The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, April 06, 1906, Page 3, Image 3
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te Mornin
CHAPTER XVI.
EORD VENTNOR was no fool.
While Iris was transforming
herself from n senilsavage condition
into a semblance of an
ultra chic Pnrisienne, Sir Arthur
Deaiic told the carl something of the
stale of affairs 011 the island.
His lordship, a handsome, saturnine
uian, eooi, insoienuy pome, counseieu
patience, toleration, even silent recognition
of Anstrutlier's undoubted
claims for services rendered.
"She is an enthusiastic, high spirited
girl," lie urged upon his surprised hearer,
v,*ho expected a very different expression
of opinion. "This fellow Anstruther
is a plausible sort of rascal, u
good man in a tight place, too?just the
ort of Arc enting blackguard who
would till the heroic bill where a fight
is concerned. Ilang him, he licked me
twice!"
Further amazement for the shipowner.
"Yes, it's quite true. 1 interfered
with his little games, and lie gave mo
the usual reward of the devil's apothecary.
Leave Iris alone. At present
she is strung up to an intense pitcli of
gratitude, having barely escaped a ter(
* ribie fate. Let her come back to the
jffr- normal. Anstrutlier's shady record
must gradually leak out. That will disgust
her. 1-Ie is hard up?cut off by his
people and that sort of thing. There
you probnbly hnvo ti??> 01
uniiominir iir? knows unite well that
lie cnn uoVer mnrry your <Viughter. It
is all a matter of price."
Kir Arthur willingly allowed himself
to be persuaded. At the back of his
^cr.d there was an uneasy consciousness
that it was not "all a matter of
price." If it were he would never
trust a man's face again. But Ventnor's
well balanced arguments swayed
him. The course indicated was the
ouly decent one. It was humanly impossible
for a man to chide his daughter
and flout her rescuer within an houi
of finding them.
Lbrd Ventnor played his cards witl
a deeper design. lie bowed to the in
ovitublc. Iris said she loved his rival
Very weil. To attempt to dissuadi
her was to throw her more closely lnt<
that rival's arms. The right coursi
was to .appear resigned, saddeuoti, oom
tukltoj.. w. ..in *t?r n-rni tin
distressing truth. Further, lie countci
on Anstruthcr's quick temper as ni
active agent. Such a man would b
the first to rebel against an nssumptio
of pitying tolerance. lie would hrin
hitter charges of conspiracy, of ui
believable compact to secure his ruli
All this must recoil on his own boa
^ when tho facts wore laid bare. N<
even the hero of the island could pr
vail against the terrible indictment <
the court martial. Finally, at King
pore, three days distant. Colonel Co
tobell and his wife were staying. Lo:
Ventnor, alone of those on board, kne
this. Indeed, he accompanied Sir A
tliur Den no largely in order to bro:
off a somewhat trying entangiemei
lie smiled complacently as ne uimig
of tlie effect on Iris of Mrs. Costobcl
indignant remonstrances when the 1>:
*3^~onet asked tlmt injured lady to tell t
* '. % girl nil tlmt had happened at Hoi
"*uong.
However, Lord Ventnor was in
profoundly annoyed, and ho cur.1
Anstruther from tlie depths of
heart. But lie could see a way out.
He came ashore with Iris and
father. The captain of the Orient i
joined the party. The three i:
watched Itobert and the girl wall;
toward them from the group of
cers.
"Anstruther Is a smart looking
low." commented Captain Fitz
"Who is he?"
Truth to'tell, the gallant commai
of the Oidont was secretly nmazet
v,.._ .lha-mcUunm-ulinaiu In RoTr
appearance since ho scrutinized
through his glasses,
fe "" Poor Sir Arthur said not a word
his lordship was quite at ease.
F **" "From his name and from '
l| Denne tells me 1 believe lie is ar
officer of the Indian army."
* "Ah! lie has left the service?"
"Yes. I nmt him last in Hongkoi
"Then you know him?"
"Quite well, if ho Is the man !
- nglnc."
"That is really very nice of Vent
|< thought the shipowner. "The last
I should credit him with r.'ould
forgiving disposition."
AUp.nwhile Anstruther was re
Up(p7 little lecture. "Sweet oik
^^^^a llned to her, "do not allude
* <3r^ >3>y former rank. I am not ei
t6 It. Some day. please God, It v
' * "rntjoilt I
i restored 10 me.
plnin civilian, and. by the way
during the next few days say n
about our mine."
it "Oh, why not?"
"Just a personal whim. It will
nie."
^ "If It pleases you, Itobert, I an
T fled."
lie pressed her arm by way
swer. They were too near to th
ing trio for qther comment.
"Captain Fltsroy," cried Iris;'
| introduce Mr. Anstruther to yoi
I VMitnor, you have met Mr. Ant
I wore."
| 41'he sailor shook ^ands. Lor
igs of the ?J
, By LOUIS
k O TRACY
L / Copyright, 1903. by '? ' a ':' *1
Cdw&rd J. Clode
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j uor smiled affably.
J "Your enforced residence 011 the is1
land seems to have ag&ed with you,"
he said.
"Admirably. Life here had its drawbacks,
but we fought our enemies in
the open. Didn't we, Iris?"
"Yes, dear. The poor Dyaks were
not suiliciently modernized to attack us
with false testimony."
Ilis lordship's sallow face wrinkled
snmowhnt Km 1 riv l::imv of ti>o oirirr
martial, nor was she afraid to pro- j
claim to all (ho world that lids man
was licr lover. As for Captain Fit/,- :
roy, his bushy eyebrows disappeared
into his peaked cap when ho hoard the
manner of their speech,
i Nevertheless Ventnor smiled attain.
"ICvon tlio Dynks respected Miss
Deane," he said.
I>ut Anstruther, sorry for the nianiI
fest uneasiness of the shipowner, rci
pressed the retort on his lips and
j forthwith suggested that they should
j walk to the north beach in the lirst
instance, that being the scene of the
wreck.
During the next hour lie became audi- !
tor rather than narrator. It was Iris
who told of his wild light against wind
and waves; Iris who showed thoni
j where he fought with the devilfish;
Iris who expatiated on the long days
' of ceaseless toil, his dauntless courage
in the face of every difficulty, the
way in which he rescued her from the
Mutca 01 i iw ?,? _ ....
^reparations against the anticipated
attack and the last great achievement
of all, when time after time he foiled
the Dyaks' best laid plans and flung
tliem off. crippled and disheartened,
during the many phases of the thirty
hours' battle.
There were tears in her eye3 when
she ended, but they were tears of
thankful happiness, and Lord Ventnor,
' a silent listener who missed neither
wo?<1 nor look, felt a deeper chill in his
?.l i 4- ..? L/x 1 irroil 4 la of thin U'A.
com iieart an uc ivtumvu Wlllv
man's love could never lie his. The
knowledge excited his passion the
1 more. His hatred of Anstruther now
became a mania, an insensate resolve
to mortally stab this meddler who al;
ways stood in his path.
I Robert hoped that his present ordeal
? was over. It had only begun. lie was
PiUion "? " "v- ? .? .
? number. Why had the tunnel been
* made? What was the mystery of the
II valley of death? How did be manage
e to guess the dimensions of the sundial?
11 How came he to acquire such an amaz"
ing stock of out of the way knowledge
of the edible properties of roots and
' trees? How? Why? Where? When?
c: They never would be satisfied, for not
3 even the British navy, poking its nose
into the recesses of the world, often
3 conies across such an amazing story
a* as the adventures of this couple on
Rainbow island.
ri. He readily explained the creation ot
quarry and cave by telling them of the
l1. vein of nntlmony imbedded in the rock
l. near the vault. Antimony is one of tin
substances that covers a multitude ol
j.s doubts. No one, not excepting the doc
,! tors who use it, knows much about it
jic and in Chinese medicine it might he i
J(, chief factor of exceeding mistiness.
Inside the cavern the existence o
the partially completed shaft to th
ledge accounted for recent disturl
>c nnees on the face of the rock, mid nev
Ii is
comers could not, of course, distmguis
the bones of poor "J. S." as being 11
. remains of a European.
1 Austrutbcr was satisfied that none <
them hazarded the remotest guess i
offl *? *'10 va'uo "*? gnuut rock tin
were staring at, and chance helped hi
to bailie further inquiry.
A trumpeter on hoard the Orient w
ro^' blowing his lungs out to summon the
to luncheon when Captain Fitzroy p
iider a tlun 1 query.
I by
"I can quite understand," lie said
ert*s TtOTierr, -tnat you have an affection 1
hi"1 this weird place, but I am curious
know why you lay claim to the islai
> hut You can hardly intend to return here
lie pointed to Robert's placard sti
ivhat on the rock.
1 ex* Anstruther paused before lie
swerod. lie felt that Lord Ventin
if dark eyes were fixed on him. Eve
body was more or less desirous to h
th'j point cleared up. He looked
' *in" questlo'.ei squarely in the face.
I( ' In some parts of tlio world," lie s
nor, "there are sunken reefs, unknown,
thing charted, on which many n vessel
bo a inat without any contribul
fault on the part of lior officers."
ading "Undoubtedly."
ho "Well, Captain Fltzroy, when I
to me stationed with my regiment In II
ititled kong I encountered sucli a reef
rill be wrecked my life on It. At least
am a jg how It seemed to me then. For
Irtet threw me ashore here after a long
othing hitter submergence. You can lin
blame me If I cling to the tiny s
of land that gave me salvation."
please "No," admitted the sailor. lie 1
there was something more in th
11 satis- legory than the text revealed, b
Vf a no business of his.
of an- 1 z?*orcover," continued Robert
e wait- "you see I have a partner."
"There cannot be the slightest <
"let me about the partner," was the prom
i. Lord ply.
itruther Then every one laughed, Iris
than any, though Sir Arthur D
d Vent- gajHj^jr waf forest^ an^Lord V>
L a?a ! -ILL1
could taste the acidity of bis own smile,
Later in the day the tirst lieutcnanl
told bis chief of Austin! I tier's voluntary
statement concerning the court martial
Captain I'itzroy was naturally pained
by this unpleasant revelation, but lu
took e::actly the same view as that ex
pressed by the tirst lieutenant in Uob
ert's presence.
Nevertheless lie pondered the niattei
and seized an early opportunity of men
tinning it to Lord Yentnor. That dis
tinguislied nobleman was vastly sup
prised to learn how Anstnither liad eut
the ground from beneath bis feet.
"Yes," lie said, in reply to the sailor's
request for information, "I know all
about it. It could not well be otherwise.
seeing that next to Mrs. Costobell
I was the ^principal witness against
him."
"That must have been awkward foi
you," was the unexpected comment.
"Indeed! Why?"
"Because rumor linked your name
with that of the lady In a somewhat
outspoken way."
"You astonish me. Anstruther cer
tainly made some stnpid allegation!
during the trial, but I liad no idea In
was able to spread this malicious re
port subsequently."
"I am not talking of Hongkong, mj
lord, out 01 Singapore, monies inter.
Captain Fitzroy's tone was exceed
ing dry. Indeed, some people mlgkl
deem it offensive.
ills lordship permitted .himself tin
rare luxury of an angry scowl.
"Rumor is a lying jade at the best,'
lie said curtly. "You must remember
Captain Fitzroy, that I have utterec
no word of scandal about Mr. An
struthcr, and any doubts concerninj
his conduct can be set at rest by pe
rusing the records of liis case in tin
adjutant general's office at Ilong
kong."
"Hum!" said the sailor, turning 01
his heel to enter the chart room.
The girl and her father went back t(
the island with Robert. After taking
thought the hitter decided to ask Mil
Jan to remain in possession until In
returned. There was not much risl
Tauiig feCXThe fate ol
courage a fresh set of marauders, affl
the Mohammedan would be well armet
to meet unforeseen contingencies, wl?il<
on his (Anstrutlier's) representation:
the Orient would land an abundanci
of stores. In any event it was bette
for the native to live in freedom 01
Rainbow island than to bo liandoi
over to the authorities as an eseapei
convict, which must be his immediate
fate 110 matter what mngnaniuiou
view the government of India migli
afterward take of his services.
Mir Jan's answer was emphatic. II
took off his turban and placed it.o
A nstruther's feet.
"Sahib," he said. "I am your doc
If some day I am found worthy to b
your faithful servant, then shall
know that *
*"Tn"spTte of himself Sir Arthur Dean
could not help liking Anstrutlier. Th
as
m lie looked the questioner squarely In
ut face.
man was magnetic, a hero, an i
to gentleman. No wonder his daup
"or was infatuated with him. Yet tin
to turo was dark and storm tossed, ft
id. sinister threats and complications.
did not know tlie wretched cir
ick stances which had come to pass 1
they parted and which had cha
an- the whole aspect of his life.
.1 i-~ ?~n ivmo whv should it 1
>rn coma m,- un
try- miserable lot to snatch the cup of
ave plness from "her lips? In that inc
the of silent agony lie wished he
dead, for death alone could remo\
old, burden laid on him. Well, sure
un- might bask in the sunshine o
has laughter for another day. No n<
tory embitter her Joyous heart until'li
driven to It by dire neccssltj'.
So ho resolutely brushed ask
was woebegone phantom of care ni
on"* tered into the abandon of the
and with a '/.est that delighted her
that dear girl imagined that Itobei
tune Robert, had made another speed
and quest, and Anstruther himsel
irdly much elated by the sudden chn
peek Arthur Deane's demeanor.
They behaved like school chlk
cnew a pjCUjC They roarod over Irli
e a!" hies In the matter of divided ski
^ much divided to be at nil pleasa
shipowner tasted some of he
K bread and vowed it was ex
They unearthed two bottles ol
? pagne, the last of the case, run
p re" ised each other a hearty toast
ner. Nothing would content
more ^nt they should draw a farewi
panes etfuj 0f water from the w
pauwr ^,ttvk the ?IWtow pUmrt i
M TRADE MARK
REGISTERED
gj&y FARME
My OUr C?m^e^C
F original Fish
t g&fiV buyers should
Bag This is the or
I Far
: 1 1
? Mm
Norfolk, Va. E
Columbia. S-C.
1 V
1
a
3 tial slioaver.
t? Robert carefully secured the poekctr
books, money and other effects found
;t on their dead companions. The baro1
net, of course, knew nil the principal
1 officers of the Sirdar, lie surveyed
o these mournful relics with sorrowful
s Interest.
t "The Sirdar was the crnck ship of
my fleet and Captain Ross my most
e trusted commander," he said. "You
n may well imagine, Mr. Anstruther,
what a cruel blow it was to lose such a
' vessel; with all these people on board
e and my only (laughter among them. I
T n-mw](.r -*? **. itnot kill me."
AlthfvV&h disabled, ~j.?. -?: ....
o ly against the typhoon. Nothing short
0 of n reef would break lier tip."'
"Alt. well." sighed the shipowner,
"the fow timbers you have shown me
here are the remaining assets out of
?300.000."
j "Was she not insured?" inquired
Robert.
} "No?that Is. I have recently adopted
a scheme of mutual self Insurance, and
1 the loss falls pro rata on my other ves
P sels."
I The baronet glanced covertly at Iris
f The words conveyed little meaning t(
her. Indeed, she broke in with c
^ laugh:
"I iiui afraid I have heard you say
father dene, that some ships in th
I .1 * nni'l vnll .?linn (linv rill
I ..wi ^
I ashore.
I "Yea. iris. That often happened i:
/ the old days. It is difTcicnt now
I Moreover, I have not told you the ej
j tent of my calamities. The Sirdar wn
^ lost on March 18, though I did n<
^ know it for certain until this mornin
K Hut on March 25 the Bahadur wi
1/ sunk in (lie Mersey during a fog. ai
A three days later the Jemadar turn<
V\ turtle on the James and Mary shoal
^ the Ilooglily. Happily there were i
Ji lives lost in either of these eases."
Iris was appalled by this list of cas
allies, yet she gave no thought to t
"V serious financial effect of such a stri
^ of catastrophes. Robert, of course, i
predated this side of tlie business, cs|
k 10 ciaMy in view of tlie shipowner's
mark about the insurance. But !
- -"? Itn <Welt
deal Artliur ueanes Mm
;hter liim. He failed Co realize that the
j fu- flier was acting a part for his dauj
ill of ter's sake.
Iris Oddly enough, the baronet did
cum- seek to: discuss with them the le
since looking document ntlixed near the on
nged It claimed all rights in the island
How their joint names, and this was a tc
te Iiis he wished to avoid. For the ti
hap- therefore, the younger man had no
uncut portunity of taking him into his <
were thlcnec, and Iris held faithfully to
;o the promise of silence,
ly lie The girl's ragged raiment, sou'wc
f her ?lid strong hoots were already pu?
?ed to nwny on board. She now rescued
e was Bible, the battered tin cup, her
volver and the rifle which had "sea
le the Bie I?yaks when they nearly cn
nl cn- Anstruther and Mir Jan napping.
, hour ert also gathered for her an as
Tlio ment of Dynk hats, belts and arms
t her eluding Tilling S'All's parang ai
ly con- sumpitan. These were her trop
f was tl'o spoils of the campaign.
?.. Ills concluding act was to pack
MKt; m
of the empty oil tins with all uie
Iron on unl)lc 1""?1>? of auriferous quart
trou- <?Pa'(1 ,,ntl where he shot the ru1
cts too ^roui l'10 cave beneath the trees,
nt The ton of tl,cse !l? Placed some anti
8nir0 or,S nnd M'r wondering vh
cellent 8nl,lh wanted the stutf, carried lh
, cham- 8'ffnment to the waiting boat 11<
it nrom- flnt 1,|ny<lon, in command of tl'
at din- pnity of sai,or8 to n?it the Islam
1 dently expected Mir Jan to accor
>m 1 1! theni> but Anstruther explained
s uc J the mnh would await his return
ell aiiu inbune or Jj'ily.
x top?a- HrilmiiirfiriiilInitial
wsm
f " Imiti
* is 1
taeeresf F1
'he unprecedented popular
URS' BONE fertilizer has
?r<i fn o rl TrortJc** f~Vt 1 n n r
as good." FARMERS1
Guano, and, to prevent beii
t)e sure llial our tra.dc-vna.rt
lly guarantee that you are ge
liters' I
k Made with IFist
S. RGYSTER GUANO
u la ting on tlic on use of this extraordinary
resolve, but, steadfast to his
policy of avoiding controversial matters,
said nothing. A few words to
the captain procured enough stores to
keep the Mohammedan for six
months at least, and while these were
being lauded the quostron was raised
how best to dispose of the D.vaks.
The eomninnder wished to consult the
convenience of his guests.
"If we go a little out of our way and
land them in Borneo," he said, "they
will he hanged without troubling you
further. If I take them to Singapore
they will be tried on your evidence
nnd sent to penal servitude. Which is
"1 cannot bear to think of more lives
being sacrificed," she protested. "Perhaps
if these men are treated mercifully
and sent to their homes after
some punishment their example may
serve as a deterrent to others."
So it was settled that way. The an
chor rattled tip to its berth, and tin
Orient turned her head toward Singa
pore. As she steadily passed away in
to the deepening azure the girl and be
lover watched the familiar outlines o
' Rainbow island growing dim ih tli
i evening light. For a long while the,
could see Mir Jan's tall, thin llgur
motionless on a roek at the extremit
^ ! of Etiropn point. Their hut, the roe
i the ledge, came into view as the erui:
cr swung round to a more uortlierl
conns*..
Iris had thrown an arm ncro:?? ...
father's shoulders. The three were le
L" alone Just then, and they were silci
"J for many minutes. At last the flyir
\ miles merged the solitary palm beyo'
the lagoon with the foliage on the eli
,,, The wide cleft of Prospect park gr*.
...... ,.1,^11,
less distinct. .Mir juu? num, ?
jn figure was lost in the dark bnckgroui
no Tlie island was becoming vagi
i dreamlike, a blurred memory.
,u. "Robert," said the girl devout
he "God has been very good to us.
ng >'ou remember this hour yesterdaj
tl). she murmured. "How we suffered fr
[>e. thirst; how the Dyaks began their s
rc. oiul attack from the ridge; how .1
Sir , climbed down the ladder and I 1
ed lowed you? Oh, father, darling," 1
fa- went 011 impulsively, tightening
gli- grasp, "you will never know how l?r
lie was; bow enduring; how lie ris
not all for rue and cheered me to the ei
gal "I think I aiu beginning to 11111
,ve. stand now," answered the shipowi
In averting his eyes lest Iris should
pic the tears in them. Their Calvary 1
me, ended, they thought. Was it for
op- to lead theni again through the son
.'on- ful way? It was a heartrending l
her that lay before him, a task from wl
his soul revolted. lie refused evei
"tor attempt it.
. ked The explanation of the shipowi
the position was painfully simple. Rei
re' daring tjet shrewd financier, he
red" ceived in the troubled condition 01
light f?r oast a magnificent opportunit
Rob- consolidate the trading Intluencc o
sort- company. lie negotiated two big 1<
' 'D* one of a semiprivate nature to
u| a docks and railways in the chief 1
hies, time province of China, the other
* lift OA
more public character wuu iuc
two mont of Japan. All his own resoi
1 va'* together with those of his princip
7. he rector8 and shareholders, wore do
hliisli to (pose objects. Conteinporanc
he determined to stop paying hea
mony 8Urance premiums on his licet
y the ,u..jie it 8eif supporting cn tlie
' ^on" known mutual principle,
niton- yeagels were well equipped
s" munned, replete with every mode
OVl" provemcnt and managed with
npnny commercial skill. in tlnec cr
years, given ordinary trading ?u
some rail8t |,ave doubled hir own fortu
I No sooner were all ^ jirrangt
{ ~ f ,
v j jg
ition I
atfery" I
ity of Royster's g||
induced some of SI
), claiming theirs H|
BONE is the 19
lg imposed upon, j||
s. Is on every bag. SSSfi
:tting the genuine U
" I
MTarboro, N. C. BH
Macon, Ca.
completed ;throe or tils nest snips
went down, saddling his euinpany with
i an absolute loss of nearly ?l5tK),(>00 and
seriously undermining his liuancial
credit. A l'eP.ow director, wealthy and
intluential. resigned his seat on the
hoard and headed a clique of disappointed
stockholders. At once the fair
sky became overcast.
Sir Arthur Deane's energy and financial
skill might have enabled him to
weather this unexpected gale wore it
| not for the apparent loss of his beloved
daughter with the crack shift ot ins
lino. Half frenzied with grief, ho bade
his enemies do their worst and allowed
his affairs to get into hopeless conions.
At this critical juncture l.uru
Ventnor again reached his side. 1Lis
lordship possessed a large private for*
' tune and extensive estates, lie was
prudent withal and knew how admirably
the shipowner's plans would de
vclop if given the necessary time, lie
i offered the use of his name and money.
He more than Idled the gap created by
- the hostile ex-director. People argue.l
r that such a clever man, just returning
f from the far east after neeomplishing
e at public mission of some importance,
? must he a reliable guide. The mere
e cabled intelligence of his intention to
y join the board restored confidence and
f. credit.
s- Hut there was a bargain. If Iris
y lived she must become the Countess of
Ventnor. llis lordship was weary of
ft time lu^KOTtVeVf^olSfe. It.was high
it Interest in the legislature and achieved
iff a position in the world of affairs. lie
id had a chance now. The certain success
ff. of his friend's project, the fortunate
Z f
JOT'S |r |
n- n (=* \c I \Zl yjff *%&
VZ # v; *> ^
y to ^
f l?ls
^ - -. fl1 -, i - ' ' " '
>nns,
>qiiip "You will all be paupers."
......I .
Hill Aof
a completion of his own diplomatic unveru
dertaking, marriage with n beautiful
lrcos, an(l charming woman?these items
ai di- would consolidate his career. His lieart
voted was set on Iris.
ously seized tlie tirst opportunity that
vy in- presented Itself to make Sir Arthur
and i'oane acquainted with a decision al,
well ready dreaded by the unfortunate shipowner.
Iris must either abandon her
I well Infatuation for Anstruther or bring
rn iui- ?t>out the ruin of her futher. There
great was no mean.
four "" 8lje declines to become Countess
ck, he Ventnor she can marry whom she
?ouUoucti on