The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1904-05-06
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OAdVo r1uu UOuuy IHaL any woman
would have loved to have been courted
by him. Very well" she said, ''Mr.
Mackenzie, you have been warned,
and so have To-
Tell me your name,,", he said.
MY name? It is common enough
one here-it is Veronica"
1T is very beautiful one," he
said. And then he took of his cap
and bade her good night; and his
dreams that night were full Of noon
light and dark-eyed, slim girl, and
all the sort OF thing that 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
himself in difficulty. 1t was difficult
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 course he could not
guess what it was.
Look here, Mackenzie" he said. IT
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 1
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."
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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. Il had no diff
ficulty, SIR he replied. "Any one could
tell you it is not cottage, but a fine,
large place."
"Oh," said Dempster, laughing,
then that is Hutchinson's modesty,
is it? 1 must chaff him about it,"
Il hope you won't, sir!" said Alan
quickly. please say nothing about
it,"
Dempster looked at the young man
curiously. II will say nothing if you
do not wish it; but 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. It
began to be very exciting, for every
day he seemed to see more clearly
that Hutchinson was playing double
game. He had Dempster's conf
dence. Alan knew 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. It was not the same tender,
all-enduring affection that he would
have given to an English girl, not the
love that desires nothing except to be
loved in the same absorbing way; but
it was more the tender, protective love
that man gives to one weaker than
himself. Veronica was not his equal
in mental power he knew.
She had had very little education.
and could hardly do more than read
and write. She sang in a sweet, full
voice without any art, because sing
ing came natural to her, and she play
ed a guitar by ear; but she had no ac-
complishments nor any learning.
She was pure, innocent, beautiful
child. who wanted to be loved and
cherished. Her father had been cruel
to her, and she feared him. Alan had
been good to her, and she loved him
passionately. and would have gone
through fire and water to serve. him.
And SO weeks went by,8and at last
there came day when the proofs st