Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-06-01
CHAPTER XII.
Al Government House.

I~1URNING to consider the never
stale fortunes of INT of fate's
bean bags
IL Mr.. Billy Capper, elected
from the Hotel Splendide, took little
umbrage at such treatment. 1t was not
an uncommon experience, and, besides,
a quiet triumph that would not be
dampened by trifes filed his soul.
Cheerfully he pushed through the mot
ley crowd on waterproof street down to
the lower levels Of the city by the Line
wall, where the roosts of sailors and
warrens of quondam Adventures off
all the seven seas made far more con-
genial atmosphere than that Of the
S%plendide's hollow pretense. He chose
q hostelry more commensurate with his
slender purse than Almer's, though as
q matter of fac the question of paying
a hotel bill was furthest from Billy
Capper's thoughts. Such formal trans
actions he avoided whenever feasible.
The proprietor of the San Roc, where
Capper took a room, had such an evil
eye that his new guest made a mental
note that perhaps he might have to
leave his bag behind when he de-
camped. Capper abhorred violence
to his own person.
Alone over a glass of thin wine
the champagne days, alas, had been
too feeting!-Capper took stock of his
situation and conned the developments
he hoped to be the instrument for
starting. To begin with, finances were
wretchedly bad, and that was a cir
cumstance so near the ordinary for
Capper that he shuddered as he pulled
q gold guinea and q few silver bits
from his pocket and mechanically
counted them over. OF the 300 marks
Louisa-pretty snake!-had given him
in the Cafe Richie and the expense
money he had received from her the
following day to his expedition
to Alexandria for the Wilhelmstrasse
naught but this paltry residue! That
second cabin ticket on the Princess
Mary had taken the last big bite from
his hoard, and here he was in this
black and tan town with a quid and
little more between himself and the
old starved dog life.
But-and Capper narrowed his eyes
and sagely wagged his head-there'd
be something fat coming. When he
got knee to knee with the governor
general of the Rock and told him
what he, Billy Capper, knew about the
identity Of Captain Woodhouse, newly
transferred to the signal service at
Gibraltar, why, if there wasn't a cool
ESQ or q matter of that as honorarium
from a generous government Billy Cap
per had missed his ~guess-that's all.
The little spy anticipated no difficult
ty in gaining audience with the COVER
nor. Before he had been fifteen min
utes off the Princess Mary he had
heard the name of the present incum-
bent of Government House-Crandall
Sir George Crandall, the same who
had been in command of the forts at
Rangoon back in '99. oh, yes, Capper
knew him, and he made no doubt that
if properly reminded of a certain bit
of work Billy Capper had done back In
the Burmese city Sir George would re-
call him-and with every reason for
gratefulness. Tomorrow-yes, before
ever Sir George had had his mornings
peg-Capper would present himself at
Government House and tell about that
house on Queens terrace at Ramleh;
about the unconscious British officer
who was carried there and hurried
thence by night, and the tall, well knit
man In conference with DR.. Koch, who
was now come to be a part of the gar
rison of the Rock under the stolen
name of Woodhouse.
Government House, one Of the Bae-
deker points of Gibraltar, stands amid
it's gardens on a shelf of the Rock
about midway between the Alameda
and the signal tower, perched on the
very spine of the lions back above it.
It's windows look out on the blue bay