The Gates of Chance

ty-and-n

ly suspended." One could see that "The Fair One with Golden Locks," a large, full-fed blonde with extraordinarily vivid red cheeks, had been doing a rushing business; her bowl was overflowing with notes and coin. And the others also had done well, all except "Mademoiselle D.," the girl at the far end; she had not made a single sale. A slight little thing, pale and somewhat anxious-looking; no wonder that customers

the bowl of the girl with the gray eyes. The crowd stopped and gaped,

a foolish-looking youth whose collar wa

pert damsel attached to the young fellow's a

ound of tea," put in a

pered Indiman to me. "The girl l

lled it. Then we managed to struggle into a sort of backwater at the side of the dais upon

Indiman to me, in an undertone. "Did you notice

a full size larger than

her, and I believe that the

began, but h

o take her away. Do you see that electr

aratus for controlling the incandescent lights with which the hall was illumina

t si

'll take one of my kis

othing of

ber now-the instant that

of the stranger within the house-smiths' gates. I stepped up on the platform, and looked for Indiman. He had just reached the counter covered with red-paper muslin; he pushed his

s in instant and utter darkness. For a moment the following silence persisted, menacing and dea

n her thin, cool voice. "Thought you could pinch a couple in the dark of the moon; but nay, nay, Thomas-thos

the danger was over. I pushed and jammed through the crowd to the stairs. No one was atte

e, y

the head of the stairs, hemmed in by the crowd. He panted and shook h

as helping the girl into the

and offered me hi

ow is coming

id Indiman. "And n

was a sound of angry voices from the hall above; two o

rriage started. Then we both turned and

"It was while we were lighting our cigarettes; and that reminds me that I have decided

r of seven. But it was some small satisfaction to rap vigorously upon Indiman's door as I passed to my own room. One always experiences a sense of

mn of the HERALD caught my eye. "Listen to thi

me, and I propose to collect. Box 90, Herald office (up-town), or

s, Bolder," he said, but the man had anticipated his request, an

ght of our adventure at the House-smiths' bazaar,

bearing a fine c

this sort of thing," and he tossed over an extraordinary piece of stationery-white cr

ed to communicate with Miss Delicia Millefleurs. The writing was somewhat shaky, and "communicate" was spelled with one m. Moreover, the general appearance of the epistle was marred by the presence of

sted a strip of the tape used in electric-recording instruments, and the characters were those of the Morse alphabet, rather an unusual sight nowadays, when receiving messages by s

Take car No. 6 (s), 'Blue Line' crosstown, any (s) evening, and get off at West Fourth Street. Purch

hat called it forth," I remarked. "To the wh

ddenly: "Thorp, we need butter; I wish you'd step around to that West

inly; back in

irl with the gray eyes, and hope in this way to get a clew to her whereabouts. Now, you can't f

n the

right under our eyes." He held up the strip of telegraphic tape. "Do you se

ing, so far

e up the letter S in the Morse alphabet-unconsciously, you know, and just as another

ossi

rang. "For example, this call may be from Mademoiselle D. herself." He picked

ld hear almost as distinctly, standing on my side of the table, as Indiman himself. I started to

ice that greeted us. "I have just seen your absurd advertisement,"

" answered Indiman, "You owe

is da

or to

your

cated the sole condition which

was so stupid of me to say that-to a man!" A pause. Then, in a slightly ve

," said Indiman, humbly. "It is a

oice sounded cold and inconceivably distant. "I have the honor t

ad seen selling her kisses at an East Side bazaar? The very thought was incredible. And rem

tually sold and delivered," said Indiman, half-d

ture of the impending peril and, above all, the personnel of the conspirators. And then what? How were we to communicate with or warn the girl?-for, of course, she had called u

f I shouldn't return by dinner-time, you will carry out the instructions in the message. Exactly, remembe

d," I said,

at the crossing of West Fourth and Eleventh streets. The groce

homogeneous municipality. Chelsea and Harlem and the upper West Side-all these are distinct and separate centres of community lif

es. A village, then, with its shops and school-houses and churches; it is as provincial in its way as the Lonelyville of the comic weeklies. The grocery is the village club, at least for the respectable part of the male population, the men who would not be seen in a corner saloon. There were half a dozen

f the best bu

as the unexp

I repeate

best-that's

trading-stamp," I w

cents' worth-jar of

e, give me-how muc

and

ents,

e box with a nonchalant air

're sure you haven't any

of di'monds home wid jer-the best di'monds, mind, all ready shelled and fried in gold-dust. And just throw i

omething in the fellow's voice made me forget his ins

ignoring stare with which one is accu

cer's boy was zealous to oblige, scratching the match himself an

church," he whispered. "Drive straigh

siness. The coach was in waiting at the Baptist Church, and the driver touched his hat when I mentioned my name. I gave

impatiently, after waiting to see him mix a high-ball and light a tremendously bl

he chap who wrote out that message. It was correct-absolutely so," a

rity of the telegraphic sending at once; there actually was a fellow who had a habit of interjecting the su

w anything about it at first, so I had to scare him a b

r-looking gentleman who had given him a couple of dollars for his trouble. According to his de

bazaar. But he wasn't in the

but he had his

o

with a solemn admonition to be more careful in the future a

advertised for his ninety-and-nine kisses, and the clap-trap of the message in telegraphic characters, and all the rest of it, were simply the kind of bait at which so eccentric a person might be expected to bite. The gentleman with one

leventh streets. He was rather offish at first, but Mattson, at Police Head-quarters, had provided me with a special detective badge, and

ne. He trailed you to No. 4020 Madison Avenue, and I followed Mr. Shadow to the Central Detect

hing

or me in the vestibule. They went through me; but I didn't seem to ha

helplessly. "What's the

we are going to dress and see what we can of Tschaikowsky's 'Queen of Spades.' A

e D.," remarked Indim

e parterre. "The fou

h the gray eyes, an elderly man with a ribbon in his

mmediately Crawfurd made his appearance

Countess Gilda are old friends. She commands your instant attendance. What, man! d

asked, and we were forthwith presented to his Excellency Baron Cassilis, the Russian amba

you must permit me to discharge the o

cepted the fifty-dol

quits," she

and offered it to her. A flood of color mantled her brow, but she took the coin a

" said Indiman, earnestly.

in the

m quite s

sappointment; it does not matter now. But why will

d no

ten you later on." A stout man with one ear distinctly larger than the other deliberately faced about in his seat and directed his g

iage, "I swear to you that the blunder I have unintentionally commi

e, the third appearance of the Queen of Spades

an's elbow. "Beg pardon, sir," he said, deferentiall

found a secluded corner. "Now, w

se of political blackmail, you see, and the young lady thought she could handle it herse

o the

ught she could turn the trick. So she went over on the Rooshan East Side and laid her pipes to stand next to the old party who holds the precious document. At the Baron's request I was detailed from the Central Office and instructed to keep my eyes on the young woman and my hand

eld up at my own front door," said Indiman. "Conf

had figured it out that y

le had been put on his or her guard by all this hul

sir. A mista

's nothing more to be done. Tha

s all,

e Queen of Spades

er,

er. Brownson's your name

night,

which it was being held. A masker stood at the door, a woman dressed to impersonate the Queen of Spades. She waved her hand to Indiman, who had chanced

ue-the Queen of

ts. First at the opera, and now here; the final

Mary!" she whimpered, and Indiman thrust something into her waiting hand. He tried to hide th

said Indiman, as we walke