Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-11-14

q low greed OF gain, because ! thlnk
I have the best motive that man cnn
have for wanting to make money"
He said this meaningly and watched
her face all the while.
approve Of"
She smiled sympathetically. Il
II approve and l admire your spirit"
She rose as she spoke and moved
toward side table, where two lighted
candles had been placed.
my motive for talking SO bare.
facedly about myself" he said us they
moved toward the door together, was
to let you know exactly who am and
why l am here. 1t was only due 10
you on accepting your hospitality. l
might have been a criminal or an es
capped embezzler. There were two on
board the steamer coming out and
several other shady characters"
YES" said the girl; II saw your
motive"
They We're now In the hull, and the
uged servant was waiting to show him
his room.
mo one knows" Victor Durnovo
was in the habit of saying, what Is
going on in the middle of Africa"
And on this principle he acted.
"Ten miles above the camping
ground where we first met" he had
told Meredith. "you will find a village
where have my headquarters. There
Is quite respectable house there,
wlth-a-a-woman to look after your
wants. When you have fixed things up
at I.oango and have arranged for the
dhows to meet my steamer, take up all
your men to this village-AIsala is the
name-and send the boats back. Wait
there till we come"
In due time the telegram came, via
st. Paul de Loand, announcing the
fact that Discard had agreed to join the
expedition and. that Durnovo aud he
might be expected at Msala in one
month from that time. 1t was not
without vague feeling of regret that
jack Meredith read this telegram. To
be at Msala in a month with forty men
and vast load of provisions meant
leaving Loango almost at once. And,
strange though 1t may seem, he had
become somewhat attached to the
dreary west African town. The singu-
lar cosmopolitan society was entirely
new to him; the life, taken as u life,
almost unique He knew that he had
not outstayed his welcome. Maurice
Gordon had taken care to assure him
of that In his boisterous, hearty man
ner, savoring more of Harrow than Of
Elton, every morning at breakfast
Jack took a seat on the porch and
began to search for his cigar in the
pocket of his jacket. Jocelyn went to
the front of the veranda and watched
her brother mount his horse. When
she came to the back of the veranda
a little later she was thinking about
her brother Maurice, and it never sug-
gested itself to her that she should
not speak her thoughts to Meredith,
whom she had not seen until three
weeks ago. She had never spoken Of
before.
docs 1t ever strike you," she said to
Jack, that Maurice Is the sort of man
to be led astray by evil infiuence?"
Eyes, or be led straight by good in
fiuence, such as yours"
He did not meet her thoughtful gaze.
He was apparently watching the re-
treating form of the horse through the
tangle of flower and leaf and tendril.
Il am afraid" said the girl, that my
Influence is not of much account"
do you really believe that?" asked
Meredith, turning upon her with half
cynical smile.
Yes" she answered simply.
Before speaking again he took pull
ut his cigar.
to me to be the making Of Maurice
Gordon. frequently see serious flaws
in the policy of Providence, but sup
pose there is wisdom In making the
strongest influence that which Is I'M
conscious of its power"
81 am glad you think have some
power over him." said Jocelyn, but
at the same time it makes ME uneasy.
because it only confirms my conviction
that he is very easily led. And sup
pose my influence, such as it is, was
withdrawn; suppose that, were to
die, or, what appears to be more likely.
suppose that he should marry
''Then let us hope that he will marry
the right person. People sometimes
do, you know"
She smiled with strange little
flicker Of the eyelids. They had grown
wonderfully accustomed to each other
during the last three weeks. Here. 1t
would appear, was one of those friend
ships between man and woman that
occasionally set the world agog with
curiosity and skepticism. But there
seemed to be no doubt about It, He
was over thirty, she verging on that
prosaic age. Both had lived and
moved In the world. To both life was
an open book. and they had probably
discovered, as most of us do, that the
luEScT llllilDeT u tllc lcuNcS ufc UNuuk.
Ee had almost told her that he was
engaged to be married. and she had
quite understood. There could not pos
sibly be any misapprehension; there
was no room for one of those little mis-
takes about which people write novels
and fondly hope that some youthful
reader may be carried away by IL very
faint resemblance to that which they
hold to be life. Moreover. at thirty one
leaves the first romance of youth be-
hind
There was something In her smile
that suggested that she did not quite
believe in his cyniclsm.
Also" she said gravely, some
stronger Influence might appear-an H.
fiueara which ! could not counterfeit"
Jack Meredith turned in his long
chair and looked Mt her searclingly.
Il have vague idea" he said, that
YOU are thinking of Durnovo''
II am" she admitted, with some
surprise. II wonder how you knew?
am Afraid of him."
Il eAn ffassure you on that score,'
t.NN ~.