Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-12-05

bond? One can't be too careful these
days, and those Auckland chaps are
evidently leary of him.
How much of a bond Angela
asked
give thousand dollars"
II could find out at noon" she
said, and escaped.
Several times she had been sent by
her Office to see bonding companies,
and Angela determinediy sought out
a manager whom she recalled as I'M
usually pleasant and civil. To him
she opened her business briefly. The
manager asked a few questions. She
cluded by saying: "Pd like to do you
a personal favor, as you have known
Capt. Somers so long and so WELL
But the rules OF this business are
plain and not to be etaded. The cap
tain is in New Zealand and can't be
got at. Well only handle the bond il
we are secured in full right here in
San Francisco. You see, they'll ship
rich old cargo on the Challenger,
and it's too risky to chance man we
don't know all about"
| 7 think l know friend Of his"
Angela said slowly. r.. You'll take
property" .n2F ="
Certainly. Miss GaskeH."t
Angela returned to her Office and
went to her employer. II would like
this afternoon or" she told him. "a
friend Of Capt. somers lis ready to go
his bond and wants me to help ar
range 1t. My-my friend saw the
bonding company"
Mr. Habberd stared and nodded.
To his junior he remarked: II hope
! that captain isn't the same fellow
Huxley was talking about. But the
fellows who always have woman
friends to speak up for them"
Il rather think Somers must be all
right II Miss Gaskell--"
Sure"
The next night Angela did some
hard figuring in her room. The next
morning she dropped into a newspa-
per office and paid for an advertise
ment to rent her house. Within a
| week She quietly changed her address
on the office-register and moved into
a single room out in the mission.
After mortgaging her home and add
ing to the sum so obtained from her
savings account in bank. she had
less than one hundred dollars left.
She asked Habberd for an increase
and got it with some difficulty. Her
! employer was in a bad temper. The
Challenger had put back into port for
repairs within two days after sailing
! for the coast
The next two months were never to
be forgotten by Angela. The old ship,
after lying for years on an outside
| reef, had been but hastily reftted
| She was overloaded and untierman-
| ned. 1t swas doubtful whether she
| would arrive. For three weeks there
had been no word of her Then a
Union Mall boat had spoken her and
| reported that she was making good
progress. Teri days after that an
Y n vSrfr Ia 4
| ship Challenger had been partially
j. disnasted in gale, and from that
day till the day hurrying transport
eom Manila had sighted her six
hundred miles OF the California coast
| not a word came to satisfy Angela s
! an1ieties. But on the eightieth morn
! ing Mr.. Habberd came into the office
with swinging step. and announced
that the Challenger was inside the
; Heads and would be berthed that aft.
ernoon. 9
| He dropped a word for his clerk
J Capt Somers ought to thank you
personally, Miss Gaskell. And II ali
. ends well, you'H have our thanks as
: we'll"
! with a great effort she smiled
| When Habberd was gone she stood
/ like stone a while. What was to be
done? She had risked this mans be-
! ing the John Somers her father had
| spoken Of, who had. indeed, saved her
! fathers life. What If it were not:
And how was she to explain to him
even II he were the same John SOM
| ers? What would he think of an un-
known young woman's going his
bond? For she had no doubt now
| that all her efforts to hide her owr
! connection with the bond would be in
| vain.
l While she stood in this dilemma the
outer door opened and she looked into
| the bioodshot eyes and haggard face
Of the man she was thinking of. John
| Somers stood before her. swayine
drunkeniy on his legs. a worried
smile on his full lips. His closely
cropped hair was fairfi he was tall
| broad -shouldered and 1.-THE. And al
his eyes rested on her she saw hin
tilt his head back with a curious
closing Of the eyes, and his muscles
gather themselves. The room reeket
of whisky. with a cold. alert air she
got her hat and coat and slipped BY
him and out of the office. She wen
home. telephoning on the way to hel
employer that she had been taker
work that week.
DUT it 20 happened that she wal
L. not destined to go back to that
happened reached her through the
cheerful gossip of another girl whe
had long worked under her. She set
tied with the bonding company and
found hersalf reduced To an entir,