Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-17

pale face turned toward the window. as
though he wished to avoid addressing any
one directly. The usual geniality was
lacking In his composed features.
"Col. Carmichael and honorable share
holders in the Marut Diamond Com
pany." he began. ''you are. no doubt,
wondering why / have called this private
meeting. l do SO because you are the
chief partakers in the concern, and be-
cause, as my friends. wish to offer you
to offer to the other shareholders within
and without Marut. This excuse does not
hold good for you, Col. Carmichael. and
you must feel 1 am encroaching heavily
on your valuable time. Nevertheless.
assure you that your presence will assist
me considerably in my difficult task
1T am sure / shall be delighted to do
anything In my power Col. Carmichael
responded, but / fear my knowledge Of
intricate business details is not such as
to make 1t of the slightest use to you"
The business is not intricate" Travers
went on. Nor do 1 propose drawing out
this meeting to any firing length The
heat must be very trying for the ladies
present. but my wish to keep what passes
between us. at any rate for the time be-
sit in closed rooms. will be as brief as
possible. Two years ago the Marut Dia-
mond Company first came into existence
under the protection OF our friend, Rajah
Nehal Singh. For some time previous to
this event it had been my great ambition
to open out diamond field in which.
thanks to favorable reports. I sincerely
believed. My. position, however. and
above all my lack Of personal means.
made the scheme an tmpossibility so far
the pleasure and misfortune Of making
your acquaintance. rajah. l say mis-
fortune because, as events have turned
cannot but feel that my casual OBJ
servations led you to enter into an enter
prise before which another man. IL /
may say 40. with more experience and
less impulse. would have hesitated.
Your generosity and enthusiasm
brought my half-conceived plans into a
reality almost before had any clear idea
as to whittier we were all drifting. You
will remember, Mrs. Cary. l did my best
to dissuade you from any rash invest
ment: and even there. as director OF the
company, / felt that / was not acting
with entire loyalty to the man who had
put me into that position. The response
bility of the whole matter rested heavily
on my shoulders, and grew still heavier
as the circle of shareholders without
Marut increased. l felt that, should my
first hopes prove unfounded, my friends
and many others would suffer losses
which they could i'll afford to bear. La
dies and gentlemen. it is my painful duty
to tell you that the dreaded collapse has
come. Mr.. Midway, here, the company's
chief engineer and mining expert. in
formed me yesterday that any continue
ton of the works was useless and mere
waste of the shareholders money. I,
therefore, beg to announce to you that
the Marut Diamond Company mine Is
definitely closed"
The colonel clinched his teeth half way
through the first oath he had ever al
lowed himself In the presence of ladies'
He was not an unusually egoistical man,
but his first thought was one OF unutter-
able gratitude that in the moment OF
strong temptation his wife had held an
obstinate hand on the purse strings.
The first person to speak was Mrs.
Cary. She leaned half way across the
table.
And my money!" she said thickly and
unsteadily Where's my money? Where's
my money? Tell me that"
Travers shrugged his shoulders.
IT fear II has gone the way of mine and
OF the other shareholders, he said. Nor
can I hold out any hopes OF Its coming
back. The expenses of the mine have
been terribly heavy, the workmen have
been extremely well paid-extremely well
paid" There was q distinct note Of re-
proach in his voice. though he looked at
no one.
Mrs. Cary sat down in her seat. It was
q pitiful and almost terrible sight to see
her all the ford. vulgar ostentation and
sleek content dashed out of her, leaving
her with pasty cheeks and horror
stricken staring ewes to face the ruined