The Storyteller.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7920, 8 September 1905, Page 4

The Storyteller.

TOfci)—THE KING'S DOUBLE. (Continued). Todd raised his hat and smiled With condescending grace. "Oh, mjr !" sktt gasped. lluw ■iw oi you !" "Not at ail,'' said he, with bemgn MftUJitirLeut in his manner. "So you cams after all," said sb*. Her American aqprnt was just sufficient to l» fascinating. "I'm not suit thai 1 understand,'' he replud. "Oh ! ma saw in a paper that the plus were altered, and that you weren't coming to Bikkra this journey. But I'm real glad you're line. Todd stared in true enjoyment. He had never been quite so subtly flat*i«d.

"OI course you( can bel II see you are inug. Broken away for a razzle M your own, I expect." She regarded mm with her big, devouring •yes, which seemed to come closer «*ch moment.

He realised with a silent sigh that fee eould not allow the deception to (• too far. The Nemesis of discovery wouM make things worse if it were toyed with too long. "I knew it was you all ihe time, but ma said you'd have two generals wmiting around at least. She was Tery pretty, and »he was temptingly close. "Arn't you glad to hare got away all on yonr own?" Percy Todd decided that the mo■ent had come for frankness. . "My name is Todd," ke said. She' stared at him a moment, and then gave a knowing nod. "Oh ! you can trust me. I should flo the same thing myself. I should jut hate to be cooped up for ever like a lion in a show."

He turned to her with his most genial manner and leant forward. "Now I wonder who do you think 1 am," said he. Ber va-ger eyes rested on his for • moment; then she clasped her hands and burst into a deliehtiul tang. "Well, your photographs are all over Europe and America , and I've got ryes, I think." "You hare," said Tcdd, "May I •ay—very pretty ones." "Why, of course, if you thin* so. It'll make me a bit proud, that's *11."

He l'iH a glow ;of pleasure, pered by a thrill of alarm. Her adulation was delightful, but he was reeeiving it under false pretences. "Whom have I the pleasure of addressing," he asked to gala time. "My name is .Julre—Julie Watson," •aid she, still watching him as tkough afraid he would disappear. "The front name's Frenck, but I'm aa American. My father's on Wall West, in New York ; but I suppose iron wouldn't know anything about Wall West."

"Indeed I do," said he. "And 1 fcart heard of your father, if he's Andrew Watson who worked the Chesapeake deal." He had made money orer this deal Wmseff, and the tame of Andrew Watson was om to conjure with. "Well, just think o.' that she •xclaimed, "He'd be very pleased if ha could bear that. I'll write him all about it neit mail." Todd suddenly began to feel uneomfortatile. Chance and a resemblance had placed him on a familiar footing with a lorely girl who was a daughter of on* of the richest, ■aw York operators. Sh« was deaaiving Jierself; ,liut so far he had ■Ot actively deceived her. A rapid calculation decided him that it would be the wisest thing to inform her without loss of time. "I nught to know your father's ■ame," said he, "(or I am on the London Stock Exchange." She glanced half-quizzingly at him. Then she stared in an open-mouthed way, and doubt slowly dawned upon kar. "You're on the—you'rt not—arn't

the—who are you, then, anyway ?" The soil' lines of her piet'ty dace stiffened a little. "My name is Todd, of the London Stock Exchange.' 1 "Ami you're not the — ?"

"No," "said he, trying unsuccessfully to smile. "It's a resemblance —a latal resemblance—that's all. It has causfti me a Ritai deal of inconvenient at different times."

"Oh. my ! Well, 1 am mad !" said Hiss Watson, and she drew away. "Ma will have the, laugh ol n;e." She knitted her brows in vexation, and then glanced sharply al him. "And you—you're having a fine laugh at me, too, I know." "indeed, I'm doing nothing of the sort," said he earnestly. "1 am aware that 1 am unluckily like the—the Person you look mo for. In London it is constantly noticed. In theatres and in the Park and other places lam constantly Iwved toj and even cheered. It is almost a persecution." He spoke sadly and .irooped his head. "Well, if that s so Willi your own Britishers, it's not to lb woiiUead at that an Aniei.ian ,-liould be takin in. But 1 am mad. though, for ell '.that." Shd looked at him re;entiully. "I fail to si* why," said he.

There was a pause, during which scanned him : "lijt do piuple really cheer you in .lie street 1 ' she asked. "They do," said he. "A <jd tiny take oil tt.eir hats and and point at you ?" "All that,'' he replied. "Well, that's sometlung, anyhow," aid she cheerfully. "There's a lot f Ai.iencans who would give a good :eal for that.'' There was another pause, and floating on the air tame the sound o; tom-toms und wind instruments droning a dismal chant. ■1 say Mr " •Todd." ".Mr Todd. Arn't there cafe> and places here where they have dances •hat everybody goes to see "Yes.'' said he. "Well, why shouldn't you show me round

"I shall be delighted," saul lit with alacrity. "That's all right then. I'll fetch a wrap and tell ma. and be back here in a second. Do y<m mind Sin paused ar;d looked at him, whvn a smile came into her eyes. "Do you mind if I call you—Edward she asked, j "I shall like it," he replitd. ; "Good ! After all, it might jump somebody." She darted ofl, and rcj turned in a delightful hat. ! "I've not told ma " j "Ti.at you're coming '.'" be asked. "No ; that you're not " i "Oh, bother thai." said Todd. He | would i, ot have changed places with [anyone .ins; then. "I've got theljesl, ; ot hi in to-night without question." | "Now, that's nice of vou. Come | "long. I'm iust dying to see those cafes."

| It became generally known next , day that tiie plan of the tour bad ! been ali<icd, and that Mr Percy I Todd would have no chance of that

UTonlre at Biskra for which lie had •hoped ; but in the fascinating society of Miss Julie Watson lie found no room for regret at his journey. That young lady's feeling for him was stimulated by the fact that a party oi tourists who arrived one day, under the convoy of a Volapukspeaking conductor, saluted Todd in | the same mistaken belief to which she had momentarily succumbed, and lhey were raced off after bed and breakfast in the hotel without discovering their error. "That just shows," she said ; and

[when Percy Todd beggtd for merci- ! ful consideration she became engaged to him without demur. "It'll make all the girls frightfully jealous," she said, "if my husband is taken for the —" But lie stopped her mouth in recognised fashion. Mrs "Watson was (not enthusiastic over the arrangement ; but Julie assured him that it was all right, andthat in her country girls did as they liked in reference to their parents. "And dad's never said 'No' to me in my life," she declared.

He returned with them to Algiers, where he bought a ring and other liaublcs, which Julie accepted with composure. He found that the third linger was already occupied by a couple iof hoops when he presented his token of engagement, hut she told him that "that was all right," and that tilings like that did not

count in her country. She boughh one or two pltotograplis of his "double" and compared them with him, and wrole glowing letters toj her friends. She cabled the news to her father, and he called back "bring him along" ; and' Percy Todd was so much enamoured that she grew a littlo tired of his attentions. He left them in Paris—as Julie de-

clared she must buy a lot of things —and hurried to London to make arrangements for at further t lengthv holiday, as it was agreed that he should accompany them in the same steamer to New York, where the. nuptiials were to take place. But iwo days before the date fixed for [ihe departure he received a letter from Julie, which wrought havoc in his heart.

"Dear Edward," it ran, "don't bp iiad ; but I'm engaged again. He's he very imago of the German Emperor, and he, as you know, is all the rage in New York just at present. It was too good a chance to •liiss, and the girls will be frightfully jealous. The Parisians are always ■ aking off tlieir hats to him. lie's :|uitc tho light sort, ami doesn't a it mind my wearing your ring and • it hei" trifles, so I'm keeping them, as I think you mav like it. We go 'loiue direct without touching England, so this must he good-live for the present. Ma sends her love." He tore the paper in a dozen piecand sank into his armchair. "Had I but served myself as I have served my King," he cried in lis distress, and groaned aloud. In the fliitierness of his soul he tltere and then made a resolution which changed the whole tenour of lis lift.*. He) cjept into a hairdr.'ser s that very day and sacrificed his heard.