The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-02-28

SHE COVERED HEl
membered the convenient oppor.
tunities she had offered Lord
Ridforth for increasing the
warmth of their acquaintance il
he had chosen so to do. Perhaps
Lord Ridforth was slow to see OPP
portunities. In any case she had
failed there--failed outright
Hence-victory for the long pa
tient Soames.
Miss Linden took up the note,
which she had let fall in her lap,
and read 1t through. A slow
smile came upon her lips and re-
NAMED there. II had an oddly
triumphant look, and so had a
new light that was in her eyes.
Miss Lindon wrote a little note
and dispatched 1t by her chauf-
feur. Afterward she went up
stairs to her own room and began
to look over her evening dresses.
Once she said aloud:
| Lady Ridforth! the
Warehouses of Ridforth!" Her
eyes fell upon a photograph of
her fiance which stood on the
dressing table-a fat, genial gen.
tleman with diamond shirt but
tons. Miss Linden snapped her
fingers at him and laughed.
The walters cleared away the
dinner things and departed to re-
turn no more until summoned.
The orchestra began to play Gou-
mods little "Berceuse. Lord Rid
forth drew long breath as one
who says, Now for it," and rails
ed his eyes.
He said:
81 have a little story to tell
you. 1t concerns man / found
in Fiji-at Suva, where l left
the ship.
you may remember" said
Lord Ridforth, that we arrived
in Suva early one morning and
were to have the day there. The
passengers all engaged vehicles
to take them on the usual drive
across the hills and along the
shore. But the late afternoon I
spent in wandering about the lit
tie village. had once or twice
noticed a very ragged and un-
kempt white man who seemed to
be loafing about with no object.
Well, presently the ships purser
came past, and this ragged object
accosted the purser and was re-
pulsed. I asked him who this
rather piteous tramp might be.
The purser told me that he was a
half-mad Australian reduced to
extremities, doubtless through
drink, that he was without means
and that he was trying to beg a
passage back to Brisbane or sgd
ney.
presently the ragged tramp
came up to me and began to beg
in most piteous terms that l
would help him. / questioned the
man. He was not altogether sane
/ think, for he had suffered the
most hideous and unbelievable
things, but / learned that he had
come to the ISLANDS from Aus
tralia-ah, a few years ago,
though he was English born. l
learned the reason for his coming,
and his name. l found that /
knew his people in England and
Ireland-had known them,
should say-and 1t fell to me to
tell this poor starved and half
crazed beach-comber that through
a succession of deaths he was
now the head Of his house and an
Irish peer.
II need not tell you that I at
once promised to engage a pas
sage for him on our ship. The
poor fellows gratitude, Miss Lin
don, would, think, have touched
your heart"
YES" she said vaguely. Eyes.
OF course, very terriblel" Lord
Ridforth regarded her moment
In silence. Then. he said:
"A very odd thing occurred. 1
was leading my protage up the
beach toward one OF the traders
stores. There were trees and
shrubbery at the end of the alley.
and among them stood two of the
ships passengers, man and a
woman. The two must have I'M
agined themselves screened Sc
curely from observation, for they
were--ah, permitting themselves.