The evening world. Newspaper, November 16, 1915, Page 19

ere Soo RONEN RE ERT Nc — a _ The Evening World Daily THE MAN Tarzan’s Creator Writes a New XERCISING REGULARLY ' 4 Few When Liberty Was Born Romance of the African Jun; MINUTES EVERY DAY oy we unee been iJ Seeneineneneneemsemmmneeeneeeee ee eed WILL REDUCE SUPERFLUOUS Pri OVER TEN MINUTES Now FOR Goo! BY ALBERT PAYSON TERHUNE By Edgar Rice Burroughs § || fled ers boy T MoRRaw ame. PAY (Author of “Terma of the Apes,” ‘The Cave Girl,’ s x — Otprrighi, 1918, by Prom Publishing Oo, . (New York Brening World.) GENOPSIs OF PRECEDING INSTALMENTS, Jefferson Soott f,. a rich young Marylander, . ' trip to Africa, marries Ruth during © big gime Mofton, 4 missionary's daughter, Soot is Killed by savages, THis widow goes to his tither’s Mary- land home, with her baby daughter, Virginia, She brings along her wedding papers, which her father. keeping. Virginia grows to beautiful womanhood, Mar grandfather dies, She is, presumably, heir to ‘Mis fortune, Scott Taylor, dissolute nephew ot the old man, comes from New York to the Mary. Jana plantation to claim the estate, No wilt is fqund, Taylor hints that Virginia's parents were not married, Their wedding certificate being ap- p. Parently lost, Virginia's mother writes to her A bimiband’s former cham, Robert Gorton, an African Pine hatins im to yrove her maeriage, Tey. intercepts the latter's reply, CHAPTER I. (Continued,) farmme HE lotter ra: “My dear Mr. Gordon: “My husband's father, Jefferson Scott, has just 4 passed away, and as cer- tain legal requirements necessitate ® proof of my marriage to Jefferson Tam writing to ask that you mail an {i affidavit to Judge Sperry, of this vil- lage, to the effect that you witnessed the ceremony. “My marriage certificate is, I ‘imagine, still in the tin box beneath the hearth of the mission bungalow where father always kept his valua- ables, but as evon it may have been @etroyed during the second uprising Of the Wakandas I imagine that we shall have to depend entirely upon your affidavit. I understand that the pis! sir,” replied Murphy, but he not go. “You'd better hurry, Murphy, and catch him before he leaves the stables,” suggested Gordon after moment, in which he had divested | himself of his riding breeches and started to pull on the trousers of a etreet suit. “It won't be necessary, sir,” sald Murphy. “I didn’t telephone him for Redcoat in the fi jace, sir, I knew as how you would change your mind, sir, and thought it wouldn't be worth while calling up, sir. Gordon cocked his head om one side and surveyed his servant from head to foot for a long moment. “Yes, sir,” he said, at last. Clothed again he wandered back into the living room, wishing that there was something tn the world to hold his interest for a moment. The photograph of a handsome woman caught his eye. He picked it up and looked at it for several seconds. ‘She photographs well,” he mur- mured, “and that is about all one can say for her. I'll bet an X-ray of her brain wouldn't show three convolu- tions. Then he passed to another, the pic- ture of a young debutante at whose feet were half the eligible mal ft New York society- pI He tossed the photographs aside in disgust. One by one he examined others, All wearied him. Everything wearied him. “I wish,” he remarked, turning to- ward Murphy, “that there was some- thing or some’one on earth that could raise my temperature over half a de- gree.” es, sir,” said Murphy, “That must be the mali man, sir,” as an electric bell rang in the rear of the apart- ment and Murphy turned toward the door. A moment later he re-entered with a bundle of letters in his hand, lay- EER UP, ONLY DON'T Go You HAVEN'T REE MINUTES MORE "Yen MinuT MY! Yen MinuTes Geemined FIVE MINUTES 'S A Long Ti ted, for there was im to her repeated ringing ‘Then she inquire’ at an- other apartment across the hall. Here @ house man informed her that Mr. Gordon’s man had told him that he and Mr. Gordon were leaving for Africa—he even recalled (he name of the liner upon which they had sailed for Liverpool. What was she to do? Well, the first thing was to assure herself as whether Scott Taylor had also led for Africa, and if not to ar. range to have him watched until she could get word to Mr. Richard Gor- don, The taxi that bad brought her to Gordon's apartment was waiting at the curb, Descending to it, she gave the driver instructions to take her to the offices of a certain steam- ship company-—she would exam the passenger list and thus discover whether Taylor had sailed on the same boat with Gordon; but after e: amining the list and finding Tayle: © not among those of the passen- gers it suddenly occurred to her that the man would doubtless have as- sumed a name if his intentions were ulterior, Now she was in as bad a ight as formerly. She racked her brain for a solution of her problem. It would dv no good to wire Gordon, for he would not know Taylor if he w him, and anyway it was possibi t Taylor had not followed him and that she would only be making her only herself, “that I knew whether or not Scott Taylor has followed him to Af- rica. How can I find out?” And then came 4 natural solution of her problem—to search for Scott ‘Taylor himeelf in New York. Her firat thought was of @ city directory, and here she found a Scott Taylor with an address on West 146th Street, and a moment later her taxi was whirling uptown in that di- An’ take it away an’ say it Was af ae ‘until he got the aim cident or something. Virginia Scott rose from the chair upon which she had been Outwardly she was calm and but inwardly her thoughts were in confused and hysterical jumble tm which, horror predominated. What was she to do? How helpless she ert the grim tragedy! Spe tof vabling Gordon, hat wage nohe the the w she suggested the plan to girl pointed out that it was too late— Gordon must already have left end of the railroad and be well upom his way into the interior. For @ moment Virginia stood tm silence. Then she held out ber hand to the young woman, ‘ be ass you," gue said, tate lone right to tell me al you Gooaby:* mina saint “What are you going to do?” ‘L on kn replied vie- “t don't know yet,” ginia, “I want to think—maybe olution will come.” And a she was driving back to her pan Bt he | sotaticn did come—ia = or} jon of @ t the saving of ichard ‘Sortoa into her own hands. It was for ber that he risking his life. She would be a coward to do one whit less than her plain duty. There was no one upon whom she could call to do this thing for her, since she that whoever attempted it must risk his life in pitting himself against Taylor and his confederates—desper- ate men who already had planned upon one murder in the furtherance of their dishonorable purpose, She thought of writing her mother first; but deliberation assured her that her parent would do everything in her power to prevent the coving oo of @ scheme which Virginia knew to be little short of madness— and yet.she could think of no other way. No, would wait until it = too late to recall her before she ing them on Gordon's desk, The young rection, — her know her purpose. |, @avages left no stone standing upon inen Mickod Gi’ the top eiveepe oad l'ULNoT ME TOO DoYou KNow we Tt waa with considerable trepidation her mother know her purpow ra another and that every stick of tim- opened it, EXERC! Ses Biv IT WON'T HURT HAVEN'T TAKEN ouR. that Virginia Scott mounted the steps 0, otal, Virginja drove to the oficer % ber was burned. bel vat eighteen s, the pleasure’ 1 AK on % NISS ONE EXERCISES For. fee be the feared Taylor and knew EX ral tlantie Reamettp oteipeny rt massac 5 whe made ad fe wileh vettarece, vather and another tbe izvieation liatiessiy tipon (ne neck 00 OA that she was doing « risky thing in where she made inquiries ay to, gail: Were slain, and eo it is rather doubt- f@l if anything remains of the cer- ‘ate. bo am particularly anxious to legally blish the authentic..y of my mar. ge, not so much because of the property which my daughter Virginia will inherit thereby, as from the tact that another heir has questioned my @aughter’s legitimacy. “L write thus plainly to you because of the love I know that you and Jof- ferson felt for one another, and as Well to impress upon you my urgent meed of this affidavit, which you alone can furnish. Very sincerely, » “RUTH MORTON SCOTT. “Scottsville, Va., July 10, 19—" .“H’m,” commented Mr. Scott Tay- lor, with a laugh. “Well, I can let is letter go forward with perfect ‘ety, as L happen to know that Rob- ‘ert Gordon, Esq., died to years ago,” CHAPTER I. R. DICK GORDON of New York, rich, indolent and bored, tossed his morning paper aside, yawned, rose we from the breakfast table igad strolled weartly into the living pom of his bachelor apartments. His wan, who was busying himself about fhe room, looked up at his master questioningly. “I am wondering, Murphy,” an- jounced that young man, “what the levil we are going to do to assassi- day.” replied Murphy, “you now you sort o' promised Mr. Jones aa how you'd make up a four-flush at {he Country Club this morning, sir," ‘Foursome, Murphy, foursome!” Tanghed Gordon, and then, shooting a wharp glance at his servant: ‘I be- leve you were handing me one that time, you old fraud.” But the solemn-visaged Murphy shook his head in humble and horrt- ‘flea dental. “All right, Murphy; get my things dut. I suppose I might as well do hat as anything,” resignedly, Languidly, Mr. Dick Gordon donned his golf togs and stood at last cor- “rectly clothed and with the faithful and book Murphy at his heels bearing his caddie bag. He crossed his lUving room toward the door of the apartment, halted half way and turned upon his servant. “Golf's an awful bore, Murphy,” he gaid. “Let's not play to-day.” “But Mr. Jones, sir! exclaimed Murphy. “Oh, Jones's foursomes aways start ‘at the nineteenth hole and never make the*first, They'll not miss me.” His eyes fell upon a tennis racket, and lighted with new Interest. ‘Say, Murphy, we haven't played tennis in a coon’s age,” he exclaimed, Go put those clubs away, I'm going to play tennis.” “With yourself, sir?” questioned Diarpby. “I never saw no one playing tennis at the club, sir, of a morning.’ \w guess you're right, Murphy, and “anyway I don't want to play tennis. * Thave it! Great morning for *q ride, Hustle, you old snail, and fetch my things. ‘Telephone Billy and tell him to bring Redcoat around, Get eon, escargot! * fy the time Murphy had attended to the varjous duties assigned him ‘and returned from the televhone he found his young master sitting on the ‘ edge of a chair with one boot cm and the other half so, staring hard at the floor, a weary expression on his face. “Can I help you, sir?” asked Murphy. yes. you can help me take off this hoot. ‘It's too hot to ride, and be- sides I don't want to ride anyway, What the devil did you suggest rid- ) ing for, eh?” 8," 8 “1 wish that you would say no, sir, for a change, Murphy. You're ‘get- ‘wting to be a terrific bore in your old age. Co and tell Billy to never mind Redcoat.” to pick up and open the next. “The Blank Club announces"-— “The Blank Club {ts always announcing tiresome things,” he sighed, and dropped the communication into the waste basket. “'Mrs. F. Benton J— and Mise J— will be at home'—— which is a dang sight more (han Mr, F, Benton J—— can ever say,” commented Mr. Gér- don, gathering up the next, which proved to be another invitatiom, One after another the young man @pened the envelopes, nor did any succeed In erasing the bored crpression from hie countenance. The last he glanced at with a faint tinge of curlosity before | opening. The feminine handwriting | familiar, which was nothing | unusual, but the postmark it was that | drew his interest—Scottsville, Va. ‘Now, who the devil do I know in Scottsville, Va.?" he asked himself as he drew his paper knife through the flap of the envelope. “Oh, it's ad- dressed to Dad!” he exclaimed, sud- denly noting his father’s name upon the envelope. “Dear old Dad,’ sighed the young man; “TI never lacked bully good company when you were alive, and I didn't know then what it meant to be bored. I wonder if you know how I miss you.” He turned first to the signature at the close of the lette: ‘Ruth Mor- ton Scott," he read. “H'm, I've heard Dad speak of you, and Jefferson Scott, Jr, your husband, and the tragedy at the mission. Lord, what an awful ‘e that must have been for a young girl! It was bad enough three years ago when Dad and I camped among its ruins; but twenty years ago the country must have been awful for white women.’ As Dick Gordon read the letter through slowly his face reflected for the first time in days a real interest. Toward the close he muttered some- thing that sounded like, “Damned cad,” and then he carefully re-read the letter, After the second reading he sat upon the edge of his desk, the letter still in the hand that ‘had dropped to his knee, and stared fixed- ly and unseeingly at the barbaric pat- terns of the Navajo rug at his feet. For ten minutes he sat thus; then he sprang up, animation reflected upon his face and determination inh every movement. Weariness and las situde had been swept away as bj Seating himself at the desk he drew writing materials from a drawer and for ten minutes more was busily engaged in framing a letter. This done he rang for Murphy. “Skip out and post is, you old tortoise,” he shouted, “and then go Passage for the two of us on the first boat that satis direct or makes good connections for Mon- basa—do you know where it is?” es, sir; Africa, air,” replied the imperturbable Murphy, in as matter a fact tone as though White Plains was to have been their destination, Mr. Dick Gordon always had been an impulsive young man, his saving characteristic being an innate fine- ness of character that directed his impulses into good channels, if not always wisely chosen one His let- ter to Mrs. Soott had been written upon the impulse of the moment—an impulse to serve his fath friend coupled with a longing for adventure and action—for a change from the monotony of his useless existence, The following day, as Scott Taylor, mounted upon Gen! Soott's favorite saddle horse, rode leisurely about ‘my plantation,’ as he now described the Scott estate, he chanced to meet the little wagon of the Rural Free Deliv- ery carrier coming from town. “Anything for The Oaks?” he asked, reining in, ‘The man handed him a packet of letters and papers, clucked to his bony old horse and drove on. Taylor ran through the letters. There was one that interested him—it bore the name and address of Richard Gordon on the flap, This he thrust Into his inside pocket. Then he rode up the driveway, turned his horse over to a negro, and entered the library. It Was empty, and laying tho balance of the mail upon the table he made his way up stairs to his own room, Here he quickly opened and read Gordon's letter to Mrs, Scott. His eyes narrowed and his brows o tracted with the reading of the last paragraph: “Father hag been dead two years; but I know all about the location of the mission, as I visited {t three years ago while lon hunting with him, As T am just about to leave for Africa again IT sh make it a point to recover the papers you wish,” Taylor crumpled the letter angrily in his hand. “The fool!” he muttered. “What does he want butt in for?’ SLEEPY ‘TWO MONTHS ‘Then there came a knock upon the door and Taylor bastil letter into the side pocket of his coat. “Come int!" he snapped, and an old negress entered with fresh towels and As she moved in her slow and deliberate way about her duties Taylor sat with puckered brows and bye, for there isn’t a court in that neck of the woods that ive me a look in with that icken if she had the ghost of ‘And you want us to?”—Jim paused. ‘ou guessed it the first time,” “I want you to help m take that paper away from him and—croak him.” For a moment the four sat in sl- crammed the away and s0 CHAPTER III. a@ Methodist ed in love—only he ain't. He's Gordon’ As neither Gord nor Murphy was acquainted even by sight or repute with any of the precious three, the latter made no attempt to avoid them It was Taylor's in- tention to scrape acq’ ni with Gordon after they had changed ships at Liverpool, when he would then know for certain Gordon's desti- d could casually announce that he and bis companions were bound for that very point on @ hunt- ing expedition. All went well with hia plans until after they had sailed from Liverpool for Mombasa, inherent in Kelly and Gootch resulted in an unpleasantness terminated all friendly relations between Gordon and Taylor had succeeded in conversation low Gordon, It was not until the woman had left the room that he arose. Now he seemed to have reached a decision rapid action. snatched off his coat, across the bed, where it dropped over he side to the floor beyond. ers he flung on the floor; shirt, collar and tie upon the centre table, and in fifteen minutes he was in fresh linen and another suit and was cramming his belong- ings into his bag. Running downstairs and out to the to a hostler to harness the team and take him to the Mrs, Scott and Virginia had the car out, so he was forced to con- tent himself with the slower method Forty-five minutes later he boarded a northound train for New York, and late that night rang the bell of an apartment in West One Hundred and Forty-fifth Street. A bleached blonde in a green kimono opened the door in response to his during the trip. y have to croak him?” throwing 1 aay ea tne’ aie Dave © e can't come back and swear that he seen the certificate,” eaid Bill, “That'ud be just as good as the cer- tilflcate {tself in any court, against At Scott Taylah. He may be po’ boy; but he's po’ white or they're always growlln’.” trash, Jes’ de same. Yaan'm. An’ look be pushed the bed out from the wal to ply her broom beneath. Dero he's gone @ Shit'less, das what he yne replied. "My man's name is latk Kelly. Me, Taylor, boards with us “There isn't the least chance of our getting in wroug, either,” explained Taylor, “because we can lay {t all onto the natives or te an won't be anybody to disprove it—-if we suspected; but the chances are that we can pull it off without any being the wiser.” “And what did you say we got out of it?” asked Bill, “A hundred thou apiece the day I get the proprety In my hands,” re- “If you could get hold of the certificate first it would be fine and dandy, but we've got to fol- low Gordon to Central Africa to find where it is, and by that time h it. So the only chance we him the K. O. and take it away Tl «ure breathe easier after I've seer that pleas of paper go up in smoke.” James Kelly and William Gootch were, colloqutally, short sports, had rolled many ed more than a cident and there immediately “Jes' look yere! lef’ his coat. throwin’ bis coat aroun’ dat,” and she seized the garment with when hes in towne |e a saressod a vigorous shake. Throwing the coat across her arm, put note an odd expression about the carried it down to the corners of the girl's mouth. drawing Gordon soon after sailing from Liverpool, when he casually remarked that he and his friends were bound for the Victoria Nyansa of transportation, the negress Ubrary, where Mrs, Scott and Virginia were sitting. “Hoah dat Mistah Scott Taylor's eyey for a moment before she replied. announced, laying it on the table, “What Ah done goin’ do wit It YN" anyhow, and what's your idea in sive it to dat good-fer-nothin’ mig- Join" ail this rubberin’ after Kid Tay- ger, Samu-el? “No, Sophronia,” said Mrs, Scott, “wo'll have to send it to him she picked up the garment to for mailing. Aw she folded it a crum- loaat Pied sheet of note paper fell from a lua If, te don or tear of the. oon- search of lions, “Is that 80?” exclaimed Gordon, “I am going into the neighborhood of Nyanza_ myself, and from Mablido plied Taylor, Albert. Edward take the route 1 the north end of Victoria Ny- And a common tablished, the two became better ac- “Why, hello, kid!" she orled when the dim’ lght in the hallway revealed his features to her. time for a snifte keepin’ yourself? “You're just in Where you been Jim and me were talkin’ about you not five minutes the gang’s all here,” and she grasped him by the lapel of his coat, drew him into the hall and slammed the door, “I've been doing the rural,” replied Taylor with a laugh; from me, it's mighty good to be back again where there are some live ones.” He preceded the girl into the din- ing room of the where two men, seated at the dining table with a deck of cards, a bottle of a syphon and rose as he entered and greeted him noisy welcome. Then Taylor introduced his friends and later on Kelly suggested Come on in; Taylor tried to find an oppo: the crookedness which he be second nature with them null have preferred to let Gor- in, but the estimable Messteurs Keily and Gootch, considering a bird in the hand worth two in the jungle, swooped down upon the opportunity ingle rube from his bank roll by such archale means as n4@ fixed milis, but so never hed risen to The idea found side pocket. replace it in the coat, when, by chance, Seauence: she saw her mother’s name upon the he’ top of the sheet, T wire tapping heights of murd them tremulous but receptive, doubts were based more upon the ma- terial than the ethical. away with it without danger of de tection? Ah, that was the questior- ~ the only question, “Well?” said Taylor after a long pause, during which th men had drained their glasses while the girl sat revolving hers upon the table cloth between her fingers, “I'm game,” announced Kelly, dodg- Ing the girl's eyes and looking #lde- and she spread note out, smoothing it upon the table “It's a letter to you, I world did it happen to be in Scott's Could they get ‘The result was that after half ‘an hour of play Gordon rose from the a rather unpleasant light in his cused In his remaining checks 1 quit the game. Mrs. Scott took the note and read it; then she handed it to her daugh- When Virginia had completed it she looked up at her mother, her face clouded and angry. queried = Taylor, cursing Gootch and Kelly. 1 wouldn't foree an explanation if " replied Gordon coldly, aptain might flushed and Gordon walked outstretched You sure look good to me. fet another glasi 1 to the girl Blanche,” Jim t in, kid, and have a little round o' roodles— limit—whatdyu “Piker game,” sneered Taylor, with “I'm dealing in millions just now, Throw your cards in the gob- boon and listen to me, if you want to make a hundred thou aptece,” paused to note the effect of his re- “Quick, Blanche!” orted Jim. the poor devil a drin! he's dyin’ of thirs' Taylor grinned thirst all right,” he admitted; Now lsten—here’ thanks!—~you guys are broke. You al- ways have been and always will be till you stop piking. Once in a while you pull down a couple of hundred simoleons and then sweat blood for a week or so for fear you'll be pinched and get a couple of years on the Is- land. I've rot but It's a man’s fob, though there tsn't any chance of a comeback because we'll pull tt off where ther no lamp posts and no law.” paused and eved his companions, Spiel!” said Bill. Taylor narrated the events that had uring the past week, “And now," he concluded, “if this Buttinsky Gordon brings back that certificate | can Kiss all my! “He actually has been tn “Bo'm I!" declared the latter. And fo It happened that when Mr Dick Gordon walked plank of the Mner that was to bear him as far as Liverpool on his jour- Africa, three men, over a rail on an upper deck, him with interested eyes, glanced again at the date line and her ccquaintanee wpon which Taylor had such excellent plans You boobs are wonders,” sneered “You must have’ made all of fifty dollars aplece out of it—and ruined every chance we had to travel right to the mission tn Gordon's com- me the very day Scott left In such It must have been becauso of this letter that he did leave, What # Job that Taylor worked up can {t mean? Mrs, Seott shook her head, “T know," announced Virginta, “He &? has gone to prevent Mr, Gordon from . recovering the certificate or else to 100k coming into her eyes. An’ now |follow him and obtain possession of {t e's framed up a murder for them, jhimaelf, ‘There could be no other ex- {use ho ain't got the nerve to do It planation of his hurried departure {m- himself.” mediately after the receipt of this let- nd gone bug?” T'm sure dying of ARE YOU ONE OF THE MANY THOUSAND PEOPLE WHO ARE READING THE EVENING WORLD’S Complete Novel Each Week? ebbing yourself of the richest fiction treat ever offered to the readers of a newspaper. The Evening World, every week, prints a novel by some fameus ix large daily instalments. They are eslected with a view to suiting the tastes ef all readers. jan hae long been demonstrated. In The Evening World's “COMPLETE NOVEL EACH WEEK” series ie the foremost work of euch “best-seller” authors Roberts Rinehart, Rupert Hughes, Jame Oliver Cur- Margaret Widdomer, George Randolph ter, Lewis Joseph Vance, Edger Rice Burroughs and many cthere of T'm not bue. “Tt does look that way, Virginia; but ‘ Africa to murder him what can we do?” “We can wire Mr, Gordon at once.” she leaned forward toward her caller, it can we say that w pear allly ina, telegram, unieas wa Z, thought you might finda way to tually accune Beoit of oriminal der Stop them before they did it, I don't argued Mrs. cannot do that, for we have only con. &!Ways been good to me, But for Jecture to base a charge upon.” “T can go to New York with Mr, Gordon,” sald Virginis that Js Just what T shall do.” If not, you ai author. These novels And the tremendous success of the Chambers, Ma weed, Morgan Scott you i started to expostulate. a“ said Virginia deter- minedly, and ‘she did ound Mr, Rich- ent locked and lacing herself even temporarily he 3 power: but loyalty and grati- tude toward pore ince ad put his life, . stranger May’ to serve ner and her enara s nd eo when t el Fiat door clicked and @ voice, lnor- ing the speaking tube, called down from above for her to come up, she bravely entered the dark atatrway and marched upward, to what she had no idea, She had been glad to ote that the voice from aiheve had been that of a wom It made her feel more at her ease; but when she reached the topmost step and found a slovenly young woman with bleached hair and a green kimono awaiting her her nk. vetpoee, Mr. Scott Taylor lve here?” kes wi ros, ‘but he ain't home. What do you want—anything I ci do for 4 a YoU Tas he loft the elty?” asked Vir~ gina f “That's him,” aald Taylor, “the tall pany,” and he turned disgustedly — ‘The girl's eyes narrowed, and Vir- one, just in front of the solemn look- ing party that resemb! ginia noted it, but she . toe,: that she saw @ trace of fear fa thers Sho was convinced that this wo i cr all she wished to know, fea blithely foul ow was, ashe to get the informa- humming Dixie as she went tion from her? about her work on the sec- ond floor of the Scott house. pedir she broke tho she smiled—one of those delightful monotony by engaging in heated dis- 8m! cussions with herself. “Yassem,” she sald, sbaking her jn, Don’t mind how things look. I'm “ wand takin’ it easy. You head. “Ah never done laik dat — os v4 cen thi ‘straightened ‘May I come in a moment and rest?” she asked, “It's rather a jong climb up here from the street,” and les that even a woman admires in ther woman, “nsgure!™ said the girl. “Come t D around when the men folks are home, men folks were away! a cute little place you have aid Virginia, “You are Mrs, pal ” Toye gitt flushed just a trifle, “No,’ ‘3 in town.” her as Mrs, Kelly Virginia could not “Is Mr, Taylor out of town now?” ked Virginia, “The girl looked her straight in the “Bay, look here,” she demanded at what's your game? Who are jor?” For a moment Virginia did not nd know what answer to make, and sank then, impulsively, she decided to tell this girl a part of her conjectures at in the hope that either sym- upon Taylor would enlist in Virginia's beha! which © Virginia that be- neath the soiled green kimono a@ the evidences of dissipation in the old-young face there lay a kind heart and @ generous disposition And so she told her. Her story was not all news to Blanche. She heard most of it from ‘Taylor's lips, When Virginia had finished the girl sat glowering sullenly at the floor for several sec onda, “At last she looked up. “LE don't know,” she said, “what strings Kid ‘Taylor has on me. fo ain't never done nothing except to ee Jim on first to one Job and then to another that Taylor didn't have the nerve to pull off himself, Jim's been to the Island once already for then sat right here drinkin’ high~balls an’ tryin’ to flozsie up to me while Jim Bill were out gettin’ pinched. ‘An’ now"-——~ she pause “You mean," cried Virginia, “that they have really followed Mr. Gordon Blanche nodded, aff atively, Then “I've told you,” she sald, “becau want Jim sent to the chair. He's Gawa's sake don’t let them know [ told you. Bill ‘ud kill me, an’ Jim ‘ud quit me, [Pd care more about that than the other, You won't tell, will No," sald Virginia, “I won't, Now, tell me, they sailed on the same boat as Mr, Gordon?" “Yes, Jim and Bill and Taylor, an’ they were goin’ to follow Gordon Africa. To her deligtt she discov- ered that by sailing the following morning she could make direct con- nections at Liverpool. Once commit- ted to her plan she permitted no double to weaken her determination, but booked her passage immediately and returned uptown to make neces- sary purchases and o! currency and a letter of credit through a bank- er friend of her grandfather. The morning that she sailed she posted a a letiar to ae in which explained plans fully, and frankiy stated that she had intentionally left her mother in ignoracee of them until now for fear sho would find the means to prevent their consummation, “I know that, to say the least,” shi wrote, “the thing that I am t 4 real- honor of the Scotts demanded. To Virginia the long journey seemed ternity, but at Inst it came to an end and she found her- self negotiating with an it at Mabido for native porters guards and the considerable outfit necessary to African travel. From this man she learned that Gordon had left for the interior a month but he had not heard of a man by name of Taylor, though there had been, he said, another of three their evident unfamiliarity with all things pertaining to vocation, Virginia asked him these men, and in a one she recognized Taylor and tly Kuessed that the others were ly and Gootch. So three men, one of them an unprincipled scoundrel, had gone out into ¢ savage, lawless wilds on the trail of Richard Gordoo! Virginia went cold as the fear swept her that she was too late, Further Questioning of the agent re- vealed the fact that while Gordon and the other three bad arrived simul- taneously they had bad po ipter- course, and that Gordon had obtained considerable start of the others be- cause of his familiarity with customs of African travel and the utter ignor- ance of the others of the first essen- tials of their requirements, This hope sustained ber: that Gor- don with his superior knowledge and experience had been able to outdis- tance (he others, and that she, by travelling light and carefully select~ ing her party, might overtake them before they overtook Gordoo or met him upon his return, With this idea in mind Virginia hastened her preparations, and once on the march urged her safari on to utmost 34 Almost from the start she discovered that her head man, while apparently loyal to her, had but meagre control of the men of the safari, who were inclined to be in- subordinate and quarrelsome, result was that to her other burdens was added constant apprehension from this source, since it not only threatened her own welfare but the success of her mission as well, It Was upon the tenth day that the first really flagrant breach of disc! pline occurred—one which the head- man could not handle or the girl per- mit to pass unnoticed, The men had long been grumbling at the forced marching which had fallen to their lot since the very beginning, pot- withstanding the fact that they had been employed with the distinct un- derstanding that such Was to be the nature of the duty, To-day, after the midday rest, the porters Were unusu- ally slow in shouldering their packs, and there was much muttering and grumbling as the headman went among them trying to enforce his commands by means of all manner of terrible threats. Some of the men had risen sullenty and adjusted their bur dens, others still sat upon the ground eying the headman, but making no move to obey him, Virginla was at a listance waiting for the safurt to set out, She was a witness to all which transpired, She saw a hulking black Hercules slowly raise bis pack in laggard response to the commands of the excited headman, (To Be Continued.) ‘ } ]