Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-26
CHAPTER XIV.-Ccntinued.

Thank YOU" said Val. dryly. But
why%' He half expected that Mr.. Mil
tons quld pro quo would be a promise in
advance to make Fanny the Warehouses
of Loveland.
We'll. I'm coming to that in one min
ute and half. First and foremost let's
chat about what l can do TO- YOU. Then
We'll get to what YOU can do for me. l
guess a thousand dollars would come
| handy to you, wouldn't 1t, especially il
you could see half in hard cash to-
night?''
If / saw any hard cash. as you call it.
| lying in the street, and nobody claimed
| it, l confess 1 might find a temporary use
| for the money" said Loveland. The
| trouble is. my letter Of credit
II know all about that letter OF credit.
| just as we'll as IL you'd told me- broke
tolerant good nature and roughness. which
puzzled Loveland much that he al
most forgot to be annoyed.
Tomorrow it will be all right Val
went on.
| II wouldn't bet on it's being all right
tomorrow said Milton. But we can
wait to talk business till the day after.
| il you like. That'll suit me just as well.
for / stand to make better terms. It's
| for you to say where. ] can give YOU my
I don't ask You to write, for by that time
it might happen YOU wouldn't have a
stamp or a sheet of paper handy. You
can call day after tomorrow and We'll
! have our talk then. SO long as we've
| established communication there isn't
| me till we've fixed something up
| 81 don't like your manner or your in
nuendoes.'' said Loveland. stiffening.
| "Oh. | don't mean any innuendoes,
I So1 ~, liz
Let's keep friends. l want to help you.
You had little trouble with them at the
hotel didn't you?"
II was abominably insulted and I'll
make them regret it,
The best way to do that is to pay the
bill right Off. There's five hundred dol
lars in my pocket that's just crying to be
in yours. And five hundred more"
What do you want me to do?' sharply
1 asked LovelaEG.
You'd like to know whether the can
dies worth the game. Ell? Well, I'm no
Shylock. But see here, shall we come to
terms over drink? We're not far off
the best bar in New York, and
| mo. thank you Val cut in decidedly,
though he was cold enough and hollow
| enough within to be tempted by the
thought Of warmth and refreshment OF
! any sort. Tell me now what possible
motive you, stranger. can have in Of
fering to lend me two hundred pounds"
4
simulated Mr.. Milton. But If you like to
call 1T a loan. you can. You've got your
| family traditions to keep up, SUPPOSE
And he laughed in high good humor.
Il have" said Val, coldly.
That's all right" returned the other.
| well, to get to business then. You were
on pretty friendly terms with Mrs Mil
| ton on board ship?''
She was very kind to me-" replied Val,
more sure than ever now that the pro-
n hc trir oil
Good! You've heard, l expect. from
| Cadwallader Hunter, or some other gen.
eral purveyor OF gossip. that she and l
aren't on the best of terms-that we don't
| get along like a pair Of turtle doves?"
II believe / did hear some hint OF that
sort. which went IN at one ear and out at
| the other
''You needn't consider my feelings My
| wife and l hate each other like poison.
| She'd have thrown me over long ago If
she didn't want my money-all my money:
| not what she might get in alimony II we
said Goodbye; the parting words are
! spoken Eth? Well, that's just what l
do want to say to her. We've never had
That's why sent her to Europe and sent
for her to come back. I played my fish
and now ] want to land it. A queer fish
Mrs. Milton is, too, by the by. I'm go
ing to bring a case against her and 1
want to use you for a trump card in it.
You understand"
\ hot wave Of rage swept over Love-
| land. He did understand. and never in
his life had he been so angry. He had
not known il was in him to be so angry
a. thing which did not affect his own
selfish interests: but he was not thinking
Of himself at all. A new or, at least, I'M
known self stirred family in the depths
where all his life it had lain asleep, be-
cause. perhaps 1t had never been called
upon to wake He was not angry because
such a proposal had been made to him
Lord Lovelend he had not thought of
that part yet. Disgust with the man who
could make such a proposition was the
one emotion which shook him.
You beast!'' he broke out in his young
clear voice.
The other man looked up at the flushed
angry face in genuine surprise.
"Oh. l suppose I haven't offered your
iordship enough" he sneered with a sar-
| castle emphasis on the title. Well, I'll
raise you--''
But something unexpected happened be-
fore the offer could be completed. Furi-
Gus. Loveland slapped him across the
mouth. and in lodging the insult Milton
slipped on a morsei of thin ice which
glazed the pavement. He staggered. tried
to regain his balance, lost it finally and
fell fiat upon his back.
Loveland felt suddenly as il he had
| been drenched with cold water. The man s
fall, the stiffness OF the limp form. which
lay grotesquely, like a dummy made of
rags. was a sight to chill even right eous
anger. Loveland hadn't Vet begun to
think Of himself OF the danger he might
be in. He thought of the man-who
seemed to him hardly a mainland Won
dered il he were dead. Then, after a
dazed instant he bent down over the mo-
tionless form. and felt a great throb Of
relief when he saw no stain of oozing
blood on the pavement. The fur-lined
collar OF Millions coat had been pulled
up behind his ears and had broken the
force Of the fall for the back Of his head,
on which, otherwise he must have struck
with terrible force. Already his thick
eyelids were twitching. In another mo-
inert or two he would open them. And
realizing this, Val at last turned to that
thought which generally came frst-Lord
Loveland and Lord LOveand's welfare
He glanced hastily round and assured
himself that no one was near: no one
could have seen the incident. which luck
lily for him had happened at some dis
lance from a street lamp. He thought
carefully but quickly. If any one should
cofne|f an alarm were given-if he
should find himself In the hands of the
poice-that would be the worst thing that
had happened yet
This beast. who lay there-this beast
who had taken advantage of a strangers
misfortunes to try and bribe him to the
basest dishonor-wasn't hurt half as bad
glad he had struck the wretch. and
would do it again. if it had to be done
again. pay for the satisfaction dearly as
he might have to pay. But he did not
see that there was need to pay at all. If
the fellow complained to the police of his
assault. Val couldn't defend himself by
telling the truth, because Mrs. Millions