Beware atc
Bellefonte, Pa., March 20, 1914.
smn ——
THE
Ne er-Do-Well |
By
REX BEACH
Author of
“The Spoilers,” “The Barrier,”
“The Silver Horde,” Ec.
Copyright, 1910, 1911, by Harper &
Brothers.
ER TER
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SYNOPSIS.
Kirk Anthony, son of a rich man, with
oollege friends, gets into a fracas in a
Mew York resort. A detective is hurt.
Jefferson Locke insinuates himself into
the college men’s party.
Locke, aided by Kirk's friend Higgins,
who thinks it a joke, drugs Kirk and puts
him aboard a ship bound for Colon. Kirk
fs on the passenger list as Locke.
“Broke” and without baggage, aboard
the ship Kirk makes the acquaintance of
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Cortlandt.
Cortlandt is in the American diplomatic
service and is going to Panama on a mis-
sion. In Colon Kirk, as the son of a big
railroad man, is taken up by Weeks,
American consul.
Kirk's father repudiates him, and Weeks
easts him out as an impostor. Kirk meets
Allan, a Jamaican negro canal worker out
of & job. The two are arrested by Colon
police for helping to put out a fire.
Kirk and Allan are treated brutally in
a Colon jail by young Alfarez, command-
ant of police. Allan's release is obtained
by the British consul. but Weeks refuses
to aid Kirk. Mrs. Cortlandt gets a phone
call
Mrs. Cortlandt obtains Kirk’s release by
easing influence with Colonel Jolson, head
of the canal. The Cortlandts are in-
triguing to make Alfarez’s father presi-
dent of Panama.
Kirk's father casts him off finally, and
Mrs. Cortlandt obtains for him a position
on the Panama railroad under Runnels,
master of transportation.
The Cortlandts and Kirk plan a picnic
on the island of Taboga, near Panama.
Cortlandt is detained and his wife and
Kirk are marooned on the island.
Kirk kisses Mrs. Cortlandt and is then
ashamed to think he has violated Cort-
landt’s trust in him. Cortlandt, alarmed
by his wife's absence, rescues her and
Kirk from the island. In the country near
Panama Kirk meets a charming Spanish
rl
The girl tells him her name is **Chiqui-
ta.” He learns later that that means only
“little one.” Kirk begins his work.
Mrs. Cortlandt has learned who Jefferson
Locke is.
Locke (real name Wellar) is a swindler
and has disappeared. His description fits
Kirk. The latter tries in vain in Panama
to learn something of Chiquita and meets
Alfarez again
Kirk wins the capital prize, $15,000, in
the lottery. lie amd Runnels make plans
for. advancement. The Cortlandts, hav-
Ing turned from the older Alfarez, intend
to make Senor Garavel, a banker, presi-
dent of Panama.
Alfarez’'s son, Kirk’s foe, is engaged to
Gertrudis, Garavel’'s daughter. She is
Kirk's “Chiquita.” He meets her again
at the opera through Mrs. Cortlandt’s aid.
Kirk makes love to Chiquita. Edith
Cortlandt, infatuated with Kirk, goes rid-
ing with him frequently.
She avows her love for him. Their ride
and talk are interrupted by her husband.
Kirk asks Garavel for his daugater’'s
band. The banker wishes her to marry
Alfarez to advance his own ambitions.
Clifford, a man frora the States, asks
Runnels about Kirk.
Kirk receives ‘permission to call on
Chiquita.
to a duel
Cortlandt asks Kirk to call on her.
[Continued from last week. ]
It was about this time, perhaps two
weeks after Kirk had replied to his
father’s letter, that Runnels called him
in one day to ask: |
“Do you know a man named CIif-
2
3
“He dropped in this morning, claim-
Ing to be a newspaper man from the |
States; wanted to know all about ev-
erything on the canal and—the usual
thing. He didn’t talk like a writer,
though. I thought you might know
him. He asked about you.”
| “Me?” Kirk pricked up his ears.
“1 gathered the impression he was
trying to pump me.” Runnels eyed
his Subordinate shrewdly. “I boosted
| “Is he short and thick set?”
“No; tall and thin.” As Kirk merely
looked at him in a puzzled way, he.
continued: “I suppose we're all sus-!
picious down here, there's so much of
that sort of thing. If he has anything
on you”— : .
“He's got nothing on me.”
“I'm glad of that. You're the best
man 1 have, and that shakeup I told
you about is coming off sooner than I
expected. I'd hate to have anything
happen to you. Do you think you could
hold down my job?”
“What? Do you really mean it?”
“I do.”
“It goes without saying that I'd like
#0 be master of transportation. hut not
until you're through.”
“ “Well, the old man has had another
sow with Colonel Jolson and may not
wait for his vacation to quit. I'm
promised the vacancy.”
“Then you have seen the colonel?”
“No, but I have seen Mrs. Cortlandt.
I felt T had a right to ask something
from her in return for what I did for
you. I know that sounds. rotten, but
| trickle down his brow. his collar be-
, You’ll understand how it is.
; Jolson wants his brother-in-law. Blake-
i ley. to have the place. but I'm entitled
to it. and she has promised to fix it for
‘me. If I go up you go too. That's
why I was worried when this Clifford
party appeared.”
“There is something, ] suppose. 1
ought to tell you, although it doesn’t
amount to much. I was mixed up in
a scrape the night I left New York, A
plain clothes man happened to get his
head under a falling bottle and nearly
died from the effects.”
“This Clifford party is stopping at
the Hotel Central. Better look him
over.”
“I will,” said Kirk, feeling more con-
cern than he cared to show, but his
apprehension turned out to be quite
unfounded. On inspection Clifford
proved to bear no resemblance what-
ever to Williams, nor did he seem to
have any concealed design. He was a
good sort, apparently. with a knack of
making himself agreeable, and in the
weeks that followed he and Kirk be- |
Meanwhile, no
word had come from Senor Garavel, |
came quite friendly.
and Kirk was beginning to fret. But
just as he had reached the limit of his
patience he received a note which
transported him with joy.
Senor Andres Garavel, he read. would
be in the city on the following Tuesday
evening, and would be pleased to have
him call.
Even with his recent experiences of
Spanish etiquette Kirk hardly realized
the extent of the concession that had
been made to him. He knew nothing
of the tears, the pleadings and the spir- |
ited championship of his cause that
had overborne the last parental objec-
tion. It was lucky for him that Chi-
| quita was a spoiled child and Garavel
a very Americanized Spaniard. How-
ever, as it was, he went nearly mad |
with, delight and had hard work to re- |
frain from shaving himself twice that
Tuesday evening. so overcareful was he
about his toilet, yet his excitement was
as nothing compared to that of Allan,
who looked on with admiration tem-
pered by anxious criticism.
“It will be a grand wedding, sar.” he
exclaimed. “H’Allan will be there for
giving you away.”
The residence of Senor Garavel is
considered one of the show places of
Colonel |
{ ent cautioned him.
' so fast.
Panama. It is of Spanish architecture, '
built of brick and stucco and embel-
lished with highly ornamental iron bal-
conies.
looking one of the several public
squares, guarded from the street by a
breast high stone wall crowned with
a stout iron fence. Diagonally oppo-
site and running the full length of the
block is a huge weather stained cathe-
dral, and fronting upon the intersecting |
street is a tiny shrine with an image of
the Madonna smiling downward. At ;
night its bright radiance illumines the
darkness round about and lends the
spot a certain sanctity.
An Indian woman. clad in barbarous
colors, her bare feet incased in san-
dals. admitted him. and the banker
himself met him in the hall. He led
the way into a great barren parlor,
where. to Kirk’s embarrassment. he
found quite a company gathered. His
host formally presented him to them,
one after another. There were Senor
Pedro Garavel. a brother of Andres;
Senora Garavel, his wife. who was fat
and short of wind: the two Misses
Garavel, their daughters: then a little
wrinkled. brown old lady in stiff black
silk who spoke no English. Kirk gath-
ered that she was somebody's aunt or
grandmother. Last of all, Gertrudis
came shyly forward and put her hand
in his, then glided back to a seat be-
hind the old lady. Just as they were
seating themselves another member of
the family appeared—this time a sec-
ond cousin from Guatemala. Like the
grandmother, he was as ignorant of
English as Kirk was of Spanish. but
he had a pair of frightfully intense
black eyes with which he devoured the
American. 4
' miliating him.
Young Alfarez challenges him
Kirk laughs at him. Mrs, '
CHAPTER XVIII.
A Challenge and a Confession.
T was very trying to be the
TI Instead of resuming their
memes conversation the entire as-
semblage of Garavels waited calmly
. for their caller to begin. and he real-
ized in a panic that he was expected
to make conversation. He cast about
madly for a topic.
he expected at least to be allowed a
farewell word or two with Gertrudis,
| but instead he was bowed out as cere-
‘ moniously as he had been bowed in
"and, finding himself at last in the
| open, sighed with relief. He felt like
“a paroled prisoner. but he thought of
| the girl’s glance of sympathy and was
instantly consoled. He crossed slowly
to the piaza, pausing a moment for a
good night look at the house, then, as
| figure slinking into the shadows of the
side street and smiled indulgently.
Evidently Allan had been unable to re-
sist the temptation to follow him. But
when he bad reached his quarters he
was surprised to find the boy there
ahead of him.
“How did you beat me home?” he in-
quired.
“I have been waiting h’impatiently
' ever since you went out. To be sure,
I have had one little dream” —
“Didn't you follow me to the Gara-
vels’?”
“Oh, boss! Never would I do such.”
Seeing that the negro was honest.
| Kirk decided that somebody had been
spying upon him, but the matter was
of so little consequence that he dis-
missed it from his mind.
Although Runnels had spoken with
confidence of the coming shakeup in
the railroad organization. it was not
without a certain surprise that he
awoke one morning to find himself ac-
tively in charge of the entire system.
He lost no time in sending for Kirk.
who took the news of their joint ad-
vancement with characteristic equa-
nimity. .
‘Now, there is nothing cinched yet.
understand,” the acting superintend-
“We're all on pro-
bation, but if we make good 1 think
we'll stick.”
“I'll do my best to fill your shoes.”
“And I have the inside track on
Blakeley. in spite of Colonel Jolson. so
I'm not alarmed. The break came |
sooner than I expected. and now that
we chaps are in control it’s the chance
of our lifetimes.” $a
Kirk nodded. *You're entitled to all
you get, but I've never quite under-
stood how I managed to forge ahead
I’ve been mighty lucky.”
“You don’t really call it luck, do
you?’ Runnels looked at him curi-
ously.
“I’m not conceited enough to think
It stands upon a corner over- I'm 2 downright genius,
“Why, the Cortlandts engineered ev-
erything. It was they who arranged
your promotion to the office in the first
place, and they're behind this last af-
fair. They have stood back of you at
every step and, incidentally, back of
me and the other boys.”
“When you say ‘they’ you of course
mean ‘she.’ ”
“Of course. One has to recognize
him, though, as the head of the family.
And he really did have a part in it
too. At least if he had been against
us we never would have won.”
“I’d like to show the Cortlandts that
we appreciate what they've done, but
we can’t openly thank her without hu-
I'd like to give him
something.”
“Suppose we give him a quiet little
supper some night and tell him frank-
ly how grateful we are. He’s the sort
to appreciate a thing like that, and it
would be a delicate way of thanking
his wife too.”
“Good! I'll speak to the other fel-
lows, and now the acting master of
transportation is going to shake with
the new acting superintendent and
wish him every success.”
Runnels grasped the outstretched
hand.
‘Say, Anthony,” he said. “we're
young and we have a start. [I have
what you lack, and you have what I
lack. If we stick together. we'll own
a railroad some day. Is it a go?"
“You bet!”
With a warm glow in his breast the
new master of transportation plunged
into his duties. He really was making
. a success, it seemed, although it was a
target of so many glances. .
His host helped him to get started, '
and he did fairly well until one of
the Misses Garavel began to translate
his remarks to the old lady and the
ferocious cousin from Guatemala. As
their replies were not rendered into
English, he was left stranded. He
knew that his whole salvation lay in
properly impressing his auditors, so
he began again and floundered through
a painful monologue.
The night suddenly turned off swel-
teringly hot, perspiration began to
came a tourniquet, and he cast ap-
pealing glances at the silent figure hid-
den demurely behind the rustly old
lady in the black harness. The look
of mingled pity and understanding she
gave him somewhat revived his faint-
ing spirit, and he determined to stick
It out until the family were ready to
retire and allow him a word with her
alone. But idle hope! Gradually it
dawned upon him that they had no
such intention.
By now his collar had given up the
struggle and lain limply down to rest.
The whole experience was hideous,
yet he understood quite well that these
people were not making sport of him.
All this was only a part of their for-
eign customs. They were gentlefolk,
veared to a different code from his—
that was all—and since he had elected
to come among them he could only suf-
fer and be strong.
What he ever talked about during
_ that evening he never quite remem-|
a
| bit disappointing to learn that he owed
so much of it to Edith Cortlandt. But
this last advancement, too. was very
timely. for it would surely have its
effect upon Andres Garavel.
But his new work brought new
troubles and worries.
with every atom of determination in
him; he drove himself with an iron
hand. He attacked his task from ev-
ery angle, and with his fine constitu-
tion and unbounded youthful energy
he covered an amazing quantity of
work. He covered it so well, more-
over, that Runnels complimented him.
This stress of labor served one pur-
pose for which he was very grateful;
it separated him from Edith Cortlandt
and took his mind from that occur-
rence in the jungle.
Soon after his promotion he received
from Andres Garavel a warmly worded
note of congratulation. and some few
days later an invitation to dine. which
he accepted eagerly.
The dinner proved to be another dis-
appointing ordeal. for again he- was
allowed no opportunity of speaking
with Gertrudis and had to content
himself with feasting his eyes upon
her. But. although the family were
present en masse, as on the former oc-
casfon, they unbent to a surprising
@egree, and he found them truly gra-
cious and delightful.
Later in the evening he found him-
self alone with Chiquita and the old
Spanish lady. and. knowing that the
latter could not understand a word of
his tongue, he addressed himself to the
girl with some degree of naturalness.
“l was sorry for you the last time,
senor,” she said, in reply to his half
humorous complaint, “and yet it was
fonny; you were so frightened.”
*1t was my first memorial service.
I thought T was going to see you alone.” |
“Qh, that is never allowed.”
he turned. he caught a glimpse of a |
He began to [hms
sleep shorter hours: he concentrated | {
bered. When it came time to leave | “Never? How am I going to ask you
to marry me?”
Miss Garavel hid ‘her blushing face
behind her fan. “Indeed! You seem
capable of asking that absurd question
under any circumstances.”
“I wish you would straighten me out
on some of your customs.”
She gave him an odd look, smiling
timidly.
**As for tonight. do you attribute any
meaning to my father’s request that
you dine with us?”
“Of course. It means I wasn’t black-
balled at the first meeting, I suppose.”
She blushed delightfully again.
“Since you are so ignorant of our ways
you should inquire at your earliest con-
venience. | would advise you, per-
haps, to learn Spanish.”
“Will you teach me? I'll come every
evening.”
She did not answer, for the old lady
began to show curiosity. and a conver-
sation in Spanish ensued which Kirk
could not follow. He departed with a
feeling of exaltation. Beyond doubt
his suit was progressing—slowly, per-
haps, but still progressing.
His understanding of Spanish cus-
toms received a considerable enlarge-
ment on the following day, when he
! met Ramon Alfarez outside the railroad
office. Ramon had evidently waited pur-
posely for him, and now began to voice
a protest in the greatest excitement.
“You ’ave insolt me.” he cried fu-
riously, “and now you ’ave the inso-
i “Make it yourself ready to fight to-
morrow.”
lence to interfere in my affairs.” He
paused dramatically. *“Make it your-
self ready to fight on tomorrow.”
“What's the use of putting it off? 1
couldn’t make your weight in that
time. I'll do it now, if you say.”
“No, no! Onderstan’ we shall fight
like gentlemen. 1 shall keel you with
any weapon you prefer.”
“By Jove!” Kirk exclaimed in amaze-
ment, *“T'his is a challenge, You want
to fight a duel! Why. this reads like
a book!" He began to laugh, at which
Ramon be:ame white and calm. ‘*‘Lis-
ten,” Kirk went on, “I'll tell you what
we'll do: we'll fight with fire hose
again. I suppose you want satisfaction
for that ducking.”
“I prefer to shoot you, senor.” the
other declared quietly. “Those mar-
riage shall never occur until first I
walk upon your dead body. As matter
of honor I offer you this opportunity
biffore it is too late. All Panama is
speaking ‘of those engagements to Se-
norita Garavel. Come, then, must I
insolt you further?”
CHAPTER XIX.
“What About Me?”
IRK replied dryly. looking the
Spaniard over with cold blue
eyes. “No! 1 think you've
gone about far enough.”
“You riffuse!” exclaimed Ramon tri-
umphantly.
“Look here!” said Kirk. “I've had
enough of this.” He advanced threat-
eningly, and the Spaniard nervously
gave way. “I don’t fight duels. It's
against the law. In my country it's
a crime to kill a man in cold blood,
and we don’t tie a fellow up and beat
hin when he’s helpless and then offer
him the honorable satisfaction of ei-
their committing murder or being kill-
ed. They're not wearing duels this
season.” His hands clinched involun-
tarily. “I don’t want to hurt you, Al-
farez, but 1 may not be able to help it
if you don’t keep out of my way.”
He left the fiery little Panamanian
still scowling and muttering threats
and went his way. wondering vaguely
how his attentions to Chiquita had be-
come So quickly known. He was in-
formed later in the afternoon.
As he left the office for the day he
was handed a note from Mrs. Cort-
landt requesting him to call at once,
and, summoning a coach. he was driv-
en directly to her house. Unlike the
Garavel home. the house which the
Cortlandts had leased was set upon the
water front, its rear balcony overlook-
Ing the sea wkere it lapped the foun-
dation of the city wall.
Edith kept him waiting a moment
before she descended, dressed for her
afternoon ride.
“You got my note?”
“Yes, and I came straight from the
office.”
“I suppose you know what it is about
[Continued on page 7 Col. 1.1
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