Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1901-07-17

why not! Sne asked, Dut sne low
cred her lids.
Because he said boldly, ut will
be my cnly chance of seeing you
again"
There was a little silence and then
the girl spoke. But if it should
prove dangerous to you should never
forgive myself"
Then Alan laughed a good, frank
laugh. THE one thing that will be
dangerous to me'is YOU he said, land
l am going to court that danger"
She laughed too. Alan looked so
brave and bonny that any woman
would have loved to have been courted
by him. Very WE'LL she said Mr..
Mackenzie, you have been warned,
and so have L.
"Tell me your name" he said.
MY name? 1t is a common enough
one here-it is Veronica"
1T is a very beautiful one he
said. And then he took off his cap
and babe her good night; and his
dreams that night were full of moon
light and dark-eyed, slim girl. and
all the sort of thing that a young man
dreams about when for the first time
he enters upon the realms of ro-
nance.
He remembered the financial crisis
only the next morning when he saw
Hutchinson again. He told Dempster
of his interview; but here he found
himsa in q difinu1tv II uyos diHicuIt
to talk to his chief of the man he mis-
trusted. and yet to know that he was
valuable to the firm and knew many of
its secrets. He could not tell Demp
ster that what he suspected was that
Hutchinson had secret dealings with
the government, and that he mostly
knew of events before they became
public property, and so could buy and
sell to greater advantage, using the
capital of the firm for his own pur-
pose, for that was what Alan sus-
pected.
Richard Dempster saw that the
young man was keeping something
back, although of couise he could not
guess what it was
Look here, Mackenzie he said 81
don't want to force your confidence.
l can see you have something on your
mind; but l can trust your fathers
son sufficiently to know that If it
ought to be brought to my notice you
would not hesitate to do So"
"The fact is, sir" said Alan, that I
have as yet nothing tangible to lay be-
fore you; but that, not having any
proof at all, it is rather difficult to
come to you and to say, DO you trust
this man or that man.
quite right" said Dempster. And
then they began talking of something
else, and had good long consulta-
ton on the present state of affairs. 1t
was only when he was leaving that
his chief said to him by the way,
did you have any difficulty in finding
Hutchinson's little cottage. He tells
me that it is some way out; he pre-
fers the country"
Alan looked at Dempster to see if
he were speaking jestingly; but no,
his words were evidently uttered in
perfect good faith. He believed in
Hutchinson's cottage. 81 had no diff
ficulty, sir" he replied. ANY one could
tell you it is not cottage, but fine,
large place."
oh said Dempster, laughing,
then that is Hutchinson's modesty,
is it? l must chaff him about it,"
II hope you won't sir!" said Alan
quickly. please say nothing about
it!'
Dempster looked at the young man
curiously. 81 will say nothing If you
do not wish it.; but l own that your
manner makes me strangely uneasy"
II want it to do that said Alan,
and left him.
Matters, however. grew very dis
turbed. and Dempster had reason to
believe that the government was very
unstable Alan Mackenzie was sent
backwards and forwards to La Paz. 1t
began to be very exciting, for every
day he seemed to see more clearly
that Hutchinson was playing a double
game. He had Dempsters conf
dence. Alan isnew that, among other
things the firm was importing, there
were firearms, and he felt almost sure
that Hutchinson was in league with
some malcontents, and that these
arms were meant for them. Life
grew very interesting, and every day
seemed big with chances; and every
evening that he made his way to La
Paz he found Veronica awaiting him.
First of all she came to warn him,
then she came because she feared him,
and lastly she came because she loved
him. And he-he felt that he loved
her, too. 1t. was not the same tender,
all-enduring affection that he would
have given to an English girl, not the