The Black Pearl

the bar-keeper, who, after his constitution,> gossiped as naturally and as volubly as

ging the while one of the more lugubrious and monotono

ut and corral the whole desert, don't you? Think you can travel right

ut sixteen. Like I was home in Kaintucky, jumping a six-bar fe

l about noon, and you won't feel so gay," warned Jimmy. "

er. "I came here to the

a series. "But you ain't the only one. There's Bob

ace set. He ceased to lounge against the b

Bob Flick?

nk of it, he's a lot of dead things," he mused; "but don't ever confuse him with a dead one." Delight at his own wit expressed itself in mirthful chuckles. "He's dead game, and

to say about it?

thinking, and I'll tell you what's going on inside the Pearl's head. Say,"

left you. I know stones. Square cut emeralds. Lord! They sur

ob was new to this country then and reckless, like a tenderfoot is, and the first thing he did was to go and get lost. Well, they had several searching

knew nothing more until he finally realized that some one was trying to pour water down his throat and he kind of half come to himself; and suddenly, he said, that awful gray desert, worse than any hell a man ever feared, seemed all kind and tender like a mother, and then, some way, it burst int

as a year matching them, had to make two trips to the other side. They do say," Jimmy lowered his voice cautiously, "that Bob's father was a rich man and left him a nice

perfunctorily. "Guess I'll take a

ou're going," chuckled

rent abstraction in the direction of the Gallito home, and it was not until he was a

back and forth in a rocking chair and talking impartially to the blind boy, who sat on the step beneath her, and a gorgeous crimson and green parrot, which

n in his blithest, most assu

ghie and I were just waiting f

spoken he had assumed an air of immobile and concentrated attention, tense as that o

e, as vital as the morning. "Howdy," he shook hands with Pearl and then turned to the b

was unabated. "What's the good word with Hughie?" he asked genially.

Braddock," said

buff, and looked at Pearl, and again he experienced a feeling of surprise, for she

o the other, but spoke to Pearl,

and eyes; instead of a soft, alluring girl ready to play with him a baffling, blood-stirring game of flirtation, she was again the sphynx of last night, whose unrevealing eyes seemed

, if you're curious to know." The insolence of his tone was barely veiled. "My mother was a circus woman that Mrs. Gallito knew. She de

o say that. He don't see with his eyes," she turned to

e to the temperamental, emotional people of the stage, and he had

are Mr. Hanson's c

forward and ran his long, slender fingers with their cushione

them," explained Pearl. "He knows all the different kinds of birds just b

angers about me," he cried with passionate petula

l after him, unaffected by his outburst. "He hasn't

t. She had rested her chin on her hand and was gazing meditatively at the gay garden.

that I'm caring about is whether some one else shares hi

ing through narrowed lids and black, tangled lashes flick

ear, now hearing its name, looked up, fluttered its wings, and call

," said Hanson, who knew e

rot disgustedly; "why th

ter. "Lolita and Hughie are well m

d mom, also," said Pearl. "That's what the newspape

made no secret of it. Now all you got to do is to show me your contract with Sweeney and I'll double what he gave you, play you over a bigger circuit, and

Lolita, meltingly, if

Come on, I'll sing with you." She lifted her languorous eyes a

me t

me an

is a

ng a

. Then, as she laughed at him, he sat down. "Treble Sweeney's offer, by God!" he said hoars

indifferently. "I want to talk things over with Pop first

ny kind of a row and break any old contract just to get here. I can't breathe. I feel as if everything, buildings and people and all, were crowding me so's if I didn't have a place to stand; and then, after I'm here a while, I got to see the footlights, I

ree with me

o indication of having done so. "

was born in Kaintucky. Just tell me

ou out on the desert. It ain't safe to go alone. You see those san

nfidently and looking

. The chances are, Mr. Hanson, that if you started to walk around t

phire sea sparkled in the sunshine, its white-capped waves breaking upon the beach. Upon one side of it s

f these miracles of illusion, and he became so absorbed in it that he failed to notice tha

s unexpected appearance of one whom he was constrained to regard as more or

sort of resigned resentfulness. Lolita, however, made up what was lacking in cordiality. With a loud squawk of wel

f Mrs. Gallito. She must have been near at hand, for she and Flick emerged before the manager could

not have reserved all of her appearances for the evening, for this brilliant desert sunshine was pitiless

matter of course, but at the sight of

patting somewhat anxiously the mass of canary-colored puffs on the b

ou came," Hanson assured her. She smiled a

probably be down to-day?" she lean

e asked in his smoo

o is interested in?" asked Hanson, d

It was Mrs. Ga

b Flick's eyes. Was it possible that at the mention of that name Hanson had started and t

ck commented. "You know

lifted his eyes and looked across its tiny flare straight at F

and yet the ruddy color, as Flick noticed with me

gated wonder, "born in the sawdust same as me; his folks from way back all in the business, and him with no use for it. Never rested till he got away from it. Why, he didn't even want me to

o be grateful to you."

d," said Mrs. Gallito simply. "I always saw them t

risen and, with Lolita still on Flick's sho

e best of the situation. "Well," with rather vague gallantr

ful queer. And, anyway, he's what they call a man's man. Why, you might think he lived all by himself up there in Colina; but he don't. He's got more old Spaniards around"-she raised her eyes-"and th

is errant glance strayed to where Pearl and Flick stood gazing ove

, he certainly is queer, and Pearl's like him in lots of ways. Neither of them can stand anyt

g his cut-throat frien

rs. Gallito. "It

ould be as safe here

ted bad," whispered Mrs. Gallito. "He knows m

rest now and, spurred on by this flattering appr

tiously, "I'll tell you something. Of course, I'd never mention it if I di

world," he fervently assured her,

rtance of her news, "did you

answered. "He's been wanted by the police of several States for some time, and since

piece of news which was sure to com

its slow progress across the mountains at night and had lain on the top of the car until what he regarded as the proper moment for action had arrived. He had then slipped down, forced the lock on the door, held up both messengers, making one tie and

ated, and then a sudden revulsion of fright shook her. "But, for goodness' sake

t give it another thought. I'll for

he still shook and lo

ly reassuring, "forget it; I have alr

me t

me an

In them was a flash like fire on steel, as they rested on Bob Flick. Then he turned again to Mrs.

el would certainly not have proved calming

olina; but it's holding after all, it's holding. I guess what I know now about the whereabouts of Crop-eared