NORTTT PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE
ULXXIinXtaiXnnMXI8XTIAUnIIIITXI3IJlltjyiirtr,,tiTg,,,TiJLxiiLii8X1
Websterr-Man's
CHAPTER XI Continued
Tho next morning Webster waited
tsntll Dolores appeared nnd then ac
companied her Into tho dining room
for breakfast
"Well, how did you pass your first
night In Buenaventura?" she Inquired,
In the mnnufneturo of breakfast con
versation. "Not very well. Jiggers bit me nnd
woke mo up, nnd llnnlly I fell Into a
trance nnd had n vision about you.
After thnt I couldn't go to sleep again.
I was fairly bursting to see you at
breakfast and read your palm. I've
Just discovered n wonderful system."
"Show me," sho flashed back at
him and sho extended her little hand.
He picked It up gravely and with the
dull tlno of a fork made a great show
of tracing the lines on her palm.
"You are about twenty-four yenrs
okl, and your ancestors were pure-bred
Casttllans who came from Madrid,
crossing the Atlantic In caravels. Ever
since the first Iluey landed on this
const the family has, been Identified
with the government of tho country in
one way or another. When you were
quite a little girl, your father, Don
Itlcardo Ituey, at thnt tltno president
of Sobrnnte, failed to suppress n revo
lution and was cornered In tho govern
ment palnce, which was set nflre.
"Through tho bravery and devotion
of a cockney gentleman, Colonel Henry
Jenks, an nrtlllcry ofllcer In your
father's army you were saved from
perishing In the burning palnce. Col
onel Jenks turned you over to his
ppotise, now known ns Mother Jenks,
with Instructions to rnlso you n lydy,
nnd Mother Jonks has carried out
those Instructions. Colonel Jenks nnd
your father wero executed, nnd Mother
Jenks sent you to the United Stutes
to be educated. You had a brother,
Itlcardo Luis Ituey, older than your
self by soven or eight years, I should
judge. In somo mysterious manner
you and your brother lost trnck of
each other, and nt the present moment
ho believes you perished In the (lames
that gutted the government palace;.
"You tore of a proud, Independent na
ture; you work nt something for a liv
ing, and Inasmuch ns you haven't been
able to set aside n great deal of mon
ey from your eurnlngs, you nro plan
ning to terminate your visit to your
native land nt an early dato and re
turn to tho United States for the pur
pose of getting (back to work. Theao
plans, however? will never bo con
summated. "Why? Because you aro to bo mar
ried to a nice man nnd live happily
over afterward, and about sixty days
from now, If all goes well, I, John S.
Webster, am going to Introduce you to
your long-lost brother Itlcardo. You
will first seo Itlcardo riding nt tho
head of his victorious rebel troops as
ho enters Buenaventura. Ho will bo
tho next president of this wretched
country, If, fortunately, ho Is not killed
(n the revolution ho Is now fomenting
ugulnst his father's ancient enemy.
Your brother does not know you nro
living nnd It will bo a proud nnd hnp
pyv day for mo when I bring hi in to
you. In the interim, what do you pur
pose having for breakfast? Ham and
eggs sunny side up, an omelette or a
cereal?"
He released her hand nnd favored
her with the boyish grin thnt alwnys
had tl)e effect of stripping tho yenrs
from him ns one strips tho husk from
a ripe enr of corn. Sho wns gazing at
him In wide-eyed nmozemont
"Is my brother really alive?"
"He wns as late as midnight Inst
night. Do you recall the chap I saved
from being nususslnnted In Now Or
leans?" "Yes."
"Your worthy brother. And do you
recall the chauffeur whoso passage to
this port 1 was forced to pay?"
"Yes."
"The same Individual. I sent him
ashore In tho Inunch with Billy, nnd he
has been housed at El Jluen Amlgo,
but left early this morning for the
back country to open n recruiting of
fice." She reoched across the little tnbla
nnd squeezed bis big brown hntrtl Ini
pulHlvoly. "You're the most wonderful
man I ever know. And does my poor
brother know I am living, Mr. Web
tor?" "Noand Tm not going to tell hlin.
I think It will bo much nicer to re
store you to ench other on tho steps
of the government palnce on the dny
when the Ituey fuctlon comes Into Us
own ngnln. That will make his victory
nil the sweeter. By tho way, where
was Itlcardo when your father's ship
of state went on tho rocka?"
"At school In a military academy In
Kentucky."
"It Is n marvelous mlx-up, which RI
enrdo can doubtless explain.' Miss
Buoy. I know ho believes his sister
perished with her father. Mother
Jenks didn't know where ho was und
couldn't communicate with him und
there you nro. However, llttlo old
Jack Fix-It will bring you together
again In due course. In tho Interim,
how nbouf U1030 eggs? Straight up
-or (Hp 'em?"
She beamed across at him. "Wo nre
olng to bo such good, true friends,
aren't wo?" she urged. Ho almost
hh'ftrfcU.but managed a hypocritical
u&i MM wo uuvo only known each
t
By PETER B. KYNE
Author of "Cappy Ricka "Tho Valley of tho
other twenty-four hours, U seems a
great deal longer than that probably
because Billy has told mo so much
about you, nnd you're so comfortable
and ensy to get acquainted with, nnd
I I can't very well express my grati
tude for what you've done for what
you're going to do." Her voice falter
ed; she smiled roguishly through tho
tears of her emotion. "If I wero only
Billy, now, I could put my arm across
your shoulders and settlo tho matter
by snyjng: 'Johnny, you old horse
thief, you're nil right.'"
"The best thing to do would be to
censo pulling mo up with Importance.
And now, beforo wo climb out of the
realm of romance nnd die Improbable
to tho moro substantial plane of things
for breakfast, Just one brlof word of
caution. Now that I have told you
your brother lives and Is In Buena
ventura, forget It until I mention It
again, becnuso his presenco hero, In his
secret, not ours."
"All right, Cnllph," sho agreed. "I
think I shall call you that herqafter.
Llko tho late Cnllph Iluroun Al Has
chid, It appears you have a habit of
prowling around o' nights 1n queer
places, doing good deeds for your sub
jects. But tell me nbout my brother.
Describe hlin to mo."
"Not now. Here comes tho head
waiter with a cablegram for me, I
think."
That functionary camo to their tnblo
nnd hnnded ono of tho familiar yellow
envelopes to each of them.
"Wo'U excuse ench other," Dolores
suggested. Sho' read :
"Go you If I lose. You are a good,
gamo little scout, and I llko you fine.
"JEROME."
Sho glanced across nt Webster,
whose face was a conflicting study of
emotions In which disappointment nnd
amazement appeared to predominate.
"You Ancient acoundrell"
"You ancient scoundrel," sho heard
him murmur.
"What ho, Caliph I Unpleasnnt
nows?" she ventured.
"Yes and no. 1 had ono of the
finest Jobs In tho worltl all staked out
und now the boss cnbles me It's
filled by n bettor man."
"What aro you going to do nbout
itr
"Well as soon as I've had my
breokfaBt, I'm going to cable Neddy
Jerome and tell hlra I'm sutlslled
satisfied to stay here and satisfied
he's a llnr. You see. Miss Buoy, he
objected vigorously to my coming here
In the first place wanted mo to take
n 30-dny vacation nnd then nianngo
the Colorado Consolidated Mines com
pany. Ltd., for him. I like Neddy and
would hnvo boon glad to go to work
for his company, but, of course, Billy
comes first, nnd so I declined tho of
fer. Lnter I changed my mind, and
Inst night I cabled him I'd accept If
he'd wait 00 days possibly 1)0; and
now ho replies that he's sorry, but
the Job Is tilled by a bettor mnn.
Thnt's why I know he's a llnr."
"I see. You figure there Isn't a bet
ter mining engineer than you eh, Ca
liph?" Ho looked at her reproachfully.
"No, but Neddy Jerome flora, nnd I
know he does because lie has taken
the trouble to tell mo so more than
once. And us n rule Neddy Inclines
toward the truth. However, It's Just
as well " Ho paused, staring hard
at her. "By the way, you foretold
this I Why, this Is amazing."
Sho could have wept with laughter.
Well" soberly "I told you some
other tilings equally amazing, did I
not?"
"Yes, you told me other things more
or leaj Interesting, but you foretold
this. How do you account for thnt?"
"The witness declines to niiswer on
the ground that she may Incrlmlnuto
herself nnd be burned for a witch."
"RemnrUnblo woman I"
"You were about ro roWrk that U 1b
Just as well "
w
H
M
M
M
N
L
Man
GianU," Etc'
CoprrUht br rtr n. Km
"That Neddy's reconciled to losing
me, because since cabling him yester
day evening I've changed my mind
ngnln. I'm going to stay here now."
"Indeed 1 Why?"
"Just to bo obstinate. Apparently
Pm not wanted here by the powers
that be; so Just to rile them I'm go
ing to bnng nround Sobrnnte and argue
the question with them. By the way,
I seo you received a cablegram also.
Bettor news than mine, I hope."
She nodded. "I have a little busi
ness deal on back home. Haven't got
n great deal Invested, but It looks as
If I might mnko $10,000."
Ho arched his eyebrows and fnvored
her with a llttlo disapproving grunt
Sounded like the prospectus of a fake
mining promoter yea, by thunder,
thnt wns It Dolores was a school
tencher, and school teachers and doc
tors nre over flic mainstay of a swin
dler's sucker list.
"You won $10 from me yesterday,"
he challenged. "Bet you another ten
I enn tell you the nature of your In
vestment" "Go you. If I lose I" Unconsciously
sho was learning the nrgot of the mala
of tho species, ns exemplified In Ned
dy Jerome'o cablegram.
"It's a mining property."
"You win. It Is," she answered
truthfully, starting to open her purse.
"Qunrtz or placer?"
"1 don't know. Explain."
He chuckled at her Ignorance.
"Quartz Is gold-bearing rock, and
placer Is gold-benring gravel."
"Then my mining property Is plac
er, because It has lots of sand."
"I knew lt, I knew It," ho warned
her solemnly, and ho shook an ad
monitory finger at her. "Black sand,
eh? Ib tho gold very tlno?"
"I think It Is."
"Then you're stung good nnd deep
so don't delude yourself Into thinking
you hnve $10,000 coming. 1 never
knew n proposition for saving the tine
gold In black sand thnt didn't turn out
to be n fizzle. It's the hardest thing
In the world to save. Now, listen;
you tell me the namo of tho flim-flam
nrtlst that got you Into this deal, nnd
when I get back to the United States
I'll Investigate the company; If It's an
out-and-out swindle, I'll take that
promoter by the throat and choke your
money out of him, the scoundrel 1 It
Is Just these fly-by-nlght fellows that
ruin the finest gambling gnme In tho
world nnd scare off Investors In legiti
mate mining propositions."
"Oh. you mustn't really, Caliph.
He's an old man, and I only did It to
help him out"
"There should be no sentiment lp
business. Miss Ituey."
"Oh, well, let's be cheerful nnd hope
ful, Caliph, and discuss a more Impor
tant subject."
Sho was very serious now, for by her
meddling she hnd, sho realized, so ar
ranged matters that at a time when
John Stuart Webster's very life de
pended upon his Immediate departure
from Buennvcnrurn. he was planning
to stay nnd face the music, just to be
obstinate "You must reconsider your
decision to remain In this country,"
she Insisted. "Your life mny be tho
price of liberty of action, yon know.
Isn't Billy capable of developing tho
mine nfter you advance tho cash?"
"I wouldn't advnnco him n cent for
his mine until I had Investigated It
myself."
"Then you should mnko some ar
rangements to .safeguard yourself
while making tho Investigation, and
lenve Sobrnnte Immediately thereafter.
Isn't that a sensible proposition?"
"Very If 1 felt llko lenvlng So
brnnte. But I do not. If thnt mining
concession Is n potential winner, I'll
have to stick around and make a win
ner out of It beforo I go away and
lenvo Bill In charge. Besides, I'm wor
ried about Bill. Ho'8 full of malarial
fover, and last night I got thinking
nbout bin) nnd decided to send hlra
back to the Colorado mountains for a
few months. I want some regular doc
tors to work on Bill so he'll be fit when
he gets back on the job."
As a matter of fact, this Idea of send
ing Billy to the United States had but
that moment occurred to Jack Web
Hter; ho reflected now that this plan
was little short of an Inspiration. It
would give Billy nnd Dolores nn op
portunity to marry and have a honey
moon; It would lenvo him freo of her
disturbing presence, and enable htm to
leave Sobrante when tho Gearys should
return. He resolved to speak to Billy
about It
Qolores' voice broke In upon his cun
ning reflections. "Bnt Hilly tells mo
you already huve n fortune sufllclent
for tho needs of a caliph without a
court Why risk your precious life to
acquire more? Money isn't everything
In life."
"No, but the game Is." 1
"What game? Mining?" '
"The game of Itfe."
"But this Is the gnme of doath.t
"Which makes life all the sweeter
If can beat tho gamo. Perhaps I can
better Illustrate my point of view with
u story. Somo yenrs ago I was sent
to Arizona to examine a mining prop
erty and report upon It; If I ndvlsed
ItH purchase, my principals were pre
pared to huy at my valuation. Well,
when' 1 arrived. 1 found a miserable
shanty close to a shaft and dump, and
In the shanty I found a weather-beaten
couple, Tho woman wns probably
forty but looked fifty. The man had
never been anything but a hard-rock
miner 94 a day had been tho limit of
his earnings In any on day until he
stumbled on some float traced It up,
and located the claims I was there to
examine and try to buy.
"His wife hnd been a miner's daugh
ter, knowing nothing but drudgery nnd
poverty and continuing thnt existence
after marriage. For 20 years she had
been darning her husband's socks,
washing his clothes, and cooking his
meals. Even after they uncovered the
ledge, It wnsn't worth nny more than
tho country rock to them unless they
could sell It, because tho man had
neither the money nor tho ability to
develop It himself. He even lacked
the ability to sell It because It re
quires real ability tb unload any kind
of a mine for $1,000,000, nnd real
nerve on the pnrt of the man who
buys. I examined the mlno, decided
It wns cheap at $1,000,000, and so re
ported to my principals. They wired
me to close, and so I took a CO-day
option In order to verify tho title.
"Well, time passed, and one bright
day I rode up to that shanty with a
deed and a certified check for $1,000,-
000 In my pocket; whereupon I dis
covered the woman hnd had a change
of henrt nnd bucked over the traces.
No, slreel She would not sign thet
there deed and Inasmuch as the claim
was community property, her signa
ture was vitally necessary. She asked
mo so many questions, however, as to
the size of the stamp mill wo would
Install and how many miners would
be employed on the Job, flint finally I
saw the light and tried a shot In the
dark. "My dear Mrs. Skaggs," I said,
"If you'll sign. this deed nnd save us
all a lot of litigation over this option
you and your husband hnve given me,
PIl do something handsome. I will
on my word of honor I'll give you the
exclusive boarding houso privilege at
this mine."
"And what did she say, Caliph?"
"She said: 'Give me the pen, Mr.
Webster, and please excuse my hand
writing; I'm that nervous In business
mntters.' "
Dolores silvery laughter rippled
through the room. "But I don't see
the point" she protested.
"We will come to It presently. 1
was merely explaining one person's
point of view. You would not, of
course, expect me to have the same
point of view as Mrs. Skaggs of Ari
zona." '
"Certainly not."
"All right I Listen to this I In 1007,
at tho height of tho boom times In
Goldfleld, Nev., I wns worth $1,000,000.
On the first day of October I could
have cashed In my mining stocks for
$1,000,000 nnd I hnd a lot of cash In
bank, too. But I'd always worked so
hard and been poor so long that my
wealth didn't mean anything to me.
1 wanted the exclusive privilege of
more slavery, ano so I staked a copper
prospect, which Inter I discovered to
consist of uncounted acres of country
rock and about $25 worth of copper
stain. In order to save $100 I did my
own assessment work, drove a pick
Into my foot, developed blood poison,
went to the hospital, and was ntce nnd
helpless when the panic came along
the middle of the month. The tank
went bust nnd my ready cash went
with It; I couldn't give my mining
stocks nway. Everybody knew I wns
a pauper everybody but the doctor.
He persisted In regarding mo as a mil
lionaire and sent mo n bill for $5,000."
"How perfectly outrageous I Why,
Caliph, I would have let him sue me."
"I would have, too but I didn't I
Induced him to settle for $100,000
shnres of stock In my copper prospect
The par value was $1 a share, and I
wns going to sell n block at 10 cents,
but In view of his high professional
standing I let him hnve It for a nickel
a share. I Imagine he still has It I
bought back later all the other stock
I sold, because the property was
worthless, and In order to be n sport
I offered him $500 for his block, but
he thought I was trying to swindle
him nnd asked $5,000."
"Oh. Caliph I"
"Wonderful gnme. Isn't It this
gnmo of life. So weet when a fel
low's taking chnncesl Now that I am
fairly prosperous again, the only thing
In life that really matters Is tho un
certainty ns to whether, when finally
I do leave Sobrnnte. I shall rldo to
the stenmshlp landing In a hack or a
hearse."
"But you could go In n hack this
morning nnd nvold that uncertainty."
"The millionaire drudge I told you
of could hnve gone to live In n pretty
villa on the Itlvlern, but sho chose a
miner's boarding house."
"Then why," she persisted, "did you
leave the United States with the' firm
Intention of remaining In Sobrnnte In
definitely, chnnge your mind before
you wero here eight hours, and cable
this Neddy Jerome person you would
return In CO or 00 days and tho fol
lowing morning decide to remain, aft
er all I"
"My dear young lady, If I changed
my clothes as often ns I change my
mind, the what-you-may-call-'em chaps
that manufacture a certain grand of
clothes couldn't keep me dressed."
"But why?"
"Thnt," he answered gravely, "Is a
secret."
"Women delight to pry Into men's
secrets."
"I know It Hnd a friend once
married. Every night after dinner he
used to sit nnd store Into tho fire and
his wife used to ask him what he was
thinking about, ne would look up at
her owllshly and tell her It was some
thing he couldn't explnln to her. be
cause she'd never understand It nnd
thnt was all he would tell her, al
though right frequently, I dare say,
lie felt like telling her orac- things
she coutd understand? She brooded
over his secret until she couldn't stnnd
It Any more, and one day sho packed
her duds ind flow homo to mother.
Ho let her stay' there three months,
and finally one day !e sent her a blue
print of what lia'd boen thinking
about"
"What was It?"
"An Internal-combustion engine. You
see, until sho left him, ho'd never
been able to get set to figure out
something In connection with tho Inlot
valves "
"Stop right there. Caliph. I'm re
buked. I'll let you get set to
think "
"1 didn't mean that You let mo
get set yesterday and I figured It all
out then and last night and a min
ute ngo. I don't care to do any more
thinking todny. Please talk to rac."
"And you rofuso to tell mo why you
cabled your friend, Jerome?"
"You will nover know. I told you
It's a secret"
"Bet you I find out"
"How much? That $10,000 you ex
pect to make from tho flour-gold In
your black-sand claim? And, by tho
way. $10. please. I won It for ruess-
Ing you were Interested In n mining'
proposition."
She returned to him tho bill-she hnd
won from him the day before. "Ten
thousand dollars suits me. Of course,
I haven't got the money Just now, and
tills Is what Billy calls a finger bet,
but If I lose, I guarantee to pay. Are
we betting even money? I think that
Is scarcely fair. Under tho circum
stances I should be entitled to odds."
"Nothing doing 1 No odds on a bet
of this nature to a seeress who has nl
ready Jarred me from soul to vermi
form appendix by making good I You
know too blamed much ulrpady, and
how you discovered It Is a problem
that may drive me cracy yet."
After breakfast they repaired to the
veranda to await tho result of Web
ster's experiment with Don Juan Cafe
tero. Sure enough, the wreck had ngnln
returned, he was sented on the edge of
the veranda waiting for thein ; ns they
approached, he held up u grimy, quiv
ering hand, in the palm of which lay
a five-dollar gold piece.
"What?" Mr.- Webster said, amazed.
"Still unchanged 1"
"I thrled to change It at half a dozen
cantlnas," Don Juan wheezed, "but
dlvll a bit av Tjystlra did any av tblm
have. Wan offered this In splggoty
money an the other offered that an
sure If I'd taken the best that was
offered me In exchange, ye might hnve
fought I'd tuk more nor wan dhrlnk."
"Bravo 1 Three long, loud, raucous
cheers for Don Juan Cnfeterol" Do
lores cried. "Was It a terrible task to
come back without a drink, Don Junn?"
He shivered. "A shky-blue kangaroo
wit' a pink tall an' green ears chased
me Into this patio, ma'am."
flYouro very brave, Cafferty. How
does it feel to win back your self
respect?" Webster asked him.
"Beggln' the young leddy's pardon
li feVls like hell, sor." .
"Caliph, don't be cruel," Dolores
pleaded. "Call a waiter and give Don
Juan whnty you promised him;"
So Webster went Into the hotel bar
and returned presently with a bottlo
of brandy and n glass, which he filled
and held out toward Don Junn. "Ono
of the paradoxes of existence, Don
Juan." he observed, "lies In the fact
that so many of the things In life that
are good for us are bad for us. This
Jolt will disperse the menagerie and
quiet your nerves, but nevertheless it
is a nail In your colDn,"
Webster, accompanied by his pro
tege, strolled uptown on a shopping
tour. Here he outfitted Don Juan
neatly but not gaudily and added to
his own personal effects two high
power sporting rifles, three Inrge-cal-Iber
automatic pistols, and a plen
tiful supply of ammunition after
which he returned to the hotel, first
having conducted Don Juan to a bar
ber shop and given him Instructions
to report for orders and his mid-day
drink the Instant ho should have ac
quired the outward evidences of re
spectability. At the hotel Webster found two
messages awaiting him. One was from
Billy Geary, up at San Miguel de Pad
ua, advising him thnt everything was
In readliiess for a trip to the mine;
the other wns a note from Blcardo
Ituey, but signed with his nllas of
Andrew Bowers. Webster rend :
"Dear Friend:
"A certain blgher-up has been con
vinced that It would bo extremely In
advisable to eliminate you now. It
has been pointed out to tills person
that you are a prom, clt up In your
neck of the woods and dangerous to
monkey with personally and because
such monkeying may lead to unpleas
ant complications with your paternal
government A fac more artistic nnd
effective way of raising hell with you
has been suggested to this hlgber-up
Individual, and he has accepted It In
deed, thti plan pleased him so much
that he laughed quite heartily. Real
ly, It Is quite diabolical, but remem
ber, he who laughs last laughs best
und I'm tho villain lu this sketch.
"Burring accidents, my dear Web
ster, you aro good for at least six
weeks of existence. Beyond Uiut I
dare not guurautee you.
"Thine,
"ANDREW BOWERS." 1
"That makes It ulce," the recipient
of this comforting communication so
liloquized. He went up to his room,
packed a duffle 'bag with such belong
ings as he would find necessary dur
ing u prolonged stay In the mountains,
and nt luncheon was fortunnte enough
to find Dolores In the dining room
when he entered.
"I'm going up to San Miguel de Pad
ua this afternoon," he announced as
he took his seat A look of extreme
antlety clouded her lovely face, and
he noticed It "Oh. there's no risk,."
he hastened to assure her. "Thnt
scamp of a brother of yours, through,
his friends in high places, tins man
aged to get me a reprieve." He hand
ed her Rlcardo's letter.
She looked up, much relieved, froct
her perusal. "And how long do yoo
expect to be gone, Caliph?"
"Quite a while. I'll be busy around '
that dratted concession for a couple
of weeks, surveying and assaying and
what-nll; then, while waiting for our
ranchlncry and supplies to arrive from
the United States, I shall devote my
spare time to hunting and fishing and
reforming Don Juan Cafetero, Tho
cool hills for mine."
"What a selfish, unsociable pro
gram I" sho reflected. "I wonder If
it will occur to him to come down
here onco in n while nnd take me for
a drivo on the Mnlecon and talk to
me to keep me from dying of ennul
before I meet Rlcnrdo. I'll wait nnd
see If ho suggests It"
However, for reasons best known to
himself nnd the render, Mr. Webster
made no such Interesting suggestion:
so sho decided that while he was tre
mendously nice, he wns, nevertheless,
a very queer man and Wioroughly ex
asperating. Just before the train pulled out
John Stunrt Webster took Dolores
hand. "Good-by, Seeress," he said
very soberly. "The? trail forks here
for tho first time possibly the last
although I'll try to be on 'hand to
make good on my promise to present
you to your brother tho dny he oc
cupies 'the palace. However, if I
shouldn't be In town that day, Just
go up and introduce yourself to him.
It's been wonderful to have met you
nnd known you, even for such a brief
period. I shall never forget you and
the rcmnrkable'24 hours Just passed."
"I shall not soon forget them -myself,
Caliph nor you," she added.
"Haven't you been a busy little cup
of ten, Caliph 1 Within 24 hours after
landing, you have changed your mind
three times, lost the best Job In the
world, hnd your fortune told, been
marked for slaughter, acquired a new-
found friend and commenced actively
and with extraordinarily good results
the work of reforming him, soused a
gentleman In tho fountain, spurned
another with the tip of your boot,
rode with mo -around the Mnlecon nnd
listened to the band concert, bundled
poor Billy off to San Miguel de Pad
ua, discovered my brother presumed
to be dead, and received a reprieve
from your enemies, while they per
fect new plans for destroying you.
Really, you are quite a caliph."
"Oh, there's n dash of speed In the
'old horse yet, Miss Ruey," he assured
her laughingly. "Now listen ; don't tell
anybody nbout your brother, nnd don't
tell Billy about my adventures since
he left for San Miguel do Padua."
"But I'm not liable to see Billy
"Yes, you are extremely liable. I'm
going to send him buck to you as soon
as I can spare hlra, because I know
you'll be lonesome nnd bored to death
In this lonesome town, and Bill is
bully good company. And I don't, want
you to tell him about the mess I'm
In, because It would only worry him;
he can't aid me, and the knowledge
thnt I wns In any danger, real or
fancied, would be sufllclent to cnuso
him to rebel against my plans for his
honeym for his vacation. He'd In-,
slst on sticking nround to protect me."
He looked down nt her little hand
where It rested In his, so big and
brown and hard; with his free band
he patted her hand paternally. "Good
by, Seeress," he said again; and turn
ing to the steps, be lenped aboard,
just ns the train sturted to move out
of the station.
"Goo good-by Cnllph," she called
mournfully. Then to herself: "Bless
his heart, he did remember I'd be
terribly lonely, after all. He Isn't a
bit queer, but oh. dear, he Is so ex
asperating. I could bump his kind
old head ngalnst a wall I" She turned
her back on the train, fenrful that
from where he clung on the steps he
could, even at thnt distance, see tho
sudden rush of tears that blinded her.
However, Don Juan Cafetero, with his
rubicund nose to the window of the
Inst coach, did see them saw her
grope toward the carriage waiting to
take her back to the' hotel.
"Why, shure, the poor darllnt's cry
in'," he reflected. "Be the Great Gun
an Athlone! Shure I fought all along
'twas Billy Geary she had her eye on
God love hlml An be the same
token, didn't she tell me I was to
shtay sober nn' take care av Mlshter
Webster. Ilah-hah-a-a 1 Well! I'll
say nothln' an' I'll be neuthral, but
but but "
From which It may be Inferred that
romance was not yet burned out of
Don Juan's Gaelic soul. He would be
"neuthral," but but but he re
served the right to butt In I
(To bo continued)
Stick Flghtlno In Trinidad.
Single combat In various forms snj
vlves all over the world, and different
peoples have different methods of
showing 'their prowess. In the Island
of Trinidad, for Instance, the natives,
who speak u mixture of French pntola
and English, call thelr method "play
ing hols" (literally stick fighting).
The stick used, says the Detroit
News, Is nbout n yard long, nnd usunl
ly made from the "pule" tree, a very
hard wood. This Is held at each end
diagonally In front of tho body, nnd
the blows are struck by releasing one
hand nnd striking with either the left
or tho right
In the carnival season bnnds from
the various districts are mnde up nnd
contests take place whenever two
bandi meet The stick men nre ex.
trnordlnnrlly clever nt parrying blows,
nnd an expert will atop a cricket ball
thrown at him.
