The Washington herald., 1920-10-14
NVIAKE up a minute-heres
w one more letter-it's from
your own town, too-Dalesburg.

That night ne TOOK fosine un-
der the mango tree by Goodwin's
porch and confessed everything.
She looked him in the eye and
said: You are very wicked
man. Father and ! will go back
home. You say 1t was a Joke?
think 1t is a very serious mat
ter"
But at the end OF half an hours
argument the conversation had
been turned upon a different sub
'ject The two were considering
the respective merits of pale blue
and pink wall paper with which
the old colonial mansion of the
Atwoods in Dalesburg was to be
decorated after the wedding.
On the next morning johnny
confessed to Mr.. Hemstetter. The
shoe merchant put on his spec
tacles and said through them:
You strike me as beinga most
extraordinary young scamp. II
had not managed this enterprise
with good business judgment my
entire stock of goods might have
been a complete loss. Now, how
do you propose to dispose Of the
rest Of it?"
When the second invoice Of
cockleburrs arrived Johnny loaded
them and the remainder of the
shoes into q schooner, and sailed
down the coast to AlaZan.
There. in the same dark and
diabolical manner, he repeated
his success: and came back with
a bag of money and not so much
as a shoestring.
And then he besought his grea,
Uncle of the waving goatee and
starred vest to accept his resigna-
tion. for the lotus no longed lured
him. He hankered for the spinach
and cress OF Dalesburg.
The services of Mr.. William
Terence Keogh as acting consul.
pro tenn. were suggested and ac-
cepted. and Johnny sailed with
the Hemstetters back to his ma
tive shores.
Keogh slipped into the sinecure
OF the American consulship with
the ease that never left him in
such high places. The tintvpe es-
tahiishment was s7on to becomH
thing OF the past. although its
deadly work along the peaceful
and helpless Snanish Main was
never effaced. The restless part
ners were about TO be off again,
scouting ahead Of the slow ranks
Of Fortune. But now they would
take different wavS. There were
rumors Of a PROMISING uprising
in Peru; and lhither the martial
CLANCY would turn his adventur-
Gus steps As for Eeogh. he was
figuring in mis- mind and on
nuires OF government letter
heads scheme that dwarfed the
art Of misrepresent;Hg the human
countenance upon tin.
What suits me-" Keogh used to
say. "in the way or a business
proposition is something diversl-
fed that looks like a longer shot
than il is-something in the way
OF genteeI graft that isn't
worked enough for the corresDon-
dcnce schools N he teaching it by
mail take the Ions end; but
like to have at least as good a
chance to win as a man learning
to play poker on an ocean steamer,
or running for governor OF Texas
on the Republican ticket. And
when I cash in my winnings.
don't want to find any widows
and orphans chips in M stack"
The Srass-Erown globe was the
green table on which KeoGh gam
hled. The games he played were
Of his own invention. He was No
grubber after the diffident dollar
Nor did he care to follow il with
horn and hounds. Rather he loved
20 coax il with eEreCious and bril-
liant flies from its habitat in the
waters OF strange streams. Ye'
Eeogh was a business man: and
his schemes. in spite of their sin
gularity. were as solidly set as thu
plans of a building contractor. Ir
Arthur's time Sir William Keogf
would have been a Knight of tn.
days he rides abroad. seeking th'
Graft instead of the Grail.
Three days after Johnny's de
parture, two small SChooners ap
peared off Coralio. After some de
lay a boat put off from one o
them. and brought a sunburnet
young man ashore. This youni
man had a shrewd and Calculatins
eye: and he gazed with smaZemen
at the strange things that he saw
He found on the beach some on
who directed him to the consul
office; and thither he made his wa!
at a nervous gait.
KeoEh was sprswled in the Of
fetal chair, drawing CariCatures O
his Uncle's head on an official pa,
of paper. He looked up at hi
visitor
where's Johnny Atwood" in
quired the sunburned young mar
in a business tone.
Gone said KeoEh. working
carefully at Uncle Sans necktit
That's just like him" remarke
the nut-brOwn one. leanini
against the table. He alway
was a fellow to gallivant aroun
instead Of tending to bushes!
viii he be in SOON"
Don't think So" said Keogl
after a fair amount of delibera
tion.
II s'pose he's out at some of hi
\ tomfoolery," conjectured the Wis
itor. in a tone of virtuous con
viction. Johnny never woul
stick to anything long enough t
succeed. l wonder how he mar