The Port of Missing Men

rest of the hill, the

is

s shining, and white wa

of the dawn I sang; li

his p

rough the valley, and

rank

s on old Virginia battle-fields, cross

d. Daffodils and crocuses lifted yellow flames and ruddy torches from every dooryard. She had pinned a spray of arbutus to the lapel of her tan riding-coat; it spoke to her of the blue horizons of the near Virginia hills. The young buds in the ma

hugest joke in the world. The flag on the Austro-Hungarian embassy hung at half-mast and symbols of mourning fluttered from the entire front of the house. Shirley lifted her eyes gravely as she passed. Her thoughts flew at o

peror and King! G

tinguished. It just now occurred to her that they were all linked to the crown and scepter; but she dismissed the whole matter and bowed to two dark ladies in a passing victoria with the quick little nod an

eed, an entirely different person since the Montana Senator definitely connected him with an American landscape. She had kept her own counsel touching the scene on the dark deck of the King Edward, but it was not a thing lightly to be forgotten. She was half angry with herself this mellow afternoon to find

attaché, swung into view, mounted, and as they me

s! This spring! Is it n

ibo

. It seemed to her that the day

u later at the Walling

like this! The thought of

belongings were too perfect. She had really enjoyed his talk when they had met here and there abroad; but she was in no mood for him now; and she wondered wha

Wilhelm quite hard. But here in America the death of an emperor

ding chestnut tree, Monsieur. This

e back to poor, melancholy Franzel,

at him with mischief in her eyes. "My heart g

ew up his horse, lifting his

reign, Mademoiselle!" and he shook his bared h

heart of a girl in spring is the home of dreams, and Shirley's heart overflowed with them, until her pulse thrilled and sang in quickening cadences. The wistfulness of April, the dream of unfathomable things, shone in her brown eyes; and a

a glory of spray whitely into the sunlight. It grew late and the shadows of waning afternoon crept through the park. The crowd had hurried home to escape the chill of the spring dusk, but she lingered on, reluctant to leave, and presently left her horse with the groom that

ore her and looked off through the maple tangle. Then she drew back quickly, and clasped her riding-crop tightly. Some one had paused at the farther edge of the maple brake and dismoun

ed by the cautious stir of the undergrowth. The air was perfectly quiet; the disturbance was not caused by the wind. Then the head and shoulders of a man were disclosed as he crouched on hands and knees, watching Armitage. His small head and big body as he crept forward suggested to Shirley some fantastic monst

g clear and high across the little v

the trees, then upon the face and shoulders of the Servian. The fellow turned and fled through the maple tangle, Armitag

, Miss? Did

nothing at all," and she mou

mpathy went out to him. It made no difference who John Armitage was; his enemy was a coward, and the horror of such a menace to a man's life appalled her. She passed a mounted policeman, who recognized her and raised his hand in salute, but the idea of reporting the strange affair in the strip of woodland occurred to her only to be dismissed. She felt that here was an ugly busin

Clai

saw that his lips trembled. It was a situation that must have its

lmost caught in the dark. The blandi

he world. They rode silent beside the creek, which was like a laughing companion seeking to mock them into a cheerier mood. At an opening through the hills they saw the western horizon aglow in tints of lemon deepening into go

seems inexplicable that a man's life should be so mena

eak of that! It

efore the same attempt was made

ave not f

an watched his chance, for I have ridden here every

America, Mr

ery reason to resent my bringing you into su

he was grea

! I have often stopped just there before. It's a f

ow th

know very well. He was a dreadful-looking person.

f as a commonplace affair of every day. They were wal

great perplexity on his face. W

be ordinarily a bit of business between myself and the police; but to give publicity to these attempts to injure me just now would be a mistake. I could have caught

that she liked in him. She had marked to-day in his earnestness, more than at any ot

ether it would be pr

as going

was trying to make it easy fo

ally personal. I have committed no c

into a gallop for a last stret

pect a Montana ranchman t

On the range I might become a lawless bandit

ated statesmen nothing really

she reflected, grew uneasy at the thought of shielding him. She knew that her father and mother, and, even more strictly, her brother, would close their doors on a man whose enemies followed him over seas and lay in wait for him

. I always wished my father would go in for a western place, b

nia farm? That is

t's really beautiful down

lished himself as a Montana ranchman, and it seemed best not to multiply his places of residence.

ve viewed the landscape from Arlington and some da

huge inn that offers the long-distance telephone and market reports and golf links and very good horses, and lots of people stop there as a matter of course in their flight betw

e, and he watched her perfect coolness i

like town very much. But he shall go hom

aimed, with misgiving in his heart. He had followed her a

tiresome business of trying

ashionable process-you go sou

eadows with sheep-and rides over mountain roads to the gate of dreams, where Spottswood's golden horses

my entire appr

ng figure in the park thicket and the dark deed thwarted there. It was her way of conveying to him her dismissal of the incide