Lakeland Evening Telegram Newspaper, March 12, 1914, Page 2

—= THE &=~ NE'ER-DO-WELL A Romance of the Panama Canal REX BEACH COPYRIGHT, 1810, 1911, - [ SYNOPSIS. | Kirk Anthony, son of a rich man, with : eollege friends, gets into a fracas in a New York resort. A detective is hurt. | Jefterson Locke insinuates himself into the college men’s party. ! Locke, aided by Kirk's frlend Higgins, who thinks it a joke, drugs Kirk and puts him aboard a ship bound for Colon. Kirk s on the passenger list as Locke. | “Broke" and without baggage, aboard‘v the ship Kirk makes the acquaintance of Mr, and Mrs. Stephen Cortlandt. Cortlandt is in the American diplomatic service und is going to Panama on a mis- sfon. In Colon Kirk, as the son of a big raflroad man, is taken up by Weeks, | American consul. Kirk's father repudlates him, and Weeks casts him out as an impostor. Kirk meets Allan, a Jamaican negro canal worker out of a job. The two are arrested by Colon police for helping to put out a fire. Kirk and Allan are treated brutally in | a Colon jall by young Alfarez, command- | ant of police. Allan’s release is obtained by the British consul, but Weeks refuses | to ald Kirk. Mrs. Cortlandt gets a phone | call. Mrs. Cortlandt obtains Kirk’s release by using influence with Colonel Jolson, head | of the canal. The Cortlandts are in- triguing to make Alfarez's father presi- dent of Panama. i | Kirk's father casts him off finally, and Mrs. Cortlandt obtains for him a position on the Panama railroad under Runnels, master of transportation, Now that the first surprise of meet ing was over, Kirk began a really at- tentive scrutiny of this delightful young person. IIis first glimpse had told him she was ravishingly pretty, but it had failed to show how dainty and small she was, Ier chief charm | lay in a certain winsome vivacity. | Even now nure mischief looked out of her eyes as she asked: | “Mave you rested enough to attack the orchid?" il “Yes." He roused himself from his | trance, and with a strangely leaping heart proceeded carefully to detach the big air plant from its resting place. | “Don't break it,” she cautioned as' he came gingerly down the tree. “It! 1 is what we call ‘Espiritn Santa,” the | ) ‘holy spirit’ flower. See, it is like a white bird.” | “May I rest a moment? I'm aw- ' fully tired.” i “(‘_vrt:linl,\'. You may stay as long as you wish. When you are rested the little path will bring you out.” “But you mustn't go!" he exclaimed in a panic as she turned away. “Oh, I say, please! You wouldn't do a thing ! like that?” “I cannot speak to you this way, sir.” The young lady blushed prettily. “Why not, I'd like to know ?" “Oh!” She raised her hand and shook her head to express the abso- lute jmpossibility of such a thing. “Already I have been terrible. What will Stephanie say?” “You've been nothing of the sort, and who is Stephanie?” “She is a big black woman—very Berce. It is because of Stephanie that the fairies have gone away from here.” “I'm so tired that I must sit down. I thought these country places were unoccupied at this season.” “So they are. But, you see, I am do- ing a penance. I am a bad girl. I am disobedient. Otherwise I would not allow you to speak to me alone like this. You are the first gentleman I have ever been so Jong in the com- pany with, Senor Antonio. For six months 1 must wear these garments— no pretty ones. I must not go out in public also, and I have been sent here away from the city for a time to cure p my rebellious spirit.” - “Those dresses must be hot.” “Oh, very uncomfortable! But, you see, I was bad..” “Not very bad®" “Indeed. T disobeyed my father, my uncle, everyhody.” Ior the first time | her eyes grew bright with anger. “But l I did not wish to be married.” { & i L { I “Now I see. They wanted you to | marry some fellow you don't like? It's awful to marry somebody you don't like.” he dec conviction th “Ab, then are you mi “No! But evervhody says it's posi- | U to warry without love.™ ! “The gentleman is very bandsome,” He shuddered. “Bey | some men. If you have any idea of marriag select a large, plain man | with blue eyes and light hair. “I do not know such a person.” “Not yet, of course—that is, not well enough to marry him.” “It is not nice to speak of such said the young lady primly. “And it is not nice also to speak with strange gentlemen who come out of the forest when one is doing penance.” | added to her fury. BY HARPER & BROTHERS W Fou cateh it Tor Talking to me?’ “Oh, yes. It is not allowed.” “Then I suppose I'd better leave.” Anthony settled himself more com- fortably upon the bench. “And yet there is nothing really wrong about it, is there? Why, it's done every day in my country. Besides, who's going to know ?" “The padre. I tell him everything.” “How does a fellow ever get ac- quainted with a girl down here? How does he get a chanee to propose?”’ “One's people attend to that, of course,” she managed to say at length, then changed the subject quickly. “What did yon say is your whole name?" “Kirk Anthon) sork! It has a fonny sound, has it not? “T never noticed it. And yours?” “My name is Chiquita.” He repeated it atter her. “It's pret ty. What is your last name?” “That is it If 1 told you my first name you could not use it. It would not be proper.” “It ought to he something like Arviel. That means ‘spirit of the air and wa ter, 1 believe. Ariel Chiquita. No, they don't go together, See here, Miss Chiquita, may I call on yon'?” “Oh!" She lifted her hrows in amaze- cment. “Such ideas! Of a certainly “H‘Z” (1B dad “You do not onderstand. men do not do those things.' “Then I'll do whatever is cnstomary really T will-but I'm awfully anxious to see you again—and”— “I do not know you. My father’— “I'll Jook up Mr. Chiquita and be in troduced.” At this the young lady hegan to rock back and forth in an abandon of merri- ment. “For two weeks yet I must remain here alone with Stephanie,” She re- garded him mournfully. “Every day 1 must do my penance and think of my sins and—perhaps look for orchids.” “Tomorrow ?” he inquired breathless- Iy. *“Do you inteud to hunt orchids to- morrow 7" Instead of answering she started to her feet with a little cry, and he did lkewise. Dack of them had sounded an exclamation—it was more like the snort of a wild animal tha spoken word—and there, ten feet a , stood a tall, copper colored negress, her eyes blazing, her nostrils dilated, a look of utmost fury upon her face. “Stephanie,” exclaimed the girl, “you Our young : frightened me!” The negress strode to her, speaking rapidly in Spanish, then turned upon Kirk. “What do you want here?’ she cried menacingly. She had thrust her charge behind her and now pierced him with her eyes. “Miss Chiquita”— he began, at which that young lady Dbroke into another PO “d “Go! Go quick, you man!” and chattered € words, instead k woman, only She pointed with quivering hand to the path along the creek bank and cried: “Go! Go quick, you man!” Then to her charge: “You bad, bad! Go to the laughter But blac peal of silvery to her servant. of placating the s Chiquita hasn’t done anything to make you huffy. I came out of the woods yonder, and she was good enough to direct me to the road.” But Stephanie was not to be ap- peased. She stamped her flat foot and { repeated her command in so savage a itmw that Kirk perceived the useless- ness of trying to explain. He looked appealingly at the girl, but she merely nodded her head and motioned him to be gone. That evening he sat for a long time alone on the gallery of his hotel, his spirit uplifted with the joy of love, a thousand whispering voices in his ears And when at last he fell asleep it was to dream of an olive, ovzl face with ' eyes like black pansies. CHAPTER XII. The Path That Led Nowhere. HIIN “Senor Antonio” awoke the next morning he lay for an instant striving to recall what it was that had haunt- ed his sleeping hours, what great event awaited him. Then as it rushed through his mind he leaped out of bed. This was tomorrow! DBut the after- noon was still a long way off, and he must be content to dream until the hour came, It was the hottest part of the day when he set out, gun on arm, yet he never thought of the discomfort, After skirting the city he swung into the fine macadam road that had brought him home the night before, and much sooner than he expected he arrived at the litttle path that led into the forest. | As upon the previous day, he broke into the glade before he suspected its preseice. There was the tree from which she had called to him., yonder the hench where they had sat together. Of course he was too early. Tle wanted to be in order not to miss an | instant of her company, so he seated himself and dreamed about her. The minutes drageed, the jungie drowsed. An hour passed. Why didn’t she come* A sudden apprehension overtook him, | which grew and grew as the after noon wore away. | It was a very miserable youug man | who wandered out through the fra grant path as the first evening shad ows sottled and bent his dejected steps | toward the city. Evidently something | had oceurred to prevent her keeping | | { i | | her tryst, but he determined to return on the morrow and then if she did not | come to follow that other path right | up to her house, which misi be near the pool. Ile would risk everything | for a word with her. Ie wondered if she had stayed away purposely to test | him, and the tho cave him a thrill. | If so she would soon learn that he was | in earnest. He resolved to <o hunting | earlier hereafter and give the whole day to it. Meanwhile he would make cautious inqguiries. It was considerably after dark when he reached the hotel, and his friends had dined, but he encountered Mr. Cortlandt later. If Edith's husband suspected anything of what had oc- curred a night or two ago his coun- tenance gave no sign of it. For some reason or other Kirk had not been | troubled in the slightest by the thought that Cortlandt might be told. Ile could not imagine Edith making him the confidant of her outraged feelings. Besides, would such a strangely im- passive person resent any little indis- cretion in which his wife might choose to indulge? Kirk did not know. The | man was a puzzle to him, Cortlandt's voice was thoroughly noncommittirl as he inquired: “Where have you heen keeping your- self?” ' “TI've been hunting to kill time,” “PBy the way,” continued the other, “your friend Allan has been besieging Edith imploring her to use her influ- ence to get him a position. He has set his heart upon going to work with you.” “IHe is becoming a positive nuisance; I can’t get rid of him."” “I never saw such hero worship.” “Oh. all niggers are hysterical.” “Let me give you a bit of advice, Anthony. Remember, there are no ‘niggers’ and ‘whites’ in this country— they are both about equal. The presi- dent of the republic is a black man, and a very good one too.” “That reminds me. [ hear he is to be succeeded by the father of my friend. Alfarez.” Cortlandt hesitated. ez is a candidate. man, hut"— “I am glad there is a ‘but.’ “It isn't settled, by any means. The successful candidate will need the support of our government.” “1 suppose the Alfarez fi “General Alfar- He is a very strong ily is one of the first settlers—Mayflower stock " “Oh, worse than that. The h:m,.-! runs back to Balboa's time.” [ “What are some of the othe I families ¥ Kirk artt i ;’ “There are a numbh A 1e Martin- the ezes, the Moras, Garavels — 1 could me them all, Tl are very fine pe too, 3 T » relaxed in an invol- that is a pet.” felt somewhat uncomfortable ‘ under the older man's gaze of quiet amusement “But these other families,” he went on in some confusion, “I mean the lnm-s like those you just mentioned Kirk L :.Z) sed o they sometimes intermarry With Amer- icans, don't they?” “Xo, not the better class. There have wen a few instances, I believe, but for the most part they keep to themselves.” “How would a fellow set about meet- ing the nice people?” “He wouldn't. He would probably live here indefinitely and never see the inside of & Panamanian house.” “No! Who is ae?’ Kirk was In- stantly all attentlon. He had almost forgotten Locke. “Iis real name is Frank Wellar, and he is an absconder. e was a hroker's clerk in St. Louis, and he made off with something like $80,000 in cash.” “Good heavens!” said Anthony, “How did you find out?” A hnmlrl- of New They came today.” “Where did they cateh him?%” “They haven't caught him, He has ared completely, That's the strangest part of it. Your detective didn't die after all. But I can't under- stand why the police haven't discover- ed your whereabouts. You left New York openly under the name of Locke"— “Perhaps it was so easy they over- looked it.” He smiled ruefully. “I'd hate to be arrested just now when I'm getting to be such a good conductor.” “Don't worry about that until the I'll get you the papers York papers. time comes. Panscsa s Chased by an Unfeeling Man With a Club. later.” e began to feel embarrassed. | It seemed to be his fate to receive ben- efits at this woman's hand whether he willed it or not. “I must go now, but first I want to make you feel how grateful I am for your kindness and for your continued trust in me. I haven't deserved it, I know, but"— He turned as if to leave, but faced her again as he heard her pronounce his name. He was surpris- ed to see that there were tears in her eyes, “Kirk,” she said, “you're an awfully good sort, and I can't stay angry with you." “You're tremendously good,” he an- swered, really touched. *“I can't say anything except that I'll try to be worthy of your Kindness."” She gave him a half distressed look, then smiled brightly. “We won't talk of it any more,” she said—"ever. Now do sit down and tell me what you have been doing all this time. How have you been get- ting along with your work?” *All right, except one morning when I overslept.” In the days that followed he tried his very hest to make good on his job. Every evening he had to himself he spent in search of the Spanish girl. Aside from his inability to find her and an occasional moment of misgiving at the thought of Frank Wellar, alias Jef- ferson Locke, Kirk had but one wor- ry, and that was caused by Allan. Never a day passed that the worship- ful black hoy did not fairly hound him with his attentions: never a nightly journey down into the city that Allan did not either accompany him or, fail- ing permission to do so, follow him at a safe distance. For a time Anthony rebelled at this espio but the con- stant effort of ref ew tiresome after awhile. especially as the Jamai- can did j as he pleased anyhow, and Kirk ended by letting him have his way. e t Kirk's trains without to pay his fare. 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