Part 4 (1/2)

Chapter III

A MODERN MARANA

My journey as an eventful one; but this is not a ”History of Tom Jones,” and I shall refrain from detail Denver I reached at last, after a week's stop-over in Kansas City It was a delightful adventure--but it had nothing to do with the story

I left the train at the Rocky Mountain city about the middle of the afternoon And nohat to do? I think I a of a detective, and I felt perfectly rudderless and helpless as I ordered the taxi-driver to take me to the Alcazar Hotel

I was by nowith a bundle of animated caprice, a creature ould have hauled him off the train at Rahway, New Jersey, if she had happened to take a fancy to the place At the an Boulevard, or attending amint juleps at the Planters'

Even if they were in Denver, hoas I to find theretted the week I had lost I was sure that Harry would avoid any chance of publicity and would probably shun the big hotels And Denver is not a village

It was the beauty of Le Mire that saved ht have foreseen that; and I have but poorly portrayed the force of her unmatchable fascination unless you have realized that she was a wo seen; and, seen, reer of the hotel, of course, but was brought up sharply when he asked ot out of it soardedI dined at the home of my cousin, Hovey Stafford, who had cos, and stayed because he liked it Ifor the first time; she may be introduced with the observation that if she was his reason for re in the provinces, never did man have a better one

We were on the veranda with our after-dinner cigars I was congratulating Hovey on the felicity of his choice and jocularly sy with his wife

”Yes,” said retted it till last week It will never be the saain”

Mrs Hovey looked at him with supreme disdain

”I suppose you mean Senora Ra the ut the air of the Chanson du Colonel, and was stopped by a s kiss

”And who is the Senora Ramal?” I asked

”The most beautiful woman in the world,” said Mrs Hovey

This fro! I suppose ht

”It isn't charity,” she smiled ”Like John Holden, I have seen fire-balloons by the hundred, I have seen the moon, and--then I saw no more fire-balloons”

”But who is she?”

Hovey explained ”She is the wife of Senor Rao, with letters to one or two of the best families, and that's all we know about the mixture of Cleopatra, Sappho, Helen of Troy, and the devil She had the town by the ears in twenty-four hours, and you wouldn't wonder at it if you saw her”

Already I felt that I knew, but I wanted to ested, ”in Childe Harold”

”Hardly,” said Hovey ”No ht beauty for hers, thank you Her hair is the reen; her skin remarkably fair What she may be is unknowable, but she certainly is not Spanish; and, odder still, the senor hiht it needless to ask for a description of Harry; for I had no doubt of the identity of Senor Ramal and his wife I pondered over the name, and suddenly realized that it was merely ”Lamar” spelled backward!

The discovery re shadow of doubt

I asked in a tone of assu a desire to meet them--and was informed by Hovey that they had left Denver two days previously, nor did he knohere they had gone