The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-09-12

that was almost feminine in its tenderness,
and gave him a slip of paper on which,
penned In the bold paternal hand, were
three "don'ts": Don't cable for more
money!" Don't borrowl" "Don't buy
what you can't pay forl"
Young David Farragut Fultener reached
London with three hundred pounds sterling
to his credit at Browns. He was so proud
of this evidence of rare financial manage
ment that, on his third day in the British
capital, he drew it. A portion of it, he
decided, should be devoted to the purchase
of few delayed presents for certain dear
folk in America. Then his passage was to
be provided for, and his far from immodest
bill at the Carlton. But before any one of
the three purposes was accomplished, he
lost the money. In some astounding, un-
fashionable fashion, his three one-hundred-
pound Bank of England notes disappeared,
leaving him with scant ten pounds loose
in trousers pocket.
When he had made diligent search in
places likely and unlikely, and had insti-
tuted quite as comprehensive an inquiry,
all without the least shadow of result, he
began figuring on the possibility of meeting
home by way of the steerage with the sum
remaining. But with small economies
with how to shave off shilling here and
sixpence there-he was not familiar, and
his. best mathematical endeavors left him
!, full thirty shillings short of the required
amount
= There occurred at this juncture, too, an
encounter which so broadened the borders
of his necessity as to make the thirty-shil-
ling shortage appear very picayunish in
deed. He met an American girl on the
Strand
"I'll bet you guinea that you're broke, :"
he said with laugh, after eliciting the facts
that she had come over in April, with the
"Queen of the Isles" company, and had
been "Iet out" over month ago, because
she declined an invitation to take supper
with the new stage manager.
"If should bet you, you'd win; and |
should certainly never be able to pay" she
replied; and though it was said with brave
effort at gayety, Fultener noticed that her
lip trembled, in spite of her.
He gathered that her mother was Ill in
New York, and that she had sent all and
more than she could really spare of her
salary across sea, so that her dismissal
from the chorus had caught her almost
entirely without funds. But her chief
worry, just at present, was that, for two
weeks, she had had no word from home.
you have made me very anxious to learn
: how your mother is, and so you are
going to give me her address, and | am
going to send cable to find out. Then,
this evening, you are going to dine with me,
wherever you say, and you are going to
show me the answer to the cable"
e cts awfully good of you, Mr.. Fultener, y
sheysaid, wiping her eyes, "but-"
"But you never dined with me in New
York; Is that it7 Well, that is just the
reason why you can dine with me here in
London"
z a FTER he had sent his cable, answer paid
\ and so cut gaping hole in his boarded
ten pounds, young Fultener set his jaws with
a grim smile, started on brisk walk to
Regents Park, and put his brain to work
to devise method of financial recuperation
that would involve no one of the forbidden
means. 1t was, now, no longer a matter OF
thirty shillings, nor of thirty pounds either,
for that meeting with Alice Davenant had
quite changed the contour and complexion
of. his plans. He wanted big money;
enough not only to pay her London debts
for her and purchase her passage home
he would make her accept it as loan, if she
refused it as a present, which he was sure
she wouId-but enough to see himself
through comfortably, and for the proposed
gifts as well.
It was the recurrence Of this thought OF
gifts which brought him to halt before the
scintillant window display of Regent Street
jeweier. It was after this that he asked to
see some unset diamonds.
Whatever may have been the young
mans deficiencies of character heretofore
at no stage of his career had he lacked the
partially compromising element Of presence
1twon for him his way now with the dappeI
salesman, who, with observable Difference
conducted him into a small private room
and proceeded to unfold before him 9
number Of white paper packets, disclosing
glittering assortment Of magnificent
stones.
The process Of selection, In which he was
expertly aided, was not prolonged one
II ended In his choosing an exceptionally
brilliant gem Of fair size, unusual and ex
quisitc cutting and family blush tint. The
price was FIVE hundred pounds.