The Red Cloud chief. (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.) 1873-1923, September 29, 1905, Image 3
k o- ohe Wings of The Morning By LOUIS TRACY Copyright, lixXJ, by Edward J. Clodo v O 3' COJTTINUKD.J And what wits It she cried to him from the beach? "Your own little girl given hack to youi" Given buck to him! Tor rhat to marry that blade hearted scoundrel whose pastime was the degradation of women and the defaming of honest men? That settled it. Instantly the cloud was lifted from ids soul. A great peace came upon him. The ruin of his business lie might not be able to avert, but he would save from the wreck that which lie prized more than all else, his daughter's love. The engines dropped to half speed. They were entering the harbor of Sin gapore. In u few hours the worst would be over. If Ventnor telegraphed to London his withdrawal from the board nothing short of a cabled draft for 10.000 would prevent certain cred itors from filing a bankruptcy petition. In the local bunks the baronet had about a thousand to his credit. Surely among the rich merchants of the port, men who knew the potentialities of his scheme, lie would be able to raise the money needed. He would try hard. Already he felt braver. The old lire had returned to his blood. The very belief that lie was acting In the way best calculated to secure his daugh ter's happiness stimulated and encour aged him. . lie went on deck, to moot Iris skip ping down the hatchway. "Oh, there you are!" she cried. "I was just coming to llnd out why you were moping in your cabin. You are missing the most beautiful view all greens and blues and browns! Run, iuick! I want you to boo every Inch of it." She hold out her hand and pulled liini gleefully up the stops. Loaning against the tatfrall, some distance apart from each other, wore Anstruth er nnd Lord Ventnor. Need it be said to whom Iris drew her father? "Here he Is, llohert," she laughed. "I do believe ho was sulking because Captain Fltzroy was so very attentive to me. Yet you didn't mind it n bit!" The two men looked into each other's eyes. They smiled. How could they resist the contagion of her sunny na ture? "I have been thinking over what you said to me Just now, Anstruther," said the shipowner slowly. "Oh!" cried Iris. "ITiivo you two boon talking secrets behind my back?" "It Is no secret to you, my little girl" Her father's voice lingered on the phrase. "When we are on shore, Itobert, I will explain matters to you more fully. .lust now I wish only to toll you that where Iris has given her heart, I will not refuse her hand." She took his face between her hands and kissed him. Lord Ventnor, won dering at this effusiveness, strolled for ward. "What has happened, Miss Deane?" he inquired. "Have you Just discover ed what an excellent parent you pos sess?" The bnronet laughed almost hysteric ally. " Ton my honor," he crlod, "you could not have hit upon n happier ex planation." Ills lordship was not quite satisfied. "I supposo you will take Iris to Smith's hotel?" he said, with cool Im pudence. Iris answered him. "Yes. My father has just asked Rob ert to come with us by Inference, that is. Where are you going?" The adroit use of her lover's Christian name goaded his lordship to sudden heat "Indeed!" ho snarled. "Sir Arthur Doano has evidently decided a good many things during the last hour." "Yes," was the shipowner's quiet retort. "I have decided that my daugh ter's happiness should bo the chief con sideration of my remaining years. All else must give way to it." The earl's swarthy face grew sallow with fury. Ills eyes blazed, and there was a tenso vibrato In his voice as he said: "Then I must congratulate you, Miss Deane. You are fated to endure ad ventures. Having escaped from the melodramatic perils of Rainbow island you are destined to experience another variety of shipwreck here." He left them. Not a word had Rob ert spoken throughout tho unexpected scone. Ills heart was trobblng with a tremendous joy, and his lordship's sneers were lost on him. Rut he could not fall to note tho malignant purpose of the parting sentence. In his quietly masterful way he placed his hand on tho baronet's shoul der. "What did Lord Ventnor mean?" he asked. Sir Arthur Deane answered, with a aim smile: "It Is diillcnlt to talk open ly at this moment. Walt until wo ' t -h the hotel " r . f .- r l 11 ', 1' - f. i"it I'm t her majesty's ship Orient . id returned from her long search for '.;( Sirdar. The warship occupied her c ual anrlurage, and a boat was low "fed to takv off the passengers. The boat swung olT Into the tideway. Her progress shoreward was watched by a small knot of people, mostly loungers and coolies. Among them, however, were two persons who had driven rapidly to the landing place when the arrival of the Orient was re ported. One bore all the distinguishing marks of the army olllcer of high rank, but the other was unmistakably a globe trotter. The older gentleman made no pretense that he could "hear the east a-callln'." Ho swore impar tially at tho climate, the place and its Inhabitants. At this Instant lie was In a state of wild excitement. He was voiy tall, very stout, exceedingly rod faced. Producing a tremendous telescope he vainly endeavored to balance it on the shoulder of a native servant. "Can't you stand still, you blithering Idiot," he shouted, after futile attempts to focus the advancing boat, "or shall 1 steady you with a clout over the ear?" His companion, the army man, was looking through a pair of Hold glasses. "Ry .love," he cried. "1 can see Sir Arthur Deane and'a girl who look- like his daughter! There's that infernal scamp, Ventnor, too." Tho big man brushed the servant out of ids way and brandished the tele scope as though It were a bludgeon. "The dirty beggar! lie drove my lad to misery and death, yet, he has eoui" back Mifo and sound. Walt till I meet him. I'll" "Now, Anstruther! Remember your promise. I will deal with Lord Vent nor. My vengeance has first claim. What! Ry the jumping Moses, I do believe Yes. it Is. Anstruther! Your nephew is sitting next to the girl!" The telescope fell on tho stones with n crash. The giant's rubicund face suddenly blanched. lie loaned on his friend for support "You are not mistaken?" ho almost whimpered. "Look again, for God's sake, man! Make sure before you speak. Tell mo! Tell mo!" "Calm yourself, Anstruther. It is Robert, as sure as I'm alive. Don't you think I know him, my poor disgraced friend, whom I, like the rest, cast off in his hour of trouble1? Rut I had some excuse. There! There! I didn't mean that, old fellow. Robert himself will bo tho last man to blame cither of us. Who could have suspected that two people one of them, God help me, my wife would concoct such a hellish plot!" The boat glided gracefully alongside the steps of tho quay, and Hnydon sprang gracefully ashore to help Iris to nlight. What happened immediate ly afterward can best be told In his own words, as he retailed tho story to an appreciative audience In the ward room. "We had Just landed," ho snld, "and some of the crow were pushing tho coolies out of the way when two men jumped down the steps, and a most fiendish row sprang up that is, there was no dispute or wrangling, but one chap, who, it turned out, was Colonel Costobell, grabbed Ventnor by tho shirt front and threatened to smash his face in If ho didn't listen then nnd there to what ho had to say. I really thought about Interfering until I heard Colonel Costobell's opening words. After that I would gladly have seen the beggar chucked Into the harbor. Wo never liked him, did we?" "Ask no questions, Pompoy, but go ahead with the yarn," growled the first lieutenant. "Well, It scorns that Mrs. Costobell Is dead. She got enteric a week after tho Orient sailed and was n goner in four dnys. Before she died she owned up." Ho paused, with n base eye to effect Not a man moved a muscle. "All right," ho crlod. "I will make no moro false starts. Mrs. Costobell begged her husband's forgiveness for her treatment of him and confessed thnt she and Lord Ventnor plnnncd tho affair for which Anstruther was tried by court martial. It must hnvo been a beastly business, for Costobell wns sweating with rage, though his words were ley enough. And you ought to have seen Ventnor's fnco when ho heard of the depositions, sworn to and signed by Mrs. Costobell and by sever al Chinese servants whom ho bribed to give false evidence. Ho promised to marry Mrs. Costobell If her husband died, or, In any event, to bring about a dlvorco when tho Hongkong affair had blown over. Then she learned that ho was after Miss Iris, and there Is no doubt her fury helped on tho fever. Costobell said that, for his wife's sake, ho would have kept tho wretched thing secret, but ho wns compelled to clear Anstruther's nnme, especially ns ho came across tho other old Johnnie" "Pompcy, you are Incoherent with ex citement. Who Is 'the other old John nie?' " asked tho first luff severely. "Didn't I toll you? Why, Anstruther's uncle, of course, a heavy old swell with Ju3t a touch of Yorkshlro In his tongue. I gathered thnt ho disinherit ed his nephew when the news of tho court martial reached him. Then ho relented and cabled to him. Getting no news, ho enme east to look for him. II net Custibell the day after tho 1 J id. .'1 tl.e t. o vowed t bo re venged on Ventnor and to dear A' struther'H character, living or do id Poor old chap! lie cried like a hah; when ho asked the youngster to for give him. It was quite touching. "Well, Costobell shook Ventnor off at last, with the final observation that Anstruther's court martial has been quashed. The next batch of general orders will reinstate him in tho regl ment, and it rests with him to decide whether or not a criminal warrant shall be Issued against his lordship for conspiracy." "What did Miss Doano do?" "Clung to Anstnither like a weeping angel nnd kissed everybody all round when Ventnor got away. Well hands off. I mean her father, Anstruther anil the stout uncle. Unfortunately I was not on In that scene. Hut for some rea son they nil nearly wrung my arm off. nnd the men were so excited that they gave tho party a rousing cheer ns their rickshaws went off In a bunch." The next commotion arose in the ho tol when Sir Arthur Deane seized the first opportunity to explain the piedlc nuicnt in which his company was placed and the blow which Lord Vent nor yet had it In his power to deal. Mr. William Anstruther was an in terested auditor. Robert would have spoken, but his uncle restrained him. "Leave this to me, lad," he ex claimed. "When I was coming here In the Sirdar there was a lot of talk about Sir Arthur's scheme, and there should not be much diilleulty In rais ing all tho brass required If half wh.it I heard be true. Sit y u down, Sir Ar thur, and tell us all ab.mt It." The shipowner required n, secou I bidding. With the skill for which he was noted ho described Ids oneratioui In detail, telling how every f.trthlug of the first Installments of 1':' two great loans was paid up, how the earnings of his licet would qulis';ly overtake the deficit In capital value caused by the loss of the three ships and how In six months' time the leading financial houses of Loudon, Paris and Rerliu would bo offering liliu more money than he would need. To a shrewd man of business the project could not fall to commend It self, and the Yorkshire squire, though n trlfie obstinate In temper, was singu larly clear headed In other respects. He brought his great fist down on tho table with n whack. "Send a cable to your company, Sir Arthur," he cried, "and tell them that your prospective son-in-law will pro vide tho 10,000 you require. I will see that his draft is honored. You can add, if you like, that another ten will be ready if wanted when this lot Is spent. I did my lad one deuced bad turn In my life. This time, I think, I nm doing him a good one." "You nre, indeed," said Iris' father enthusiastically. "The unallotted capi tal ho Is taking up will be worth four times Its face value in two years." "All the more reason to make his holding twenty Instead of ten," roared tho Yorkshlromnn. "Rut, look here. You talk about dropping proceedings against that precious earl whom I saw today. Why not tell him not to try any funny tricks until Robert's money Is safely lodged to your ac count? We have him In our power. Dash It all, let us use him a bit." Even Iris laughed at this naive sug gestion. It was delightful to think thnt their arch enemy was actually helping tho baronet's affairs at that very moment and would continue to do so until ho was flung aside as being of no further value. Although Ventnor himself had enrofuly avoided any formal commitment, tho cablegrams awaiting tho shipowner nt Singapore showed that confidence had already been restored by tho uncontradicted use of his lordship's name. Robert at last obtained a hearing. "You two nro quietly assuming the attitude of the financial magnates of this gathering," ho said. "I must ad mit that you hnvo managed things very well between you, and I do not propose for ono moment to interfere with your arrangements. Nevertheless, Iris nnd I nre really tho chief moneyed persons present. You spoko of finan cial houses in England and on tho con tinent backing up your loans six months hence, Sir Arthur. You need not go to them. Wo will bo your bankers." Tho bnronet Inughed with a whole hearted guyety that revealed whonco Iris got some pnrt nt least of her bright disposition. "Will you sell your Island, Robert?" ho cried. "I am afraid that not even Iris could wheedle any ono into buy ing it." "Rut, father, dear," interrupted tho girl earnestly, "whnt Robert snys is true. We have a gold mine there. It is worth so much that you will hardly believe It until there can no longer bo any doubt in your mind. I suppose that is why Robert asked mo not to mention his discovery to you earlier." "No, Iris, that was not tho reason," said her lover, and the elder men felt that more thnn Idle fancy Inspired the astounding Intelligence thnt they had just heard. "Your love wns moro to me than all tho gold In the world. I had won you. I meant to keep you, but I refused to buy you." Ho turned to her father. Ills pent up emotion mastered him, and ho spoko as ono who could no longer re itVntir nd on Sixth Pp;.) 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