Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-21
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out paying the duty. make twenty-five
hundred or so. And nobody is hurt
That's all your mother does"
1T is stealing" she reiterated.
How wan she looked thought George
How can you make that stealing
Ryanne was provoked.
The law puts duty upon such things;
If you do not pay it. you steal. Oh,
Horace, don't waste your time in speclous
arguments" She made gesture, wear1-
ness personified. 1T is stealing: all the
arguments in the world cannot change
uncle. who fleeces the lambs at cards.
and how about my mother, who knows
and permits it?''
Ryanne had no plausible argument to
offer against these queries.
rs not my uncle thief, and is not my
mother an abettor? I do not know OF
anything so vile.'' Her figure grew less
erect. To Georges eyes, dimmed by the
rejecting misery in hers, she dropped, as
flower exposed to sudden cold. Il think
the thief in the night much honester than
one who cheats at cards. A card sharp;
did you not call it that? Don't lie,
Horace; it will only make me sad"
Il shan't lie any more, Fortune. All
that you believe is true, and / would to
God that 1t were otherwise. And I've
been partner in many of their exploits.
But not at cards, Fortune; not at cards.
I'm not that kind of cheat
Thank you. l should have known some
time, and, perhaps. only half a truth.
Now l know all there is to know" She
held her hands out before her and stud
led them. Il shall never go back
Good Lord! Fortune, you must. You'd
be as helpless as babe What could
you do without money and comfort?"
II can become a clerk in shop. 1t
will be honest. Bread at Mentone would
choke me- and she choked little then
as she spoke.
MY dear Fortune said Ryanne. call
ing into life that persuasive sweetness
which upon occasions he could put into
his tones, have you ever thought how
you have. Some ancestor of your fathers
has been reincarnated in you You are
without vanity and dishonesty; and l
have found that these usually go to-
gether. Well, at Mentone you had lit
tie experience with men. You were under
protection then; protection 1t was of
sort. If you go out into the world alone,
there will be no protection; and you will
find that men are wolves generally. and
that the sport Of the chase Is a woman.
Must I make it plainer?''
II understand" her chin once more
resolute. II shall become a clerk in a
shop. Perhaps I can teach. or become
nurse. Whatever do, shall never go
bad. You're not all bad yourself. Horace;
and so far as I am concerned, believe
/ might trust you anywhere
And God knows you could" genuinely.
But can't help you. If had sister
or a woman relative, 1 could send you
to her. But l have no one but my
brother. and he's a worse scoundrel than
/ am. I, at least, work out in the open.
He transacts his villainies behind closed
DOORS
George listened, sitting as motionless
as a Buddhist idol. Why couldn't he
think Of something? Why couldn't he
come to the aid of the woman he loved
in this her hour Of trial? A fine lover.
forsooth! To sit there like a yokel. stu
pidly! Could he offer to lend her money?
A thousand times. no! And he could not
ask her to marry him; it would not have
been fair to either. She would have mis-
but pity, and refused him. Neither she
nor Ryanne suffered more in spirit that
he did at that moment.
Zones, for Gods sake, wake up and
suggest something! You know lots of de-
cent people. Can't you think of some
one?"
But for this call George might have
continued to grope in darkness. Instant
ly he saw a way. He jumped to his feet
and seized her by the hands. boyishly.
a way. Mr.. Mortimer, the president of
my firm, is an old man, kindly and low
able. He and his wife are childless.
They'll take you. Why, it's as easy as
tcSlhluS.
She leaned back against the drawing of
his hands. She was afraid that in his
eagernesS he was going to take her in
his arms. She wondered why. of a sud-
den, she had become SO weak Slowly
she withdrew her hands from his.
"pn cable the moment we reach port
he said. as If reaching port under the ex-
listing conditions was thing quite pos
sible. VIII you go to them? Why.
world. And they will love you as as
you ought to be loved!'
Ryanne turned away his head.
Fortune was too deeply absorbed by
her misery to note how near George had
you, Mr.. Jones; thank you. I am going
to the tent 1 am tired. And 1 am not
SO brave as you think I am"
But will you:
And with that she fed to the tent
Ryanne folded his arms and stared at
the sand. George sat down and aimlessly
hunted for the stub Of the cigar he had
dropped: kind Of reflex action.
The two men were all alone. The camel
boys were asleep. Mahomed had now
ceased to bother about q guard.
II can't see where she gets this ridicu-
lous sense of honesty" said Ryanne.
gloomily.
upon Ryanne's knee. "She gets 1t the
same way I do, Ryanne-from here"
touching his heart: "and she is right"
II believe I've missed everything worth
while, Percival. Till met you I always
had a sneaking idea that money made a
man evil. The boot seems to be upon the
other foot
"Ryanne. you spoke about becoming
honest. once {. D.. you get out OF this. Did
II did, and still do"
"It may be that I can give you lift
You worked in your fathers bank You
know something about figures. I own
two large fruit farms in California What
do you say to q hundred and fifty a
month to start with, and begin life over
again."
Ryanne got up and. restlessly paced.
Nonchalance had been beaten out of him;
the mercurial hunor which had once
been SO pleasant to excite, which had
ments, was gone. He had only one feel
ing, q keen, biting, bitter shame. At
length he stopped In front of George
who smiled and looked up expectantly.
Zones, when you stick your finger
into water and withdraw ii, what hap
pens? Nothing. Well, the man who
gives me a benefit is sticking his finger
into water. I'm just as unstable. How
many promises have l made and brokeni
/ mean. promises to myself I don't
know This moment / swear to be good,
and along comes pack Of cards or a
bottle of wine, and back I slip. Would
II be worth while to trust a man SO
damned weak as that? Look at me. II
am six foot two normally hundred and
eighty pounds, no fat. I am as sound as
a cocoanut. There isn't a boxer in the
states I'm afraid of. I can ride shoot
fence, fight: there isn't a game l can't