The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1913-05-10
By
HORACE
HAZELTINE

longer, was far from the most pleas
! ant contemplation my yielding. there
! fore. was not altogether unselfsh.
| DR.. Addison case was different. At
the last moment he decided 10 go
abroad by the same ship; and, on the
way over. touched by his contrtion
and his almost pathetic desire to
make amends TO his quondam friend
al the earliest possible minute, ! my
self invited him to go with us the rest
Of the way
Evelyn had proposed that Mrs. Ian
caster should also be included in the
party. but this | would not hear Of II,
for propriety's sake. another presence
was necessary. her maid. and, ulti-
mntaly. DR.. Addison, afforded all the
security the conventions could de-
mand
The fever of haste was upon all Of
us from the start. The time on ship
board, in spite of our common subject
Of converse dragged eternally.
should we reach Cherbourg in time
to connect with the p G. O. Express
at Paris2 That was the one constant
ly recurring question. to be speculated
upon with varying degrees of hope and
despair
As good fortune would have II, we
made the train with fifteen minutes to
spare. and the run to Brindisi was ac-
complished without accident or TN
seemly delay.
Here, however. we were compelled
to wait six hours. The steamer was
late, owing to some seismic disturb
ance off the coast OF Malta. and fear
Of encountering new and necessarily
uncharted volcanic islands. had de-
manded slow and cautious sailing
However sinister had been the game
Fate played with us in the earlier
stages of cur quest. the favor OF its
present mood could not be gainsaid
That We were now reasonably sure of
reaching Port Said in advance OF the
amorcanshire was in itself a well
come relief from trying anxiety: but
that was only small part of the
banquet of good things provided for
US.
| was still exercised in measure
over the steps which must be taken to
secure Cameron's release. Without
proper Introduction to the authorities,
il was becoming more and more a
question in my mind whether after
all, / should be able to accomplish my
end in the brief time to which | was
restricted
With this fell possibility of failure
dlnging in my reflections, was strid-
ing the white deck Of the p and O.
steamer, in the early morning follow
ing the night of our departure from
Brindisi, when hand dropped heavi-
ly on my shoulder, spun me round to
face a laughing. sun-browned, young
Englishmau in white hannels.
For just a moment | was literally,
as well as figuratively. taken aback,
for the tone of the ringing voice which
greeted me carried me five years at
least into the past, when Lionel Hart
ley and | had ridden to hounds to-
gether at Melton Nowbray. while fel-
low guests at house-party in the
neiehborhood,
You bally Yankee," he was shout.
ing, Fancy running into you in this
fashion! I'm jolly glad to see you,
old chap!"
Though my delight at seeing him
was at that moment tempered by alb
sorbing interest in my mission. it rose
a few minutes later to unadulterated
ecstasy, when discovered that he was
stationed at Port Said, and occupied
what seemed to me just then one of
the most important posts in the Brit
ish Foreign Service-secretary to the
Governor General for the Suez Canal.
You're going to Cairo, l suppose ?"
he hazarded.
NO" ! replied. I'm going with
you. and I shall not let you out of my
sight my friend. until you have proved
you're something more than a figure
head stuck up in the Egyptian sands "
IF there's any little thing I can do
-" he began: but l interrupted him.
There's a very big thing you can
do" corrected And then l told him.
What a lark" he cried, refusing
to recognize the serious side OF II.
Fancy one of your American multi
millionaires passing coal on British
freighter."
Passing coal!" exclaimed. What
rot! Surely they wouldn't"
ION, wouldn't they" he broke in.
That's just what they would do. He
isn't an able-bodied seaman, is he?
You can safely wager he's an expert
enced stoker, or at least a trimmer by
this time"
Don't. Hartley, don't" 1 protested.
Its too cruel to think Of"
Never mind, old chap was his re-
joinder There's good time COM
ing. Well have him out and washed
and dressed and sitting at table with
us an hour after the old tub lets her
anchor drop. And I'll wager you a
tenner that there won't be a miss in
any part Of the programme.
When, at breakfast. l told Evelyn
the good news-omitting. OF course.
all referanca to the cnal-handlinY sIfg-