Tvrr
r
Wtj'l
i." i m; -
m
j.
.-"sa
YRa
J "My ceutln, Mr. Withers," laid XecU
Capt. Lane, ns has been said, allowed
until the following Wednesday for the ar
rival of his regimental comrade, Mr. Xecl.
He was net a Uttle surprised, however, en
the following Tuesday morning, ns liu snt
at breakfast at the club, glancing oer tlie
morning paper, te caine upon the follow fellow
leg anneuncement:
wsTixeuisirri) aumval
Our readers will Ijo Interested In laienlnp that
Dipt, Gorden Neel, Of tlie Elefcutli United htnfcs
cavalry, lias beru ordered en duty In tlie city, lit
chanjoef lbs cavalry rtoeleneus en Hycumore
street. CapU Nyl comes te u witli a reputation
that should win Inrtant recognition and lbs
heartiest welcome from the Qiione City. Ker
nearly fifteen years lie hat nerved with hl tral
lant regiment, and hat lrcn premlueut in every
one of the itlrrfrjjc: campaigns nirslrist the hntllla
IndUnset our western frontier. He lia fought
alni)tccnetry savage trilm en tin continent; was
disabled la tb Moilne campaign In '73. command
ed the advance regard of lila regiment that
reArlied thrt wynh of thf!ntr niaswaer nn)
merit frufiia nlmll.ii fate, and for his acrvlees mi
tin , uutujji iiwmc iu, inMHui ui i,e,i-
Uiajycamrelcu was awarded the compliment of
ff duty In the city of Washington. At hi en u
renuwt, heuuvcr, tiewas relieve! from this, and
TtjnlnM ilia ivclment when hostilities were
thn'atcneil in Arizona two year age. And niiw,
as a reward for gallant and distinguished conduct
Initie lieM, lie) is given th prUcsl risrrillllng lie-
ll f-... STru.l I., ll.a ........ rtt I. Is .nil.L ll...
ui. ni. ,.,.-. ,t viiv nil Tfc ilia vviieiii. tt
X Ilou. Aiiim Wither, athlt IMl itlill lieitm en the
liei;ui; nuii our mir reauer win tm iiuere.icu in
knenlus that lie In n h&cheler, and, desplte hla
years of hanlshlp, dancer and prltatlen. Is a ro re
marVahly tin" looking man.
It Ls tindcnlned that Lieut. Ijuie, the present
recruiting efllcer, haa leen erderwl te return te
bis rrtflmeiit at once, although Ihu time haa net
yet uiplreJ.
In the expression en Ciipt. l.tnc'a face ns
lie llulslicd thin Item tliure uiisseiiiclhlnK
Iialf vexed, half comical.
A fuw lieitrs uftcrwnrd, whlle he was
rated In his eflice, tlie orderly entered, and
anneuncetl two gentlemen tosce the cap
taltL Lnne turned te rceelvi) Ills isllnrn,
but before he could advniKe across the dark
Itielll tlie filler nf tlm tun enterlrirr tlin
k ddermndnn sprint? tnnnnl him, i lapped
r1" lilm eerdlully mi the back, and. with the
:' ' js- r ni
R -ji,- lc. wWl fiy I Jl 1
B JaVKatiLBaVaKalr
IP . aaSVaVEwKaw. Bjr
ft .3x5
fc . utmost delight, hheitleil, "Hew nre ou,
SS old fcllewf Hew well wut'in loeklnirl
i&' r,. , ,.',. .;.:. '..:.. ..."
;liy, i nairni wi-cjrHeri you hince e
fA'C-"iWeroqteii theilelil htiutlnK up old tier-
J oulmeH tralll lly Joel but I'm Rind te
SWA. yenl" AiidJjine had no dllllculty In
rtiuwK nt tmce tes -reulincutal com-
,VTBae uortlen iecl.
' A.r .& & a i- .
si? jjcfc uie iirv-cni. jeii uuuy ceuniu, Mr.
SttM, Wlthere." said Xecl.
Btjfr And a ateut, florid man, liein I.nne lind
MLV WIVlLCUIKVUUb IIIU CIUU, Ulll 1U 1VI1UIU III)
Kif'''" ncTcr hitherto been made known,
A bowed with much cordiality mid extended
gt Ills hand.
RbX "I didn't knew," wild he, "that you were
m a friend of Xeel'n, or I'd have ceme te ee
you before and invited jeu te my house."
"Friend!" exclaimed Xeel. "Frlcndl
Why, wu've been piirtners nnd cliumvl
W Why, w'e tnti nil ever this continent
h- tepetlier. Wllliernl Knil tlnnu reiiiivnilHr
jgft thotime u w croup In the Sioux (nmpui;ii
f tne ntplit l went nver with these fellows
te hunt tip the trail te the Custer ground!
Let'tiM-c; you were acting adjutant (hull,
If I recollect rl(;ht. Oh, es; you u an back
with the colonel."
I-nne reircd his Rttests with perfect
ceurteny, but without that menreeiiluK
ccnliallty which distinguished the ether'a
manner, uud then Mr. Withers entcrel
ik Inte tlm cotucrsatleh. Turning te Cnpt.
italic, nu nam;
"I didn't knew that jeu had been en ihe
Sioux, campaign, Were you there, toer"
Ine replied quietly that he bad been
with his regiment through that jear in
fact, had never been away from it for any
length of time, except en tbla detail which
KsL had brought him te his old home.
Ife's;.? "Oh, yes; 1 remember huxlng heard that
tt tniawaa jour ueine. J nm cry wirry In
a deed that jniti did net make eurM'lf known
&itt.tui liefere." haid .Mr. Withers. "Vuu
Kjjp'lmew that 1 am n verj-bus.-man and don't
Bcturuuiiu iniicii. .ow)eu can ceme ami
dine with us this ctenlng, uiu jeu net?
Sirs. Witlitrs will certainly expect you,
new that Xecl is here,"
"I am ery sorry Indeed, Mr. Withers,
but I am already engiged "
"Veu must make e.irly bid if jeu want
te c-t this j-eung man, Ames," iiit in Mr.
Neel, nllcctlenatcly patting J-mu en the
ebeulder. "It was jtn. be in the regiment.
He was alwaj'S In demand. Well, when
cau you come, Fred t What evening hhall
wesayr"
"It will depend, perhaps, en the day I
turnover tlie property te jeu. llowseou
de jeu wish te take heldf"
"Oh, any time. Any day, Wheneier
yeu're ready "
"I'm ready new, today, If jeu cheese,"
tras Initie's irenipt resjienw. "I fancied
you might be here by te-morrow."
"Yea, you bet I didn't let the grass grew
under my feet. The moment we get the
telturanlifn linHflrHtlnn 11, nt ttui -,lin.,u
i-yt uomltuitlen Him annretwl I llteut for the
railroad," said N'wd, laughing gleefully.
"And when will j-oucemo in nnd take
ever the prepcrt J t There's n geed dcil of
K eietmng te tw cfiUtited. Ab for the funds,
KVii- MWJ, wi WU1K, iituuil III II1U U.tnK. '
i&A. "Suit jeanself about that. Frcihir nhl
Sv, boy. I'm going down the street with Ames
BO" ew. IIew'll te-morrow morning de!"
fcsht, !ry well Indifsl Yeu will lind me
0 i lierwaiv time Veu icitne In "
Pjt" -dlnrl w,,lit V'.,.. ............. . ,,
Egft Is hari'id ceme along down with us. The
wrf nt'S right, Here at tlie deer. Wu'ru
S? farmers'" ,0 b.ee tli0 erkE-Mr. Wlthera'
W k.e.,i ." 1'"'"- Come."
"'"" ""icwlth us. I think 1 Inn e heard
such meu lti,er w he ah who was In the
sy price business at one time, Mr,
nere, benis-. Withers.
te toil for V Ames! Cant. I.anel Great
p, i,,u .fctn't 'mUter a man who has
""8 "the j ears of hcnicohebas."
'TbeSTiSJu. I did net se understand
Syeu, Gorden, wlTen we were talking last
1'Mgat irith the when we were having our
linioke und that after dinner. Yeu will
-; oeme with us, won't jeu, captain!"
"l wikn i coma, Air. withers, but mv of.
tftce hours bin e te. Ixiobscned, nud I can
not leave in the morning. Thank jeu
tiMirftl v nmm On, 1pu rri, ,-,, ...til i...
"t here te-morrow. XeeU"
Us "Te-morrow lx it, Fredj be nu revelr, if
,'you can't Jein us. I nuutn't keep Withers
i waiting buklneas man. veu knew, fiul
:.,
r&i
-vj-'blvhn jeu, old fellow; jeu don't begin te
f realize new delighted I am te beu you! go
Jeng."
-, "Hut alieut dlulng with ug, Captain"
i "Oh. LerJ, j wl" burst iaXecL "What
i-ening, newf I'd almost forgotten. Get-
ug m umeng uncles and mortar addles
'mrtwtttl. 'lltu't lav Ulag out la ili wiU-
i '
DcQIPIEFj
s$A qrillin cMrrn remarce of
flft C9esterr prenfief.
Bu GflPT. CHARLES KINO, U. S. fl.
ICepyrlghted by J. B. Llpplnrelt Company. Philadelphia,
and published through apecial arrangement with the Aineit
can Itch AMoclatlen.
uin witn tne meuiitain nreewa nil nteutm
you; hej l redf uatu i den i Knew
whether I can Main! thlsnert of thing, af
ter our jeartef cnmialgnlng." And the
lieutenant looked dubieualy around upon
the dark and dingy walls and windows.
"Suppose we aay Thursday evening, cap
tain," suggested Mr. Withers; "and I'll
hae just a few friends te meet you two
army gentlemen."
"I shall Ik very happy, Mr. Wither.."
"Geedl That's the talk, Frcdl" heartily
shouted the lieutenant, bringing bis hand
down with a resounding whack lietwecn
Initie's shoulder blades. "Xew we are effl
Come nleng, Ames." And the cousins dis
appeared down the dark stairway and
pepped Inte the carriage.
"Xet a very dcmonstratUe man, your
friend, the captain, but eccms te be solid,"
was tr. Withers' remark.
"Oli, je.s. HolsnbeutM solid as they
make them," answered Xecl, airily. "Initie
has his faults, like most men. It is only
theso who really knew him, who have been
associated with him for j ears, nnd whom
he trusts and likes, that are his friends.
Xew, I'd go through fire nnd water for
blm, nnd be would for me but of cenn
yu wouldn't think it, te Fee his perfectly
conventional society manner this morning.
If I hed lift j ou down nt the feet of the
stairs and had Mnlen up en tiptoe and gnne
ner nnd put my arms round his neck you
would probably have found us hugging
eaih ether and dancing about that room
llkea ceuplii of gri77ly liears u hen jeu enme
up, nnd the moment he caught sight of
jeu he would have hluahed crimson and
get behind his ke screen In a second. Yeu
Just ought te have seen him the night we
met each ethernlth onrdetnehmentsdewn
near Outiduliiie Canyon when no were
hunting (icroulme. Seme d d feel of a
muLhniHU had met him and said I was
killed lu the little affair we had with the
Apache rear guard, Why, I was Jierfectly
nuui7cd nt the emotion be showed. Ker
slnce then l'e sworn by Fred Ijiinr;
though, of course, helms trults that 1 wish
he could get rid of."
"Geed elllcer, Isn't he?"
"Ye ex, Ijiiie Isn't half n kid soldier.
Ofcotirse It remains te Iki seph what sort
of captain he w ill make. He has only just
get his troop."
"Hut I mean he well Is ubinteuian;
has shown up well In tin se Indian lights
jeu were telling us alieut."
"ll'ml" answered Xeel, with a ipiiet lit
tle chuckle, "If he wasn't, jeu Kt he
Wouldn't have Is en nil these jenis In the
Klcxcuth Ashirknf any kind Is Just the
ene thing we won't stand. Whj', Ames,
whin old Jim Hlier was our colonel dur
ing these jeaiH of Iho Hieux and Chcjc line
mid Xez 1'crie wars he ran two meu out of
the regiment simply because they managed
te get out of Held duty two suiicssIne
jears Oh, net Lane's all right as n sol
dier or he wouldn't Ikj wearing thu crossed
saliers of the Klutentli."
.Mr Withers listened In thrw Inlesef r) u
delngsanil sajings nt the regiment with
gieat Interest, "l.'iiie might hau been
here n dozen jears," said he te himself,
"nnd no ene In our ((immunity would have
known aujthltig at all about the dangers
Ids comrades and he had encountered in
their frontier sen he, It's enlj' wliensome
fellow like Xecl comes te us that we learn
nnjtlilng wlmtuNcr of our army and Its
doings."
He took his cousin te the great melding
works of Which he was the sole head nnd
proprietor, uud presented his foremen nnd
Ids clerks te thu captain, and told them
of his career In the Indian wars en the
frontier, and then uiien 'change, nnd
proudly Introduced "my cousin, CiipL
Xeel," te the magnates of thu Queen City;
and, though net euu out of n de.eu was lu
the least degivelnterested Iii"tliecaptilii,"
or cuiid a grain of wheat what the ainiy
had dene or was doing en thu fiuutler, al
most ewiy man hud tline te step and
shiku hands cordially with the handsome
elllier, for Ames Withers was wild te lie
n man whose the(k for a round million
would be paid at sight, and nujlKidy
whuwas first cousin te that amount e(
"spot cash" was worth stepping te chat
with, even In thu midst of the liveliest
tussle 'twixt bull and liear en the lloer e(
the t'lmmlsTef Commerce. A tall, gray
haired gentleman, with it slight steep te
his sheuldeis and lather tired, anxious
ejes, who listened nervously te the shouts
from "the jilt" and scanned eagerly the
little telegraphic slips thrust into his hand
hy scurrjlng messenger bejs, win. Intro
duced ns Mr Vincent, and Mr. Vincent in
(iilred if Xeel knew Lieut. or, rather,
Cnpt - Line
"Knew Fred I Jinef He Is the liest friend
I haui In the world," was Hie enthusiastic
answer, "and one of the best meu that ever
lived."
"Ah! I'm glad te knew j-eu glad te
knew w hat jeu saj The curtain is a con
stunt lslter ut our house, a great friend of
ours lu fact. Ah! excuse niu a moment "
And Mr Vincent scicd it tertuln well
known broker bj tlm arm and murmured
seme eager luimlries in his ear, te which
thu ether listened with ill-disguised impa
tience. Withers and, of course, "the captain,"
were the center of it cordial net te say ob eb ob
SHpiIeus group mi long us they remained
Uhiii tfie Heur, and theseeietaty presently
came te tin in with the compliments of the
president and a caul admitting Cant. Ger
den Xeel te the lloer of the rhamliernt any
time dining business hours, which that
elhcer most giaccfully acknowledged, and
then went en repljingte the uuostleus of
bis new fiirudsalKjut the stiiiiige regions
through which he bud scouted nnd fought,
and thuehaincteiistlcsef the Indian trils'S
with whom he had been lneught in con
tact. And by the time Cousin Ames do de
clnrcdthej mut goteiherlubfor luncheon
evcrjlsxly was much Impressed by the
hcartj-, Jovial maimer of the dashing eav
alrjmau, and there weie icpcatcd hand
shakes, premises te call, and prophecies of
a delightful sojourn in their midst as he
took Ids leave.
"Has Cnpt. Line come in j-et te lunch?"
inquired Mr Withers of the liveried at
tendant at "The Queen City," its his cousin
inscribed Ids nnme and regiment in the
Mters' book, as introduced hy "A. W."
in ponderous strokes of the pen
"Xe, sir It's eensiderablj past the tlme
the gentleman generally comes. 1 don't
think he'll he in tedaj, sir."
'Then we won't wait, Gonlon. We'll
order for two What wine de jeu like!'"
Over at the ding) icciultlngollUe dipt.
I-nue hud forgotten about luui heen. There
were evidences of carelessness ou tlie part
of the clerk who had made out his giv.it
hatch of papers, unci the further he looked
the meru he found. Thu orderly bad been
sent for Tainter, and had returned with
the information that he w as net nt his desk.
Pergt. Hums, when celled upon te explain
hew it happened that he allowed him te
slip away, promptly replied t hat It w ns half
pest H when he camu out of the captain's
ofllee und said that the captain would want
him all the nfternoen, se hu had best go
and get his dinner new. Half past 12camc,
and he did net return. The tergeaut w etit
after him, nnd fame back In ftft ecu minutes
vv It la n worried leek nlxiut his face te my
that Tainter had net lieen te dinner at nil.
mid that the deer of the little room he oc
cupied was leckesl. He had net been in the
house since 6 that morning.
"I'm afraid, sir, lie's drinklu' nguiii,"
suid Uurns; "but hu'a se sly alieut It I nev
er can tell until he Is far geno."
"Yeu go out jeurself, nnd send two of
the iiiun, uud make Inquiries at all his cus
tomary haunts," ordered Line, "I will
stay heru uud go through all these papers.
Xone are right se far. He never failed me
before; and 1 de net understand It nt nil."
Hut when night came Tainter was still
missing had net lieen seen or hesiril of
and Cant. Lane lutd writleu it hurried uote
te the i.viy et nisleve te say that n trnng
nnd most untoward case of desertion bad
JustecrurTeil which tiecessltnteil his spend
ing some tlme'wltli the chief of jiollce at
'once. He ls?irgcI her te make his excuses
te her geed mother for his inability te
ceinn te dinner. Later in the evening be
LeiKsl te siv) her. ,
'l'. 8. (Jorden Xeel, who Is te relieve
me, has nrrlusl. I have only three or four
dajs mere."
"Gorden Xeeti" said Miss Vincent, su
lvrly. "Whrrehnve I heard of Gorden
Xecl?"
CHAlTErl V.
'TsWTOmI
"1 am dhnnft yUitl te hear that the in net
tha heiress people a(cl ?ic irns."
And new n mutter has te lie recorded
which will go far te com lnce many of our
renders that Opt. Line was even mere of
nn old fashioned prig than he has hitherto
appeared te Ikj. After lenvlngtbc Vincents'
late en the previous day he had eometehls
rooms, and sat there for fully two hours In
tlie endeavor t compose a brief, manly let
ter addtt-esed te Vincent Jiere. It was noth
ing mftre nor less than the old style of ad
dressing a gentleman of family, and re
questing iKTiiiiastoute paj'hls addresses te
his daughter Mabel. A very dllllcult task
was the coiiitesitlon of this letter for our
frontier soldier. He was desperately In
ranicst, however; tlme was short, and af
ter scve-ral attempts the mlsslve was com
pleted. His 11 ist duty in tlie morning was
te send that letter by an orderly te Mr.
Vincent's office. Then he turned te his
sergeant and asked for news of the de
serter. Xet a word had been heard net n
single word.
"I have lieen cverj where I could think
of, sir," said the sergeant, "and lmth the
men hnvu been ureuud his customary
haunts last night and this morning mak
ing Inquiries!, but nil te no purpose. The
detectives came and burst into his trunk,
and tlieie was nothing in it worth having.
He had ls-'en taking away his clothing,
etc., from tlme te time In small packages
uud secreting them we don't knew where.
One thing I heard, sir, that I never knew
lx'fere, and that was that after he had
gene te bed at night hu would frequently
steal out of his room and go uwny and
never reappear until breakfast thin lu thu
morning And new will the lieutenant
the captain jinrden mu for asking the
question, me the cluck books nil right,
sir?"
"What put that Idea into jour head?"
risked Lane,
"Well, sir, some of the men tell me that
he was nlwajs writing ut Ids desk, and
encu .Strauss said that he had picked up it
scrap of paper that bu hadn't completely
destrejed, ami the handwriting en it
didn't leek like Tnlnter's at. all; he said it
mere resembled that of thu captain, and it
made me suspicious. I never heard this
until late hist night "
A sudden thought occurred te Line.
Taking out Ids cheek book be carefully
counted thu checks lemnlnlng uud com
pared them with tlie number of stubs, and
found te his surprise, uud much te Ids dis
may that at least live or six checks were
missing.
"Send for it cub at once. I must go down
te the bank. Yeu stay here, and when
Lieut. Xecl comes give him my compli
ments and ask him te sit down and wait
uu bile and read the morning paiier. I'll
Iki back lu u v cry short time "
Following tlie custom established by his
predecessor, Capt. Laue had nlwajs kept
the reciiiltlng funds in the First Xatienul
bank. His own private funds he picferrcd
te keep in nu entirely different establish
mentthe Merchants' Htchimge,
The cab w hli led him l upidly te the build
lug indicated, and although it iackesl half '
nullum-ef the tlme of opening he made
his waj into thu ollice and asked te sce the
pajing teller
"Will jeu kindly tell me If ituj i hecks
en the recruiting fund have lately been
presented for payment'" lieeageily asked.
The captain was lefeued te tlie boek-keciH-r,
and that elllcl.il vailed blm within
the railing.
"Xe less than four clucks were brought
here jcstcnl.iy for payment, and they caine
between half p 1st linnd II o'clock in the af
ternoon," was thu bookkeeper's ivpert,
"There seemed te us semethiug wrong In
the simultaneous pieseutatleu of the four,
and I waseu the pointef addressing it nete
te jeu this morning te ask jeu te ceme
down te the bank. nvLi'jthlng about It
appears lu proper shape uud fetui, except
that three) of theehecks haielx-cu indorsed
payable) te jour clerk, William Tainter,
w he came in person ami drew the lnenej-."
"Let me sce the cheeks, if jeu please-,"
said the captain.
Thev werosHs.slilypredurccl. Line took
them te the window and closely examinee!
them.
"1 could net tell them," he said, "from
my own handwriting, nnd jet thesu thiee
checks nre feigerles. I belluvu that the
indersements en the kick nre equally
forgeries Xew, can 1 take tlu.su with me
te t he ollice of the chief of polite, or de Jeu
tlesdre that the detectives should Iki sent
here? Tainter deseited last night, and all
traies hnve ls-en lest. What is the amount
that he has drawn1'"
"One cheek, paj able te the elder of Will
iam llajdeii for beard furnished te the lo le
iriiltliutpirty, Is te the amount of fl5 50.
The Muiud, pajublu te dailies Freeman,
and Indorsed bj him te William Tainter,
as was thu llrst, Is for the lent of the build
ing occupied by the lecrultiug leiidezveus,
prvcUclj similar in form and amount te
the previous cheeks, for the sum of fM.
The third check Is pujable te William
Tainter himself, muikcd 'for etr.tiluty
piy ns clerk at the recruiting ollice for the
past six months.' The fourth Is made pa)--able
te the order of Scrgt. James Hums,
'extra dutj pay as non-commissioned elllcer
in charge of the party for the six mouths
beginning Jan, I and ending June 30 ' "
This cheek, tee, had been Indeisecl pay
able te the order of William Tainter. All
four checks, amounting lu all te the sum
of alxwt one bundled and sixty dollars, had
liecn mid te the deserting clerk during the
ufterueim of the previous day.
"Had jeu no suspicion of nnjtlilng
lvreng," said Line.
"1 knew net lung about It," said the boek-keeK-r
"They were presented te the lav
ing teller nt the desk, mid It wiu net until
alter bank was closed, when wu camu te
kilauie ui cash, that tlie matter excited
comment and then suspicion. Tainter has
frequently ceme here before with drafts
und cheeks, nud if you remember, sir, ou
ene or two occasions he has ls.vii sent for
new check books whuii the old ones had
run out."
"That's very true," said Line. "He has
beeuemplejeil here In this leiidezveus for
the last ten jears, and has borne, up te
within my knowlcdge of blm, nu unim
peachable character, if any mere checks
come in step paj incut en them until jeu
see me, and, If iosmIjIe, detain the person
who prose uts them "
Half tin hour afterward the) captain was
buck lu hut ollice, and tlieie, tuiu te his ap
pointment, wtu Lieut. Neel
"1 have had n strange and unpleasant
exerleuce, Xeel," siid Lauu "Most of my
papers havu la-cu faultily made out. My
clerk deserted last ulght ami has turned
out tu be a most expert forger. He has
stolen half a dozen checks from my book,
made them out te the order of various par
ties, forged the Indersements himself, get
the money j-estenl.,y af ternoeu, nnd cleared
out, no one knew where "
"Great Scott, old muni that Is hard luckl
Hew much bus he let you in for" ' asked
Neel, lu the slang of the ocried.
A sWdssB iafl''BW
Orl LaLaLaLaLalailisLaWjlPSsaMlM.
"Only IW, fortunately; and 1 hare MM
that geed this morning placed my own
check te the credit of the recruiting fund
In the First National bank, se that in
turning ever the funds te you there wilt be
no Ions. We have te mnke new wipers for
the clothing account; but as quickly as
K)ssibleI will have them ready for jour
signature and mine."
"There is no hurry whatever, old fel
low," answered Xeel, cheerily. "I've ceme
back from the regiment a little short of
money, and I want te have a nest egg in
the bank te Is-giri with. It's a geed thing
te have n fat cousin, Isn't It? He has al
ways been ery liberal nnd kind te me,
nnd, luckily, I've eiilydrawn ou blm twice.
Pe I'll hurry nleng."
Five minutes after Xecl left n district
messenger entered with a nete for Capt,
Lane. Itwes addressed te him In the
handwriting of Mr. Vincent. He opened
It with a trembling hand. It ceutnlned
merely the.se werds:
"I am obliged te leave for XewYerk this
afternoon. Can von come te my office nt
1 o'clock? Wecau then talk without In
terruption; nud I much desire te see oil.
"T. L V."
As the blgliellen thecltyhall bad struck
1 Capt. I.nne appeared at the ollice of Vin
cent, Clark & Ce , and was Shown without
delay into the private room of the senior
partner, Mr, Vincent, looking even elder
and graver in the wan light at the rear of
the massive building, was seated at his
desk nud busily occupied with n book et
memoranda nnd figures. He pushed back
his chair and caine forward at once nt sight
of Line, and motioned te the clerk te re
tire. The cavalryman's heart was beating
harder thsn he had any lecolle-ctlen of It
ever doing before, except in her presence,
nnd he felt that his knesist wcr trembling.
Hut the old gentleman's greeting gave him
instant hoe.
"I am glad you have come, my dear sir;
I nm glad te knew a man who was taught
nn I was taught. Yeung pcople nowadays
seem te tush Inte matrimony without the
faintest nference te their parents, and
jour letter was a surprise te me n sur
prise, that is, In the fact that you should
have sought my permission nt all."
"Tnku this chair, captain," he continued
ns he returned te his desk. "I hnvu much
te say te jeu," he ndded, with it sigh.
"I,ct ine say ut once that from what I
knew nnd hnve heard of you there is no
man of my acquaintance te whom I could
Intrust my daughter's fiilure with mere
implicit confidence. It Is true that both
her mother nnd I had nt ene time ether
hopes and views for her, nnd that we wish
jour profession was net that of nrms.
And new I leg j-eu te be patient with me,
and pardon my alluding te matters which
j-eu jeurselt breach in this this most
manful letter. Yeu tell me that you nre
net de)cndcut en jour pay alone, but that
from Investments In real estate In grow
ing cities in the west and lu mines in Xcw
Mexico jour present Inceme is some t,t)00.
As I understand jeu, the property Is stead
fly Increasing In value?"
"It has steadily Increased thus far, sir,
nnd I think it will coutinucteilosofor m-v-eral
jears te ceme lu real estate invest
ments at least."
"I am glad of this, en your acceuntns
well as hers, for Mabel has Ijcsmi reared In
comparative luxury. She has never known
what It was te want anything verj- much
or v cry long. She has been educated en
the supposition that her whele life would
he equallj- free from enre or stint; nnd If I
were te die te-morrow, sir, she would be a
beggar."
And here, In great agitation, the old
gentleman rose from his chair and began
nervously pacing up and down the little
room, wringing his white, tremulous bands
and turning his face, away from the silent
soldier that bu might net sea the tears
that hung te the lashes or the piteous
quivering of tlie sensitive lips. Fent mo me mo
mciilertvvuiiothliigmoro was said. Then,
as though In surprise, Mr. Vincent stepped
sheit
"Did jeu understand me, Capt. Line? I
de net exaggerate the situation in the least.
I de net knew hew seen the ux will full.
We are safe for today, but knew net w hat
the morrow may bring forth. I may be
met en reute by telegrams saying that the
Journey Is useless that w e nre ruined and
themeney I hepe te get In Xew Yerk te
tide us ever would only come tee late.
Xext month at this time the home in which
Mabel was born nnd reared may be sold
ever her head, with every scrap and atom
of its furniture, and we be driven Inte
exile. De j'eu realize this, sir? De jeu
understand tluit if you win her nflettien
nnd she becomes jour wlfe I huve uet otie
penny vv Ith vv hlch te bless her?"
"Mr. Vincent," answered Lane, "I
would held tnjself richer than any man in
this world It 1 could knew that j-eur
daughter caied for me and would be my
wife. De net think that 1 fall te sympa sympa
thlze and feel for jeu and nil who nre dear
te Jim In jour distress and iitixietj, but I
am almost glad te hi nr that she is net the
heiress people said she was. It is Mallei I
want" and lieiehisvolce trembled almost
as much as the old man's, nud his honest
graj ejes filled up with tears he could net
down ".mil w Ith her for my own 1 could
ask nothing of unj man. I hav e j-eur con
sent te see her, then, at ence if need be?
Yeu knew I am relluved from dutj here
uud must rejoin my regiment within ten
dajs "
"My full consent, and mj- best wishes,
captain," said Mr. Vincent, grasping the
outstretched hand in both his own. "Yeu
huve net spoken te her at all?"
"Net n word, Mr. Vinceut; und I can
feiiii no idea what her answer will be.
Paideu me, sir, but has she or has Mrs.
Vincent any kuuwledge of jeut business
troubles?" I
"Mj wife knows, of course, that cverj1
thing is going wrong and that 1 am ties-
iieiately harassed; Mabel, tee, knows that
have lest much inenej very much In
the last two jears; but neither of them
kuewHthu leal truth that even my life in
btiiuucu Is geno. A jear age I struve te
obtain additional amounts in the three
companies in which I had taken out poli
cies jears age. Of course a rigid examina
tien had te bu made by t he medical advisers,
uud the result was the total rejection of
mj applications, nud In two cases an offer
te return with interest nil the premiums
hilheite paid. The physicians bad all dis
covered serious treuble with my heart.
1 Jist vv mt( l our busincsa wns nt Its lowest
ebb 1 hail ls-en fottunite In socie specu
lations ou 'change lu the past, nnd I otreve
te restore our failing fortunes In that way.
My margins were swept away like chntT,
and 1 have been vainly striving te regiln
them for thu List three months, until new
the lust cent that I could raise is waiting
the result of this week's dual. Lvcry man
in nil the great markets cast and west knew
thrte vve-eks nge that n powerful and
vveilth bjiulic.ite had 'cornered,' as we
say, all thu wheat te lie had, and wns forcing
thu price up day bj day; and I had stai ted in
en the w rung side, liven If thu cornerwere
te lueak te-morrow I could net recover halt
mj losses. The eiler thu Insurnuce com
panies made was eagerly accepted, sir; I
took their money, and it dribbled nwny
through my broker's lingers. If wheat
gees up ene cent we cannot meet our obli
gations weare gene, We huve been com
pelled te tiorrew nt ruinous lates In order
te meet our calls, 1 say we, for peer Clark
Is with me in tlie dual, and it means uiin
for him, tee, though he, lurkily, has neither
wlfe nor eliild Are jeu ready, sir, te ally
jour name with that of n mined and
broken man towed a licggar's daughter?"
And here oer old Viuceut fail ly broke
down and sobbed aloud Ling watching,
sleepless nights, suspense, wretched anx
ietj', the nv cited leeks and w hispered com
ments of the men he daily met en 'change,
the increasing hruMueiies and Insolence
of his broker, Win den all had combined
te humiliate nnd crush him He threw
himself upon the sofa, his worn old frame
shaking uud quivering with grief The
sight was tee much for Line. This was lici
father; it was her home that wits threat
ened, her name that was in Jcepardj-.
"Mr. Vincent," he cried, almost Iniplor Inipler
iuglj', "I ciiuiiet tell jeu hew utterly my
sjmpathyU with jeu lu jour auxicty nnd
distress. 1 beg jeu -net togivewaj- net tc
abandon Iieik.-. 11 think it may be in my
power te help a little; enlj- It must be n
secret between us. She Mabel must novel
kuew."
CHAPTr-H VL
in tlie three days that followed the trans,
fer of fluids nnd property nt the recruiting
rendezvous took place and Mr. Xeel step
ped in, vice ixtee, rcitetM mm dmnim t
rejoin his regiment. The feratW wns having
ftdelightfu! time. A guest of tt wealthy
Wltherses could net long be a stranger
within their gates te the queen citiseas.
nnd every afternoon and evening found
him enjoying hospitalities of the most
cordial character. At the club he had al
ready become hall fellow with all the
younger element, and had made himself
decidedly (lepular among the elders, and
every man who had net met that jelly
Capt, Xecl was eager te be presented te
him. He was ready for peel, billiards,
bowling or a drink the moment he get
within the stately doorway; and, as he
saug, whistled, laughed, chatted and
cracked innumerable jokes during the
various games, was a capital mimic, and
could personate Pat, liana or Crapaud with
telling effect, his presence was pronounced
by every ene as better than a solid week of
sunshine something tlie Queen City rare
ly, if ever, experienced.
Peer Lane, en the contrary, was nearly
worrying his heart out. He had gene te
the Vincents' the very evenlng en which
he had seen the father of the family off for
Xuw Yerk, and had nerved himself te put
his fertune te the test te tell her et his
deep and devoted leve and te ask her te be
his wife. That she well knew he leved
her, without being told, he felt aura must
be the case; but, beyond a belief that she
liked and trusted him, the captain had net
the faintest idea as te the nature of her
feelings toward him. He was a modest
fellow, ns has been said. Ills glass told
him that, despite a pair of clear gray ej-es
ml n decidedly soldierly cut te his feat
ures, he was net what women called a
hondsetno man; and, what was mere,
there were little strands of gray just be
ginning te show about his bread forehead
nnd in the heavy mustache that shaded
his mouth. Line sighed ns he remembered
that he was In his StHh year. Hew could
she enre for blm fifteen years her senior?
Line mug the deer bell that ulght, and felt
ence mero that his heart was beating even
as It did at 1 o'clock when he was ushered
Inte the awful presence et her father.
"Miss Vincent has net left her room to
day, and Is net well enough te ceme down
tonight, sir," said the servant who enme
te the deer, "and Mrs. Vincent .begged te
be excused because et Miss Mabel's need
ing her."
"I I am verj', very sorry," stammered
the captain. "X'lease say that Mr. Lane
called" (they had known him se well for
two months as Mr. Lane that he could
net jet refer te himself by Ids new title),
"nud and would call again tomorrow,
hoping te hear Miss Vincent was much bet
ter." And then, dejected nnd miserable, nnd
yet with something akin te the feeling one
experiences when going te n dentist's te
have a toetli drawn nnd the dreaded wield
er of the forceps proves te be nwny, Lane
retreated down the bread stone steps until
he reached the walk, gazed up at the dim
light in ellie window which he thought
might be hers, anathematized himself for
his lack of self possession In net having
asked w licthcr there wasn't semethiug be
could bringbcr something she would like
for tlie simple hearted fellow would
have tramped nil night nil ever the town
te find and fetch It nnd then u happy
thought occurred te him; "Women nl
wajs leve flowers." He ran te the next
street, bearded it west bound car, and was
toen clown town nt his faverite florist's.
"Give me a big box of cut flowers the
handsomest jeu have," he said; and while
tlicj' xv ere being prepared he wrote a few
lines en a card, tere it up, tried ngnin en
another, nnd similarly reduced that te
fragments, and llnally, though far from
content, limited the expression of Ids emo
tion te the simplest werds:
"De get well by Saturday nt latest. I
Caunet go without seeing j-eu. F. L."
"Where shall we send them, sir?" asked
the llerist, as he came forward with tlie
box 1 ti his hand.
"Xever mind; I'll take It myself," was
thu answer, as the captain pepped In thu
little missive.
And w hen he get back te the house the
light was still burning iu thu window in
the second story, nnd the doctor had Just
left, said the sympathetic Abigail, and had
said it was nothing serious or alarming;
Miss ilnbel would hnve te keep quiet a
day or tn e; that xvas ull.
Hut what hard luck for peer Lane, when
the daj-s of his stay were se very few! All
Thursday morning was spent nt tne ren
dezvous, counting ever property nnd com
paring papers with Xeel. Then, while that
gentleman went te the club for luncheon
the captain hastened totbe Vincents' deer
te renew Inquiries, nud wns measurably
comforted by the news that Miss Mabel
wesmuch better, though still confined te
her room. Would he net come In? Mrs.
Vincent wns out, but she thought did Hint
most intelligent young woman, Mary Ann
that perhaps there was it message for
him, Like Mr. Toots, peer Lane, in Ills
anxiety te put no ene te any trouble, camu
within un nce of stammering: "It's of no
consequence," but checked himself in time,
and stepped Inte the bright parlor in which
hu had spent se many delicious hours list
ening te her soft, rich voice as bhe sang,
or as she chatted blithely with him and her
frequent guests It was seme time before
Mary Ann returned Evidently there was
n message, for the girl's face was dimpled
with smiles ns she banded lilm a little note.
"Miss Maliel sajn please excuse pencil, sir;
she bad te write lying down. Miss Holteu
has just geno awaj', after spending most
of the morning."
Hxcuse pencil! Lane could hardly wait
te read the precious lines. Hew lie longed
te give the girl a five dollar bill! Hut this
wasn't Englaud, nnd he did uet knew hew
Murj Ann would regard such a proffer.
She promptly nnd discreetly retired, leav
ing the front deer open fur his exit, and
the sweet June sunshine and the seftwurm
breath of early summer flowing iuthreiigh
the bread vestibule.
"Hew geed jeu nre te me!" bhe wrote.
"The flowers were nnd nre still exqui
site I blinll In) down stairs a little whlle
te morrow afternoon, if tlie doctor Is geed
te mu as jeu me. Then I can thank jeu,
can 1 net? M. L. V."
The hours dragged until Friday after
noon came. He had te go te the Wlth
erses' te dinner ou Thursday evening, and
ti dreary, ostentatious, ponderous feast It
was Xeul, in his full dress uniform, was
the here of the hour. He greeted Laue a
trifle nmeuslj-.
"1 meant te have telephoned and begged
you te bear me out, old man," said he,
"but tills thing w.is sprung ou mu after I
get home. Cousin Mitttie simply ordered
me te appear in my warpaint, and 1 had te
de it Yeu are te go lu te dinner with her,
by the way, nnd I xvlsh j-eu were en grande
tcuue Instead of civilian spike tall. Here's
Ames."
And Ames marched blm around te ene
guct after another "self made men, sir"
heavy manufacturers und money makers,
witli their ovc.rdres.sed wives. Line strove
hard te be entertaining te his hostess, but
that lady's mind was totally engrossed lu
the progress of the feast and dread of pos
sible catastrophe te stjle or service. Her
ej-es glanced nervously from her husband
te th butler uud his assistants, and her
lips perpetually framed inaudible Instruc
tions or warnings, and suit happened that
the captain was enabled te chat a geed
deal with it slight, dark ejed and decidedly
intelligent girl who sat te bis right, and
vv he was totally ignored by tlie j'euug tub
who took her in tlie eldest sun of the
house of Wil heis, a callow j euth of 'JO.
"Yeu did net hear my name, I knew,"
she had said te lilm. "I am Miss Marshall,
a very distant connection of Mrs. Withers',
the teacher of her j'eunger children, nud
t he merest kind of an accident at this table.
Miss Faulkner was compelled te bend her
excuses at the last moment, nnd no I was
detailed Isn't that j our soldier expression?
te lilt the gap."
"And w here did you learn our army ex ex
preN.lens, may I iislr" said Linesinilingly
"I had a cousin In the aitillery some
jears age, nud v Isllnl Ids vv Ife vv hen they
were stationed at thu old bai racks across
tlie river. There's mi oue there new, I be
lieve. Listen te Cnpt. Xeel, hu is telling
about Indian campaigns "
Indeed, pretty much everybody w as listen
ing already, for Xeel, with much nnimi nnimi
tlen, was recounting the experiences of the
chase after the Chirlcahtn chieftain, Gcr Gcr Gcr
onlme. Hu was nn excellent talker, ami
met diplomatic and skillful iu the avoid
ance of nnj direct reference te himself ns
the liei 'iu l no series of dramatic) incidents
which 1m mi uriinhinAllv lulel and xctthf
impression conveyed M tMeMett te
conveyed was that no man had seen mere,
endured mere or ridden harder, faster and
farther than the narrator. Flattered by
the evident Interest shown by theso about
him, and noting that conversation was
brisk nt Liuu'seud of the table, the lieuten
ant seen lest himself in the enthusiasm et
his own descriptions, and was only sud
elenly ivcnlled te earth by noting that new
the w hole table had ceased its dinner chat,
and that, with the possible exception of
tlie hostess, who was telegraphing signals
te the butler, every man nnd woman pres
ent was looking nt blm nnd listening.
The color lenMsl te his face, nnd he turned
toward Lnnc with a nervous Inugh.
"I'd no Idea I was moneiolizing the
talk," he said. "Fred, old man, wasn't It
0 troop that tried te get across the range
from your command te ours when we
neured the Gtuulalupe? Ames and Mr.
Hawks had been asking me about the
cliase after Geronlme."
"Yes, It was G troe Capt. Greene's,"
nnsweixsl Line.
"Yeu knew that Capt. Lane nnd 1 are
nf the sumo regiment, nnd, though net
actually together In the chase, we were iu
the same campaign," said Xeel apolo
getically, nnel then, quickly changing the
subject! "Hy the way, Mr. Hawks, is Harry
Hawks, of thu artillery, n relative of
j-eura?"
"A nephew, captain my brother Henry's
son. Did juii knew lilm?"
"Knew blm? Whj-, he is one of the
warmest friends I hnve lu the whele army
outside of my own regiment, that Is. We
were constantly together oue winter when
1 was en staff duty in Washington, and
whenever he could get leave te run up
from the bnrrucks he made my quarters
his home, lfjuucver write te him just
ask him if he knows Gorden Xecl."
"De j-eu knew, Capt. Line, that I hnve
found jour comrade captain a very inter
esting man?" elwerved M Iss Marshall; nnd
her ej-es turned upon her next deer neigh
bor In calm hut keen scrutiny.
"Xecl is very entertaining," was the re
ply; and the dark gray eyes looked un
flinchingly Inte the challenge of the dark ,
brown.
"Yes; I have listened te his talcs of the
frontier at breakfast, dinner nnd during
the evening hours, since Sunday last. They
nre full of vivacity and variety."
"One sees n geed deal of strange country
and many strange pcople In the course of
teu or u dozen years' service iu the cav
alry." "And must nerds have n geed memory
te be nble te tell et it all especially when
one recounts the same incident mere than
once." And Miss Marshall's lips were
twitching at the corners in a manner sug sug sug
gestivoef mischief nud merriment com
bined. Line "paused for a replj." Here wns
cvidentlj'ii most observant jeung woman.
"There! I did net mean te tux j our loj' lej'
nlty te a regimental comrade, captain; se
jeu need netuiisvver. Capt. Xeel interests
mill entertains me principally because of
his Intense individuality ami his entire
conviction that he carries his listeners with
him. 'Age cannot w ither nor custom stale
his Infinite variety;' but there should net
Ijo quite se much variety in Ids descrip
tions of it single eveut. This is the fourth
time I hnvu heard him tell of the night
ride from Cnrrize's ranch te Canjen Di Di
abeo." "Yeu have the advantage of me, Miss
Marshall," auswered Lane, Ids ej'es twink
ling with appreciation of her demure but
droll exposure of Xoel's weak point. "It Is
the first timu lever heard his version of It."
"It Is the last time he will mention it in
jour presents!, if lie saw the expression iu
J'eur face, Cnpt. Line."
"De these Introspective eyes of jeurs leek
clear through and see out of the back
of j-eur head, Miss Marshall? Your face
xvas turned toward him. Yeu stepped
short lu telling meet yonrceusln In the
nrtlllerj- and jour visit te the barracks,
nud bade me listen te something I did uet
care linlf as much te hear as j-eur own im
pressions of garrison life. Never mind the
qtiudruplex account of the night ride. Tell
me w hat jeu thought of the army."
"Well, of course, the flrst thing a girl
wants te knew is what the shoulder strap
mcansjiind I learned the very first daj-that
the blank strap meant a second lieutenant,
a single silver bar a first lieutenant and two
bars ii captain that Is, in the artillery.
Xew, why this provoking distinction lu the
cavalry? Here's n captain with only ene
bar, a captain w hesu letters from the war
department ceme addressed te Lieut. Gor Ger Gor
eon Xeel'"
"Xeel never speaks of himself as captain,
I'm sure," said Lane.
"Neither de you, and for a j-ear past, ever
since I have known jeu by sight" and
here u quick blush mounted te her temples
"you etcisiuiidllj' came te our church
jeu knew," slie hastened te explain "j-eu
have been iifeinsl te us Lieut. Line or Mr.
Line, but we knew jeu nre a captain new,
for we saw the promotion recorded In the
Washington dispatches u fortnight age.
What was the date of Capt Xeel's eleva
tion te that grade' I confess I took lilm
for j our junior in thu service and iu jears,
tee."
"Yes, Xeel holds well te his J euth,"
answered Lane, sniilitiglj-.
"And about the cupt.imiy ?"
"Well, he ibe verj near it, nnd it is e
apt te ceme nn dij, that pel Imps he thinks
it just as well te let people get accustomed
te calling blm that Theti he won't Iiaye
teliicik tl.ein all in when the commission
does come."
"Then he Is j-eur junior, of ceurse?"
"Only by it file or se. He entered the
service verj been ufter me."
"Hut was net iu jour class nt West
Point'"
"Xe, he was net iu my chiss."
"Iu the next one, then, I presume?"
"Miss Mill-shall, is jour llrst name Por
tia? I should liate Ui be a vv itness whom
jeu had the piiv liege of cress-ciuinining.
There me I idles 'learned iu tlie law,1 nnd I
ex iks t te lead of jeu as culled totbe kir
withiiiajear or two."
"Xever mind, Cnpt. Lane. 1 will ask jeu
nothing mere about him." ,
"Xe, Miss Marshall, I prtsume that my
clumsiness has rendered it total lyunncces
sarj-."
That night, as tlie guests were dispers
ing, Line did what most of them entirely
emitted; he went ever te the piano and
bade Miss Marshall geed ulght.
"Capt. Line," she said, "I beg our par
don If I have been tee inqtiisiti nud tee
critical, as I kuew I have been; but j-eu
have taught mu thut jeu knew hew te
guard a comrade's failings from the world.
Will you net forglve a, woman's weak
ness?" "There is nothing te forgive, Miss Mar
shall. I hope sincerely that we may meet
ugaiti before I go kick te the regiment "
And later, as Line was walking home
ward from it final peep at tlie dim light iu
it certain window, he had time te think
hew intolerable tluit dinner would huve
beemed had it net been for the accident
vv hich placed that dark eyed governess by
his side.
CHAPTER VII.
Ilcr fair haul iillletm! en a tllhcncuth tllhcncuth
fen, reclined the lady of his heart.
Line was nwake with the sun en Friday
morning, nnd lay for n few moments listen
ing te the twittering of thesDarrowsnbeut
(41 M
i-fKl owl J j,
WWWw !! Wmtmmtmm - - -
lac. row red sfctAe af Mtit ua4
tbreush the lntemla in b vuiia
blinds. "Dees It augur bright fortune
Dees It mean victory I It Uke tk 'sum
of Ansterliur " were the qtteetleM that
crowded through his tersia. Today today
she was te "be down for little while la
the afternoon," and then she "hoped te be
able te thank him. Could she?" 1
thousand time ever and ever njaJn she)
could, if she would bnt whisper one little
word Yes In answer te his eager qncss qncss
tlen. It lacked hours yet until that longed
for afternoon could come. It was net 5
o'clock; but mere sleep was out of the
question, and lying there In bed Intolera
ble. Much te the surprise of his darky
valet, Lane had had his bath, dressed and
disappeared by the time the former eama
te reuse him.
Neel was latelnrcschlngtherepdeiveua,
It was after 10 when he appeared, explain
ing that Mrs. Withers waa far from well,
and therefore Cousin Ames would net
leave the house until the doctor had seen
her and made his report. Lane received
his explanation somewhat coldly and sug
gested that they go right te work with
their papers, as he had Important engage
ments. It was high neon when they
finished the matters In hand, and then the
captain hastened te the club and waa
handed a telegram with the information
that it had only Just come. It was evi
dently expected. Lane quickly read it
and carefully stewed it away in an inside
IKicket, In another moment he was speed
ing down town, and by half pest 12 was
closeted with the junior partner of the
tottering house of Vincent, Clark & Ce.
Mr. Clark was pale and nervous. Every
click of the "ticker" seemed te make htm
start. A clerk steed at the instrument
watching the rapidly dotted quotations.
"Hav e j ou heard from Mr. Vincent?" was
He first question, and without a word a
telegram wns handed te him. It was in
tlphcr, ns he saw nt once, and Clark sup
plied the transcriptien:
"Ilessiter refuses. Watch market closely.
See Warden Instant touches half. Break'
predicted here."
"Twenty minutes morel" groaned Clark,
as he burled his face In his hands. "Twenty
minutes mere of this nwful stisjicnse."
"What was the last report?" asked Lane,
in a low voice.
"Xlncty-elglit. nnd a quarter. MyGedl
Think of it! Three-quarters of n cent be
tween us and beggary I I could liear it, but
net Vincent; 'tweuld kill him. Even his
home is mortgaged."
There came it quick, sharp rap at the
gluzctd deer; the clerk's head was thrust in:
"Tliree-clghtbs, sir."
"It's tlme te move, theu," said Lane.
"I cannot fellow jeu te the fleer I have
no ticket; but I will be awaiting your call
at the Meichatits' exchnnge. Mr. Vincent
has told j-eu Hetter hnve It in treasury
notes ene hundred each hed j-eu net?"
"I'll see Warden at once. D n hlml he
xveuld sell us nut witli no mero compunc
tions than he would sheet a hawk."
"Yeu infer that Mr. Vincent has had no
success In raising money iu Xew Yerk?"
nuked Line, as they hurried from the of ef
lice. "Xet an atom! He made old Rossiter
what he is hauled him out of the depths,
set him en Ids feet, took him in here with
him for ten j-enrs, sent him east with a
fortune that be has trebled since in Wall
street, nnd new, by heaven! the cold
blooded brute will net lend him a pitiful
twenty thousand.
At the kink Line found nn unusual
number of men, and there was nu nir of
suppressed excitement. Telegraph boys
would rush lu cverj new nud t licit wltn
dispatcher for various parties, nnd these
xvereeagctly opened and read. Scraps of
low, earnest conversation reached him, its
be steed n silent watcher. "They cannot
stand it another day." "They've lieen
raining wlie.it en them from every corner
of tlie north and west. Xe ging can stand
under it." "It's bound te break," etc. Te
nn official et tlie bank who knew him well
he showed the telegram he had received ut
thu club, and the gentleman looked up In
8iirpri;u.
"De j-eu want this new, captain? Surely
j-eu nre net"
"Ne, I'm net, most emphatically," re
plied Ijiuu with a quiet laugh. "Yet I
may have sudden use for that sum. I tel
egraphesl te my agents nt Chejenne j'ostcr j'estcr
day. Yeu, perhaps, ought te who ut once
nnd verify It."
"Thesu are, our bank rules, and I pre
sumo it w ill be clone; though of course we
knew"
"Xever mind. I much prefer you should,
and nt once." And, leax ing the man of
business te alt end te the necessary formal
ity, Lane stielled te a window and looked
down the crowded street toward thu mas
sive building in which tlie desperate grap grap
ple 'twixt hull ami bear was at Its height.
The day was het; men rushed by mopping
tiieir fevered brews; a throng of iceple
had gathered near the bread entrnuce te
the clinmlier, and all Its windows were
lowered te secure f res) and flesh currents
of ulr. Line fancied hu could hear the
shouts of tliu combatants In the pit even
abeve the ceaseless rear and ruttle of
wheels upon the stene pavement. Little
by little the miutite hand was stealing te
the vertical, and still no sign from Clark.
"Husshe touched a half jet?" he heard ene
man eagerly ask another us they dived Inte
the broker's olllue underneath.
"Xet yet, but I'm betting she does Inside
of live minutes mid reaches ninety-nine
first thing te morrow."
At last boom went thegre.it bell asiugle
solemn stroke. There vv as a rush of men
for the street, a geueial scurry tewnnl the
great Ixiard of trade building, a rapidly in
crcvsliig crowd along the curbstones ns tha
members camu pouring out, and brokers
uud their customers hurried away toward
numberless little offices all ever the neigh
lii heed. Dozens of them passed along
under his pest of observation, seme flushed,
borne deathly pale, and llnally Clark hlm hlm
feelf appealed and Line hastened forth te
meet him.
"Sausl hy n meresqiieaksefar," was the
almost breathless whisper, as Clark re
moved ids hat and wiped his clammy fore
head. "Hut we knew net what n day may
bring forth. It's a. mere respite."
"Can the syndicate carry any mero
weight, think jeu Prices, jumped up two
nnd thiee weeks age. Xew they enlycllmb
a hair's breadth at n time. I hear they are
luaded down that It must break; but I'm
no expert iu these matters."
"If jeu were, jeu'd Ik) wise te keep out
of it. Who can say whether they will
break or net? It Is what uverylmdy confi
dently predictcsl when elghtj'-nlne was
touched twelve dajs nge; and leek nt it!"
"De jeu go back te tlie ollhe from here?
Geed! 111 join jeu there in ten minutes,"
baid Line, "for 1 shall net come down town
this aftei neon, und may net Is) able te In
the morning."
And when Cnpt. Line appeared at the
ofllee of Vincent, Clark & Ce. he brought
with blm it stout little packet, which, utter
the exchange of n few werths and u bcrap or
two e.f paper, Mr. Clark carefully stewed
In the Innermost compartment of the big
safe. Then he grasped Line's hand in
lieth of his as the captain said geed-by.
That afternoon, quite late, the captain
rung at the Vincents' deer, and It was nl nl
mest instantlj opened by the smiling Abi
gail, whom he se longed te reward for her
evident sympathy the day before, jet
lacked the couriige te proffer n greenkick.
Line was indeed little versed in the witj-s
of the world, howsoever well he might be
informed iu his profession.
"Miss Vincent is In the library, sir, if
you will please te wnlk that way," washer
brief communication, nnd the captain,
trembling desplte bis U-st efforts te con
trol himself, stepiied past her Inte the
bread hall, and there, hurrjiiig down the
stairway, cranie Mrs. Vincent, evidently
te meet blm. Silently she held forth
her hum! and lid him into tlie parlor,
and then he saw that her face was very sad
and pale und that her ejes were red with
weeping. ....
"I will only detain j-eu a moment, cap
tain," she mummied, "but I felt that I
must see j-eef. Mr. Vincent wrote te me
ou tlie train ns lie ieft here, and he tells me
j-eu knewthe wert "
"Mr Vincent has honored me with his
centldence, dearladj , and I saw Mr. Clark
tedaj'."
She looked up eagerly, "What news had
he from Xew Yerkr Did be tell you
about Mr Ilessiter, that Is? I knew ier
fectly well what Mr Vincent's hejies and
expectations, were in going."
"There was u tvlusruui. Jfenrtkat lw
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