The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-20
CHAPTER XIII.
AT THE LIVERPOOL END.

WI
Now, Godfrey o'Nell. deceased. was
had extracted from West Africa very
considerable sums OF money. He was
shrewd. he was popular. he had the
knack OF resisting sickly climates, and
lie knew the possibilities of tho Oil
Rivers seaboard down to the last bag
OF kernels.
According to his own account he had
started life Il ships purscr Poo
pie who were more fond OF accuracy
mentioned that as q matter Of history
he had first gone as cabin-boy In a
palm-oh brig But DO that as IT may
he had been associated with Coast from
his earliest days, and at the age OF
five -and-twenty was trading there on
his own account.
hulk with moorings In the muddy Monk
River and battled with it's swarms of
cockroaches and got together bust
ness: but by degrees he. gained the
mates. and by tho time no was thirty
no had built on piles a fine set OF fac
tory buildings on the bank. had bought
and had built another factory a, Malta
Nulla In spite of the fact that the
beach there was one OF the most turf
felt that his Liverpool correspondents
were getting more than their due share
of his hard-wrunB profits, and 30 ne
put the Coast factories under managers
thereafter. with occasional visits to
the Coast and the Islands, he made
Liverpool his Headquarters.
He had an office In Water Street;
warehouse near Huskfsson Dock, and
house furnished with mid Victorian
solidity and ugifness out at Princess
Park. A sister, Mrs. Craven, whose I'M
satisfactory husband had conveniently
died on the Coast, kept house for him
a and e. 'I pro f Himself as quite
anxious to dabble in dangerous expert
ments.
Finally. as Godfrew o'Neill tiscov-
cred. after two years trial OF the
cess Park. that 1t cost him just ESQ
year, he saw very little use in be-
stirring himself to earn more He quite
admitted that there were ether 9th III iuIn u
dulge in. He might have kept horses,
for instance; but he happened to dis
like them. He might have had 2
plain roast mutton appealed more to
his appetite. and plain British cook
at EGO year produced these exactly
to his taste. He might have had
larger house, but frankly he did not
So he went down to the office in Wa
ter Street every other day. and ceased
showed any signs of averaging n more
than f1,500 profit for any one year: not
because he objected to additional
to play whist to pursuing money One
may here own freely that Godfrey
O'Niell was an active member OF no
less than five whist quartettes which
met at clubs and houses. and there was
the amusement which after long search
he had discovered pleased him best.
In the Somfortabie ugly house IN
Mrs. Craven. and the two servants.
there was child who afterwards de-
veloped into the Kate O'Neill Of these
Godfrey GN h sTeu e west
Africa. She was then aged. at theo-
reHcal reckoning, three years. and she
was more fluent In the okky tongue
s shaes n t Godfrey her. par
In Las Palmas on the voyage home.
rs she white?' Mrs Craven had
white. clean through" Godfrey had
assured her.
"Then who are her people?"
THAT shall not tell even YOU Her
mother Is dead Fer father has gone
under. He was very clever man once
though must say he used to be more
high and mighty than cared about
on the rare occasions that I met him
iessiy."
"And presently" said Mrs; Craven
will come some drunken reprobate t.
take her away again"
mo, he won't I've fixed that. Hell
never claim her again. TO start with
he doesn't know II she's in Eng land. OF
Canada, or Grand Canary. over
changed the name he called her by
I called her Kate from the day I left
him. and had her christened by. thai
name in Sierra Leone on the on chance
to go on with he gave me his wore
OF honor that II took her away. he't
never embarrass me by inquiring fol
her again. You see, he was living as
a native, and the child was running
about with the other pickannnies ir
tho village. and guess I made hin
pretty well ashamed of himself by
what 7 said Tho mothers dead, yos