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to fil again. " Yod nnist cable," I said, as if it was an inspiration. "Cable who?" he asked, and I was v^Lkl to know In." was conscious. ■ I don't know," I said; " but it's a cinch YOt must cable somebody something soon." •Muriel?" I groaned this time. " Beatrice?" Same response. ♦LadyAfey?" For a moment his eye was less like a fish s, and I thought he was really coming to, l>ut he relapsed. Of course, with time we got together a little; but Harrington still needed a firm hand to lead him. Ik wouldn't come to any decision. He wouldn't put Muriel off; and I admit it wouldn't have been treat ing the lady right. But neither would he call ofl dear old Bee. Hadn't he written that he had never loved anyone else and that if she turned Mm down he would die of despair? How could he let her know about Muriel? He just groaned and drank for a week, and then suddenly his brain began to wi>rk. At last he got one idea, only one, l>ut it was man's size. '"Jim," he said, with a kind of wild light in his eve, "you must marry one of them yourself." It was my turn to yell "I got you out of the fever, I saved your life," he said to me coldly, almost as if he was threatening me. "You owe it to me to save mine." Then he went on, more friendly, "You're a good fellow; you ought to marry. And these are ripping girls, both of them, pretty, good family, a little money even. It isn't a chance that come-. to everyone." Then he rushed in and brought out their photo graphs and began to rave. First he fixed it thai 1 was to have Muriel, and he weni on about her like a barker outside a circus. She was the prettiest, sweetest, g(M tU->t thing, etc., etc. " I guess," I said al la-*? . "if you think she's as good as all that, you must be in love with her yourself." "So I am." he said "Well, hadn't 1 better have Bee." "By Jove!" he said, 1 believe y< >u're right ." But t'.K'n he'd begin ••• recommend Bee to me. And Bee was all that Muriel was. and more. Finally I said " Perhaps if you arc > i fond of Bee, I'd better have the >>ther one' " "By Jove! " said he. " I believe you're right " It was like that for more than a week. Both of them were corkers, and 1 wasn't taking chances either way We couldn't come to any decision. I don't know as 1 ever said in so many words that 1 was ready to lead either one of them to the auar. dvi Harrington talked al»>ut it so much I kind of I>egan to feel thai it was settled. And you may remember that earlier I had come to hang on dear Bin's decision almost as much as Charley. 1 had sure about as much right to he in love with them as he had. Honest, I don't believe he could have remembered them at all if Lady Algy hadn't motored around with Jacko to have a look at them. Then came the time when the steamer was soon to arrive, and we had to start for Bombay;* and still the awful question was n..t settled Now. 1 believe every gentleman should do everything to oblige a friend; hut there are limits even to friendship. I had intimated that 1 was quite willing to help him out ; but 1 will leave it to anyone if Charley shouldn't have told me the name of my future wife at least a week before the date set for the wedding " I want to write my friends." I argued, "and how can I tell them her name if 1 don't know it myself? I've simply got to decide." "You can decide when you see them," said Charley. "Not if they see you fust," I answered "They won't." And so that was the arrangement. When the Orozaba came in I was to he on the wharf, and Charley in 'he tall trees. I was to capture them Separately, tell them Charley was ill. send them to different hotels, and then try to cinch one of them for myself before Charley came into the picture for himself. Privately I had an idea th.it the girls would have pot together on the boat and settled things, perhaps each other. I thought we should get a table from Port Said or Aden. But nothing came. How little did I know then of what an Knglt>h girl in love was capable! The scene at the dock was the best ever, and I doing the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to perfection. 1 jumped from Muriel to Bee and back again so they never suspected. Each had friends who were anxious to Ik- of help, so 1 goi them packed Off double quirk to their hotels and said 1 would wait and see to the trunks. Though I couldn't understand it, there SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR DECEMBER Id. I9O* didn't seen to have l*-en any unpleasant disclosures made about Harrington's engagement, and 1 warn the yirls actually kiss each other yood by. 1 set it down to the natural modesty <»t" nice girla thai they hadn't wanted to talk al«>ut their private affairs. They were sorry about Charley. l>ut they took it bravely. In fact, they were t*>'th the n«ht son I saw that at a glance; bud I may say right here thai from the beginning my money was on Hund Moth were terribly English. 1 figured thai Muriel would make a bigger hit in Harlem than Beatrice The family didn't owe me money, and I had n>> axes to grind. But one really <>uyht to consider the home folks, and 1 felt that Muriel was ]OSt about as Harlem as an English k Mr l could be. For three days I gave f«>th bulletins of Charley's condition, and while 1 lea Bee with stories of how madly he loved her, 1 spent all mv spare time putting in what 1 thought were good ncka for myself with Muriel. Charley had agreed that was to be the layout -Bee for him and Muriel faff rue. But 1 k' 111 '^ perhaps a good deal happened thai week that I didn't see. The beginning oi the strong last ad el the play of heart interest began <«n a Saturday afternoon. I sha'n't forget it. i can look back on it now and see the humorous side; l>ut then — it wasn't quite >o plain. I went to Bee's hotel at tea time to tell her that Charley's temperature was down ml t'.i* !:<■ w : -. able to take- nourishment I gave her a letter whi h 1 had made hini write at the little hot..-! where he was lying in hiding. Bee, for some reason, seemed all worked up. "How she lovc-s him!" 1 said cheerily to myself. The Scene at the Ditck Wa» the Best Ever. Then she l'c^.m It was a strong heart talk she put up She had Keen waiting till Charley should be well till she let him know the truth. She knew she was behaving disgracefully. But Charley must try to understand. 1 must try »I was trying | She hadn't seen Charley in years; yet the memories were so pleasant she felt" that she loved him, that she was witting to share h:s loneliness Of course, she knew that on the steamer she ought to have let it be known she was engaged, bat it was her first trip on a P A <> boat and she wanted to enjoy it. She only did what every t;:rl would have done under the same circumstances. Then she met Captain Chalmers, and it was all i >\er. She was sorry, l>ut as far as she was concerned, Charley was to the ha*!. 1 argued with her. but it didn't do any good. It was a Mow to me, and 1 was so overcome that I sat at first just dumb. Then she said: • "I only wish there was some Other girl out in this country who could console Charley and make him a good wife! " Gee! that roused me. I was out in the street m a minute. There was some other girl, but she was mine 1 went Straight to Charley. "You've lost Bee and you turned Muriel over to tne." 1 told him. "Not on your tintype?" lie answered, or at ..nv rate he said the same thing in » >\r. >rd Wi >rd> " i la\ c you any conceivable reason f, , r supposing that M: -s Henkay is ready to break with me and then take yon ? " Privately I thought there was some conceivable reason | n order to make way a little with Muriel, I had told her once or tw.ee h>w won lc-:r':i T she was to take Charley after such a long time since she had seen him, and how if she was to be side track? 1 by some one flashing a warmer signal I for one shoal In'i l>e altogether surprised she seemed to love this line of talk, hut 1 didn't propose 1 wanted her to change gradually; foe that v\.. t iM moke it much easier for us in after years. So when he came with that cold manner lus over me I feel I became a trifle chesty. "I will go to Miss Heal at once, and we']' see,'* I said. "I'll go too." laid he. 1 said I'd be lashed if he did: but he did for all that, in the same i V > On the way Charley and I just stared straight ahead and didn't say anything to each other I knew I was wrong somehow; hut then so were Charley, and good old Bee, and. most of all. perhaps Lady Algy; everybody, in fact, except Muriel. I just kept thinking of her, of her hair and her; eves and her pink cheeks: and her low voice ami her English accent, and a lump sort of swelled v] :n mv throat, and I felt 1 must get her away from Harring ton if 1 could, whether it was right or not. Each of Us was thinking at extra pressure: each of us was planning how he could soak the other and land the only girl left. We came to the hotel at last, and there was none of the Gaston and Alphonse in ours, Our ■■.:■]-. went up together, and we sat and glared at each other. Then the hoy came down and said that MiSs Henkay begged to be excused from seeing us. That was putting us up against a blank wall all right But in a second my mouth was widened in :•. i;r:n. If I was chesty before, you should have set-n me now; for the boy had brought down a note; from Muriel i>r me. This story will be more complete if you see what she wrote. So here it is just as I copied i:. Exhibit I; Dear Mr. Simpson'. — You have always .•■■..■ ■.-.•• me. and I fee! that I can tm.^t you. Vow have -eta that although I hai! Teen persuaded into an engagement with Charley Harrington, my heart coubt not ■■.-• You have yourself almost told me that I would ':«? ■-■'■■. in breaking ii V •; gaveme courage. You irv:-.: take I tin yourself the responsihili: telling him all. On the steamer — oh, I know how wrong it wi, that ; should not have made a y engagement known! — ! met :r.v tare. Say good by to Charley lur me. You understand me. an : I think ! understand you. !: it h.nl l^een you I loved, i should have left Charley for you. ar..i v>u would have taken rr.e liv.i t - it is. ■ a:n trusting myself to Captain Chalmers. Good L»v. -Muriel Hexkay. I gave it to Charley, and when he had read it i don't believe either of •; - could do more than sort of s"asp for a:r for a minute. Then Harrinsj-* ton jumped to his fee:. "The cad. the bounder'" he exploded. '"To think that a Captain of His Majesty's service could — " •Well, well!" and I smiled. "You yourself, you know — " " But I didn't mean to." he answered. And he caught me by the coat and fairly jerked me to my feet. "Come, we'll hunt up this Chalmers, and — " Charley's language became a little more Billingsgate and .< little !e^-> Oxford: s<> I won't put it down. We sailed out of the hotel. the two hottest mortals alive. We went straight into the steamship office to rind out where this Captain was stationed, but the clerk didn't know Then we asked for the manager. And while we waited we had a match to see which could roost Chalmers the most. He was a kind of Godsend to us. there's no use denying it I don't mm that we weren't sore on account of the girls themselves, poor innocent trusting things duped by •'.- adven turer! It made me wild just to think of it. But at the same time we were so mad that we forgot about ourselves and how the thing had made us Finally the manager appeared. "" Gentlemen." he said. '"I can assure you thai there was c>n the Orozaba no person whatever of the name of Chal 1 don't know what our brains had become by this time, for even in;o pulp you would think this, statement would have sunk in less than a full minute. 1 came to life first and gave a kind of ye!! straight at the manager. He must have thought I was .t maniac sure "Me to the tall trees!" 1 cried, and rushed owl of the office. "Take me back to Guji ■.' right away. Charley " And we went. There we got the wedding invita tions. The men's names were really Ellington and Hawsford. i remembered afterward how helpful they had been getting the girls safe to the hotels when the ship landed. I stayed a month after that. A- the end of that time Charley sent off a new letter to Lady Aigy. "There are just a> good fish in the sea — " he began. " I've just been thinking about a girl in Cumber land 1 used to be rattier sweet on. I've written to Ethel to see " "You can just count me out this time." I inter rupted. There may still be good fish left in the sea. but I've had all the Izaak: Walton taker -.ut of me."