Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-16
CHAPTER VI-Continued,


In the next and final act the villain
made a supreme effort. He began by
Staying the drummer boy-presumably to
keep his hand in-but on going through
his victims pockets in search Of certain
'dispatches" which that youthful hero
had undertaken to carry through the Rus
sian lines-where to. heaven knows.-the
unfortunate man discovered locket
which instantly revealed to him the sur
prising hut none the less distressing in
telligence that he had slain his own son
His anguish was pitiful to behold. and
when the hero came on and began to rub
it in by further excerpts from the Scrip
lures the audience to man decided tina,
if the villain brought it off this time nc
jury would convict, but that he would be
; bound over at the most. He certainly sci
about the business with more gumptior
than usual. Waiting until the hero was
we'll launched into secondly" with the
lmelight full in his eyes. he once more
produced the glitteIing knife Suddenly
the ubiquitous katinka dashed on. and in
the most unsportsmanlille manner shot
the villain in the small of the back, at a
range of about eighteen inches He drop
ped dead across the body of his son
(which must have hurt that infant
prodigy very muchp. All the other char
acters sidled on from the wings and
formed q grand concluding tableau, the
hero. egregious to the last and entwined
in a stained-glasS attitude with the hos
pital nurse, pronouncing sort of benedic-
ton as the curtain fell.
Doesn't this remind YOU of the drama
as 1T used to be dished up to the under
graduates in the old barn at Cambridge?''
| remarked a voice.
| Hughie turned to the speaker He found
! beside him a man Of about thirty. with q
III,
amiab BILE mouth and a reccdinS chin. He
was dressed in the thick blue shore going
garments of the seaman. but he looked
| too slight for an A. B. and too clean for a
| fireman.
| Deck hand said Hughie to himself.
| gentleman once--no. Still.''
| "Hallo!' he replied. You seem to know
me. Forgive me if ! ought to know You.
but can't fix you at present. Odd thing.
too. because / don't often forget a face"
| Il was up at Cambridge in your time, -
| said the man.
| Not Benedict's?"
'No-Trinity. l was sent down ulti-
mately. But ] knew you we'll by sight.
| Often saw you in the boat, and so on.
| You're Marrable. aren't you?'
| Yes. Were you a rowing man.?
| mo. I hunted with the drag and rode
at Cottenham-in those days He glanced
philosophically at his present attire.
| Come and have something said
| Hughie.
The man interested him. He might, Of
course, be mere longshose shark on the
| make. or he might be what he lOoked-a
| good-hearted. we'll born waster-an in
corrigible but contented failure. Anyhow.
| five minutes over friendly glass would
probably settle the question.
| Il wonder If it's possible to obtain a
decent British drink in this clam-ridden
hole, Hughie continued.
| ''The nearest thing to q product OF the
| British empire that you'll get here said
the man. lis Canadian Club whisky, and.
personally, 1 would rather drink nitric
acid, We had better stick to lager. Come
| along; l know the ropes.
| Presently they found themselves in a
| German beer saloon where a stertorous
Teuton supplied their needs.
| by the way said the man, Il have
| the advantage of you. My name is Aller-
ton. Sorry I forgot
Thanks said Hughie, rather Iamely.
"Are you-living out here just now?'
No said Allerton. simply. I'm a
deck hand on a tramp steamer, He
spoke easily and freely, as one gentleman
to another. He had realized at a glance
that he was not about to be made the
victim of offensive curiosity or misplaced
charity. 'Shes lying at Hoboken, due
out on Tuesday for Bordeaux"
| French boat?"
| mo. American owned, under the Brit
ish flag by fairly competent rascal, too
| This "trip we are carrying a cargo Of
| California wine of sorts. We took it last
| week from sailing bark that had
| brought it round the Horn. She wanted
| to start back at once, so turned it over to
us cheap"
And you're going to Bordeaux? What
does your astute owner want to take
| Goals to Newcastle for?"
| Because everything that comes out Of
| Newcastle is labeled coal whether it is
coal or not. In other words, this poison
! will be carried by us to Bordeaux. bot
| tied and sealed. and shipped to England
as fine vintage Burgundy. John Bull will
drink it and feel none the worse. I'm
| told it's a paying trade
| II wish were going in your boat said
Hughie, rather regretfully. I'm booked
| by the Apulia.'
! well. look out for the Orinoco on Your
second day out
The Orinoco? l remember seeing her
at Hoboken today, and wishing l could
make the trip on her"
| Il doubt if you'd be OF the same opin-
ion after trying conclusions with Mr.
James Gates our first 'greaser, replied
| Allerton. Still, | don't know" he con-
tinued. regarding Hughes brawny form
refiectively. II don't believe he could put
the fear of death into you the way he
does into most of US. You've knocked
about a bit i'm Your time. dare say, only
with more success than |. Perhaps You
weren't born with holes in all your
pockets.
/
! it is difficult to confer a favor upon
man who is down without offending him
will YOU dine with me? Or sup, as it's
| getting late?''
| Il shall be charmed" said the deck
| hand. Shall I show you a place? /
| know quite a comfortable establishment
| close by here
| Hughie said "Righto." and presently
they found themselves in the place Of en-
| tertainment selected by Alerton. Most
of the room was occupied by small tables,
| at which various couples were eating and
! drinking. At one end was q platform,
upon which an intermittent sort OF va
riety entertainment was in progress.
On the floor at the foot of the platform
was piano. At the piano sat a girl who
| accompanied the performers and bridged
| over the gaps in the program by selec-
| tions from the lesS-restrained works OF
American masters of music. Not. far from
the stage an notwithstanding youth was
presiding over a bar. The atmosphere
was something between that of a smoking
concert and Baker street station in the
| days of the old Underground.
| AlertOn's lazy nonchalance lasted Until
| the first course was set before him by
| smiling blackamoor. and then. with
| half-apo.ogetic aside to his host on the
| subject of his last meal he fell upon the
| fare in a manner which brought very
vvidly home to Hughes intelligence tie
| difference between an amateur casual like
| himself. with money enough In his pocket
| tired of the game, and the genuine article.
He was not hungry. having. in fact, dined
q couple of hours before, but he did his
i best bC facfful hacking