The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-11-19
FOULPIAN.
a N o v - 4.
BY SnAs. READE AND DION DoUe1uAULr
CHAPTER YuI.

secret at least, which this merchan
mao contriyed to conceal from the CITY
OF London, and from his own father
ana from every human creature, ex
cept one poor, simple, devoted soul
called Michael Penfold.
There are men, who seem stupid, vel
generally go right; there are also clever
men, who appear to have the art o.
Numbering wisely: "SdpieHter desce,l-
dnnt IN tnTeTnuUl," as the ancients have
It; and some OF these latter will even
lie on their backs, after a fall, and lffI
up their voices, and prove to you thai
In the nature of things they ought tC
have gone up, and their being down is
4 mOnstrous; illusory.
Arthur Wardlaw was not quite sc
clever as all that; but still he miscon-
Quoted the business of the firm with
perfect ability from the first month he
entered on 1t. Like those ambitious
railways. which ruin goodly trunk
with excess of branches, not to say
twigs, he set to work extending, and
extending, and sent the sap of the
healthy old concern a-fying to the ends
OF the earth. EE J Pc
Hewas no. only tc o ambitious, and noi
cool enough he was also unIucky, Oh
\ under curse, or something: for things
well conceived, broke down in his
hands, under petty accidents. And
besides, his new correspondents and
agents hit him cruelty hard. Then
what did her Why, shot good money
after bad, and lost both. He could moi
retrench, for his game was conceal.
ment; bis father, Was kept in the dark,
and drew his four thousand year, az
usual, and, upon any Hesitation, in
that respect, would have called in an
accountant and wound up the concern
But this tax upon the receipts, though
announcement, was a trifle compared
I I'll
that were impending. The future was
SO black, that Wardlaw junior was sore
tempted to realizs twenty thousand
pounds, which man in his position
could easily do, and fly the country.
But this would have been to give up
Helen Rollestoni and he loved her too
| we'll. His brain was naturally subtle
and fertile in expedients;s SO he brought
all Its powers to bear on a'double prob
lem; how to marry Helen; and restore
| the concern he had mismanaged to its
former state. For this, large sum OF
money was needed, notless than e9O,-
600.
entered on this project with two advan-
tages. In the first place, he enjoyed
excellent credit; in tue second, he was
not disposed to be scrupufous. He had
been cheated several times; and nothing
undermines feeble rectitude more than
that. Such q man as Wardlaw is apt
to establish a sort of account current
with humanity.
"Several fellow-creatures have cheat
ed me. WellI must get as much back,
! by hook or by crook, from several Eel
llow-creatures." t-. 49,
After much hard thought, he con-
ceived his double master.stroke; and
1t was to execute this he went out TO
Australia. - a.-...1.r 5-s.- -.= ,ys
Wehave seen that he persuaded Helen
Rolleston to come TO England and be
married; but, As 10 the other part OF
his project, that is a matter for the
reader 10 watch.:as 1t develops ITSELF
His first act of business, on reaching
England, was to insure the freights OF
| the Proserptne and the Shannon.
He sent Michael Penfold to Lloyd,s,
with the requisite vouchers, including
the receipts of the gold merchants.
Penfold easily insured the Shannon.
whose freight was valued at only six
thousand pounds. The Proserpine
with her cargo, and a hundred and
thirty thousand pounds of specie TO
boot, was another matter. Some under
writer's had an objection 10 specie, be-
ing subject to theft as we'll as ship
wreck; other underwriters, applied TO
by Penfold, acquiesced; uihers called
on WardlRw hiWself, to ask a few ques-
tons, and he replied othsm courteous
ly, but with a certain nonchalance,
| treating It as an affair which might be
big to them but was not of particular
Importance to- a merchant doing bus
| iness on his scale. 3;e Es-4f
To one underwater, Condell. with
whom he was on somewhat intimate
terms, he said, ~ wish 1 could insure
the Shannon, at hervalusl but that Is
impossible: the City OF London could
not do it. The Proserpine brings me
some cases Of specie, but my true
| treasure is on board the Shannon.
| She carries my bride. ----s
40 indeed Miss RoHeston2n t1I
.'Ah, / remembers youhRve seen her.
! Then you will not be surprised at q
proposal shall make you. Under
write the Shannon a million pounds,
| to be paid by you If, harm befalls my
Helen. You need not look SO aston.
ished; I was only joking you gentle
| men deal with nothing but substantial
values; and, as for me, a million would
| no more compensate me for losing her,
/ than for losing my own life. ~ IN s,sl-l5
The tears were In his pale eyes as he
said these words; and Mr.. Condell eyed
| him with sympathy. But he; soon re.
/ covered himself, and was the man oil
business again. 80, the specie on board
| the ProseTpine Well, was in Aus.
/ traliR, you know. and bought that spe.
\ Gle myself of the merchants whose
i names are attached to the receipts.i
deposited the cases with White d Co.,
at Sydney. PenfoldS will show you
the receipt. I Instructed Joseph Wylie,
i mate of the Proserpine, and a trust.
4 worthy person, to see them slowed
4 away in the Proserpine, by White q
i Co. Hudson is q good seaman; and this
i Proserpine new ship, built by Mare
We have nothing TO fear but the orit-
nary perils of the sea" So
$50 one would think" said Mr.. Con
dell, and took his5lsRve; but; at the
door, he hesitated, and then looking
i down a little sheepishly, said, Mr..
Wardlaw, may Ioffer You q piece o.
i advice?n ai;R
"Certainly.y aJ.s. fzJs5
ttThen, double the insurance on the
\ Shannon, If you car"
4 With stheseswords heslipped out. evil
\ IDENTIFY TO avoid questions he did mol
4 intend to answer, q e Us
4 wardlaw stared iafter him, stupidity
| at first, and then stood up and put his
i band to his head in a sort OF amaze
4 ment. Then he sat down again, ashS
4 pale, and with the dew on his forehead
4 muttsred family, 'IDouble-the insu
/ rance-of the-Shannont''- -
i Men who walk in crooked paths are
4 yery.subject to such surprises; doomed
i like Ahab. to be pierced, through tht
Il Joints of their armoEs by random shafts
10y words uttered in one sense, but con-
4 science Interprets them in another.
4 It took good many underwriters tC
insure the Prosefpine,s freight; bns the
Il business was done at last. az stsst
Then Wardlaw. who had feigned IN.
4 SoueiqHes SO admirably in that part OF
d his interview with Condell, went, with
a out losing an hour, and raised a large
q sum of money on the insured 'freighttc
4 meet the bills that were coming due
4 for the gold for he had paid for nlasi
OF Il In paper ct short dAtesl and also