The daily Alaskan., 1908-09-02
A Diplomatic Encounter.
torigluall

 got into the foreign secret service. Fla ther died insolyent. Mother and l were reduced from afiueuce to positive want. l applied to a friend in the for, eIgn office for clerkship. lt happened that at the time the Americans Well aiming at q treaty with Japan that would be prcjudlclal to our interests An emlssary of the state department at Washington was on his way via the Mediterranean with the treaty. The vessel he travelled in was to stop at Marseilles.
 l confess l was shocked at the prop osition that was made mel, who had never done mean thing in my life to wheedle a knowledge of the drift of the treaty out of the American. But the reward was great, enough to keep mother and me in comparative comfort
 In social life l had been considered what the Americans call "a Girt," but I was never dlshonorable. would never attack n man unless he was in- cllned that way himself. Now l was expected to win one simply for pay.
 The temptation was too great for me. I yielded. boarded the ship at NIarselles. Roger Sutherland. whom I was to snare, was modest look inc quiet man. l soon made his ac. ouaintauce. and he seemed tO take to me at once. He said that if 1t were not for my accent he would not be. lieve me to be English; that l had all the sprlghtlincss of an American girl The game l was playing was natural to me. l didn't have to try to win him. If l had possibly 1 might have failed.
 But, as to stealing the information, l didn't know where to begin, We had passed through the canal before ven tured to make q move in that dircc' ton. I began by asking his occupa. ton. He prevaricated. 1 leased hlm He told me that he had a government position. and that was all that l could get out of him for long while. Then suddenly he told me everything. ] wondered why he who had so long been retlcent should have changed so quickly. He answered my every Qucs ton, and truthfully. The treaty was In his trunk in hls staterOom. Did he not fear 1t would be stolen? No There was lock on the trunk that had been made for it. The key was of peculiar kind. The next time we were on deck together, fcigning to be moved by natural feminine curiosity, I leased him to let me see the key He took 1t out of his pocket and handed 1t to me. FCigning an lnten. ton to frlghten him ran to the side of the ship and held 1t in my fist oycl the water. He didn't even follow me So I took it back and gave 1t to him. I had provided myself with a bit Of wax and had squeezed an impression of the key.
 Pretending that I had lost the key of my own trunk, I called for one Of the ships mechanics to make me an. other from the wax impression. My victim invariably spent an hour or more after dinner in the smoking room. took a great risk. l entered his stateroom and with the key made from the impression opened the trunk, found the treaty, took 1t to my state. room. copied it-It was in ciphcr-and got 1t back to the trunk fin plenty Of time to avoid getting caught.
 With success came the prlcking Of conscience. I told my victim of my circumstances, the loss of my father, my effort to obtain employment and ended by falsely telling him that ] was going out 10 India to be a gov. erness. From that moment his manner changed toward mo. had conSid' cred before that my success was due to having won his heart. Now l was sure of it. Then he asked me to be his wife.
 Now. for the first time, | realized that lr I had won him had been won in winning him. Whatever was good in my nature ItDelltu NA my NANNN'E' longed to confess 1t and throw myself upon his mercy But dared not, From loving me he woula despise me. I told him that l could never be his wife: that there was a barrier between us; that I was unworthy of him. He soothlngly reassured me, said my con science was abnormaIly sensitive; that be was sure one so lovely could not do anything very wrong.
 The night before we reached Bombay we were on deck together under the starry heavens.
 sweetheart" he said, "wc part to- morrow. 1t rests with you whether our parting shall be forever or l shall call on you on my return. You are Rot cut out for a diplomat but you will make a good wife for one"
 A diplomat! a diplomat"
 He took my hand. 'T suspected you the moment you began to play your game. and played mine to trap you, I gave you my key on purpose and kpew how you used 1t by traces of wax adhering to 1t. Certain pages of the manuscript you stole were loosely