The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1906-09-07
The Woman Behind the Funnel.
BY FRANK HURBURT o'HARA.


mel started. She had been doing, per
haps, but now she was quite awake. She
thought she heard voice very close al
hand 1t sounded familiar, and she lay
back i'll her chair, listening.
Il first met Mason on the Bund al
Shanghai" said the voice
The woman trembled as she listened
The voice came from the other side of the
funnel. Her back was to the huge stack
which prevented the possessor of the
voice from seeing her. She did not move,
only tucking the blankets more closely
about her.
On the other side of the liner three men
sat. He who was speaking was per.
haps 40 years of age, or trifle younger
His voice was low and clear The others
smoked and listened.
He was a handsome chap, this Mason
an athletic sort of fellow, and not over
% when knew him. But, as l was say
ing, it was for him that very peculiar
sacrifice was made-the only sacrifice
that ever came exactly under my own
observation"
Tell us about it, ventured one.
For time the first speaker was silent,
gazing out over the moonlit Caribbean.
WELL" he said, at last, II was in
Shanghai when Mason came out from
the States His sister was with him. or,
perhaps, l should say he was with her,
for she was the backbone of the two
and she was a dream. Oh, well, as
said, it was long time ago, Miss Mason
was as rich as any one might we'll wish
to be, and perhaps richer. They were or
phans, and mighty fond of each other
Gracc-that was her namc-idolized ber
brother. and he certainly thought lot
of her All the money it seems, had been
left to Grace-mayb be because the father
had known of his sons weakness for
gambling.
II didn't learn about this love of game
until long time afterI met Mason; but,
of course, it cropped out in time. Other
wise, he was an ideal man, l think; but
once he got to gambling there was no
stopping him. And yet, strange as it
may seem, Grace never had discovered
this. He had wasted apple of money,
suppose, and hers. too. But she never
knew, nor even accused him of being a
spendthrift.
There was another American in Shang.
hal at this time whom happened to
know extremely we'll. Afterward he
told me all that l am going to tell you. u
The man relighted his cigar and for a
long moment said no word.
And he ?" mis- companions prompted
ooh, he fell in love with Grace, Of
course. There wouldn't be anything
worth telling if somebody didn't. He
wasn't very wealthy fellow-in fact, al
he had was a little income. Beside the
Mason fortune it was infnitesimal But
mind, it was not. the money he wanted
1t was Grace.
Grace liked Shanghai and fingered
there. She was just over in the Orient
for pleasure-had come to see the cherry
blossoms of Japan as she said, and Their
had come on down the coast. Perhap.
it WASH Shanghai alone that tpt her
for after all, heiresses are mortal ant
have hearts. In short, she fell in love
with the man.
meanwhile Mason had become fonc
of the lover and had found him gooo
companion. But he never let the maj
know about this weak spot-oh, no! So
things went on, until at last Grace hac
promised to become a wife. They tolt
the brother and he was willing. But
alas! things tarried. You see, the fellow
felt he wasn't quite ready financially t.
do all that he would want to do for hi
wife. So they waited a bit-waited {
bit too long"
He paused, tossing his cigar over tn,
rail. The woman behind the funnel wa.
listening intently. She shivered trih'
as the man resumed.
zone day Grace took her betrotheo
into her confidence and told him of vas
amount of money that was coming tC
her from firm which was sending M
agent to Shanghai to settle the matter
l won't tell you how much of sum i
h.iIa
At any rate, the sum was, coming, ant
the woman told her fiance and tn,
| brother.
"Thcre is no need to dwell upon tn,
following events. What happened is oil
vious. The agent came and the brothe
somehow managed to step in ahead o
the sister and get the money. Don't asl
me how on earth he managed it, for
don't know. The gambling fever wa
upon him-and the money went.
THE next day-that is, the day afte
Mason had lost the money-he took hi
sisters fiance into his confidence ant
! told him about the whole affair. Wha
was said during the ensuing moments
best not dwelt upon. The brother wa
called fool, a coward, cur and so or
He took it all without word, except t
admit it was true by nodding his hea
and now and then murmuring that tn
family name would be disgraced for a
time. But what seemed to hurt hir
most was the fact that now his siste
must know everything.
'In the rooms they met Miss Masor
She was very pale and her lips tremble
as she murmured some greeting. The
she dived straight at the subject.
George she said to her brother,
| kuOuu q N hOut II