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fi 11 fc rA .4i rtfM THE of the or A Woman Robert Ba Author of *f"h Tkce and The CHAPTER I. ITU mmiagi. ed itoi ot the New York Aigus sat at his desk with a deep frown on his face, looking* out iroiu under his shaggy eyebrows at the young1 man who had just thrown a huge fur overcoat on tho back of oue chair, while he sat down himself on an other. "I got your telegram," begun tho editor. "Am I to understand from it that jou have failed?" "Yes, sir," replied the joung man, without tho slightest hesitation. "Completely?" "Utterly." "Didn't jou even get a sjnopsis of the documents?" "Not a hanged synop." The cdttoi's frown grew deepei. The ends of his fingers drummed ncrv ously on the desk. "You take failure lather jauntily, it strikes rue," he said, at last* "What's the use of taking ltfanj other v\ ay I ha\ the consciousnebs of know ing that I did my best." "Dm, jes. It's great consolation, no doubt, but it doesn't count in the news paper business. What did jrou do?" "1 received your telegram at Montreal and at once left for Burnt Pinemost outlandish spot on earth. I found that Kenj on nnd Wentworth were staying at the only hotel in the place. Tried to worm out of them what their reports were to be They were very polite, but I didn't succeed Then I tried to bribe theni, and they oidered me out of the room." "Perhaps jou didn't offer them enough "I offered them double what the Lon don syndicate was to pay them for mak itag the report, taking their own word for the amount. I couldn't offer more, because at that point they closed the discussion by ordering me out of the rGom i tried to get the reports that night, on the quiet, out of Wentworth's valise, but was unfortunately inter rupted. The joung men were sus picious, and next morning they left for ttawa to post the reports, as I gath ered jfterwaid, to England 1 sue ceeded in getting hold of the leports, but 1 couldn't hang on. There are too many police in Ottawa to suit me "Do jou mean to tell me," said the editor, "that you actually had the re ports in jour hands and that they were taken from you "Certainly I had and, as to their be ing taken from me, it was either that or jail. They don't mmce matters in Can ada, as they do in the United .States you know." "But 1 should think a man of jour sbiewdness would have been able to get at least a synopsis of the leports be fore letting them out of your posses sion "My dear sir," said the reporter, rather angry, "the whole thing covered 1 forget how many pages of foolscap paper, and was the most niixed-up rnat tei 1 ever saw in my life. I tried I sal in my room at the hotel, and did my best to master the details. It was full of technicalities, and I couldn't make it out. It required a mining expert to get the hang of their phrases and fig ures, so 1 thought the best thing to do was to telegraph it ill straight through to New York knew it would cost a lot of mouej but I knew, also, you didn't mind that, and I thought perhaps somebody here could make se.ise of what baffled me. besides, I wanted to get the documents out of my possession just as quickly as possible "Hem," said the editoi. "You took no notes hatevei "No, 1 did not. I had no tune. I knew the moment they missed the docu ments they would have the detectives on my track As it was, I was arrested when 1 entered the telegraph office." "Well, it seems to me," said the man aging editor, "if I had once had the papers in my hand I should not have let them go until I had got the gist of what was in them." "Oh, it's all very well for you to say so," replied the reporter, with the free and easy manner which exists between American newspaper men and their em ployers, "but I can tell you, with a Canadian jail facing a man, it is hard to decide what is best to do. I couldn't get out of the town for three hours, and before the end of that time they would have had my description in the hands of e\ ery policeman in the place. They knew well enough who it was that took the papers, so my only hope lay in getting the thing telegraphed through, and if that had been accom plished everything would have been all right. 1 would have gone to jail with pleasure if I had got the particulars through to New York." "Well, what are we to do now asked the editor. "I'm sure I doa't know. The two men. will be in New York very shortly. They sail, 1 understand, on the Coloric, which leaves in a week. II you think you have a reporter who can get the particulars out of these men. I should be very pleased to see you set him on. I tell you vA v"' CiV (Jf t2_~ f*tfX Mine. Intervenes. Pic tvres by FH.Kinsr. Copyright, 1895, by Robert Barr. It isn't so easy to discover what an Eng lishman doesn't want you to know." "Well," said^ the editor, "perhaps that's true. I will think about it. Of course, you did your best, and I appre ciate your efforts but I am sorry you failed." "You are not half so sorry as I am," said Rivers, as he picked up his big Can adian fur coat and took his leave. The editor did think about it. He thought for full two minutes. Then he dashed off a note on a sheet of paper, pulled down the little knob that rang the district messenger alarm, and when the uniformed boy appeared gave him the note, saying: "Deliver this as quickly as you can." The boy disappeared, and the result of his tiip was soon apparent in the ar rival of a very natty young woman in the editorial rooms. She was dressed in a neatly-htting tailor-made costume, rnd was a very pretty girl, who locked about 19, but was, in reality, considera bly older. She had large, appealing blue eyes, with a tender, trustful ex piession in them, which made the ordi nary man say: "What a sweet, inno cent look that girl has jet what the 3 oung woman didn't know about New York was not worth knowing. She boasted that she could get state secrets from dignified members of the cabinet, and an ordinary senator or congress man she looked upon as her lawful prey. What had been told to her in the strictest confidence had often become the sensation of the next day the pa per she represented. She wrote over a nom de guerre, and had tried her hand at nearly everything. She had answered advertisements, exposed rogues and swindlers and had gone to a hotel as chambermaid in order to write her ex periences. She had been arrested and locked up so that she might write a three-column account for the Sunday edition of the Argus, of "How Women Are Treated at Police Headquarters." The editor looked upon her as one of the most valuable members of his staff, and she vs as paid accordingly. Phe came into the room with the self possessed air of the owner of the build ing, took a sea*, after nodding to the editor, and said "Well?" "Look here, Jennie," began that aus tere individual, "do you wish to make a trip to Europe?" "That depends," said Miss Jennie "thib is not jubt the time of jear that people go to Europe for pleasure, you know." "Well, this is not evactly a pleasuie trip. The truth of the matter is, Rivers has been on a job and has bungled it fearfullj, besides nearly getting him self arrested The oung woman's ejes twinkled. She liked anything with a spice of dan ger in it, and did not object to hear that she was expected to succeed where a mere masculine reporter had failed. The editor continued: "Two young men are going across to England on the Coloric. It sails in a week. I want you to take a ticket for Liverpool by that boat, and obtain from either of those two men the particulars the full particularsof reports they "And am I to take the pick of the two young menP" have made on komn mining properties in Canada. Then you must land at Queenstown and cable a complete ac count to the Arg us." !*Mining isn't much in my line," said Miss Jennie, with a frown on her pretty brow. "What sort of mines were they dealing withgold, silver, copper, or what?" "They are certain mines on the Ot tawa river." "That's rather indefinite." "I know it is. I can't give you much information about the matter. I don't know myself," to tell the truth, but I know it is vitally important that we should get a synopsis of what the re ports of these young men are to be. A company, called the London syndicate, has been formed in England. This syndicate is to acquire a large number of mines in Canada, if tho accounts given by the present owners are any thing like correct. Two men, Kenyon and Wentworththe first a mining en gineer and the second an expert ac countanthave been sent from London to Canada, one to examine the mines, the other to examine the books of the various corporations. Whether the mines are bought or not will depend a ^^^t#T^pl?l^!|THE Pt*ItfCETOK TTXlONs THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2$,'1899. good deal on the reports that these two men have in their possession. The re* ports, when published, will moke a big difference, one way or the other, on the stock exchange. I want to have the gist of these reports before the London syn dicate sees them. It will be a big thing for the Argus if it is the first in the field, and I am willing to spend a pile of hard cash to succeed. So don't econ omize on your cable expenses." "Very well have you a book on Canadian mines?" "I don't know that we have, but there is a book here the 'Mining Resources of Canada will that be of any use?" "I shall need something of that sort. 1 want to be a little familiar with the subject^ you know." "Quite so," said the editor, "I will see what can be got in that line. You can read it before you start and on the way ovei." "All right," said Miss Jennie "and am I to take the pick of the two young men?" "Cerjainly," answered the editor. "You will see them both, and can easily make up your mind which will the sooner fall a victim." "The Coloric sails in a week, does it?" "Yes." "Then I shall need at least $500 to get new dresses with." "Good gracious!" cried the editor. "There is no 'good gracious' about it. I'm going to travel as a millionaire's daughter, and it isn't likely that one or two dresses will do me all the way over." "But you can't get new dresses made in a week," said the editor. "Can't I? Well, you just get me the $500 and I'll see about, the making." The editor jotted the amount down. "You don't think $400 would do?" he said. "No, I don't. And say, am I to get.a trip to Paris after this is over, or must I come directly back?" "Oh, I guess we can throw in the trip to Paris," said the editor. "What did jou say the names of the young men are? Or are they young? Probably they are old fogies, if they are in the mining business." "No they are young, they are shrewd, and they are English. So, yon see, your work is cut out for you. Their names are George Wentworth and John Ken- yon." "Oh, W entworth is my man," said the oung woman, breezily. "John Ken yon! I know just what sort of a per son he issomber and taciturn. Sounds too much like John Bunyan, or John Milton, or names of that sort." "Well, I wouldn't be too sure about it until you see them. Better not make up your mind about the matter." "When shall I call for the $500?" "Oh, that you needn't trouble about. The better way is to get your dresses made, and tell the people to send the bills to our office." "Very well," said the young woman. "I shall be ready. Don't be frightened at the bills when they come in. If they come up to $1,000 remember I told jrou I would let ou off for $500." The editor looked at her a moment, and seemed to reflect that perhaps it was better not to give a young lady un limited credit New York. So he said. "Wait a bit. I'll write you out the order, and you can take it down stairs." Miss Jennie took the paper when it was offered to her, and disappeared. When she presented the order in the business office the cashier raised his eyebrows as he noticed the amount, and with a low whistle, said to himself: "Five hundred dollars! I wonder what game Jennie Brewster's up to now." CHAPTER H. The last bell had rung. Those who were going ashore had taken their de parture. Crowds of human beings clus tered on the pier head and at the large doorways of the warehouse which stood open on the steamer wharf. As the big ship slowly backed out there was a fluttering of handkerchiefs from the mass on the pier, and an answering flutter from those who crowded along the bulwarks of the steamer. The tug slowly pulled the prow of the vessel around, and at last the engines of the steamship began their pulsating throbs throbs that would vibrate night and day until the steamer reached an older world The crowd on the pier became more and more indistinct to those on board, and many of the passengers went below, for the air was bitterly cold, and the boat was forcing its way down the bay among huge blocks of ice Two, at least, of the passengers had taken little interest in the departure. They were leaving no friends behind them, and were both setting their faces toward friends at home. "Let us go down," said Wentworth to Kenyon, "and see that we get beats together at table before all are taken." "Very good," replied his companion, and they descended to the roomy saloon, where two long tables were al ready laid with an ostentatious display of silver, glassware and cutlery, which made many, who looked on this wilder ness of white linen with something like dismay, hope that the voyage would be smooth, which, as it was a winter pas sage, there was every chance it would not be. The purser and two of his as sistants sat at one of the shorter tables with a plan before them, marking off the names of passengers who wished to be together, or who wanted some particular place at any of the tables. The smaller .side tables were still un covered, because the number of passen gers at that season of the year was comparatively small. As the places were assigned, one of the helpers to the purser wrote the names of the passen gers on small cards, and the other put the cards on the tables. One young woman, in a beautifully fitted traveling gown, evidently of the newest cut and design, stood a little apart from the general group which surrounded the purser and his assist ants. She eagerly scanned every face, and listened attentively to the names given. Sometimes a shade of disap- is, I^WR^^WiillM pointment crossed her brow, as if she expected some particular person to pos sess some particular name which that particular person did not have. At last her eyes sparkled. "My name is Wentworth," said the young man whose turn it was. "Ah! any favorite place, Mr. Went worth?" asked the purser, blandly, as if he had known Wentworth all his life. "No, we don't care where we sit but my friend, Mr. Kenyon, and myself would like places together." "Very good j'ou had better come to my table," replied the purser. "Nos. 33 and 24Mr. Kenyon and Mr. Went worth." The steward took the cards that were given him, and placed them to cor respond with the numbers the purser had named. Then the young woman moved gracefully along, as if she wore interested in the names on the table. She looked at Wentworth's name for a moment, and saw in the place next to his the name of Mr. Brown. She gave a quick, apprehensive glance around the saloon, and saw the two young men who had arranged for their seats at table now walking leisurely toward the companionway. She took the card ith the name of Mr. Brown upon it, and slipped upon the table another on which was written: "Miss Jennie Brewster." Mr. Brown's card she placed on the spot from which she had taken her own. "I hope Mr. Brown is not particular which place he occupies," said Miss Jen nie, to herself "but at any rate I shall see that I am early for dinner, and I'm sure Mr. Brown, whoever ho is, will not be BO ungallant as to insist on having this place if he knows his card was here." Subsequent events proved Miss Jen nie's surmise regarding Mr. Brown's indifference perfectly well founded. That young man searched for his card, found it, and sat down on the chair op posite Miss Jennie, who already occu pied her chair, and was, in fact, the first one at table. Seeing there would be no unseemly dispute about places, she be gan to plan in her own mind how she would first attract the attention of Mr. Wentworth. While thinking how best to approach her victim. Miss Jennie heard his voice. "Here you are, Kenj-on, here are our places." "Which is mine?" said the voice of Kenyon. "It doesn't matter," answered Went worth, and then a thrill of fear went through the gentle heart of Miss Jennie Brewster. She had not thought of the young man not caring which seat he occupied, and she dreaded' the possi "bility of finding herself next to Kenyon rather than Wentworth. Her first es timate of the characters of the two men seemed to be correct. She always thought of Kenyon as Bunj an, and she felt certain that Wentworth would be the easier man of the two to influence. The next moment her fears were al layed, for Kenyon giving a rapid glance at the handsome young oman, delib erately chose the seat farthest from her, and Wentworth, with: "I beg your par- don," slipped in and sat down on the chair beside her. "Now," thought Jennie, with a sigh of relief, "our positions are fixed for the meals of thevoj*age." She had made her plans for beginning an acquaintance with the young man, but they were ren dered unnecessary by the gallant Mr. Wentworth handing her the bill of fare. "Oh, thank you," said Miss Jennie, in a low voice, which was so musical that Wentworth glanced at her a second time and saw how sweet and pretty and inno cent she was. "I'm in luck," said the unfortunate young man to himself. Then he remarked aloud: "We have not many ladies with us this voyage." "No," replied Miss Brewster "I sup pose nobody really crosses at this time of the ear unless compelled to." "I can answer for two passengers that such is ihe ease." "Do you mean yourself as one?" "Yes, myself and my friend." "How pleasant it must be," said Miss Brewster, "to travel with a friend. Then one is not lonely I, unfortunately, am traveling alone." "I fancy," said the gallant Went worth, "that if you are lonely while on board ship it will be entirely your own fault." Miss Brewster laugi-id a silvery little laugh. "I don't know about that," she said. "I am going to that Mecca of all AmericansParis. My father is to meet mc there, and we are then going on to the Riviera together." N "Ah! that will be very pleasant," said Wentworth. "The Riviera at this sea son is certainly a place to be desired." "So I have heard," she replied. "Have you not been across before?" "No, this is my first voyage. I sup rose you have crossed many times?" "Oh, no," answered the Englishman "this is only my second voyage, my first having been the one that took me to America." "Ah, then, you are not an American?" returned Miss Brewster, with apparent surprise. She imagined that a man is generally flattered when a mistake of this kind is made. No matter how proud he may be of his country, it shows that there is certainly no provincialism about him that, as the Americans say, "gave him away." "I think," said Wentwprth, "as a general thing, I am not mistaken for anything but what I aman English- man." "I have met so few Englishmen," said the guileless Miss Jennie, "that really I should not be expected to know." "I understand it is a common delusion among Americans that every English man drops his Mi's,' and is to be detected in thatwaj Jennie laughed again, and* Geoige Wentworth thought it one of the pret tiest laughs he had ever heard. Poor Kenyon was rather neglected bv his friend during the dinner. He felt little gloomj* while the courses wenton, and wished he had an evening paper. some girl beside him got on very well together. At the end of the dinner she seemed to have wme difficulty In get ting up from her chair, and Wentworth showed her how to turn it around, leav ing her free to rise. She thanked him prettily. "I am going on deck," she said, as she turned to go "I am so anxious to get my first glimpse of the ocean at night from the deck of a steamer." "I hope you will let me accompany you?" returned young Wentworth. The decks are rather slippery, and even when the boat is not rolling it ian't quite safe for a lady unused to the motion of a ship to walk alone- in the dark." "Oh, thank you very much!" replied Miss Brewster, with effusion. "It is kind of you, lam sure and if you prom ise not to let me rob you of the pleasure of your after-dinner cigar I shall be most happy to have you accompany me. I will meet you at the top of the stair way in five minutes." "You are getting on," said Kenyon, as the young woman disappeared. "What's the use of being on board ship," said Wentworth, "if you don't take advantage of the opportunity for making shipboard acquaintances. There is an unconventionality about life oe a steamer that is not without its charm, as, perhaps, you will find out before the voyage is over, John." "You are merely trying to ease your conscience because of your heartless de sertion of me." George Wentworth had waited at the top of the companionway a little more than five minutes when Miss Brewster appeared, wrapped in an arrangement tipped with fur, which lentanaddition al charm to her complexion, set off as it "Poor Mr. Wentworth.only the Brat night out and he told me his name was George was by a jauntj' steamer cap They stepped out on the deck, and found it not at all as dark as they expected. Lit tle globes of electric light were placed at regular intervals in the walls of the deck building. Overhead was stretched a sort of canvas roof, against which tb% sleety ram pattered. One of the sailors, with a rubber mop, was pushing into the gutter by the side of the ship the mois ture from the deck. All around the boat the night was as black as ink, ex cept here and there where the white curl of a wave showed luminous for a moment in the darkness. Miss Brewster insisted that Went worth should light his cigar, which, after some persuasion, he did. Then he tucked her hand snugly under his arm, and she adjusted her step to suit his. They had the promenade all to themselves. The rainy winter night was not as inviting to most of the pas sengers as the comfortable rooms be low. Kenj*on, however, and one or two others came up, and sat down in' the steamer chairs that were tied to the brass rod which ran along the deck house wall. He saw the glow of Went worth's cigar as the couple turned at the further end of the walk, and as the two passedhiin he heard a low murmur of conversation, and now and then caught a snatch of silverj laughter. It was not because Wentworth had de serted him that Kenyon felt so uncom fortable and depressed. He couldn't tell just what it was, but there had set tled on his mind a strange, uneasy fore boding. After a time he went down into the saloon and tried to read, but could not, and so wandered along the seemingly endless narrow passage to his room, which was Wentworth's as well, and, in nautical phrase, "turned in." It was late when his companion came in. "Asleep, Kenyon?" he asked. "No," was the answer. "By George' John, she is one of the most charming girls I ever met- Won- derfully clever, too makes a man feel like a fool beside her. She has read nearly everything. Has opinions On all our authors, a great many of whom I've never heard of. I wish, for your sake, John, that she had a sister on board." "Thanks, old man awfully good of you, I'm sure," said Kenyon. "Don't you think it's about time to stop raving and get into your bunk, and turn out that confounded light?" "All right, growler, I will," was the answ er. Meanwhile, in her own stateroom, Miss Jennie Brewster was looking at her reflection in the glass. As she shook out her long hair until it rippled down her back, s,he smiled sweetly, and said to herself. "Poor Mr. Wentworth! Only the first night out and Jje told mc his name was Geoi-ge." CHAPTER IIL Next morning Wentworth worked his way, with much balancing and holding on of stanchions, along the deck, for the ship rolled fearfully, although there seemed to be little wind and the sun.was shining brightly, but the per son he sought was nowhere visible. He thought he wouldthe.companionwr,y go into the smoking- to room, but changed his mind at the door, S ,ow the main saloon. The tables had been cleared of the breakfast belonging*, hut on one of the small tables ft wWto cloth had been laid, and at this *m of purity in' the general effect of fed plush sat Miss Brewster, who was cosm placently ordering what she wanted from a steward, who did not seem at est pleased in serving one who had disre garded the breakfast hour to the dis arrangement of all saloon rules. The chief steward stood by a door and looked disapprovingly at the late guess. It was almost time to lay the tables for lunch, and the young woman was as calmly ordering her breakfast as st she had been the first person at titfe table. She looked up brightly at Wentworth* and smiled as he approached her. "I suppose," she began, "I'm dread fully late, and the steward looks as if he would like to scold me. How aw fully the ship is rolling. Is there a storm?" "No. She seems to be doing this soot of thing for amusement. Wants to make it interesting for the unfortunate passengers who are not good sailors, I suppose. She ia doing it, too. Thereto scarcely anyone on deck." "Dear me. I thought we were having a dreadful storm. Is it raining?" "No. It's a beautiful sunshiny day: without much wind, either, in spite all this row." "I suppose you have had your break fast long ago?" "So long since that I am beginning to look forward with pleasant antici pation to lunch." "Oh dear! I had no idea I was so late as that. Perhaps you had better scoM me. Somebody ought to do it, and the steward seems a little afraid." "You overestimate my courage. I asn a little afraid, too." *Then you do think I deserve itV/ "I didn't say that, nor do I think i. I confess, however, that up to this mo ment I felt just a trifle lonely." "Just a trifle! Well, that is flattest How nicely you English do turn a coaft pliment. Just a trifle!" "I believe, as a race, we do not venr ture much into compliment-giving at all. We leave that for the polite for eigner. He would say*what I tried so say a great deal better than I did, o course but be would not mean half so much." "Oh, that's very nice, Mr. Wentworth, No foreigner could have put it nearer so well. Now what about going sst deck?" "Anywhere, if you let me accompaBsj you." "I shall be most delighted to have you. I won't say merely a trifle de lighted." "Ah! Haven't you forgiven that re mark yet?" "There's nothing to forgive, and it is quite too delicious to forget. I shall never forget it." "I believe that you are very cruel at heart, Miss Brewster." The young woman gave him a curious side look, but did not answer. Sftfe gathered the wraps she had taken from the cabin, and, handing them to hisa before he had thought of offering to take them, they went on deck. He found there chairs side by side, and ad mired the intelligence of the deck stew ard, who seemed to understand what chairs to place together. Miss Jenaie sank gracefully into her own, and al lowed him to adjust the wraps around her. "There," she said, "that's very nicely done as well as the deck steward him self could do it, and I am sure it is im possible to pay you a more graceful compliment than that. So few men know how to arrange one comfortably in a steamer chair." "You speak as though you had vast experience in steamer life and yet yon told me this was your first voyage." "It is. But it doesn't take a woman, more than a day to see that the average man attends to such little niceties vem~ clumsily. Now, just tuck in the corner out of sight. There! Thank you, ever so much. And would you be khhd enough toyes, that's better. And this other wrap so. Oh! that is perfect. What a patient man you are, Mr. Went worth." "Yes, Miss Brewster, you are a for eigner. I can see that now. Your pro fessed compliment was hollow. Yon said 1 did it perfectly, and then im mediately directed me how to do it." Nothing of the kind. You did it well, and I think ou ought not to grudge me the pleasure of adding my own little improvements." "Oh, if you put it that way, I will not. Now, before I sit down, tell me what book I can get that, will interest yoa. The library contains a very good as sortment." "I don't think I care about reading. Sit down and talk. I suppose I am too indolent to-day. I thought, when I came on board, that I would do a lot of reading, but I believe the sea air makes one lazy. I must confess I feel entirely indifferent to mental improvcment.,* "You evidently do not think my con versation will be at all worth listen ing to." "How quick you are to pervert mar meaning. Don't you see that I think your conversation better worth listen ing to than the most interesting or im proving book you can choose from tho library? Really, in trying to avail giving you cause for making such a re mark, have apparently stumbled into ^f3 a worse error. I was just going to say I would like your conversation much better than a book, when I thought yon *J%, would take that as a reflection on yomr fj| reading. If you take me up so sharpry, I will sit here and say nothing. Now, IjjU then, talk." wbf "What shall I say jBf "Oh, if I told you what to say I should *a be doing the talking. Tell me about yoursel f. What do you do in London?*' "I work hard. I am an accountant" "And what is an accountant? What does he do? Keep accounts?" "Some of them do I do not, I see, rather, that accounts other people keep have been correctly hept 4 *tl I i i ^^i