The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1910-07-23
Half a
Chance.
By FREDERIC S. ISHAM,
Author OF 1.-THE Strollefs. 'Un..
der the Rose" 1.-THE Lady
of the Mount" Etc.
[CoNTINUED.1
Copyright, 1909. by the Bobhs-
Merrill Company.

! CONTINUED
The afternoon Of that same day there
arrived at the village of Strathorn
from London discreet looking little
man who, descending at the Golden
Lion. was shown to a private sitting
room on the second story. In about
an hour he was joined by Lord Rons-
dale.
"WelP'-he spoke quickly-'I fancy
You have a little something to tell me,
Mr.. Gillett?'
"a little something!" The latter
rubbed his hands. More than lit
tie! The special inquiry which your
lordship mentioned just as he was
leaving my Office proved for Il time
most Elusive"
"You mean the object Of John
Steele's visit to the continent?'
Exactly. And, the object Of that
visit solved, l have now a matter Of
greatest Importance to communicate,
80 important it could only be impaired
by word of mouth" The police agent
spoke hastily and moved nearer.
Indeed! You have reached con-
clusion, one that you sought to re-
tect perhaps, but that wouldn't be dis
cardedT
Mr.. Gillett looked at him earnestly.
"You don't meant isn't possible that
you knew all the while?' !.
.Let us start at the beginning"
"True, your lordship." Mr.. Gillett
swallowed. "As your lordship is
aware, we were fortunate enou gh in
the beginning to find out through our
agent in Tasmania that John Steele
came to that place in a little trading
schooner, the Laura Deane. Of Ports
mouth; that he had been rescued from
a tiny uncharted reef, or isle, on Dec.
81, some three years before. The spot,
by longitude and latitude, marks,
through an odd coincidence, the place
where the Lord Nelson met her fate.'
"a coincidence truly" murmured the
nobleman. But at this stage in your
reasoning you recalled that all on
board were embarked in the ships
boats and reached civilization, except
possibly
"A few of my charges between
decks? A bad lot Of ugly sbrutes. The
story Of John Steele's rescue" went on
MIR. Gillett, las told by himself, was
well known in Tasmania. 4 lawyer
by profession, he had been passenger
on a merchant vessel, the Mary Yer
non Of Baltimore, United States. This
vessel, like the Lord Nelson, had come
to grief. All of those In John Steele's
boat had persisted except him. Some
had gone mad through thirst and suf-
fer1ng. Others had killed their fellows
In frenzy. Being Of superb physique,
having been through much physical
training listener stirred in his
cha1r-"he managed to survive, to
reach the little isle, where, according
to his story, he remained almost q
year,
"a year? Then he set foot in Tas-
mania about four years after tho Lord
Nelson went down." observed the no.
bleman, curious glitter in his eyes.
"Four years AFTER" he repeated, &C.
centing the last word.
"Such we*e the details gathered in
Tasmania" answered the police agent.
Go on said Lord Ronsdale.
From tSe mate of the Laura Deane,
the schooner that rescued him from
the isle, and one of her crew whom
I managed to locate at Plymouth, as
have Informed your lordsh1p by let
ter" answered Mr.. G1llett. '"These
men now furnish lodgings to seamen
and incidentally shanghai a few of
them for dubious craft. Both Of them,
the mate and the sailor, recalled the
man of fine bearing and education
whom they found on the little isle, a
sort of Greek statue, half clothed in
rags, so to speak, who made his per-
sonality felt at once on these simple,
ignorant fellows. At the spring on the
little island the seamen filed their
water. butts. This kept them several
days, mixing labor with skylarking,
during which time one Of them picked
up something's pouch marked with
a name"
(Which wasp
Mr.. Gillett leaned forward, spoke
softly; Lord Ronsdale stared straight
ahead. "Of course" he said; "of
course"
"Thts, will confess, startled, puz-
zled me-" continued the police agent.
II tried to explain it in a dozen differ
ent ways. Then it was that the line
OF special Investigation helped. John
steele's outing to which you directed
my attention was passed on the con-
tnent. After good deal of pains we
discovered that he visited certain
large building in Paris.
= This led to an Inspection Of the
tenants. They proved of all sorts and
kinds: The place was a beehive. Hun
dreds Of people entered and left every
day. At this time happened on an
item in periodical about some re-
markable work in q certain line by 4
high class medical specialist. Here is
the paragraph '..~, za