Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1908-08-09
A Diplomatic Encounter.
fOrisinal.l

,.ont I applied to friend ill the for- .;c, office for d clerkship. It happened 1Lo+ ot the time the Americans wei . < aiming at treaty with Japan that 4 ,yonld be prejudicial to our interests. q An emissary of the state department # =, Washington was on his way via the y Mediterranean with the treaty The M ,,,Ssal he travelled in was to stop at q Marselles.
 @ confess l was shocked at the prop a os;tion that was made mel, who had Sa mover done mean thing in my life a +o vheedle a knowledge of the drift # of the treaty out of the American # put the reward was great, enough to N kaen mother and me in comparative M comfort.
 # Tn social life l had been considered # what tue Americans call "a firt," but &I was never dishonorable l would < #neyer attack man unless he was in- &c clined that way himself. Now l was #expected to win one simply for pay. # The temptation was too great for & &roe. yielded. l boarded the ship at 1darseiIles. Roger Sutherland. whom sI was to snare, was modest look lng. quiet man. l soon made his ac- buaintance and he seemed to take to me at once. He said that if it were p6t for my accent he would not be- iAye me to be English; that l had all khe sprghtliness of an American girl The game 1 was playing was natural Eo me. l dNn't have to try to win him. If l had possibly l might have Jailed.
 But, as to stealing the information, hidn't know where to begin. We had passed through the canal before l ven- ured to make q move in that direc- ion. I began by asking his occupa- ion. He prevaricated. l leased him. He told me that he had government position, and that was all that l could let out of him for long while. Then g&uddeniy he told me everything. l N ondered why he who had so long MDeen rcticent should have changed so 3Quickly He answered my every ques- SHtion. and tluthfully. The treaty was z in his trunk fin his stateroom. Did he M 0UC lcal It "oulu oC StOiSh. ->o' There was lock on the trunk that had been made for it. The key was {, of a peculiar kind The next time we were on deck together feigning to be moved by a natural feminine curiosity, Ieteased him to let me see the key. He took it out of his pocket and handed it to me. Feigning an inten- @o fr;n ! tn Io < Of the ship and held it in my fist over Sthe water. He didn't even follow me. saS0 I took it back and gave it to him. @I had provided myself with bit of NNfax and had squeezed an impression &0d Nhc key.
 that I had lost the key 3N& my own trunk, called for one of @e ships mechanics to make me an her from the wax impression. My &tim invariably spent an hour or re after dinner in the smoking m. I took d great risk. entered stateroom and with the key made m the impression opened the trunk, nd the treaty, took it to my state p. copied itit was in cipher-and it back to the trunk in plenty of 10 avoid getting caught.
 ith success came the pricking of cience. told my victim of my lmstances, the loss of my father. effort to obtain employment and Id by falsely telling him that l
 going out to India to be gov Es. From that moment his manner ged toward me. I had consid-
 before that my success was due
 wing won his heart Now I was
 of it. Then he asked me to be
 Iife.
 ', for the first time, realized
 \ had won him l had been won
 inning him. Whatever was good in
 ature rebelled at my trickery.
 to confess it and throw myself
 hls mercy. But l dared not.
 loving me he would despise me.
 him that l could never be his
 that there was barrier between
 at was unworthy of him. He
 nsiy reassured me, said my con-
 was abnormally sensitive; that
 sure one so lovely could not do
 ng very wrong.
 night before we reached Bombay
 re on deck together under the
 heavens
 (etheart," he said, "wc part to-
 It rests with you whether
 'ihg shall be forever or I shall
 you on my return. You are not
 Tor a diplomat. but you will
 good wife for one"
 plomat! I d diplomat!"
 'oA my hand. ''I suspected you
 ment you began to play your
 ana played mine to trap you.
 you my key on purpose and
 tlow you used it by traces of -A srmg to it. Certain pages of
 ,snscript you stole were loosely
 together, and found them de.
 was disappointed to learn
 ou' when afterward you told
 you had been tempted I pitied
 que '' lady and out of your
 ,o would be sorry for you
 our pay if I wished vo,, +o