Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-05-02

I'm pretty sure he's German
s"And Mirovna?" .,,
"Oh, less sure. couldn't guess what
she Is, but possibly a Pole, or some
eastern European. She has profile
like Byzantine medal"
"I've known awfully German kind
Of Russians-stiff, autocratic, and yet
delightful"
Eyes, he might be Russian"
ooh, there it Isl Political refugee
state secrets-the myrmidons of the
Car! It's as plain as daylight, Matt;
he's a Nihilist!" ... ~
"An awfully rich Nihilist, Chris? 1t
hardly fits into ones ideas of him or
Mirovna. What! A Nihilist with an In
exhaustible supply Of Bank Of England
notes?"
"You may put your finger on 1t right
there"
There? What do you mean?"
Those notes."
"Well, what of them?"
"How do you know he doesn't make
them HIMSELF" ....
"Not counterfeit them?"
Eyes, counterfeit ones-makes them
while you are away-were away, I
mean-in the schooner"
"Why, should have been landed in
Jail so quick you couldn't have seen
my coat-tails." .H
Passing them?" ..
Eyes, passing them"
"They may be undistinguishable
from the good ones?"
"No counterfeit is ever that, and
besides. the Bank Of England paper. is
secret in itself"
"A secret your Mr.. Mort has learned
Think it over, Matt-weren't the
notes all small ones?"
Eyes, by George, they were! The
smallest denomination Of all-five.
pound notes, and fearful nuisance It
was, too. counting them out for any
thing like big payment"
Chris clapped her hands excitedly.
There's the explanation" she cried.
"Your island was little money mill,
and the moment your back was turned
your clever Mr.. Mort put on his over
alls and got to work."
Matt was unconvinced; he would
have staked his life on John Morris
honesty and honor; yet to meet this
reflection on his friend he said: 'It's
incredible, Chris; the false notes, how
ever skilfully initiated, were bound to
return to the Bank of England, and be
found out. No bank can be success
fully victimiZed for six years. It would
know it's own notes, depend on it, and
the first batch Of forgeries would un-
loose a still larger batch of detect
ives" IT, 49,.
"No, Matt, listen,' Chris protested
with immence vehemence. Papa told
me that the Bank Of France had such
clever counterfeits foisted on it once
that it was afraid to denounce them
publicly or to refuse to receive them.
They were so perfect, you know-so
undetectab1e-that 1t was risking a
panic to say that they were bad for
nobody in France would have felt safe,
and there would have been run on
the banks everywhere for gold. Don't
you see? The Bank of France was
forced to honor them in it's own pro-
lection, rather than scare the whole Of
France and bring business to a stand
still" "
Matt shook his head. .g..s
II can knock all that to spillikins,"
he said. "You forget the miniature
they showed me, and it's setting of SUI
perb diamonds. How can you make
that accord with your theory? Who
ever it represented, 1t was certainly
not criminal, but very aristrocratic
young man with military collar. Be-
sides-I can not tell you how, exactly
kay didn't handle 1t like rogues'
gallery picture. but with curious
respect-a curious, indefinable defer
ence."
II give it up. then" Chris ex-
claimed with baffled little air IF
you couldn't have found it out in six
years, suppose needn't expect to in
six minutes. But it just makes you
burst not to know, doesn't IT."
There's worse problem still -
what is to become Of me?"
"Us, Matt" she corrected him jeal-
ously., Poor little hundred-and-twel
dollar U.S."
~ might as well shoot myself as
stay on here; there's nothing here,
Chris, in this little backwater Of
place. What shall 1t beast or west
try for a deep-water ship or strike
out boldly for Colorado or Wyoming
or somewhere" s... ..a,.a
go away" she cried. mo, can't
let you go away can't, I can't: un-
less you don't care-unless it's all"
She broke off. looking at him poign-
antly, only to be crushed in his strong
arms, overborne, blinded, painting,
and de1iciously helpless and i'll used
OF course he loved her! Loved her bet
ter than anything in the world: would
crush her again for ever doubling It,
No. she had to admit how cruel she
had been, how wicked and unkind;
had to, or he would hurt her more,
obstinate little wretch that she was.
But it seemed that she wasn't an OBJ.
stinate little wretch at all, only ter
ribly smothered and gaspingly eager
to be forgiven. and anyhow, how was
she to know when he sat there so cold
and distant, and talked about going
away-that he really and truly did
love her-as though anybody who
loved anybody would go away and
leave somebody to break her heart.
Nor was she clinging, useless, i'm.
practical yOung-lady person without