tlie board! Fancy me, of all men, be
ing willing to barter my child for u
few piece* of gold!"
The thought wua maddening. For a
little while he yielded to utter despoud
ency. It was ijuite true that a compar
atively small amount of money would
restore the stability of his firm. Even
without It, were his credit unimpaired,
he could easily tide over the period of
depression until the first fruits of his
enterprise were Jtaruered. Then all
men would ball him as u genius.
Wearily turning over his papers, he
suddenly came across the lust letter
written to him by Iris' mother. How
she doted on their only child! He re
culled one night shortly before his wife
died when the little Iris was brought
into her room to kiss her and lisp her
infantile prayers. She had devised a
formula of her own:
"(jod bless father! God bless mother!
God bless me, their little girl!"
And what was it she cried to him
from the beach?
"Your owu little girl given back to
you!"
Given bach to him! For what?to
marry that black hearted scoundrel
whose pastime was the degradation of
women and the defaming of honest
men? That settled it. Instantly the
cloud was lifted from his soul. A great
peace came upon him. The ruin of his
business he might not be able to avert,
but he would save from the wreck
that which he prized more than all
else, his daughter's love.
The engines dropped to half speed.
They were entering the harbor of Sin
gapore. In a few hours the worst
would be over. If Ventnor telegraphed
to London his withdrawal from the
board nothing short of a cabled draft
for ?10.000 would prevent certain cred
itors from filing a bankruptcy petition.
In tho lnptil Tinnier tho hnrl
about a thousand to his credit. Surely
among the rich merchants of the port,
men who knew the potentialities of his
scheme, he would lie able to raise the
money needed. He would try hard.
Already he felt braver. The old fire
had returned to his blood. The very
belief that he was acting in the way
best calculated to secure his daugh- |
ter's happiness stimulated and encour
aged him.
He went on deck, to meet Iris skip
ping down the hatchway.
"Ob, there you are!" she cried. "I
was just coming to find out why you
were moping in your cabin. You are
missing the most beautiful view?all
greens and blues and browns! Run,
quick! I want you to see every inch
of it."
She held out her hand and pulled
him gleefully up the steps. Leaning
against the taffrail, some distance
apart from each other, were Anstruth- |
er and Lord Yentnor. Need it be j
said to whom Iris drew her father?
"Here he is, Robert," she laughed, j
"I do believe he was sulking because
Captain Fitzroy was so very attentive
to me. Yet you didn't mind it a bit!"
The two men looked into each other's
eyes. They smiled. How could they
resist the contagion of her sunny na
ture?
"I havebeen thinking over what you
said to me just now, Anstrutber," said
the shipowner slowly.
"Oh!" cried Iris. "Have you two
been talking secrets behind my back?"
"It is no secret to you, my little
girl"? Her father's voice lingered on
the phrase. "When we are on shore,
Robert, I will explain matters to you
more fully. Just now I wish only to
tell you that where Iris has given her
heart, I will not refuse her hand."
She took his face between her hands
and kissed him. Lord Ventnor, won
dering at this effusiveness, strolled for
ward.
"What has happened, Miss Deane?"
he inquired. "Have you just discover
ed what an excellent parent you pos
sess?"
The baronet laughed almost hysteric
ally. " Ton my honor," he cried, "you !
could not have hit upon a happier ex
planation."
His lordship was not quite satisfied. ?
"I suppose you will take Iris to ;
Smith's hotel?" he said, with cool im
pudence.
Iris answered him.
- ies. .My father has just asked Rob
ert to come with us?by inference, that
is. Where are you going?"
The udroit use of her lover's Christian
name goaded his lordship to sudden
heat.
"Indeed!" he snarled. "Sir Arthur
Peane has evidently decided a good
many tilings during the last hour."
"Yes." was the shipowner's quiet
retoit. "I have decided that my daugh
ter's happiness should be the chief con
sideration of my remaining years. All
else must give way to it."
The earl's swarthy face grew sallow
with fury. His eyes blazed, and there
was a tense vibrato in his voice as he
?aid:
"Then I must congratulate you, Miss
Peane. You are fated to endure ad
ventures. Having escaped from the
melodramatic perils of Rainbow island
you are destined to experience another
variety of shipwreck here."
He left them. Not a word had Rob
ert spoken throughout the unexpected
scene. His heart was trobblng with
a tremendous joy. and his lordship's
sneers were lost on him. But he could
not fall to note the malignant purpose
of the parting sentence.
In his quietly masterful way he
placed his band on the baronet's shoul
der.
"What did I.ord Ventnor mean?" he !
asked.
Sir Arthur Deane answered, with a
calm smile: "It is difficult to talk open
ly at this moment Wait until we
reach the hotel."
The news flew fast through the set
tlement that her majesty's ship Orient
had returned from her long search for
the Sirdar. The warship occupied her
usual anchorage, and a boat was low
ered to take off the passengers.
The boat swung oa Into the tideway.
Iler progress shoreward was watched
oy a small knot of people, mostly
! loungers and coolies. Among them,
however, were two persons who had
driven rapidly to the lunding place
when the arrival of the Orient was re
ported. One bore all the distinguishing
marks of the army officer of high runk,
but the other was unmistakably a
globe trotter. The older gentleman
aiade no pretense that he could "hear
the east a-callln'." He swore impar
tially at the climate, the place and its
Inhabitants At this Instant be was
In a state of wild excitement. He was
very tall, very stout, exceedingly red
faced.
Producing a tremendous telescope he
vainly endeavored to balance it on the
shoulder of a native servai^
"Can't you stand still, j * inhering
idiot," he shouted, after futile attempts
to focus the advancing bout, "or shall
1 I steady you with a clout over the
ear?"
Ills companion, the army man, was
looking through a pair of held glasses.
"By Jove," he cried, "1 can see Sir
Arthur 1 cane and a girl who looks like
j his daughter! There's that infernal
! scamp. Vent nor, too."
The big man brushed the servant out
i of his way and brandished the tele
scope us though it were a bludgeon.
"The dirty beggar! He drove my lad
to misery and death, yet he has come
back safe and sound. Wait till I meet
him. I'll"?
"Now, Anstruther! Remember your
promise. 1 will deal with Lord Vent
i nor. My vengeance has first claim.
; What! By the jumping Moses, I do
believe? Yes. It Is. Anstruther!
I Y'our nephew is sitting next to the
girl!"
The telescope fell on the stones with
a crash. The giant's rubicund face
suddenly blanched. He leaned on his
friend for support.
"lou are not mistaken?" he almost
whimpered. "Look again, for God's
sake, man! Make sure before you
speak. Tell me! Tell me!"
"Calm yourself, Anstruther. It Is
Robert, as sure as I'm alive. Don't you
think I know him, my poor disgraced
friend, whom I, like the rest, cast ofT
in his hour of trouble? But I had some
excuse. There! There! I didn't mean
that, old fellow. Robert himself will
be the last man to blame either of us.
Who could have suspected that two
people?one of them, God help me, my
wife?would concoct such a hellish
plot!"
The boat glided gracefully alongside
the steps of the quay, and FMaydou
sprang gracefully ashore to help Iris
to alight. What happened immediate
ly afterward can best be told In his
own words, as he retailed the story to
an appreciative audience in the ward
room.
"We had Just landed," he said, "and
some of the crew were pushing the
coolies out of the way when two me i
jumped down the steps, and a most
fiendish row sprang up?that is, there
was no dispute or wrangling, but one
chap, who, it turned out, was Colonel
Costobell, grabbed Ventnor by the shirt
front and threatened to smash his face
in if he didn't listen then and there to
what he had to say. I really thought
about interfering until I heard Colonel
Costobell's opening words. After that
I would gladly have seen the beggar
chucked into the harbor. We never
liked him, did we?"
"Ask no questions, Pompey, but go
ahead with the yarn," growled the first
lieutenant.
"Well, it seems that Mrs. Costobell
is dead. She got enteric a week after
the Orient sailed and was a goner in
four days. Before she died she owned
up."
He paused, with a base eye to effect.
Not a man moved a muscle.
"All right," he cried. "I will make
no more false starts. Mrs. Costobell
begged her husband's forgiveness for
her treatment of him and confessed
that she and Ix>rd Ventnor planned the
affair for which Anstruther was tried
by court martial. It must have been
a beastly business, for Costobell was
sweating with rage, though his words
were icy enough. And you ought to
have seen Ventnor's face when he
heard of the depositions, sworn to and
signed by Mrs. Costobell and by sever
al Chinese servants whom he bribed to
give false evidence. lie promised to
marry Mrs. Costobell If her husband
died, or, in any event, to bring about a
divorce when the Hongkong affair had
blown over. Then she learned that be
was after Miss Iris, and there is no
doubt her fury helped on the fever.
Costobell said that, for his wife's sake,
he would have kept the wretched thing
secret, but he was compelled to clear
Anstrutber's name, especially as he
came across the other old Johnnie"?
"Pompey. you are incoherent with ex
citement. Who Is 'the other old John
nie?' " asked the first luff severely.
"Didn't I tell you? Why, Anstruther's
uncle, of course, a heavy old swell
with Just a touch of Yorkshire in his
tongue. I gathered that he disinherit
ed his nephew when the news of the
court martial reached him. Then he
relented agd cabled to him. Getting
no news, he came east to look for him.
ITc met Costobell the day after the
lady died, and the two vowed to be re
venged on Ventnor and to clear An
struther's character, living or dead.
Toor old chap! He cried like a baby
when he asked the youngster to for
give him. It was quite touching.
"Well, Costobell shook Ventnor off at
last, with the final observation that
Anstruther's court martial has been
quashed. The next batch of general
orders will reinstate him in the regi
ment, and it rests with him to decide
whether or not a criminal warrant
shall be Issued against his lordship for
conspiracy."
"What did Miss Deane do?"
"Clung to Anstruther like a weeping
angel and kissed everybody all round
when Ventnor got away. Well?hands
off. I mean her father, Anstruther and
I
the stout mull' . . .: lately 1 win
out 011 iu that scene- But for some rea
son they all nearly wrung my arm off,
uud the men were so elicited that they
gave the party u rousing cheer us their
rickshaws went off iu a bunch."
The next commotion arose in the ho
tel when Sir Arthur Ileune seized the
tirst opportunity to explain the predic
ament in which his company was
placed ..lid the blow which Lord Yent
n r yet had it in his power to deal.
Mi William Anstruthcr was an In- i
ten itc.1 auditor. Hubert would have
spoken, but his uucle restrained liiiu.
"Li-ave this to me, hid." he ex
claimed. "When 1 was coming here in
the Sirdar there was a lot of talk ,
about Sir Arthur's scheme, and there i
should not be much difficulty in rais
ing ail ti.e brass required if balf what
I 1 card be true. Sit you down. Sir Ar ;
i tbr.r. and tell us all about It."
The shipowner required no second '
bidding. With the skill for which he
was uotcd he described his operations j
iu detail, telling how every farthing of
the first installments of the two great I
loins was paid up, how the earnings |
of his fleet would quickly overtake the
deficit iii capital value caused by the
los- of the three s'li; s and how in six
mouths' time the leading financial
houses of London, I'aris and Berlin
would be offering him more money j
than lie would need.
To a shrewd man of business the
project could not fail to commend It
self, and the Yorkshire squire, though j
a trifle obstinate in temper, was singu- J
Ir.rly clear headed In other respects. !
lie brought ids great fist down on the
j table with a whack.
jm'iki 11 came 10 your company, mr
Arthur," be cried, "anil tell them that
your prospective son-in-law will pro
vide the ?10,000 you require. 1 will
see that his draft is honored. You can
add, if you like, that another ten will
! be ready if wanted when this lot is
spent. 1 did my lad one deuced bad
turn in my life. This time. I think, I
! am doing him a good one."
I "You are. indeed," said Iris' father
enthusiastically. "The unallotted capi
tal he is taking up will be worth four
times its face value in two years."
"All the more reason to make his
holding twenty instead of ten," roared
the Yorkshireman. "But, look here.
You talk about dropping proceedings
against that precious earl whom 1
saw today. Why not tell him not to
try any funny tricks until Robert's
money is safely lodged to your ac
count? We have him in our power.
Dash it all, let us use him a bit."
Even Iris laughed at this naive sug
gestion. It was delightful to think
that their arc', enemy was actually
helping the baronet's affairs at that
very moment and would continue to
do so until he was flung aside as being
of no further value. Although Ventnor
1 iself had carefuly avoided any
1, mal commitment, the cablegrams ;
awaiting the shipowner at Singapore '
I showed that confidence had already
been restored by the uncontradicted
use cf his lordship's name.
Robert at last obtained a hearing.
"Y'ou two are quietly assuming the
attitude of the financial magnates of
this gathering," he said. "I must ad
mit that you have managed things
I very well between you, and I do not
j propose for one moment to interfere
j with your arrangements. Nevertheless,
! Iris and I are really the chief moneyed
! persons present. You spoke of finan
cial houses in England and on the con
tinent backing up your loans six
[ months hence, Sir Arthur. You need
not go to them. We will be your
bunkers."
The baronet laughed with a whole
hearted gayety that revealed whence
Iris got some part at least of her
bright disposition.
"Will you sell your island, Robert?"
he cried. "I am afraid that not even
Iris could wheedle any one into buy
ing it."
"But, father, dear," interrupted the
girl earnestly, "what Robert says is
true. We have a gold mine there. It
is worth so much that you will hardly i
believe it until there can no longer be
any doubt in your mind, I suppose |
that is why Robert asked me not to {
! mention his diseoverv to von enrliee"
"No, Iris, that was not the reason," J
saiil her lover, and the elder men felt j
that more than idle fancy Inspired the j
astounding intelligence that they had
just heard. "Your love was more to j
me than all the gold in the world. I |
had won you. I meant to keep you,
but I refused to buy you."
He turned to her father. His pent
up emotion mastered him. and he
spoke as one who could no longer re
strain his feelings.
"I have had no chance to thank you
for the words you uttered at the mo
ment we quitted the ship. Yet 1 will
treasure them while life lasts. You
gave Iris to me when 1 was poor, dis
graced, an outcast from my family
and my profession. And I know why
you did this thing. It was because
you valued her happiness more than
riches or reputation. I am sorry now
I did not explain matters earlier. It
would have saved you much needless
suffering. But the sorrow has sped
like an evil dream, and you will per
haps not regret it, for your action to
day binds me to you with hoops of
steel. And you. too, uncle. You trav
eled thousands of miles to help and
comfort me in my anguisti. Were I as
bad as I was painted your kind old
heart still pitied me. You were pre- 1
pared to pluck me from the depths of
despair and degradation. Why should
I hate Lord Ventnor? What man
could have served me as he did? He |
has given rye Iris. He gained for me
at her father's hands a concession such
as mortal has seldom wrested from
black browed fate. He brought my ?
uncle to my side in the hour of my
adversity. Hate him! I would have
his statue caned in marble and Bet
on high to tell all who passed how
good may spring out of evil?how God's l
wisdom ran manifest Itself liy putting
rven the creeping and crawling things
of the earth to some useful purpose."
"I>ash It all. lad," vociferated the
?ldcr Anstrutlier. "what ails thee? 1
never heard you talk like this before?"
The old gentleman's amazement was
so comical that further tension was out
of the question.
Hubert. In calmer mood, Informed
them of the manner In which be hit
upon the mine. The story sounded like
wildest romance?this finding of a vol
canic dyke guarded by the bones of
"J. S." and the poison filled quarry
but the production of the ore samples
changed wonder Into certalsty.
Next day a government metallurgist
estimated the value of the contents of
the two oil tins at about ?."skl. yet the
specimens brought from the island
were not by any means the richest
available.
And now there is not much more to
tell of Hatnbow Island ami Its cast
aways. On the day that Captain
Robert Alistruther's name appeared in
the tiazette, reinstating him to his
"Sweetheart," said her husband.
rank anil regiment, Iris ami he were
married in the English church at Hong
kong, for it was his wife's wish that
the place which witnessed his Igno
miny should also witness his triumph.
Soon afterward Robert resigned his
commission. He regretted the neces
sity, hut the demunds of his new
sphere in life rendered this step im
perative. Mining engineers, laborers,
stores, portable houses, engines and
equipment were obtained with all
haste, and the whole party sailed on
one of Sir Arthur Deane's ships to con
yoy a small steamer specially hired to
attend to the wants of the miners.
At last, one evening early in July,
the two vessels anchored outside Palm
Tree rock, and Mir Jan could be seen
running frantically about the shore,
for no valid reason save that he could
not stand still. The sahib brought him
good news. The governor of Hong
kong felt that any reasonable request
made by Anstruther should be granted
if possible. He had written such a
strong representation of the Moham
medan's case to the government of In
dia that there was little doubt the re
turning mail would convey an official
notification that Mir Jan had been
granted a free pardon.
The mining experts verified Robert's
most sanguine views after a very brief
examination of the deposit. Hardly
any preliminary work was needed. In
twenty-four hours a small concentrat
ing plant was erected and a ditch
made to drain off the carbonic auhy
dride in the valley. After dusk a par
ty of coolies cleared the quarry of its
former occupants. Townrd the close
of the following day, when the great
steamer once more slowly turned her
head to the northwest. Iris could hear
the steady thud of an engine at work
on the first consignment of ore.
Robert had been busy up to the last
moment. There was so much to he
done In a short space of time. The
vessel carried a large number of pas
sengers, and he did not wish to de
tain them too long, though they one
and all expressed their willingness to
suit his convenience in this respect.
Now his share of the necessary prep
arations was concluded. His wife, Sir
Arthur and his uncle were gathered in
a corner of the promenade deck when
he approached and told them that his
last instruction ashore was for a light
to be fixed on Summit rock as soon as
the dynamo was in working order.
"When we all come back In the cold
weather," he explained gleefully, "we
will not Imitate the Sirdar by running
on to the reef should we arrive by
night."
Iris answered not. Her blue eyes
were fixed on the fast receding cliffs.
"Sweetheart," said her husband,
"why are you so silent?"
She turned to him. The light of the
setting sun illumined her face with Its
golden radiance.
"Because I am so happy," she said.
"Oh, Robert, dear, so happy and
thankful!"
THE END.
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