The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-10-13

OF man who SaTOrS such an adYen-
ture for its own sake. but dOggedly. de-
family. through NY teeth. rs one who
had tried 10 live honestly and failed.
And while I was about ii | told him
much more. Eloquently enough. l dare
say, I gave him chapter and verse of
my hopeless struggle. my inevitable
defeat-for hopeless and Inevitable
they were to man with my record,
even though that record was written
only in ones own soul. It was the old
story Of the thief trying TO turn honest
man. The thing was against nature.
and there was an end of it,
Rafies entirely disagreed with me-
He shook his head over my convention
al view. Human nature was a board
of checkers. Why not reconcile oneself
TO alternate black ana white? Why de-
sire 10 be all one thing or all the other.
like our forefathers Oh the stage or in
the old fashioned fctionf For his
part he enjoyed himself on all squares
of the board and liked the light the bet
Ter for the shade. My conclusion he
considered absurd.
But you err in good company. Bun
ny. for all the cheap mOraliSts who
preach the same twaddle Old Virgil
was the first and worst offender Of you
all back myself 10 climb out OF
Avernus any day : Ike. and sooner or
later I shall climb out for good l
suppose I can't very we'll turn myself
into limited liability company. but
could retire and settle down and live
blamelessly ever after I'm not sure
that it couldn't be done on this pearl
alone
"Then you don't still think it too re-
markable 10 sell?'
I'VE might take a fishery and haul
1t up with smaller fry. 1t would come
after months of i'll luck. just as we
were going to sell the schooner. BY
Jove. it would be the talk of the Pa
cifc.'
well, we've got to get it first. Is
this Won What's-his-name formidable
cuss?"
More so than he looks, and he has
the cheek of the devil-'
As he spoke a white drill skirt fiut-
tered past the open stateroom door,
and l caught glimpse of an upturned
mustache beyond.
But is he the chap we have to deal
with? Won't the pearl be in the
keeping?"
Raf1les stood at the door, frowning
out upon the Solent, but for an instant
he turned to me with sniff.
MY good fellow, do you suppose the
whole ships company knows there's
gem like that aboard? You said that
it was worth 100000; in Berlin they
say it's priceless. Idoubt if the skipper
knows that Won Heumann has
it on him"
And he has?"
"Must have"
Then we have only him to deal
with"
He answered me without a word.
Something white was fiuttering past
once more, and Raffles. stepping forth,
made the promenaders three.
do not ask to set foot aboard a finer
steamship than the Uhlan of the Nord-
deutscher Lloyd, to meet a kindlier
gentleman than her then commander
or better fellows than his officers. This
much at least let me have the grace to
admit hated the voyage. 1t was no
fault Of anybody connected with the
ship; 1t was no fault Of the weather,
which was monotonously ideal Not
even in my own heart did the reason
reside. Conscience and / were d.
vorced at last and the decree made
absolute. With my scruples had fed
all fear, and l was ready to revel be-
tween bright skies and sparkling sea
with the light hearted detachment Of
Raffles himself. II was Rafles himself
who prevented me, but not Rafies
alone. 1t was Ranles and that colo
NAL mink on her way home from
school.
What he could see in her-but that
begs the question. OF course he saw
no more than ! did. but to annoy me,
or perhaps to punish me for my long
detection, he must turn his back on
me and devote himself TO this chit from
Southampton 10 the Mediterranean.
They were always together. II was
too absurd. After breakfast they
would begin and go on until II or 10
at night. There was no intervening
hour at which you might not hear her
nasal laugh or his quiet voice talking
soft nonsense into her ear. OF course
1t was nonsense, Is It conceivable
that a man like Raffies, with his knowl.
edge Of the world and his experience
of women-a side of his character upon
which have purposely never touched.
for it deserves another volume-is il
credible, l ask. that such a man could
find anything but nonsense to talk by
the day together to a giddy young
schoolgirl? / would not be unfair for
the world. l think / have admitted
that the young person bad points. Her
eyes, l suppose, were really fine, and
certainly the shape of the little brown
face was charming. so far as mere
contour can charm. I admit also more
audacity than cared about. with en-
viable health. mettle and vitality. 1
may not have occasion to report any
Of this young lady's speeches (they
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