The Washington times., 1908-12-24

lnOuenIully L guess the more rotten
man in private life. the more apt he
is to show up n crisis as hero"
Yes" assented someone else, land
! those are always the kind. too, that the
best women go crazy after"
The4e was a moment or two Of signi-
hcant silence. Then somebody voiced
the suggestion which the last remark
1 had aroused in every mind.
DO you suppose she knows about
! this?" he said.
And nobody wifi mention it to her,
l hope" added the eldest Of the party,
| speaking with the authority OF his
years. She VIII learn it soon enough
after she lands"
oh. I didn't mean that" cried the
| one who had asked the question. Nat
uralIy, no one would breathe a word Of
this wireless message. What ] was try
| ing to get at is, Does she know the
| character OF a man that he is?"
Shouldn't wonder a BIZ growled
the cynlc in regard to women 'As I
said before. the finer a girl. the more
| apt she is TO take up with some worth
| less hound. and she'll stick 10 him. too.
until the skating ball is up on the bot
tomless PITT
We'll" said the lieutenant OF the
rescue, be that as II may. it's Up TO
all Of US to keep a pretty stiff birdie
on our tongues until we get into port
There's no question how things stand
between those two. and no matter
whether she's on 70 him or not, we
mustn't let on but that We think him
king among men"
They all agreed to that: but, unfortu-
nately, the youthful ensign had be
come unduly excited over his contro-
versy. and when he became excited he
was apt TO talk in his sleep.
Unfortunately, also, his cabin ad-
Joined the one which had been allotted
TO Helene, and the partitions on the
TerTe Haute were VIGOROUSLY anything
but sOundproof-
At last, though, the sentences which
seemed 70 cut her like a knife ceased.
and all that came through the partition
was the sound OF the ensigns rum
bling SHORES; but still Helene lay as
though turned to stone, gazing up with
hot, dry eyes into the darkness.
IL could Tot be truei She never
doubted that for a moment. And vet
some demon tried TO torture her BY tell
ing her that when men were hard
pressed IT. business, they sometimes
were tempted 10 ven, shady measures.
Jim had been hard pressed. surely.
Tor be had gone 10 smash Could this
account too, for his ready acceptance
Of the old captains hazardous project.
and his sudden and silent departure
from New York?
santa Teresa? She remembered that
Jim, IN drying out the contents OF his
"ater-soaked pocketbOoS that second
afternoon on the island, had shown her
some stock certificates bearing that
name, and remarked bitterly that they
had cost him dear
Yet IL was impossible that he couId
be a swindler. a concienceless cheat OF
widows and orphans, Her jim? No.
a thousand times. no!
Still-anOther torment rising TO her
brain-au the world evidently believed
him one II he returned 10 Manila he
would be arrested, tried. possibly con
demned and Imprisoned.
She Quailed at the thought u the no.
toriety which would come To her. end
for just one second there was a feet
ing temptation to repudiate that con
tract made upon the island.
Then she scorned the dfsloyaI IMPULSE. (
Let all the rest Of the world desers him. |
IL II would She was his wife, ana she
would stand by him, as that drea 7ful /
officer had said, until the skating ball /
was up on the BottOmless Pit"
Oh, IL she could only warn him IN /
some way. let him know OF the danger
that he was in; but that, alas. wa I'm /
possible
She kept to her stateroom for the /
rest Of the voyage, pleading indispo- /
sition. and when she came on deck
as the cruiser entered the famous !
bay, the officers believed II true, so I
pale and wan did she look
at Cavite, however. a cablegram 1
was handed her which brought back
as by magic the fash to her eye and 1
the color to her cheek.
It was a long cOngratulatory mes
sage from Starr Spencer. and ended .
by informing her that he had dis
osed Of her Brazilian concession to
Montague Northcote. a British pro-
moter Of mines. and that $1,000 had
been placed 10 her credit at New
York upon which she could draw at
any time
Clutching this as a condemned muir
derer might clutch his reprieve, Hell
enc swept forward to meet Aunt Mar
garet
ooh, my dear, my dear" cried the
old lady. Thank heaven you have
been delivered from that awful /
island"
But I am going back there an
Helene. "I am going back |
just as soon as 1 can get a boat"
The Continuation Of This story viii
BE Found In Tomorrow
Issue OF This Paper.