etwcen
U
3 D
By ANTHONY HOPE
"A wise man will make more opportunities
than he finds." Francis Bacon.
CHASTER I.
There were fewer revolutions in South
America than usual, and the Panama
raual had come to the front in a promis
ing and progressive way, but the Repub
lic of Aureataland was certainly not in
g nourishing condition. Although most
happily situated (it lies on the coast,
rather to the north), and gifted with an
rxtensive territory, nearly as big as North
Dakota, it had yet failed to make that
material progress which had been hoped
by its founders. It is true that the State
was still in its infancy, being an offshoot
from another and larger realm, and hav;
ing obtained the boon of freedom and self
government only as ecently as 1871, af
ter a series of political convulsions of a
violent character, which may be studied
with advantage in the well-known history
of "The Making of Aureataland," by a
Iparned professor of the Jeremiah P.
Jecks University. This profound histo
rian is, beyond all question, accurate in
attributing the chief share in the national
movement to the energy and ability of
the first President of Aureataland, His
Excellency President Marcus W. Whit
tingham, a native of Virginia. Having
enjoyed a personal friendship with that
talented man, as will subsequently appear,
I have great pleasure in publicly endors
ing the professor's eulogium. Not only
did the President bring Aureataland into
being, but he moulded her whole consti
tution. "It was his genius" (as the pro
fessor observes with propriety) "which
was fired with the idea of creating a truly
modern State, instinct with the progres
sive spirit of the Anglo-Saxon race. It
was his genius which cast aside the worn
out traditions of European dominion, and
taught his fellow-citizens that they were,
if not all by birth, yet one and all by
adoption, sons of freedom." Any mis
takes in the execution of this fine con
ception must be set down to the fact that
the President's great powers were rather
the happy gift of nature than the result
of culture.
To this truth he was himself in no way
blind, and he was accustomed to attrib
ute his want of a liberal education to the
social ruin brought upon his family by the
American Civil War, and to the disloca
tion thereby produced in his studies.
Starting under the auspices of such a
gifted leader, and imbued with so noble
a zeal for progress, Aureataland was, at
the beginning of her history as a nation,
the object of many fond and proud hopes.
P.ut in spite of the blaze of glory in
which her sun had risen, her prosperity
was not maintained. The country was
well suited for agriculture and grazing,
but the population a very queer mixture
of races was indolent, and more given
to keeping holidays and festivals than to
honest labor. Most of them were unintel
v ligent; those who were intelligent made
their living out of those who weren't, a
method of subsistence satisfactory to the
individual, but adding little to the aggre
gate of national wealth. Only two classes
made fortunes of any size government
officials and barkeepers and even in their
case wealth was not great, looked at by
an English or American standard. Pro
duction was slack, invention at a stand
still, and taxation heavy. The Presi
dent's talents seemed more adapted to
founding a State in the shock and turmoil
of war, than to the dull details of admin
istration ; and although he was nominally
assisted by a cabinet of three ministers,
and an assembly comprising twenty-five
members, it was on his shoulders that the
real work of government fell. On him,
therefore, the moral responsibility must
also rest a burden the President bore
with a cheerfulness and equanimity al
most amounting to unconsciousness.
When I first set foot in Aureataland
I was landed on the beach by a boat from
the steamer at the capitnl town of Whit
Unchain. 1 was a young man, entering
on my twenty-sixth year, and full of pride
at finding myself at so early an age sent
out to fill the responsible position of man
ncer at our Aureataland branch. The
directors of the bunk were then pursuing
what may without unfairness be called an
adventurous policy, and, in response to
the urgent entreaties and glowing exhor
tations of the President, they had decided
on establishing a branch at Whittingham.
1 commanded a certain amount of inter
est on the board, inasmuch as the chair
man owed my father a sum of money, too
smnll to mention, but too large to pay,
and when, led by the youthful itch for
novelty, I applied for the post, I suc;
ceeded in obtaining my wish at a salary of
a hundred dollars a month. I am sorry
to say that in the course of a later busi
ness dealing the balance of obligation
shifted from the chairman to my father,
an unhappy event which deprived me of
my hold on the company and seriously in
fluenced my conduct in later days. When
I arrived in Aureataland the bank had
been open some six months, under the
guidance of Mr. Thomas Jones, a steady
going old clerk, who was in future to act
as chief and cashier under my orders.
I found Whittingham a pleasant little
rity of about five thousand inhabitants,
picturesquely situated on a fine bay, at
the spot where the river Marcus debouch
ed into the ocean. The town was largely
composed of government buildings and
hotels, but there was a street of shops of
no mean order, and a handsome square,
' called the "Piazza 1871," embellished with
an equestrian ,, statue of the President.
Round about this national' monument
were a large number of seats, and, hard
by, a cafe and bandstand, . Here, I soon
found, waa the center of life la the after
Two Fires
noons and evenings. Going along a fine
avenue of trees for half a mile or so you
came to the "Golden House," the Presi
dent's official residence, an imposing villa
of white stone with a gilt statue of Au
reataland, a female figure sitting on a
ploughshare, and holding a sword in the
right hand and a cornucopia in the left.
By her feet lay what was apparently a
badly planned cannon ball ; this, I learned,
was a nugget, and from its presence and
the name of the palace, I gathered that
the President had once hoped to base
the prosperity of his young republic on
the solid foundation of mineral wealth.
This hope had been long abandoned.
I have always hated hotels, so I lost
no time in looking round for lodgings
suitable to my means, and was fortunate
enough to obtain a couple of rooms in the
house occupied by a priest, Father
Jacques Bonchretien. He was a very good
fellow, and -though we did not become in
timate, I could always rely on his cour
tesy and friendly services. Here I lived
in great comfort at an expense of fifty
dollars a month, and I soon found that
my spare fifty made me a well-to-do man
in Whittingham. Accordingly I had the
entree of all the best houses, including
the Golden House, and a very pleasant
little society we had; occasional dances,
frequent dinners, and plenty of lawn ten
nis and billiards prevented me feeling the
tedium I had somewhat feared, and the
young ladies of Whittingham did their
best to solace my exile. As for business,
I found the bank doing a small business,
but a tolerably satisfactory one, and if
we made some bad debts, we got high in
terest on the good ones, so that, one way
or another, I managed to send home pret
ty satisfactory reports, and time passed
on quietly enough in spite of certain man
ifestations of discontent among the popu
lation. These disturbing phenomena were
first brought prominently to my notice at
the time when I became involved in the
fortunes of the Aureataland national
debt, and as all my story turns on this
incident, it perhaps is a fit subject for a
new chapter.
CHAPTER II.
When our branch was established at
Whittingham there had been an arrange
ment made between ourselves and the
government, by the terms of which we
were to have the government business,
and to occupy, in fact, much that quasi
official position enjoyed by the Bank of
England at home. As a quid pro quo, the
bank was to lend to the republic the sum
of $300,000 at 0" per cent. The President
was at the time floating a loan of one
million dollars for the purpose of works
at the harbor of Whittingham. This as
tute ruler had, it seemed, hit on the plan
of instituting public works on a large
scale as a corrective to popular discon
tent, hoping thereby not only to develop
trade, but also to give employment to
many persons who, if unoccupied, became
centers of agitation. Such at least was
the official account of his policy ; whether
it was the true one I saw reason to
doubt later on. As regards this loan, my
office was purely ministerial. The ar
rangements were duly made, the proper
guarantees given, and the June after my
arrival I had the pleasure of handing over
to the President the $.")00,000. I learned
from him on that occasion, that to his
great gratification, the balance of the loan
had been taken up.
"We shall make a start at once, sir,
said the President, in his usual confident
but quiet way. "In two years Whitting-
ham harbor will walk over the world.
Don't be afraid about your interest, Your
directors never made a better invest
mcnt."
I thanked his excellency and withdrew
with a peaceful mind. I had no respon
sibility in the matter, and cared nothing
whether the directors got their interest or
not. I was. however, somewhat curious
to know who had taken up the rest of the
loan, a curiosity which was not destined
to be satisfied for some time.
The works were begun and the inter
est was paid, but I cannot say that the
harbor progressed rapidly ; in fact, I doubt
if more than $100,000 ever found their
way into the pockets of contractors or
workmen over the job. The President had
some holes dug and some walls built;
having reached that point, about two
years after the interview above recorded,
he suddenly drew off the few laborers still
employed and matters came to a dead
stop.
It was shortly after this occurrence
that I was honored with an invitation to
dine at the Golden House. It was in
the month of July. Needless to say, I
accepted the invitation, not only because
it was in the nature of a command, but
also because the President gave uncom
monly good dinners, and, although a bach
elor had as well ordered a household as
I have ever known. My gratification was
greatly Increased when, on my arrival, I
found myself the only guest, and realized
that the President considered my society
in Itself enough for an evening's enter
tainment. It did cross my mind that this
might mean business, and I thought it
none the worse for that. , , ,
- We dined in the famous veranda, the
scene of so many Whittingham functions.
The dinner was beyond reproach. The
President was a charming companion,
Though not, as I have hinted, a man of
much education, he had .had a Wide ex
perience of life, and had picked up a man:
ner at once quiet and cordial, which set
me completely at my1 ease. '.: Moreover, be
,pnld me the compliment, always-so sweet
! to youth, of treating me as a man of the
world, j With condescending confidence he
told me many tales of his earlier days.;
and as he had been everywhere, his con
versation was naturally most Interesting.
Dinner was over mid the table cleared
before the President seemed lucllnod for
serious conversation Then he said sud
denly :
"Mr, Martin, this country is in a peril
ous condition."
"Your excellency," said I, "do you refer
to the earthquake?" (There had been a
slight shock a few days before.)
"No, sir," he replied, "to the finances.
The harbor works have proved far more
expensive than I anticipated. I hold in
my hand the engineer's certificate that
$1)03,000 has been actually expended on
them, and they are not finished not by
any means finished."
They certainly were not; they were
hardly begun.
"Dear me," I ventured to say, "that
seems a good deal of money, considering
what there Is to show for it."
"You cannot doubt the certificate, Mr.
Martin," said the President.
I did doubt the certificate, and should
have liked to ask what fee the engineer
had received. But I hastily said it was,
of course, beyond suspicion.
"Yes," said he steadily, "quite beyond
suspicion. Ydu see, Mr. Martin, in my
position I am compelled to be liberal.
The government cannot set other employ
ers the example of grinding men down by
low wages. However, reasons apart, there
is the fact. We cannot go on without
more money; and I may tell you, In con
fidence, that the political situation makes
it imperative we should go on. Not only
my personal honor pledged, but the oppo-1
sition, .Mr. Martin, led by the Uoionei, is
making itself obnoxious yes, I may say
very obnoxious."
"The Colonel, sir," said I, with a free
dom engendered of dining, "is a beast."
- "Well," said the President, with a tol
erant smile, "the Colonel, unhappily for
the country, Is no true patriot. But he
is powerful ; he is rich ; he is, under my
self alone, in command of the army. And,
moreover, I believe he stands well with
the Signorina. The situation, in fact,
is desperate. I must have money, Mr.
Martin. Will your directors make me a
new loan?"
I knew very well the fate that would
attend any such application. The direc
tors were already decidedly uneasy about
their first loan; shareholders had asked
awkward questions, and the chairman had
found no small difficulty in showing that
the investment was likely to prove either
safe or remunerative. Again, only a fort
night before, the government had made a
formal application to me on the same sub
ject. I cabled the directors, ana receiv
ed a prompt reply in the single word,
"Tootsums," which m our code meant,
Must absolutely and finally decline to
entertain any applications." I communi
cated the contents of the cable to Ssenor
Don Antonio de la Casabianca, the min
ister of finance, who had, of course, com
municated them in turn to the President.
I ventured to remind his excellency of
these facts. He had heard me with silent
attention.
"I fear," I concluded, "therefore, that
it is impossible for me to be of any assist
ance to your excellency."
He nodded, and gave a slight sigh.
Then, with an air of closing the subject,
he said :
"I suppose the directors are past rea
son. You occupy a very responsible po
sition here for so young a man, Mr. Mar
tin not beyond your merits, I am sure.
They leave you a pretty free hand, don't
they?"
I replied that as far as routine busi
ness went I did much as seemed good in
my own eyes.
"Routing business? including invest
ments, for instance?" he asked.
"Yes," said I ; "Investments in the or
dinary course of business discounting
bills and putting money out on loan and
mortgage over here. I place the money,
and merely notify the people at home of
what I have done.
"A most proper confidence to repose in
you," the President was good enough to
sav. "Confidence is the life of business ;
you must trust a man. It would be ah
surd to make you send home the bills,
and deeds, and certificates, and what not
Of course, they wouldn't do that."
Though this was a statement, somehow
it also sounded like a question, so I an
swered :
"As a rule they do me the compliment
of taking my word. The fact is, they are,
as your excellency says, obliged to trust
somebody."
''Exactly as I thought. And you some
times have large sums to place?"
At this point, notwithstanding my re
spect for the President, I began to smell
a rat.
"Oh, no, sir," I replied, "usually very
small. Our business is not so extensive
as we could wish."
"Whatever," said the President, look
ing me straight in the face, "whatever
may be usual, at this moment you have a
large sum a very respectable sum of
money in your safe at the bank, waiting
for investment."
"How do you know that?" I cried.
"Mr. Martin ! It is no doubt my fault ;
I am too prone to ignore etiquette ; but
you forget yourself."
I hastened to apologize, although I was
pretty certain the President was contem
plating a queer transaction, if not flat
burglary.
"Ten thousand pardons, your excellen
cy, for my most unbecoming tone, but
may I ask how you became possessed of
this information?" . " ?
"Jones told me," he said, simply.
' As It would not' have been polite to
express the surprise I felt at Jones' sim
plicity, In choosiug such a confidant,
held my peace.
" ' '(To be continued.) J -1
In the Bank of England there are
many silver Ingots which have lain un
touched for nearly 200 year. v
He I asked her to tell me her ago,
and she suld "23." She Well did you?
Brooklyn, Life.
"Why do you refer to his fortune ns
hush money?" Witgg He made It In
soothing syrup. Philadelphia Record.
"Do you leave your valuables fu the
hotel safe when you go to a summer
resort?" "Only when I leave." Judge.
.Stella Isn't that Mr. Bachelor kind
and gentle? Bella That's Just tho
trouble; he stands without hitching.
Brooklyn Life.
"That man has a very shady business
record." "Why, what has lie been do
ing?" "He puts up awnings." Balti
more American.
Saphedde A penny for your
thoughts, Miss Pert. Miss Pert They
are not worth It. I was merely think
ing of you. Philadelphia Record.
Husband (angrily) I don't see why
I ever married you. You are a fool.
Wife (calmly) Undoubtedly. Other
wise I would have refused you. Grit
On An Ocean Liner. The Wife
Shall I have your dinner brought to
your room, dear? Husband (feebly)
No. Just order It thrown overboard.
Clipped.
"Out of a Job, eh?" "Yell, de boss
said he was loslu' money on de flags I
was mnklu'." "Dut so? Wot was you
maklu'?" "Mistakes." Philadelphia
Press.
Dentist (prodding a patient's gum In
search of a fragment of root) Funny,
I don't seem to feel it. Putieut (Ironi
cal in spite of the pain) You're in
luck! Les Annales.
"Who Is It that robs us while we are
asleep?" asked the teucher, trying to
get the class to spell the word "burg
lar." "De gas meter!" shouted the boys
lu unison. Chicago News.
Assistant This poet snys that the
last two verses of his poem may be
omitted, If you think It is desirable.
Editor I'll do botteT than that. I'll
omit the whole poem. Soinervllle Jour
nal. "They found a cigar In a safe that
had fallen down five stories In Sau
Francisco and wasn't the least bit dam
aged by Are." "Yes, I've tried to smoke
Several of those cigars." Cleveland
Leader.
"Really, you know, I don't think Miss
Summemtl looks at all athletic."
Well?" "Well, you told me she was
always engaged in some college sport."
Stupid! I said 'engaged to.'" Phila
delphia Press.
Mistress Whnt made you angry With
the doctor and tell him not to come
any more? Bridget Because he said
he thought he would send me to a
warmer climate, and I am on ter him.
Los Angeles News.
"Do you think that wealth brings
piness?" "No," answered Mr. Dustlii
Stax. "It doesn't bring happiness. But
it gives a man a little bit of option
about the kind of worry he will take
on." Washington Star.
"Pa, what's the difference between a
profession and a trade?" "The man
who works at a trade quits when his
eight hours are up. The man who fol
lows a profession has to keep on until
his work Is done." Chicago Record-
Herald.
"Don't you like to hear the wind
whistling through the wood?" asked
the poetical one. "Well," replied the
practical one, "If I'm out In the forest
I do ; but If the wood is made up Into
a $2 flute, I enu't say that I do. ion
kers Statesman.
"Yes," said the condescending youth,
"I nm taking fencing lessons." "Good!"
answered Farmer Corntossel. I alius
said you was go'ln''to turn In an' do
sometliln useful. What's your special
ty goln' to be rail, stone or barbed
wire?" Washington Star.
"Well, sir," brusquely Inquired the
girl's father, "what can i uo ror you;
"Why er I called, sir," stammered
the timid suitor, "to see If er you
would give assent to my marriage to
vour daughter." "Not a cent, sir 1 Not
a cent! Good-day." Scissors.
A school teacher, one day during the
hour for drawing, suggested to her pu
pils that each draw what he or she
would like to be when grown up. At
the end of the lesson one little girl
showed an empty slate. "Why," suld
the teacher, "isn't there anything you
would like to be when you grow up?"
"Yes," said the little girl, "I would like
to be married, but I don't know how to
draw It" Life.
Ills lleaion.
"My dear Mr. Magnate, why don't
you sue that fellow who Is openly ac
cusing you and your trust of using cor
rupt methods in business?"
"My dear sir, I would not dignify
the fellow's charges with a reply."
"No ; 1 suppose a reply wouldn't an
swer. Baltimore AUlWIU". , , ;
It la every marrled man's opinion
that all wives are frank.
vrirfl uueatlon Solved.
The two sisters had engaged a serv
ant girl. She failed to' meet their, 'e
qulremeiits. They were holding a whis
pered consultation lu the dlulng-room.
"I low shull we get rid of her?" whis
pered one.
At that moment the girl Appeared at
tho door. ,She carried her grip. Sho
wore her hut. In tho other bund waa
her umbrella.
"If you please," she said, politely,
"I'm going now. The place doesn't
Bultnie." New York Globe and Com
mercial Advertiser.
Dlame tor the Grocer.
"I want to complain of the flour you
sent me tho other dny," said Mrs. New
llwed, severely. The grocer assumed
an anxious expression, and Inquired
what was the matter with It. "It was
tough," replied the housekeeper accus
ingly. "My husband simply could not
eut the biscuits I mude with it."
Dreneat Lake on Earth.
The deepest lake In the world Is be
lieved to be Lake Baikal, In Siberia.
Nine thousand square miles in area, or
nearly as large as Lake Erie, it Is 4,000
to 5,000 feet deep, so that It contains
nearly as much water as Lake Supe
rior. Rt. V'tim' Panre Rnd all Nervous Dllum
normanentlr cunwl by Dr. Kline's lrat
itvb Hiiuirvr. Hond fur t'HKK vat rial nowm ana
treatise. Dr. lt.JI. Ulln , M., 1131 Arch Ht.,l'blla., Pa.
Grrateat Frlvllrire of CItlenhlp.
The right to homestead on the pub
lic domain Is the greatest privilege of
Amerlcun citizenship, says Funning.
The right to homestead Is co-existent .
with citizenship. Every citizen over 21
years of age, every immigrant who bus
declared his or her Intention of be
coming a citizen, every head of a fam
ily, male or female, even though under
21, may locate a tract not to exceed
1U0 acres and after five years' resi
dence will receive absolute title there
to.
A uriou Silk.
Sicily supplies a curious silk which
Is spun by the ptllna, a Mediterranean
shell-fish which has a little tube at
the end of Its tongue. Out of this
tube, spider-fashion, or silkworm-fashion,
It spins a silk thread, with which
It fastens Itself on any rock It fan
cies. When the pulna moves its
silken cable remains behind. This cable,
which Is called byssus, the Sicilian fish
ermen gather. Byssus weaves into the
softest and shiniest of fabrics, but it
It very rare and expensive.
How's This?
w offer One Hundred Dollars Reward fot
anv cane of Catarrh that cannot be cured by
Hall's Catarrh Cure.
t . J, ciIKM'.i S uu.,rTops,, loteao, u.
We. the underslirned. have known V. J.
Cheney for the lost 16 years, and believe hlra
pertocliy nonoraDie in an uuainem irauiao
Uons and 11 nancially able to carry out any ob
ligations made by their firm. ,
West 4 Tkuax, Wholesale Druggists, Toledo, O.
WaLDiNo, K innam it Mabvin, w holesale Drug
gists, Toledo, O.
Hall's Catarrh Cure is taken Internally, act.
Ing directly upon the blood and mucous sur
faces of the system. Price 7ic. per bottle,
bold by all Druggists. Testimonial! free.
Hall's Family Pills are the best. ,j
Wholesale Cutting.
"Yes, we used to sit out on the old
porch In the beautiful moonlight
Strange to say, Jack never believed he
kissed nie as often as I accused him of
doing."
"Ah, how did you convince him.
dear?"
"Why, the next night I told him to
cut a notch In the porch each time he -
took a kiss."
"How did the scheme work?"
"Very well for a while, but er by
the end of the week there wasn't any
porch left."
What He Took.
A certain thrifty Individual, In the
hope of getting a gratuitous medical
opinion, remarked casually one day to
his doctor :
"I say, doctor, what do you do when
you've got a cold?"
"I cough," replied the M. D., briefly.
"Ah! Quite so," stammered the oth
er ; "but what do you take?"
"I take advice," snapped the son of
Esculaplus; and the thrifty man took
his leave. Modern Society.
For Coughs
and Colds
There is a remedy over sixty
years old Ayer's Cherry
Pectoral. Of course you have
heard of improbably have used
it. Once in the family, it stays;
the one household remedy for
coughs and hard colds on the
chest. Ask your doctor aboutit.
" t nave had pneumonia three times, and
Ayer's Cherry Pectoral has brought me safely
through each time. I have just recovered
from my last attack, exed sixty-seven, No
wonder I praise it." E. V. HluuiNB, Stevens
Point, Wis.
A
HmU by J. 0. Ayer Co., Lowell, Mui.
SARSAPARILU.
PILLS.
HAIK VIGOR.
yers
Ayer's ,1111 Increase' the activity or
the liver, and thus aid recover