Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-26
THE ISLE OF STRIFE
GEORGE C.. SE1EDD

| full recoIections swiftly mounted to my
mind. but painful is they were l was still
| more eager for information. So l pro-
ceeded to question him, prefacng my in
| quiries with a statement that 1 knew
both Mr.. Moore and his daughter.
1T was my good fortune to meet them
just before leaving Venezuela" he stated.
Miss Moore. how charming! And her
beauty-all Caracas is at her feet With
| an expressive gesture he indicated the
worshiping state of that country's capital.
And did Mr.. Moore expect to return
to the StateS?'
ity for this summer. But that my young
| friend, was six months ago. Have you
also lost your heart to the beautiful
daughter?"
who would not when one has seen
herr I said, as gayly as possible.
! Did they return, I should see Elizabeth!
| Then my spirits sank. She was no longer
anything to me. Since my dismissal
had no doubt faded utterly from her mind.
| or, II remembered 1t was only to be
among a score of suitors who had str1ven
/ to win her favor. When 1 came out OF
my meditation l found the conversation
| had drifted to Renaissance of Lonagan' S
| hazardous career. Brumley recalled how
he had met him in Mobile. where he was
temporarily associated in a venture with
reckless, handsome chap.
| 1T was their first voyage together, 1t
appeared
! You say this other chap had scar on
/ his cheek?' l asked.
From eye to mouth
"And named Douglass?" Then 1 turned
! TO Billy. This was no other than Fred
| eric Douglass, the fellow who was at
| Forge"
$50 you know him? Bromley inquired.
Undoubtedly A slender, fair-haired
Scotchman, SCARED. you state. on the
| cheek, 1.-the and active polite or AFRO
giant. as suited his purpose. cool and not
! afraid of the devil himself
That's the chap-name, manner and
body."s
Then / proceeded to relate the circum-
stances of my acquaintance with the man.
/ The wealthy New York family of Fen
ton owned a mining district in the Rock
| les, camp called Forge. The manager
| had filled the vacancy of assistant with
this fellow Frederic Douglass. whom he
| had met somewhere or other casually.
| That Douglass was proficient engineer
| enough there could be no question. In
time gold was missed and the manager
was discharged, to be replaced by an
| other engineer, rising young chap. Jack
Maitland, who had been a university
classmate of Tom Fenton. But the gold
| continued to shrink. 1t was at this time
| that Mr.. Fenton, senior; his niece Ethys;
Mr.. and Mrs. Arlington and l went to
Forge from New York for an outing. 1t
/ promised to be comfortable one, as
| Forge House was a big stone mansion
overlooking town and camp, and was used
| sistant. Douglass. it turned out, had
brought with him Frenchman D'Urville
| by name to fill the position Of mechanic.
! These two we later discovered, were old
4 comrades in many dark piece of work.
and were now bent on laying hands on as
much gold as possible and making off
with it. But the coming of Ethys Fenton
brought new element into the game.
| Both Maitland and Douglass fell in love
with her. The Scotch adventurer was
| just the man to interest though not at
tract a girl Of her temperament. and 1t
was not then known that he was a dis
| graced officer of the British army, nor
that he had engaged in dishonorable busi-
nesses all over the world-in China, on
/ the Gold Coast, in South America and
| elsewhere. On the other hand, Maitland
was an honest, Skillful and brilliant man
/ in his profession. Any one who had seen
i Ethys Fenton knew her loneliness and
amiability of character. a girl simple,
| witty and unspoiled, notwithstanding that
| she was wealthy In her own right. The
clever and INSCRIPTIONS Scot immediate
| ly set out to win her hand, destroy Matt
i lands honor and good name, and thus rid
| himself of a rival. The camp he stirred
to mutiny and disruption: he put in OPP
Grafton scheme whereby a number Of
| miscreantS attempted to seize the gold
but failed and, finally, perceiving that
discovery of his schemes threatened him
and his companion, D'Urville they did
| not halt at murder in order to extricate
| themselves. IneSe plOlS nearly cost MALI
| land his life. But in the end the Scots
web of intrigue broke down, he himself
being thoroughly entangled in it, and
while attempting to escape he was shot
| by Maitland. D'Urville alone we could
not lay hands on-D' Urvflle, that placid
| ingenious, plump little man. he escaped
"a remarkable pair Of scoundrels,' -
| Brumley remarked.
Say, 1 would like to have cut into that
| fun" said Billy.
| The coffee merchant vouchsafed no
| comment, his heavy eyelids dropped a
| trif1e sleepily; he lighted fresh cigar
and slowly puffed it.
Presently we drifted to fresh subjects;
| Lonagan, Douglass and all adventures
| were dismissed. Out upon the water the
| silver glare was diminishing for the sun
had dropped down to the horizon and was
about to set. The air grew cooler, we
| Strengthened up in our chairs and talked
more brfskly or watched the distant sails
| Of schooner golden in the slanting rays
: Under our feet the deck vibrated steadily
| as the steamer rushed through the water,
pointing for the Florida keys and the
swing northward which would take it to
New York. We watched the changing
water and sky, a-color with the approach
! of evening, and grew silent.
| All at once the coffee merchant spoke
out of his long abstraction.
THAT D'Urville, now"
What about him?' 1 asked.
| my young friend. your D'Urville is no
other than Del Hervalle, Ell presidente's