Evening journal., 1908-12-02
My Promotion.

a sickening sensation about the heart
that could only come to a young per
son. might feel a bitter disappoint-
ment today, but it would not be of the
same kind. Alice looked at me sur
prised. Why. what's the matter.
John?" she said.
Nothing" / replied, endeavoring 10
pull myself together. "Only I'm afraid
Tom mightn't turn out good enough
for you-that's ALL"
"Oh. that's all, is it7 Well. don't
worry about that. A fellow as smart,
as popular, as trustworthy, as Tom
is good enough for far better girl
than /. Mother says she'd rather
trust to his judgment in business mat
ters than to that of older heads"
ooh, / only meant he wasn't good
enough for you"
"You numbering, good natured stupid,
John" she said, taking my hand and
pressing it caressingly. you will al
ways be my dearest friend"
That was very kind of her.
A few months later was startled
by one Of those mysterious rumors that
are spoken under the breath for a
brief period before they become pub
lie property. 1t was that Tom Martin
had been borrowing money from any
one who would lend IL to him. Then
/ heard that he had disappeared. Fol-
lowing closely on this came the news
that Mrs. Coale had given him all her
money for investment, and he had
either sunk 1t or taken 1t with him.
it was presumed that he had taken 1t
with HIM.
Detectives visited his room and took
away every scrap of paper they could
find there, though Tom before leaving
had left nothing to show where he had
gone. He had borrowed a book of
me, and ! went TO his room to see If
/ could find it. 1t was lying on his
table, aud l carried it home with me
That evening l took it up and opened
II. Between the cover and the title
page was a library card on which
were entries of several books taken out
within a few weeks. The book he had
borrowed from me was Australian
Sketches" l wondered what kind Of
literature he had been taking from the
library. Curiosity, mingled with q
feeling that | might gather some clew
with reference to his acts, led me the
next day to take the card to the library
and have a look at the books he had
been reading What was my astonish-
i 20 IND haf
tral America. three upon Honduras
and a fifth on the rubber industry Of
that state.
After some thought these were my
deductions: Tom had at first thought
OF going to Australia but had changed
to Central America. He had selected
Honduras and when he got there
would invest the money he had taken
in either the rubber trade or a rubber
forest More likely the latter, since II
would give him a better chance to hide
from the world.
The day after I reached these con
clusions I started for Florida and from
there sailed for Honduras. Landing
at Puerto Cabello. i went into the in
terror ] made inquiries for an Amer
lean who had come to Honduras t
negotiate for a rubber tract The
state is not a large one. and any one
going there with money would not re
main unnoticed by its people. OF
course II would be useless to inquire
for one by the name of Martin. for tb'
skullzer was doubtless using an as
sumed name.
1t was Just two weeks to a day wher
I learned of a man answering Mar
tins description who was dickering fol
q rubber tract some ten miles away
from me. / went to where he was ant
on a porch in a small town came upoI
the man l was hunting When he saw
me he collapsed. / told him that all
wanted was Mrs. Coale's money or al
much of It as he had left. If he woul(
give me this he might stay where hi
was for all me as long as be liked
if not he would go back to stand trial
He turned over eighteen $1,000 Unit
ed States bonds, which was what re
NAMED Of Mrs Coale's little fortune
/ receipted for it and started home.
1 found that Alice had taken posi-
tion and gone to work. The evening
Of my return / called on her and he
mother. This was the first time
had seen them since their misfortune
Mrs. Coale ohided me for having KEEP
away in the hours of their trouble
while Alice maintained a cold reserve
/ didn't know whether TO attribute
TO the cause her mother mentioned o
some other. In truth. she seemed
stunned. I'm not naturally facile II
opening subjects and sat for SOM
time. speaking only when I did speal
on commonplace topics. trying to franz
what / should say concerning the oh
ject Of my call. / knew l would maxi
the mother glad. but was all in th
dark about Alice. Finally, despairini
Of finding proper words, l took tn
bonds from my pocket and tossed then
on the table.
They're yours" I said. II tracke,
him and got them. There's only {
small loss"
I'm very poor at descriptions, amonl
other things, and It wouldn't do 70
me to try to give the scene that fol
lowed Mrs. Coale was so beside her
self with joy that for time she forgo
even to thank me. Alice broke int
sobs and. clutchlng my hand. her heaI
sank down on IL. When l came 4