S
The World Outside
By Harold MacGrath
TUK flUNPAf BKE: OM AflA, SEPTEMBER 10. 122.
a. M MMlM fa (Mi
Ala Iba Mhiti ( m4i ta .
CJI.(--a JwiMt.li Mm.
araft. ba aaa Jaal labarttaa ku
falhar'a ft .aaa., br la4 SHaaj.
d, aa miwiU atraaaar aba raa
raaaata IK 4raal Aafaalara aa
aaa. Jarr. lallla la MM (tea
atraaaar'a aalwilnil alaana. wW'l
aaa tbaa !"' nai bla
mi S4 baataraat raara aaa km
faibar'a aalartaaa aaib af frtgbt,
mnUm la rauoHa, lalar. aa J ca
rs a raralilac BMaaaraaaaaa la
hit faibar'a affarta raaata. Tata
Skaaaaar la fall." aal af Iba alaraa
aaaxra aaa at Hal aar rlawauta.
Itraaitwaji alasa tetania, raJa
araarbaa' aaa .. aarra MW
bar ta Ika luamt rallraaa alallua
aat lha m ar, Ireilad lr aala
af HMHt, Saaa la NaT lark,
a bar. ta taaraa Iba flrl's 14,-alllr.
Tba baaita ana louraa Hallaiaa,
laa arwwKa la Ilia eaiulr af biaw
art, raaaal thai ba ara 14 yaara
ftmn la artiM.a for blllla a p1lra
maa, Jraur Mallur, baury'a rbarn,
IrlU fcanry bar aarra amkltlaaa ata
vala an4 rM br ta ba na Maa)
la Artbar I rail, barkar at bar aa
alral raaiaar. jarrr aiakaa aa Mm
at 11.4 la paaa aa a Mmr faaaa MM a,
taking Iba aaaia Jarrmlab I althaea
aaud. Attar aarlaff kla laa rar aaa1
brllta awraa hla falhar araulraa
bla mllltaaa bwamllr ba lakaa a
rm.m la ana af bla aaa ballillma
aad U atlolakaa far a arnoh br an-
ar. far fit a nlihta ba (aaa ta aaa
ft am y 'a rwaaaay, aaulng
bamjr aaalu.
SIXTH INSTALLMENT.
"Find C. J. K."
On the morning of the sixth day
there wu a tetter under Bancroft'!
door. lie recognized Lawyer
Sncll's hand, but I-wyer Snell had
in thin instance nothing to relate.
The envelope contained another,
addressed to Collingswood Jcre.
miah Bancroft, in the loher patro
nymic The joy. the transcendental
happiness which emanated from
that letter, a mixture of ink and
teanl It wat from Mr. Home.
Professor Miller and Mis Hewitt
had spent the afternoon with herj
and they all had acted like mad.
cried and laughed together. Her
darling boy, to remember in that
way those who had always loved
him! "Hut, Jerry boy. I shan't
touch mine. What in the world
should I do with it, when the in
terest two thousand! would
mother mel So I am going to keep
it for you against the day when you
may need it. The village is stunned,
not only over what you have given
us, but about the church mortgage
and the memorial window. O. my
boy, supposing we should learn
some day that your father had been
a saint, and that we'd all misjudged
him?"
Bancroft decided to keep this let
ter so long as he lived; and when
ever the world went wrong, he
would reread it and draw a tonic
therefrom. What a staff to lean
on, the knowledge that he had made
three people happy and put them
beyond want forcverl But that his
father might some day be proven a
saint, he had his doubts.
As he was returning to his room
from the restaurant, he encountered
in the hallway the queerest, funni
est little dog he had ever seen. The
animal, dancing with joy at the
prospect of unexpected freedom,
dashed for.the stairs; but Bancroft
blocked the passage. The dog
turned and romped back, circled
and pranced. He was so happy 1
Then out of the door diagonally op
posite came rushing a young wom
an in a blue kimono with trailing
white cherry blossoms.
"Ling Fool" she called In a des
perate whisper.
. The dog raced about, dodging
that way and that. Bancroft joined
the chase. The dog, himself dark
agitinst a dark floor, had consider
able sport before Bancroft succeed
ed in catching hold of his plumely
tail. As he held out the dog toward
its mistress, he almost dropped
the animal, so great was his aston
ishment. "Why ... it's you I" he stam
mered. Her astonishment was for the mo
ment beyond speech: so she missed
the compliment in his confusion,
missed the delight on his face and
the honest admiration in his pleas
and gray eyes. But when the fact
was established M her mind that
this was really the young man of
the adventure in the country, her
distrust rose up in arms. He had
followed her. She snatched the dog
out of his hands, almost rudely.
"It seems impossible!" Jerry
said, unaware of the angle from
which Nancy viewed his presence.
"I've been living here for six davs,
and to discover you only now I"
"You are living here?"
"Yes. You see. I couldn't stand
the country any longer, so I came
to New York to work. I'm not
curious; I mean, about neighbor.
So that's whv . "
"I'm a cat." she replied, offering
a hand; and he saw at once that ir
resistible smile of hers. "Your
name I forget."
"You never aked for it. Jere
miah Collingswood,"
"And mine is Bowman."
"Yes; I know."
"You know?"
"Yes. I accidental! dicveed
oar photograph in the khb t
the theater, and I have watched
you for five nights running."
"Was it you who iullowed tn to
the elevator two or three times?"
"Yes. I hope you're not of
fended. "Not now. But why didn't you
spesk?"
"I was afraid to. So there was a
dogr
"You doubted it?"
"Well . . what kind of a dog is
it?"
'Tcklngese; toy dog, It's againut
the rules; but I love him so I can't
give him up; and it's give him up
or leave if i'tn caught. This is the
first time he ever neaped."
She cuddled the puppy to her
throat, and there wst something in
the act that sent a new and trou
blesome stab into Bancroft's heart.
"It's wonderful!" he said with a
thousand meanings.
"You mutt have thought me un
grateful. I don't know what I
should have done but for that dear
old lady's shoes and stocking.
What a night it wasl"
"Wasn't it, though?"
"I must he running bark. The
janitor or his wife will be coming
along. Come over and have tea
f ... ,' - .v -... , . , .
4.
0
"How much will you
with me at 4" impulsively; which
was the highest compliment she
had paid to any mart, young or
old, since entering this house of
another regime two years ago.
She hurried into her room and
closed the door, and could not say
whether she was vexed or pleased
at the impulse which had led her to
'invite the young man in for tea,
thus breaking a rule she had vowed
never to break. Of course, Jenny
would have to help her out, or Miss
McLean, the illustrator, if Jenny
could not get away from her mani
kin's job.
She set down Ling Foo, Riving
him a pat which was intended to
represent chastisement, but which
he shewdly suspected of being- a
love tap, and made up the bed.
She was changing. Ever since
Jenny's philippic upon what she
might be as against what she prob
ably never could be she had sensed
a crumbling of those barriers be
hind which she had kept youth at
bay. She had gone out with that
man Craig and actually enjoyed
herself. He had been courteous and
amusing. lie had not offered to
take her to his home in his car, but
had escorted her to the elevated.
He had not asked if he might have
tea with her again. But all his
politeness and restraint might be
the oldest trap in the world.
Supposing old Daddy Bowman
had been wrong: that all men were
bad! Supposing that there was
good in all of them, and that it de
pended upon their associations as
i-hii-h end of the balance should
fall? Take Jenny. Handsome and
attractive, (or all her slang and ig
norance, seizing upon every good
time that oifered: if she could keep
men at arms' length why couldn't
Nancy Bowman, with all her ad
vantages? For she knew Jenny
Malloy to be a good girl
But in this young countryman's
breath and in the breath of the man
the taint. That hsd been Daddy
Bowman's sternest injunction to
keep sway from all men who
touched strong drink.
Alter he dieted shs went ta
Jenny's door and knocked. There
was no answer. She knocked
aifaw. 1'rearntly the d"f opened
wide enough for Jenny's fare to ap
pear. "Whata you mean, luulin' nie out
' my beauty sleep at this hour?
Come on in. What's on your
mind?" Jenny demanded, getting
bark into bed and nukmg a prop
of her pillows.
"Can you com In for tea at 4?"
Who's goin" i' be there?" aton
Ulivd. "Whom do you suppose?"
"Craig?"
"Always Cra'g!" cried Nancy,
with impatience. "No. You re
member the young countrytwan
who helped me the other night?"
"Sure. You mean I' tell me lie's
found you?"
Jennie saw romance everywhere.
For all the hard knocks she had
received, for all the excellence of
her knowledge of life as it grimly
was, her adventures in the night
were always a quot. All her des
perate leads were toward the great
moment. Inotantly she scented
something romantic here.
"Yes," said Nancy, "he found me,
but in the queerest wsyl Would
r .- .r , -. ! ''.''..;, a J ?... . ". ,-
vnti
charge to take a trip to Bolivia
you believe, it? He's the new room
er in No. 4.
"What?" Jenny sat up. "Say, you
lay off that young man. He's mine.
I saw him first."
"Where in the world did you
meet him?"
"In th' hall th' other night. I
thought he was a burglar, an' I
made him unlock his door. An' then
he began t' spout poetry."
"Why, I heard that I I thought
it was some friend of yours."
"Well, he's some friend o' mine;
an' you lay off.'
Nancy laughed. "Will you come?
I can't receive him alone."
"You bet I'll come. Th' madame
, '11 let me off after 3. I'm worth a
hundred a week t' that dame, an'
she's wise. I have a way of makin'
th' husband amiable. She wants to
t' put me in lingerie, but I gave her
th' nix on that. I'm not showin' my
legs anywhere but behind th'
lights. So that guy is from the
country! Well, believe mc, it must
be some village. You should have
heard him spoutin' somcthin' about
'Jenuy kissed nie'!"
"Had he bet-n drinking?"
"That boy? Not with those red
cheeks an' clear eyes. There you go!
When you pass St. Peter you'll
sniff, Men have always drunk th'
stuff an' always will. Did I tell you
some guy is callin' it prohiboshion
with th' accenton th' bosh? They
don't all of 'em get squiffy, as they
say in dear ot Lunnon. A souse is
th easiest thing in th' world t'
get rid of; you get up an' walk
away. If yott don't want to go you
say: 'Hire a hall!' That quiets em
down. There's a hundred ways o'
squelchin' 'em. Geerkid, old Daddy
Bowman's stuffed your head with a
lot o" junk. Look at me. I go every
where an' have good times, an' ain't
headed for th reformatory none.
Of course' there's I lot o hard
hoiled eggs; but you simply give
'em th" gate after th' first round.
Sv, I ain't heard th" jewel sang
lately."
Nsnev frowned and looked away.
" I haven't had the heart," she said.
"You've made me lose some of my
conlidence."
"Aw, kid, I'm sorryl I didn't
ant l' hurt you, but you wss givin'
up rverythin' for somethiu' yoit
waiu'l sure of. Chest m' yourtclf
outa good times, an' all that. Your
Daddy Bowman was a good scout;
but whr.t'd he know about a girl's
heart?"
"He only wanted to save me
from unhappiness."
"An' tnle it oil t' you a mile
high I"
Nancy turned upon her friend
with a species of fury so new and
unexpected that Jenny stated at
her duinfounded.
"Do you want to know? I am
what I am by sheer force of wilt.
Kverv drop of blood in tnc cries
out for good times I That Is why
I have buried myself in study,
study. I am afraid of niyelf. Who
am I? I don't know. My name
isn't Bowman. Only God knows
what it iff And the knowledge
sometimes fills me with the wildett
rerkletsness; and if I ever let my
self go in those moments I dare not
picture the end I That is why I act
like a snob and a prude!"
j':?..
to La Pat? "
She flung herself into Jenny's
arms, and Jenny held her close,
with infinite tenderness and under
standing, until the storm passed.
Bancroft, tingling with unaccus
tomed emotions, returned to his
room. Here, in this house his
house I A miracle had happened.
Here was Nancy Bowman, the
splendidious, whom he had followed
in his dreams and nightmares and
about whom in the daytime he had
woven glamorous adventures. Here,
across the hall, no longer the moon,
but a human being like himself.
Alas! it was not particularly
Nancy Bowman; he would have
thrilled over the reappearance of
any young and attractive woman
who had knocked on his door in the
night under similar conditions. Had
the woman been Jenny Malloy his
excitements would not have dif
fered in the least until Jenny began
to show that careless animus of
hers toward certain vowels and con
sonants. Simply, Romance had
broken in the door of his house.
He sat down upon the bed. She
should keep that queer little dog.
For the first time the recollection
of his power and authority thrilled
him. Tea at 4. He saw himself
escorting her to and from the the
ater. . , . The Great Adventure
company? as if every human being
hadn't shares in that concern. Tea
at 4. He had found her delectable
to the eye; this afternoon he would
find her delectable to the mind. It
was wonderful, this world outside.
To be rich and young and alive I
He went to the table which was
to serve as hit deik and wrote a
few lines to Lawyer Snell, bidding
him 'to advise Mr. Jatisen, the
janitor, of a new ruling, that toy
dogs should henceforth be allowed.
In parenthesis: Snell wrote to
Jansen as requested; but he called
in the entire stalT for consultation.
In each dry and musty mind toy
dog suggested one of the painted
wooden erhgie which littered win
dows along about Christinas,
Snell was not satisfied with this
solution, so hi railed up a fancier
hard hy and I Vtird thhst I'ekm
U-eie, 1'onieranians, Jspanr span
iels and certain hrerdi of poodles
were railed toy dogs.
Humph! A woman, pr.flulily;
with poodle, probably; and the
boy would be getting himself lied
into bowknots, probably. Well,
well; folks had to cut their eve
teeth some time. Hut all the edu
cation in the world was no rie
f.iue against a pretty woman.
I'oodle or no poodle. He traveled
swiftest who traveled aluna; and it
was evident that young Bancroft
was trsvrling.
At 10 o'clock Bancroft had a
vinor, This visitor was a man l
middle age, with the addrets of a
prosperous merchant. Bancroft
greeted hint seriously and offered
. a chair.
"You have some information
for me?"
"Yes, Mr. Bancroft."
"Collingswood, jlrae,"
"Very well, sir. I have poilive
information; but whether it s what
yott want or not 1 am unable to
say."
"AH I want is facts."
"Wrll. about this George Bell
man. Hadn't been mugged or fin
ger printed. So far as I ran find
out he's on the level. He's been
living quietly at the hotel for sev
eral wo4ts. Only recently he re
turned from a world tour. Hi
hilts are naid rrgularly and he
seems to nave plenty of money.
Not much older than you are,
good looking and lively that is,
brink and amiable in his manners.
Conies from somewhere in the
west, but registered from New
York, as men from out of town
often do. He is wailing for his
fiancee, who is coming to him
from across the Pacific. That's all
I could dig up about him."
"That's all I wanted to know."
"Now, the Bolivian Emerald
company. I'erfrrtly square and
aboveboard. It does a legitimate
business of between $40,0X) and
$50,000 a year, and stands well
with the customs officials, which
means that there is no smuggling.
The Bolivian office is in La Fa.
The sole owner is Daniel Stewart."
"Daniel Stewart," repeated Ban
croft, thoughtfully.
"An odd bird, and lives in an
apartment in Twclth street. His
ly, though, with one old bookselller.
He lieves alone, without servants.
Walks the streets frequently, but
has no clubs or intimates. Friend
ly, though, with one old boo ksclt-r,
who says Stewart is a learned man
and a great traveler in his time.
But of his antecedents, nothing.
That's all the information I could
lay hold of in that direction."
"I am satisfied. How about tlr
book on antiques?"
"Nothing there, not a grain.
That publishing house burnt down
twelve years ago. I managed to
find one of the partners, who is
now associated with another pub- -lishing
house. He vaguely recalled
the book, but C. J. K. awakened
no recollections. The fire de
stroyed everything. The literary ad
adviscr of that firm was the only
one who knew what C. J. K. stood
for, and he is dead. A blind alley,
sir, Anything else?"
Bancroft arose and approached a
window. He stood there for a
space, apparently eyeing the life of
the street. Ifc turned.
"Docs your company ever send
you out of the country?"
"I went to Havana last year on
a forgery case."
"How much will you charge to
take a trip to Bolivia to La I'ai?"
"Why, that's in the Andes, man
.the roof of the world!"
"No matter about that Will yo-i
undertake the job if you are well
paid for it?"
"Sure. But it will take a big
roll, sir."
"Have you any notion hov
much?"
"I coudn't say offhand. Going to
La Paz would be about the same
as going to Tibet: not so terribly
far away, but mighty hard to get
to. All sorts of discomforts, and no
Spanish to speak of,"
"Set a price."
"Well, say five thousand in a
letter of credit and a hundred a
week until I return. Any cash left
over from the letter of credit to
be applied against the salary, which
you can hold until I'm back in this
port."
"I agree to that."
"All right," said the man hunter,
his gae roving about the room
and comparing the nieagerness of
the furnishings with the royalties
of his hire. Something like 7,000,
and yet this boy hadn't batted an
eye. Bancroft; he would consult
old man Snell and see where the
youngster got his money. "The
deal's on. No, what is it you want
me to find out down there?"
"All the names of the former
owners, down to the present, of the
Bolivian F.merald company; and it
(Cwitlaa Ml ra ffa.