Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-08-16

he added, over his shoulder, who is
going to make the United States the
first naval power in the world"
And with a good natured laugh
the attache went off.
rs that trueg" asked the lady,
smiling with that mixture of girlish.
ness and English grandladyism
which was so new to Caleb S. Harl-
ness.
"Quite," he answered, but ! am
not going to tell you how"
In few minutes they had found
! seat beneath marvellous stand of
flowers, and she was chatting away
like a schoolgirl, while he listened
and added here and there a keen
comment or humorous suggestion.
Presently she began talking of her
self, and, in natural sequence, of her
husband, of their home in England,
of his career and of her hatred of
politics.
"And, she added suddenly at the
end of it, 'here is my husband"
"Ah" he said in a peculiar, dull
voice, "this is your husbands"
She was smiling upon the man who
approached, beckoning to him to
come with her eyes, as women some
times do. She turned sharply upon
Hardness, her attention caught by
something in his voice.
"Yesr' she answered.
Hardness had risen with clatter
of his sword on the polished floor
and stood awaiting the introduction.
my Admiral Hardness.
The men bowed, and before they
could exchange word fair young
man came up.
"Phew-this is worse than Simla,"
he said-then, offering bis arm to
Lady Storrel, Alice, he continued,
II have discovered some ices-the
most lovely ices"
They moved away, the lady favor
ing Harkness with a little nod, leav-
ing the two tallest men in the assem-
bly, facing each other.
When they were gone, Caleb s.
I1dIhASoo ttuI LOlu OoOAAOl iOOhCu
into each others eyes.
= 80" said Hardness, lapsing sud
denly into twang, "she waited"
The other nodded. He raised his
perfectly gloved hand to his mus
tache, which he tugged pensively to
either side.
"Yes," he answered, 'she waited"
Then he looked round the room,
and seeing that they were almost
alone he moved toward the seat just
vacated by his wife.
Come and sit down, " he said, land
will tell you little story"
Does she know it2' inquired Hark-
ness when they were seated.
NO"
Then | don't want to hear it
You'd better keep it to yourself,
reckon"
II should like to tell you some of
it for my own sake. don't want
you to go away thinking something
that is not the fact"
Il would rather not have the
story" persisted Hardness. This
American had some strange notions
of a bygone virtue called chivalry.
Give me few facts. | will string
them together" >"
Lord Storrel was sitting forward on
his low chair, with his hands elapsed
between his knees. They were rather
large hands-su suggestive Of manual
labor.
Suppose" he said, without look
ing round, that man is in street
row in Dublin when no one knows
he is even in the town. Suppose the
-er-English side of the question is
getting battered. and he hits out and
kills drunken beast.
Suppose an innocent man is &C.
cused of it, and the right chap is
forced to come forward and show up |
under a false name-and gets five |
years.
Suppose he escapes after three and
half and goes homesaying that he has
been in America cattle ranching, hay |
ing always been a scapegrace and a
ne'er-do-we who never wrote home
when he had gone off in a huff.
Suppose he had tried all this for
the sake ola girl, and he had car.
ried it through
Caleb Hardness had discovered that
the identity of the British plenipo-
tentiary had become known to some
81 the more curious Of the presidents
guests, who were now moaning In
nocently around them as they sat.
He moved in his chair, as If 10 rise.
"Yes-I can suppose all that" he
said.
The Englishman's nerve was mar
yelous. He saw what Hardness had
seen moment before, and over his
face came the bland smile Of an in
teligent Englishman talking naval
matters with an American admiral
"Of course, said he, II am at your
mercy"
II was at yours once, so now We
are quits, | take 1t.