The Washington times., 1905-07-16

a jewel merchant in Yienna-Golstock
| by name; a man who has built q great
fortune for himself: a hard man: a man
with will OF stone" He paused and
drew breath again. 81 have been with
him for ten years; 1t was he who taught
NE the English-to speak and TO write;
1 have kept portions of his English cor
respondence for four years. A little
while ago ne called me to his private
room
The man stopped: and the only sound
| that broke the silence s4as the steady
sIicing OF the fish.
He called me to MS private .roori--''
lie paused again
The girl waited. rawIag her finger
tip slowly across the tip OF the knife
| Her curiosity was running riot, but she
kept a level voice. ''Yes|T understand
| He pulled the edges of his handker-
Chief through his fingers. seeking nerve
in the friction OF the stuff You wcn-
der why I hesitate and halt" ne said.
land shiver when L speak OF him2
| will tell you why. 1t is because J. have
feared him all these years. Fe IS a
/ man who rules by fear
Why have you stayed with hin, eu
| these years."
That l hardly know" He passed his
hand again over his face. The same
reason, / suppose. that made me come
To London on his errand; the reason
/ that makes men like him rule men like
me-always: with just word Or look
| from the eye
Anna looked down at her knife What
about the private roorn?"
Il am coming to that" He moved
nervously- .WkeE; 1 entered the -oona
| he was sitting at his desk. and beside
him. on the top Of many papers. was a
leather case; he was tapping it with
his fingers as / came in This Is for
lady in London, he said Tt must reach
her in three days; l am going to trust
1t to you lie opened the case and
showed me what lay inside-f1ve orna-
ments OF pink topaz with pearl and dia-
mond rims 1.-TWO pins, ring, a hair clasp
and a dagger. I remember, for I had
to count them many times. till ne was
satisfied L should not forget They were
very brilliant and dazzled me q little.
but took them out and looked at them
cne by one At last I asked him what
they were valued for. He laughed You
are not paid to valuate. he said Never
see beyond your own horizon
Il hesitated for a moment It was not
a -rose-colored topaz from Brazil Is some.
thing to be priced; but was uncertain.
asked him at length why he had chosen
me- He looked at me slowly with his
hard eyes; then he laughed once more
| ! choose you. Johann, he said, be-
cause you-are a fool In the case OF val
uables, one honest fool is better than
ten clever rogues.' -
Johann stirred uneasfly at the re-
ulembrance of the look. and Anna feIt
the color food her cheeks as it had
done when she faced the crowd
What did you do2" she asked
" ~
He shifted his position awl,werdly.
Il did nothing-it did not seem that
there was anything to do The slow
precision OF his English. the careful
forming of his sentences made his mean
ings painfully clear.
Go onr' She returned to her pre-
paration OF the fish. How I should
hate that mani
do you hate me?''
You? How silly She tossed back
her plait
do you despise me?"
What a question:, Tell me what you
said TO Golstock'
Il said nothing. He always talss.',
--Weu2'' -
II consented to do the errand. s. s.
Joilann's voice was humble and low
Il wouldn't have consented
No; you would not He waited for
a little. then took up his theme again.
He gave me my route and my destina-
! ton. 1 was 10 travel TO Belgium in tho
least frequen5ed way; and reaching
Antwerp. 10 cross to London by the sea
People with vsluables take the quick
est means. / was to take the slowest.
1t was ali arranged; IL is a whim OF
Herr Golstock' s-working out these little
schemes 1t Is his only whim that I
have known: roade since years ago i2e
had a packet of rubies stolen in he
post. He stopped to collect his ideas:
and when he spoke again it was with
rcore rapidity and force
The end came through a coGntr;,-
mana big Austrian with a yelIoT
! beard He came on board the ship when
did. and we climbed the gangway side
| by side. During the day he spoke
casting word 70 me now and ben n
the English. with a pleasant smile
But it was at night in the cabin that
he PLAYED mis- card.
We were crowded together-soune n
bed. some undressing. the ship pitchel:
and the smell of the swinging larnp was
very rank. An argument was running,
at the center table. but the voices cue
each other so that nobody tried 10 he.ir.
| Then out of tde medley. like a gum
shot. came q bang. as the Austrian
struck the table with his hand Every
body turned round. II 1 had the value
of ten gold coins, he said. I would
throw them overheard. sooner than
land with them tomorrow night at the
London docks. His voice shook the
place, and each man acted as came
best Some made 4 jest and laughed;
others laughed. but not so easily; and
some turned pale and asked him what
he meant But he said no more. Just
for moment his careless eyes ran
round the place. like lightning dancing
upon steel; and it was then IN a sud-
den second, that 1 felt his saze on me.
1t was but a flash, but he saw my hand
go TO my pillow, as I sat rlp; he saw
my thought show in my eyes. The
reZt day he came to me as I leant over
the ship s side. and talked TO me in ny
own ianguage-
And ~told you things-heaps of
t'lirss2' Annals knife was suspended In
he air.
How do you know
.'Ohi" She tossed back her pIait 1T
Is trick of Whites Your Austrian was
in league with White; he saw through
you like you see through q PANE of glass
He scared you and warned you, and
thi Il offered 10 steer you safe 10 his
ow Isn't thar right -