The San Francisco call., 1906-05-27

possible for human beings to live at such
close quarters without the exchange of
small personal experiences. Thus Don O.
was enabled TO piece together details of
his captive's history; but at q given point
he always came up against blank wall,
and he began to realize that this flabby
talker had some hidden aim in his life
His history ran much as follows: From
a provincial grammar school Japsley had
gone to Edinburgh University, armed
with scholarship by way of Edinburgh.
and carrying a reputation for scholarship
and ability, he had made a successful
/ invasion of Cambridge, and from there
he drifted-always laden with scholar
ships-to continental seats of learning.
Later he had returned, heavily charged
with the wisdom of the Teuton; but, re-
fusing a chair al no fewer than three
universities, he had devoted himself to
private research" So far all ran clear,
but here came the block OF what nature
was this private research" that had
tempted a poor man to reject a life pro-
vision in order to snatch at a bare sub
sistance? Don O. put the question. Japs-
lev replied hurriedIy in many words, none
of which, however, carried among them
any atom of real information.
In return he demanded of Don Q. facts
about his life in the sierra. To these he
listened certainly, yet he made it clear
that he disbelieved many of his hosts
recitals.
At length, in a lemon -colored dawn,
came the answer to Japsley's appeal for
a ransom. At the end of a tortuous
on watch outside the ravine, by the hand
of a goatherd who had had it from a
charcoaI-burner among the cork forests;
he i'm turn. had received it from the
saddIe-fiap of a smuggler. who had been
told so to deliver it by Don as repre-
sentative in the white city by the sea-
Don Q.'s intelligence department was al
ways in faultless working order, its mem
bers highly paid for success, remorsely
| stricken for failure.
The letter was duly brought to Japsey
in the cleft of a small stick. Five hun.
dred pounds is not a large sum; he hoped
nervously il had been gathered for him
But alas he read:
Dear Sir: We have realized all moneys
in our hands belonging to you. and en-
close the full amount of four hundred
and forty-nine pounds. There is little
doubt the Government would make III
the deficit but. following your instruc
tions, we have not applied for their help
Assuring you of our continued desire Il
serve, etc. etc.
Japsley sat for some minutes with tn,
letter in his fingers, plunged in apprehen
sive thought. while I'm his heart he curset
the parsimony of his agent If the firm
had only known, in little tme-a very
very little time-he could have repaie
them such loan a thousand times over
They, of course, could not realize wha
! manner of man this was into who's,
/ power lac nad fallen.
Pre-entl' Don @. appeared; the scientis
took last look at him. There he stood
fragile in body, in some attitudes al nos
grotesque; but il had for some time pas
been borne in on Japsley that this maj
was not as other men. and he trembled
| recollecting his secret. Oh desperat
game to be played out in the lone an,
houseIess mountains,
Have you any communications to maxi
TO ne?" the brigand asked.
Japsley's lips framed an inaudibl
yes"
Your ransom and your fine have.
trust. arrived?"
MY ransom in fun and the bulk of tn