The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-11-28
The Chance that Came

>o~.~-~<~~~~~
The man collapsed into a chair be-
fore his desk. In corner Of the room
the ticker was clicking out it's mes
sage, but he paid no heed to it. From
the streets outside came mems voices
uplifted in mingled despair and rage.
Throgmorton street was like pande-
monium. Men seemed to have lost
their reason. Many were shouting in
vectives against this man who sat alone
in his empty Offices. People did NOT
know that he was here. Some declared
he had bolted from the country; 9TH
ers were equally positive he would
stay and face the music. These last
had Judged his character accurately.
The schemes which that wonderful
financial genius had built up, and In
which the public had placed confidence
and their money, had fallen to the
ground in one fatal hour. Perhaps
there was hardly a soul in London who
would have believed it, yet the fact re
NAMED that Reuben Stern was himself
teggared.
He left his office, passed from the
place which had seen his triumphs, and
finally reached the West End. Enter
ing one of the fashionable streets In
Mayfair, he paused before a house
Then, setting his mouth a little more
grilnly, he walked up the steps, and
ringing the bell, asked to see Lady
Gertrude Kingsley.
| She detected at once the anxiety In
Lis eyes, and came hurriedly forward
Reuben" she exclaimed. what is
wrong:"
"What is it," she questioned again.
"Jell NE at once, please"
81 am ruined !"
He spoke the words with a dull, life
less tone, and watched her face. The
color died away from it. The sweet
mouth suddenly hardened. The eyes
lost their softness. Every feature
stiffened. She glanced at him in amaze
ment
Ruined ~ she murmured. what do
you mean?'
my plans have all miscarried. All
that yesterday was mine 1 have lost,
except the most precious thing Of all,
and that is your love!"
| She laughed hardly.
"Do you think me sentimental
schoolgirl: Was it likely that l
should love man who sprang from OBJ
security, FROM nothing? Let me be frank
with you in this hour. My sisters have,
most Of them, married well. l mean
to marry a rich man. l would have
preferred man Of good family; but
when you proposed you were too good
a match for me to refuse. AS for love,
am 1 the woman, do you suppose, who
| would let love influence her? 1 would
have made you an excellent wife, l
have no doubt. l should have liked to
be the mistress Of a great London
house. l wanted to entertain, to be a
woman of real Importance in my world.
And you led me to imagine that every
ambitious social dream of mine should
oe realized" She paused for a mo-
ment, and then went on in low, chok-
ing voice: And now you have the
audacity to ask me to share your pow
erty!"
Her gaze was p1tiless in its cold
ness. A culver Of rage shook her. Her
restless hands were tearing at the
flowers in her bosom. She was suffer-
ing an agony of disappointment. She
had felt so secure; had gloried in the
anticipated social triumph which this
mans money was to purchase for her !;
had even boosted of the future among
her own set, and Of the rich gifts it
would bold for her. And now to see
every promise it had contained melted
away.
"svill you please go now?" she said.
The Atlantic liner was blowing it's
swift passage through the sea on its
ho1neward way to England. The day
was brilliantly fine, and the smoke
that rose in a floating column from
the steamers tunnels was the only
dark patch against the cloudless sum-
mer sky. Two people were slowly
pacing the upper deck-a man and a
woman. The former was Reuben Stern.
He had altered great deal since that
time, four years ago, when his failure
had caused sensation in the financial
world.
During the official Investigation of
his bankruptcy he had remained In
England; but this concluded, he sailed
at once for the United States. And
In these four years, commencing at the
bottom again, he had regained Ger
tain standing among the minor nnan-
ciers Of that county.