The Washington herald., 1908-03-17

the police court. But you are quite right.
koife, nowadays. according 10 our modern
code. poor man cannot be gentleman.
No, long as / live, the needy aristoc-
racy which calls Itself society shall
never pass my threshold l VIII remain
independent OF them. FOR ! have no
womankind. and no fish TO fry. I don't
want baronetcy. or q peerage. ! don't
want shooting. or Devastating, or yacht
ing. or hunting. or any OF these pastimes.
merely want 10 be left alone here in
peace-f II Is possible" And he drew a
long breath as the ugly recollection OF
the shabby stranger crossed his mind
Rolfe knew well that tho old mans
objections were because ne dare not
throw open the mansion Some secret
was hidden there which he could not
reveal. What was it2 Why were those
brilliant lights sometimes az night IN
the upper windows? He had seen them
himself sometimes as he passed along
near midnight on his way 70 his cham
bers in Jermyn street. and had been
sorcly puzzled. More than once he had
been convinced that somebody lived IN
the upper foOrs-sOmebody who was
never seen. Yet il that were so, why
should there be such secrecy regarding
IL The occupant, whoever II was could
easily vacate the place while a recep-
ton was held.
As he sat there listening TO the old
mans TRADE against the West End and
its ways. he felt that there must be some
FAR greater mystery than an unseen
tenant.
That old Sam knew quite well the ru-
NOR concerning the house was evident
Keeping secret agents in every capital
rs he was forced 10 do-agents. male
and female. who knew everything and
reported exactly what he wished 10 know
lit was certain that public opinion con-
corning him was well known 70 him
Yet as in a scandal. the man most con-
cerned is always the last TO get wind OF
II, perhaps, after all, he might be in
ignorance OF what people were saying
although IL was hardly credible that Ben.
his brother. would not tell him.
For craft and cunning few men in
London could compare with sam
Statham. yet at the same time he was
just In his judgment ard honest In his
transactions. The weak and needy he
befriended but woe betide any who en-
deavOred 10 mislead him OF impose upon
his generosity.
More than one man had. by receiving
word OF good advice from Sam Statham
and the temporary loan of a few thou
sand as capital. awakened In a week $
time 20 find himself wealthy. One man
in particular. now a well-knOwn baronet,
had risen in ten years from being a
small draper in Launceston 10 his pres
ent position. with an estate in Suffolk
and town house in Green street. merely
by taiing Sam Stathams advice as 10
certain investments.
II was owing 10 this fact and others.
that old sam. as he rose from the table
and crossed the room 20 the window.
where he pulled aside the blind TO look
out upon the sunny roadway, said:
I myself, Rolfe. have made one or
two so-eaIled gentlemen. But" he added.
drawing a deep breath. lets put all that
aside and get on with the letters. I'm
expecting that Scotch friend OF yours,
the locomotive designer Of Glasgow.
oh, Macgregor." remarked the secre-
tary. He was most pertinacious the
iother day"
"AH Scots are" replied the old man,
simply. Let's get on" And. returning
TO the table he took up letter after letter
and dictated replies in his sharp. -snappy
way. which, to those who did not know
him, would have appeared priggish and
UnCoUth
The reason OF Macgregor's visit 10 Old
Broad street had caused Rolfe a good
deal OF curiosity. He recolleoted how. on
the instant his master had read the old
engineers scrubbed lines, his face fell.
The visitor was, at all events. not a well
come one. Yet, on the other hand. he
had seen him without delay. and they
had been closeted together for quite a
long time.
When the bearded Scot left. and he had
| re-entered the millionaire's room, two
facts struck him as peculiar One was
that strong smell Of burnt paper and a
quantity OF black finder in the empty
CRATE showed that some papers had been
burned there, while the other was that
old Sam was in the act of lighting a
cigar. in itself showing a buoyancy OF
mind.
he never smoked when down at the
bank. and very seldom when at home
His cigars. too. we're of a cheap quality
which even his clerks would be ashamed
/ 10 offer their friends Indeed, while all
connected with the house in Old Broad
street possessed an air OF solid prosperity,
the head OF the firm was usually Of a
penurious and hard-up aspect, as though
he had q difficulty in making both ends
meet His smart electric brougham he
used only once a week to take him to
the city and hack again. At other times
he stro,led about the streets so shabby
as 10 pass unnoticed by those DESTROYS OF
making his acquaintance and worming
themselves into his good graces: or else
he would idle in the park where he
passed for a lounger who, crowded out
by reason Of his age, was down on his
luck.
Samuel Statham loved the park. Often
and often he would get into conversation
with the fiotsam and jetsam Of LondcU
| life-the unemployed. and the men who
in these days of hustle. alas, find them
selves too old at forty. The ne'er-do
wells he knew quite well. and they be
lieved him to be one of themselves. But
he was ever on the lookout for a deServ
ing case-the starving. respondent man
with wife and children hungry at home
He would draw the mans story from him
hear his complaint against unfair treat
ment. listen attentively to his wrongs
and pretending ali the time TO have suf
fered in similar way himself.
| Usually the man would. In the end. in
vite him to the home or the lodging hous,
where his wife and children were. anC
then. on ascertaining that the case wa
genuine, he would suddenly reveal him
self as the good Samaritan.
To BE CONTINUED TOMORROW.