman was almost intoxicated with it. It seemed to celebrate his own reasons, his reasons of love and ambition to conquer in love. When the carriage arrived in front of the Hotel d’Angleterre Coleman found the servants of the place with more than one eye upon the scene in the plaza, but they soon paid heed to the arrival of a gentleman with such an amount of beautiful leather Juggage, all marked boldly with the initialy “R. C.* Coleman let them lead him and follow him and conduct him and use bad English upon him without noting either their words, their salaams or their work. His mind had quickly fixed upon the fact that here was the probable headquarters of the Wainwright party, and with the rush of his Western race fleeting through his veins he felt that he would choks and die if he did not learn of the Wainwrights in the first two minutes, It was a tragic venture to attempt to make the Levantine mind understand something off the course, that the new arrival’s first thought was to estab- lish a knowledge of the whereabouts of some of his friends rather than to swarm helter-skelter into that part of the hotel for which he was willing to pay rent. In fact, he failed to thus impress them; failed in dark wrath, but nevertheless failed. At last he was simply forced to concede the trave| of files of men up the broad. red-carpeted staircase, each man being loaded with Coleman’s luggage. The men in the hotel bureau were then able to comprehend that the foreign gentleman might have something else on his mind. They raised their eyebrows uidly when he spoke of the Wain- wright in gentle surprise that he had not yet learned that they were Where? Oh, Were they arted on some excursion. indced—they didn’t know. gone some time. really—it was almost They were de laughable sure? Why, yes—it was almost laughable, indeed—thy were quite sure. ‘Where could the gentleman find out »ut them? Well, they—as they had explained—did not know, but sible—the American Minister migh know. Where was he to be found? Oh, that was very simple. It was wel known that the Americs ad apartments in the hotel. Was he in? Ah, that they cc So ( ation and with the grime of travel stil t violently upon the secretary of the Hon. , the United Stat linister to Greece. "From his desk the scere ='from behind an accidental bul- wark of books and governmental pamphlets. *Yes, certainly, Mr. Gordner in. If you would gi me your card—" Directly Coleman w introduced into another room, where a quiet man, who was rolling a cigarette. looked him frankly but carefully in the eve. “The Wainwrights?’ said the Minister, immediately after the ques- tion. “Why. I myself am immensely concerned about them at present. me. I'm afraid they've got themselves into trouble.” ‘Really?"” said Coleman. Yes. That little professor is rather—er—stubborn, lsn’t he? He wanted to make an expedition to Nikopolis and I explained to him all the possi- }:lllégnfi_nf”\vur and begged him to at least not take his wife and daughter v im. “ ‘Daughter.” murmured Coleman, as if in his sleep. ‘But that little old man had a head like a stone and only laughed &t Of course those villainous young students were only too delighted a rospect of war, but it was a stupid and absurd thing for the man to take his wife and ‘daughter there. They are up there now. I can't get a word from them or get a word to them.” Coleman had been choking. ‘‘Where is Nikopolis?’ he asked. The Minister gazed suddenly in comprehension of the man befors him. “Nikopolis is in Turkey,” he answered gently. Turkey at that time was believed to be & country of delay, corruption; turbulence and massacre. It meant everything. More than a half of th Christians of the world shuddered at the name of Turkey. Coleman's lips tightened and perhaps blanched, and his chin moved out strangely once, twice, thrice. “How can I get to Nikopolis?” he said. The Minister smiled. “It would take vou the better part of four da if you could get there, but as a_matter of fact you can't get there at ‘he present time. A Greek army and a Turkish army are looking at each other from the of the river at Arta—the river is there the frontier—and Nikopolis happens to be on the wrong side. You can’t reach them. The forces at Arta 1 fight within three da; now it. Of course I've noti- fled our legation at Constantinople, but with Turkish methods of communi- catfon opolis is about as far from Constantinople as New York is from Peking.” Coleman_arose. " he sald ““Th ve run themselves into a_nice me: crossly. “Well, I'm a thousand times obliged.to you, I'm sure. The Minister opened his eyes a trifle. ‘‘You are ont going to try to reach them. are you? es,” answered Coleman, abstractedl Friends of mine, you know—'"" the bureau of the hotel ; “I'm going to have a try at ¢ the correspondent found several cables awaiting him from the alert of ¢ the New York Eclipse. One of them read: “State Department giv ad plight of Wainwright party; lost somewhere; find them. Bclin: n Coleman perused the message he began to smile with se ic Could fate have ever been less per- verse? Whereupon be whirled himself in Athens. And it to the consider- able astonishment of some Athenians. ' He discovered and instantly sub- sidized a young shman, who, during his absence at the front, would act as correspondent for the Eclipse at the capital. He took unto himself a dragoman and then bought three horses and hired a groom at a speed that caused a little crowd at the horse dealer's place to come out upon the ride back toward his hotel. pavemen this su ing you He had driven his dragoman of oriental be- wilderment and panic in which he tily and help. rked with agony. le from New York with his face in the mes Jessly here and there t by own field equipment had been ordered but it was ne ary to buy much d meats. chocolate, andles, patent food Ty. tohacco: and other things. He went to bed that night feeling m acid. The train back to Patras was to start in the early morning. and he felt the satisfaction of a man who is at last about to on own great quest. Before he dropped ™F to slumber he heard crowds cheering exultantly in the streets, and the cheering moved him as it had done in the morning. He felt that the celebration of the people was really an accompaniment to his primal reason. a_reason of love and ambition to cc 1 even as in the theater the music nies th i He arose once accomy y and get nalled ant. during the map of into his min hefore d. ki suits—r wn. The cor- ing breeches Coleman’s drag respondent arr and a tunic 1 accompanicd by fome of bea the = The ride to Pa e earl man. having : ) Patras had all the exasperati ts Moreover, he had ancient city of Corinth nor to ulf of that name with its with awe the tion the 1impid beauties of the He was not stirred by Parnassus, a_far-awav snow lders of the mountains across the gulf. No; He passed over the graves of an ancient hardly dimmed. through the opolis. The train went at a ared to vie not come pri view with ad olive grove shore. fleld high on the blac he wished to go to N race the gleam of whose mighty minc sho kopo clouding ages. No; he wished to go to D “Do You Know What Kind of a Man I Like—Really Like ?" snall's pace, and if Coleman had an interest it was in the peopls who Hned the packet crossing the channel, too, he almost returned to the usual Rufus Coleman since all the world was seasick end he could not get a cabin in which to hide himself from it. However, he reaped much consolation by ordering a bottle of champagne and dripking it In sight of the people, which made them still more seasick. From Calais to Brindisi really noth- ing met his disapproyal save the speed of the train, the conduct of some of the passengers, the quality of the food served, the manners of the guards, the temperature of the carriages, tire prices charged and the length of the journey. In time he passed as in a vision from wretched Brindl: Corfu, from Corfu to the little war-bitten city of Patras an by rall at the speed of an ox cart to Athens. With a_smile of grim content and surrounded in his carriage with all his beautiful brown luggage he swept through the dusty streets of the Greek capital. Even as the vehicle arrived in a great terraced square in front of the yellow palace Greek recruits In garments representing many trades and many characters were marching up cheering for Greece :;nd the King. Officers stood upon the little iron chalrs in front of the cafes; all to charming from Patras the route and cheered the soldiers on the train. In Coleman’s compart- ment there was a greasy person who spoke a little English. He explained that he was a poet, a poet who now wrote of nothing but war. When a man is in pursuit of his love and success is known to be at least remote it often relieves his strain if he is deeply bored from time to time. The train was really obliged to arrive finally at Patras, even if it was a tortoise, and when this happened a hotel runner appeared, who lied for the benefit of the hotel in saying that there was no boat over to Mesa- longhi that night. When, all too late, Coleman discovered the truth of the matter his wretched dragoman came in for a period of infamy and suffering. However, while strolling in the plaza at Patras, amid news- boys from every side, by rumor and truth Coleman learned things to his advantage. A Greek fleet was bombarding Prevasa. Prevasa was near AU 'Il'ha opposing armies at Arta were engaged, principally In an ar ery duel. Continued Next Weely