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'653 East Main Street

(716) 482 - 0300 - Phone
(716) 288 -5989 -Fox

The RIDDLE
of LIFE

" ^"^ Z """ "'"" ofbiUemcss calUd Man
A„w: I prefer if cookej, with social

sauce. '

BRrnv.M.sG

The Riddle of Life

A NOVEL

'?r % WESLE'i OHNSTON

Author of '* Dwellers i.. Gotham,"
"Philip Yoakley," etc.

TORONTO :
WIL LI A M B R I G G S

I<)03

COPYRIGin
igoa BY
JEA'X/XGS
&• PYE

ALL RIGHTS
KESEfiVED

l!i

If)

Richard B. Kelly, Esq.

New York, N. Y.

in grateful recognition of sincere
and generous friendship.

The RIDDLE
of LIFE

1EANING over the rail of the upper deck of the
^ Albany steamer, Stephen Derwent watched
the passengers as they came on, closely scan-
ning each group with niingled interest and amuse-
ment. It was rather late in the season for the
usual rush to Saratoga, still a goodly share of
those who came on board were bound for the
famous springs. Others were going farther up
the State; some to Lake George, some to Lake
Champlain, while not a few had certain outward
and visible signs which suggested the Adirondacks.
It now lacked only a few minutes of sailing
time, and a shade of disappointment gathered on
Derwent 's face ; for he had arranged to go up the
river with Fred Westerhall, a young man of about
his own age, with whom he was on intimate terms.
As a usual thing, Westerhall kept his engage-
ments, though sometimes not appearing till the
last moment. But he always had a good excuse,
and, being blessed with a nimble tongue and a
lively fancy, he generally contrived to give valid

lo a a THE RILDLE OF LIFE

reasons for his failure to appear at the appointed
time.

If soi-ie of the young ladies on the promenade
deck gave Stephen Derwent a glance more kindly
than critical, no one could really blame them. He
was tali, close upon six feet ; his features were not
only regular, but gave evidence of strength; there
was a positive set about his shoulders which meant
more than mere physical vitality; and ihat clean-
shaven face of his indicated both energy and will.
At a casual glance he looked full thffty years of
age ; but when one came closer to him, his youth-
fulness became more apparent, and it would be
seen then that he was not more than twenty-four
or five at the most.

"Rather a good-looking fellow," one young
lady remarked to another, referring to Derwent,
whose position at the rail on the upper deck
brought him within easy range of their observing
eyes.

"Yes, he is both good-looking and handsome,"
the other replied, after a critical survey of the
young man, a proceeding of which she was emi-
nently capable.

"That is a distinction not always made," the
first speaker respondtd, then looking at Derwent
more closely than before.

"Say rather a distinction seldom made," was
the rejoinder, accompanied with a smile and look,
both of which were suggestive.

"Your friend at the rail, I notice, has managed
to bestow his handsome form in very becoming

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

1 1

raiment. That iweed suit was not selected in the
dark, neither did that soft felt hat get on his head
by chance."

Theie was something inapt as well as flippant
in this reply, but it awakened no protest. The lis-
tener knew the irritation and disappointment that
were back of it; hence, being a wise woman, she
said nothing.

"That young man's face is familiar to me,"
the first speaker observed after a pause, "and yet
I am unable to recall where I have met hiin,''

"Your father's name is Wimbourne, I believe,"
the other answered with an amused smile. "He
is a director in the Gotham Bank, if I am not mis-
taken. You have sometimes gone with him to
that favored institution. While there you — "

"I remember now," the younger lady inter-
rupted. "He is a clerk, or a cashier, or som nhing.
Papa sometimes has stopped at his windo\f and
got money. But I do n't know his nam.e, and
never met him anywhere else."

"That is a pity," dryly observed the other.
"Otherwise he might have relieved the tedium of
this trip up the -'ver, and given you the joys of
male companionship from now till sundown."

As Mrs. Bromley said this she smiled pleas-
antly, and a gleam of genuine mischief flashed
from her honest gray eyes.

Just a moment or two before the steamer's
sailing-tim^, a carriage rolled up to the gangway,
from which Westerhall stepped out with even more
alacritv than usual. The- , much to Derwent's

a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

surprise, he assisted a young lady from the car-
riage, only, however, as a preliminary to the more
serious task of aiding a man of perhaps sixty years
of age, who looked as if he had barely recovered
from a severe illne'ss. Resting one arm heavily
upon that of the young lady, and the other within
the arm of Westerhall, the invalid slowly walked
to the main deck, where he sat down wearily in
a chair near the gangway. Westerhall then re-
turned to the pier, seeing to the baggage, which
was promptly disposed of, and, after gathering up
such articles as had been left in the carriage, he
came back to the steamer. The gangway was now
drawn ashore, the ship's deep whistle blew, fol-
lowed immediately by the heavy ..eat of the pad-
dles, and, swinging out from her dock, the steamer
was soon heading up the Hudson River.

Derwent was much perplexed at the turn af-
fairs had taken. Westerhall had said nothing to
him about these people with whom he was evi-
dently on such intimate terms. Only that morn-
ing he had received a message from him saying
he would meet him at the boat as they had ar-
rar.t"!. He hardly knew, therefore, just what
was expected of him under these new conditions.
He resolved, however, to go down to the main
deck, but had hardly reached the foot of the saloon
stairs before Westerhall saw him, and at once
brought him over to the place where his friends
were yet seated. Soon after the formal introduc-
tions, Derwent learned that Mr. and Miss War-
riston were relations of Westerhall, and on

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

their way to the upper part of the State. Mr.
Warriston had now partially recovered from the
fatigue of his ride to the steamer, so, with the
help of Derwent and WesterhaU, he was able to
reach the saloon deck. Miss Warriston sat beside
her father, and the eager, anxious care with which
she regarded him was manifest in every look and
movement. But this did not prevent her from
enjoying the glorious view on either side of the
river, and her dark, wistful eyes would rest first
on one shore, and then on the other.

The abrupt, sharp line of New Jersey, develop-
ing finally into the Palisades, gives to the Hudson
at certain points a grandeur exceeding that of
the Rhine. Here and there during the season the
foliage is perhaps excessive ; for it obscures the
mighty bowlders and clif¥s, and interferes with
effects which otherwise would be ri'ggedly mass-
ive. Then, at other places, the banks are seen
sheer and bare, as though cleft with a giant's ax,
and tower hundreds of feet above the water's edge.
But as the steamer swiftly beats its way, the New
York shore takes on boldness, and even sublimity,
and there are masses of rock thrown as from
Titanic hands, which, projecting far into the river,
threaten to stay the vessel in its course. After a
tin^e the hills gently slope away, disclosing homes
sufficiently imposing to suggest baronial halls and
feudal castles ; then others less pretentious, though
elegant and impressive ; then, again, towns and
villages coming down to the river's edge, eager
to catch its cooling breath.

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

Eleanor Warriston saw the sui. struggle with
the clouds which all day had enfolded it, scat-
tering them with a mighty effort, as a dying chief-
tain repels the enemies who have gathered around
him on the sward. Then she saw the waters take
on the changing glories of the sky, until the steam-
er's track shone in m\ >terious light. With a look
of wonder she watched the hills cover themselves
in robes of purple and gold, as though the coming
night meant a coronation. After this the sun went
down, not sullen and discontented as so many lives
finish their course, but mighty and triumphant,
conscious of supreme victory even in the hour
and article of death.

Mr. Warriston saw nothing of this wondrous
panorama, for his eyes were closed; but he was
seeing other things, and they were not pleasant
things to see. This Eleanor knew, as she turned
from looking at the sky to mark the expression
on her father's face. She did not speak, however,
having already learned the mysterious value of
silence. And Mr. Warriston understood her; this
she realized by the grateful smile which for a
moment hovered over his worn features. The
shadows were now deepening rapidly ; for the even-
ing twilight in August, though brilliant, is short.
Indeed, with sundown, night is close at hand ; par-
ticularly on the Hudson, where the high banks, lift-
ing themselves into the sky, shut out the light yet
lingering on the hills.

Derwent, with instinctive delicacy, withdrew
from the Warristons almost as soon as they had

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE ^

been comfortably settled in their chairs, Wester-
hall going with him, so father and daughter were
lef* to themselves.

After a long pause, Mr. Warriston, in a low,
sad tone, said:

"Your summer, Eleanor, thus far has been a
strange one, and now that you are going away
from home it is likely to be even more strange."
This was not the first time Mr. Warriston had
made this remark, nor the first time he had spoken
to Eleanor of these things. And yet there was a
wistfu' inquiry in his voice, as if he would have
her reassure him. Her reply, therefore, was more
to his tone than his words : "Strange it has been,
undoubtedly, and sad as well; but now that you
are so much better, brighter days are ahead."
"You think so?"
"Most assuredly."
"You speak with confidence."
"Why not? A country life is full of possibili-
ties. Beginning all over again, with a chance to
profit by our experiences, has many advantages.
W' o knows to what proportions we may both
develop? Already I can see you hale and hearty,
eager for the sound of the dinner-gong, tramping
through the fields, concerned about turnips and
cabbages and corn, a learned authority on cattle-
feed; then sleeping so soundly at night that you
will know nothing till the new day breaks in pieces
over your defenseless head."
"And you?"
"I shall wear heavv boots, hobnailed if T can

ilis^

^ Jt THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

find them; dresses to correspond, a poke-bonnet
of the coal-scuttle persuasion, and become a farm-
eress of the first magnitude."

"Even then the picture is a fairly attractive
one," Mr. Warriston replied, looking affectionately
at his daughter.

"Thank you, sir, for my share of the compli-
ment ; for, of course, you include yourself as a burly
farmer in the center of the canvas."

The words were spoken pleasantly, lightly per-
haps, but Mr. Warriston did not see the pathetic
little quiver on his daughter's lips, or the shade
f sadness pass over her sensitive face.
Neither spoke again for some time, though the
silence was not the result of either reserve or em-
barrassment. It was rather the silence of perfect
confidence, when words are unnecessary.

And so the evening wore on, the shadows fall-
ing softly on the river, the li-ht gradually fading
from the sky. Then night came, gathering the
weary earth within its dusky arms and stilling it
to sleep.

Soon Mr. Warriston went to his room, Eleanor
also retiring to hers, and, after a time, the decks
were almost deserted.

But how plainly one could hear the beat of
the paddles, and the water swishing against the
vessel's side! And, like a mighty courser, the
steamer rushed on, breathing flame and smoke
through Its iron nostrils, and quivering with the
throb of its engine heart.

CLOSE up to the paddle-box, well within both
shelter and shadow, two men were sitting.
One war about forty years of age, of dark com-
plexion, with a restle.- but strikingly handsome
face, which bore the marks of eager and varied
contact with the world. That he was strong, dar-
ing, unscrupulous, full of ambition and desire,
would be the first impression suggested. Still
there was something singularly attractive—fasci-
nating, perhaps, would be the better term— in his
appearance. The other man was considerably
younger, ten years at least, and altogether unlike,
both in bearing and address.

"It seems to me," said the younger man, hoX
ing his cigar between his fingers, looking o.
meanwhile upon the moonlit river, which just then
was like a broad, silver ribbon, with dark, heavy
edges, "that the restlessness and discontent of
which you speak are often unnecessary. In such
a world as this," waving his hand so the gesture
included not only the river and the hills, but the
2 17

BHI

M THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

sky as well, 'life need not be the barren, hopeless
thing you describe."

"Contentment, my dear sir," replied the other,
in light, mocking tones, is only a word of three
syllables found in dictionaries and books of devo-
tion, but nowhere else."

"There is nothing startlingly new in that re-
mark."

"No?"

"It has been used in various forms for thou-
sands of years."

"Possibly: the fact however remains, and to
dislodge a fact which is bedded in the experience
of the centuries requires wisdom as well as genius."

"Suppose we permit the centuries to take care
of themselves. They usually do. My concern re-
lates to the present day and generation. Let us
bring this matter nearer home."

"For what purpose?"

"That we may apply it to ourselves."

"The proper study of mankind is man."

"The only study of mankind is man. In what
way does it affect us, how many stars there are in
the ^sky, or the duration periods represented in
the world's creation? A few million stars more
or less, or a whole billion c * years one way or the
other, do not touch the actual life of the world.
And the life of the world centers in two persons —
a man and a woman."

"* nother Eden," the mocking tone deepening
to a positive sneer.

"Yes. another Eden, with an Adam and an Eve.

L.._

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

The man may be a soldier, a sailor, a merchant, a
priest. He may sweep crossings in London, sell
newspapers in Paris, wear a yellow jacket in
Peking, or a frockcoat in New York, but in each
ca-. he is the same man, and his name is Adam."

"How about the woman?"

Again the tone was mocking, the speaker mak-
ing no attempt to conceal his derision.

"What is true of the man is true of the woman,"
was the quick reply. "In Lapland she may live in
a snow hut ; in Switzerland, in a chalet ; in London,
have a mansion ; in New York, an uptown hotel ;
but everywhere she is the same woman, and her
name is Eve."

"Adam talks to Eve over a telephone wire."

"Yes."

"Eve uses a sewing machine on her fig-leaves."

"What of it, so long as the sewing is done?"

"Adam digs with a steam-plow."

"He digs nevertheless."

"Eve finds her highest bliss at bargain coun-
ters."

"Only the fig-leaves in another form."

"And where is the famous apple-tree?"

"In to-day's wrongdoing; in to-morrow's news-
paper. Every story of sin and crime is the story
of Eden."

"And the Serpent?"

"Never was more manifest than now."

"Faugh! The world has outgrown that
Arabian Nights' fable."

"But the idea of the lablc remains."

20 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"The whole thing is absurd."

"Pardon me ; the idea is anything but absurd."

"It is an Oriental legend."

"It is the most absolute fact in human life."

"You mean that an Eastern parable born in the
dreams of some Persian necromancer has any re-
lation to people who are living now?"

"Certainly. Can you think of a crime that is
not connected with forbidden fruit? In every
ruined life do we not see the work of the Serpent ?"

"We started on the matter of discontent."

"And what is discontent but a longing for the
forbidden tree? And so intent are most of us
upon the apple which we can not have, that the
other trees are well-nigh forgotten."

Mr. James Bodell leaned back in his chair be-
fore making any reply. His lips curled derisively,
and a mocking light flashed from his eyes.

"As a theorist, Mr. Carlisle," he finally said,
maintaining his flippant, bantering tone, "you are
destined to attain eminent success. But we can
not all dwell on such altitudes. Most of us, per-
force, occupy the common level ; and on this level
people have desires. These desires are natural;
they attract the eye, stimulate the mind, and give
to life all it has by way of enjoyment and variety.
With some people these desires are stronger than
with others, but it is all a matter of will. Then,
again, there are those too indolent to strive for
things which jm beyond their reach. Many a
man is a half saint because he is too dull or stupid
to be anything else. The reason many people

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE ^

have n't eaten that apple you talk about is because
they lack the energy to pull away the fence or
courage to climb the tree,"

It was now Carlisle's turn to pause. Though
so much younger than Bodell. he was more cool
and easy in conversation, rarely raising his voice
above its regular pitch. But from the emphasis
which Bodell gave to his closing words, Carhsle
felt that the subject had reached its Umit. So he
contented himself with looking at the river which
just then was in comparative gloom, a thick cloud
having overspread the moon.

"By the way," said Bodell, after a pause of con-
siderable length, "did you see Mr. Warriston when
he came aboard?"

"No," replied Carlisle. "Is he on this boat?

Both tone and look indicated his eager in-
terest.

"Yes; he got on just as we were leaving the

pier."

"Was he alone?"

This question was asked with even more eager-
ness than the former one, Carlisle forgetting for
the moment his calm, easy habit of speech. Bodell
noted the evident anxiety of his questioner, giving
him a keen, searching look. Then he replied :

"No; his daughter was with him; also young
Westerhall. Westerhall is Mr. Warriston's nephew
or cousin, I do n't remember which."

Nothing more was said for some time, each
man waiting for the other to resume the conver-
sation. The subject evidently was not a pleasant

mtm

^ a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

one ; yet both felt, now it had come up, that some-
thing more must he said. But, unlikf .1 game of
chess, the first move would be a disadvantage.

Bodell, conscious of a certain impatience which
was growing stronger every moment, tried to work
off some of his irritation by vigorous puffing at
his cigar. He therefore blew out great clouds of
smoke, accompanying each cloud with such stress
of breath as to send it over the vessel's side. Then
he moved restlessly in his chair, only to find each
position more uncomfortable than the other one.
More than once he flashed a keen and angry glance
at Carlisle. But Carlisle's face was impassive.
Whatever his thoughts were, he held them rigidly
to himself. He sat with the utmost composure,
giving no heed seemingly to the restless move-
ments of Bodell. He had discovered, years before,
that the quick, nervous man, however energetic
or masterful, rarely has the power to sustain his
speech at critical moments. He was familiar with
the story of Samson, whose prodigies of valor,
aided by the jawbone of a despised quadruped, are
among the most wonderful on record; but he re-
membered that this same Samson committed sui-
cide with his own jawbone when he gave the secret
of his life to Delilah.

Ethan Carlisle was a lawyer, and was both keen
and shrewd, but he had other and higher qualities
of mind. Shrewdness and cunning seldom indicate
breadth or vigor of intelligence. When a person
approaches to the nature of a fox, he declines by
just so much in real manliness. The wisdom of

I ' J ' X

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE ^ -3

*
%

the snake always means a likeness to the snake
itself. But Carlisle's type of mind was of a very
different order. . „

"Warriston's aflair was of his own seekmg,
said Bodell, turning upon Carlisle with ill-sup-
pressed anger. ,. , •

"So I have heard," Carlisle replied, m a tone

void of all feeling.

"But you do n't believe it," was the angry re-
sponse, each word spoken with an intensity which
sent it like a bullet from a rifle.

"My belief one way or the other is a matter
of no importance," said Carlisle, with the same
achromatic tone as before. "Still, as I understand
the matter, some one else was involved. A man
like Warriston would not practically beggar him-
self without urgent reasons."
"You refer to his son?"

"If you say the affair was of his own seeking,
why do you refer to his son?"

"I might have known better than discuss War-
riston's affairs with you," said Bodell, rising from
his chair, and with savage energy throwing his
cigar over the ship's rail, watching it fly like a tiny
rocket, then drop into the river. He was now
furiously angry. But Carlisle seemed in no way
disturbed. Not a sign of agitation revealed itself.
To Bodell this was maddening. Heedless, there-
fore, of all restraint, he burst out passionately :

"The apple on your tree is Eleanor Warris-
ton ! ' understand your parable now."

Th. words were barely spoken before Carlisle

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

rose up, and with a quick, contemptuous move-
ment walked away, not deigning to make reply.
Except for a glint in his eye, seldom seen there,
and a compression of the lips not usual with him,
no one would have suspected how keenly he felt
the coarse, brutal words of Bodell. Nor was the
barbed sentence an arrow cast at a venture. The
bow was dra\ n hastily, but his aim was keen, and
with intern o reach his quivering heart. He knew
that Bodell waa merciless, and to accomplish his
purpose would use any means, however cruel. He
could have replied, and with the same cool phrase
as before — for his self-mastery was superb — ^but
he refused to descend to the level Bodell had
chosen.

After he had gone, Bodell lit another cigar;
but it did n't bu. a to suit him, so he threw it away.
Then he leaned over the steamer's rail, looking at
some farmhouses which stood out clear and peace-
ful in the moonlight; but the frown only deep-
ened on his brow, and the fire burned more fiercely
in his eyes. After a time he returned to the saloon,
hoping to find some people, acquaintances of his
whom he had seen earlier in the evening; but the
lights were turned down, and he saw only the
stewards drowsing in their chairs, within easy hear-
ing of the electric bells. Finding everything quiet,
and being in no mood for a midnight promenade,
he retired to his room.

But Carlisle was not the only one who heard
Bodell's words, or felt their terrible sting. Not
far from where he sat when speaking with Bodell,

L ^

1JI,!L. .Ul."Hi.>>

Hi ' . J *^ M

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

a sad-faced woman, at her state-room window, was
looking out upon the mighty parable of the night.
Though weary with the care and anxiety of many
days, her thoughts were crossing and recrossing
each other, like the shuttle flying through the warp,
weaving a web of mysterious pattern.

But the quiet sky was beginning to diffuse
something of its peace upon her troubled heart:
and the cool night-air, so grateful after the glare
and heat of the day, was gradually quelling the
fever in her blood. In another moment she would
havr shut her window, calm and tranquil, ready
for the burden of the coming morrow, when she

heard :

"Eleanor Warriston is the apple on your -ree.

I understand your parable now."

The voice she knew only too well, and \s -he
recognition came both anger and shame. Qu.ckly
she shut the window, fearful of hearmg the voice
again. And now i* mattered little to her that the
sky was clear, and the heavens filled with light.

An awful darkness had fallen upon her soul,
and when, after weary, despairing hours, her eyes
closed in sleep, she could hear as in a dream :

"Eleanor Warriston is the apple on your tree.
I understand - parable now."

IF Mr. Bodell had gone to the upper deck instead
of the salof^n, he might have found companion-
ship; for Derweni and Westerhall were there.
Nor would their conversation have failed to in-
terest him, as just then they were speaking of the
VVarristons.

"I didn't know they were going out of town,"
Fred said, in his impetuous way. "In fact, I al-
most stumbled upon my uncle in the Fifth Avenue
Hotel, about noon to-day, where I had an engage-
ment with Sturgis. You know Win Sturgis. Mr.
Warriston, though, is not my uncle, but a cousin
of my mother. I have known him ever since I was
so high/' laying his hand on the upper rail of a
camp-chai^ "and I got into the habit of calling
him uncle, which seemed the proper thing to do.
Don't you think so?"

To this Derwent assented, but without special
enthusiasm ; for Westerhall's relationships did not
concern him nutch.

"Seeing Uncle Warriston was a grent surprise
26

™i^"Wf!^^^

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

to me," Fred went en ; "but I was still more sur-
prised to learn that he and my Cousin Eleanor
were going up the river on this boat."

"Mr. Warriston has been ill, has he not?" Der-
went inquired.

"Yes; but there has been more than sickness.
I do n't understand it, for my uncle is very close-
mouthed at times. Still, by putting sonic things
together, I have reached my own conclusions."

"Not always a safe thing to do," Derwent re-
plied, indiflferently.

Derwent had peculiar notions respecting the
sanctity of personal matters. The noble virtue of
curiosity, the only virtue some people seem to
possess, had no place in his list of endowments.
He therefore tried to divert Westerhall's thoughts
in another direction. But there are times when the
current is so strong that it rolls on, heedless of any
attempt to change its course. This was now the
case with Westerhall.

"I won't say that Uncle Warriston was sand-
bagged — that perhaps would not be the right term
— but there was robbery, arrant robbery. Of
that I am sure. It is likely that those who took
part in it could not be arrested as burglars or high-
waymen ; but that is the class they belong to. And
there came near being murder as well as robbery,
for Uncle Warriston had a shock which almost
killed him. Then, his son Robert has gone ofif
somewhere in disgrace, and the shame of this is
worse than everything else. The whole thing is
terribly sad. I am awfully sorry for my Cousin

essvB

■Ml

a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

Eleanor, and I mean to do everything I can to
help her."

Westerhall stopped, for which Derwent was
grateful. Already he had heard more than was his
right; more, by far, than Westerhall should have
told him. But men, and women too, need to be
careful when they discuss private matters on river
steamers. For the wind, instead of dispersing
words as it does on land, bears them with singular
clearness to listeners whom we do not dream of.

Carlisle, after leaving Bodell, came to the upper
deck anxious to find a secluded spot where he
might think out, and fight out, something of the
passion which had been aroused within him. Seeing
a vacant chair under the shadow of a lifeboat, he
sat down, and, taking off his hat, allowed the cool
night-air to play upon his burning brow. Though
his face was impassive as marble, and there was
neither quiver nor movement on his lips, yet a
mighty passion possessed him, a tempest, that
stirred his deepest soul. These men who are
calm, self-contained, suffer infinitely more than
the creatures of impulse and anger. To open the
sluicegates of wrath, and allow the raging torrent
to escape, is an easy thing to do ; but to hold one's
self as in the hand of a giant ; to grapple with the
demon which has broken loose in the soul ; to take
him by the throat with such a grasp that not even
his incoherent ravings may be heard ; t(- force him
back to his mysterious hiding-place, riveting anew
the chains upon hi? mighty limbs,— to do all this,
with a face in which no trace of passion can be

<•

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE ^

tip

found, requires an eflfort of which few are capable.
This Carlisle could do ; but to him, as to all others
of his kind, there came the terrible reaction.

The waters, churned by the paddles, flung
against each other by the remorseless beat of the
iron blades, rushing as if in mad fury to break
into waves of wrath on the river's bank, fierce,
restless, rising a' 'f from unknown deeps, sug-
gested the awful struggle in his soul. And still
Bodell's words rung in his ears. Everywhere he
turned, the m.ockim? face of Bodell presented itself.
Then he would hear the taunting voice: "Eleanor
Warriston is the apple on your tree. I understand
your parable now."

But a peace from a source far beyond the stars,
and infinitely more gracious and healing than any
anodyne of earth, came upon him, and looking up
to heaven he silently gave thanks.

After a time the murmur of voices broke upon
him, in which the name of Warriston was spoken,
and, before Carlisle could recover from his sur-
prise, Westerhall had given Derwent the story to
which he listened so reluctantly.

"It is time to turn in," Derwent said, rising
from his chair. "For fellows cooped up in the city
as we are, a night on the Hudson is glorious. And
such a night, too ! But there is a to-morrow which
has for me a long train-ride. I will therefore take
the balance of my moonlight out in dreams."

"No dream for me when I can have the reality,"
Westerhall replied, also rising from his chair, only,
however, to reach for another one which looked

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

more inviting. Then he proceeded to make him-
self st.ll more comfortable by using his former
seat as a foot-rest, lighting a cigar, and assuming
an attitude of picturesque enjoyment. Derwent
still lingered ; for, in all truth, he was loath to go
below.

"I have my opinion of a man who can leave
such a scene as this," Westerhall said. "Moon-
light on the hills, a sky almost cloudless, air so
cooling to the icvered brow, the whole deck to
sprawl over — and huddle within the limits of a
state-room 'cabined, cribbed, confined,' — I never
knew before what that meant. The poet evidently
had you in his mind."

"I know some men who set up as poets, who
have nothing whatever in their minds," Derwent
answered, slyly.

"One on me," Westerhall remarked, at the
same time blowing out a cloud of smoke.

Then they both laughed, each at the other,
after which Derwent went to his stateroom,
leaving Westerhall in undisturbed possession of
the deck.

Next morning, soon after the boat came to her
dock in Albany, Derwent hastened to the railroad
station. Mr. Carlisle, at the ticket office, made
sundry inquiries about the Adirondacks, but before
taking his seat in the train he sent a telegram to
New York :

"A zi'cek of Saratoga waters ivould be good for
the Dolphin. £ (^-_"

ifti

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

This rather singular message he addressetl
"Mr. Hobart Craig, New York," who received
it later in the day, and attended to it in due form.

Mr. Bodell remained on board the steamer for
n.iarly two hours after most of the other passen-
gers had left. But theie was no immediate hurry
in his case, as he was going to Saratoga, and could
get a train at almost any hour. Still he regretted
not having gone earlier ; for, as he was leaving the
brat, he came face to face with the Warristons.
Mr. Warriston, who was leaning upon his daugh-
ter's arm, supported also on the other side by Fred
Westcrhall, looked at him as if horror-stricken,
and for a few moments was so nervous and fright-
ened as to be almost helpless. Miss Warriston
felt her father's shiver of dread before she saw
Bodell, and wondered why he was so disturbed.
Mr. Bodell had both desired and dreaded this meet-
ing. He could not but observe the effect of his
presence upon \.r. Wa'rriston, and also the look
so manifest on Miss Warriston's face. Still he
came forward, and, in the most courteous terms,
asked if he might not render some assistance.
Miss Warriston's reply was not given in words.
There are times when words are the coarsest and
clumsiest form of speech, no more adapted to the
needs of the rioment than a blacksmith's tongs to
a watch movement, jhe therefore only looked at
Bodell, but that was sufficient to make further
reply unnecessary. A man's tongue, however
skilled and plausible, has small chance against a
woman's eye. Mr. Bodell's tongue was both fluent

j^iL

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

and keen, but, as compared with Miss Warriston's
eye, it seemed like a wooden sword measuring
itself against a blade of Damascus steel. But being
a man of consummate art, he covered his defeat
with a forced smile, and a bow too profound and
deferential to be unmixed with mockery. Soon
he was on his way to Saratoga, and later in the
day the Warristons started on their journey north-
ward.

RIDGEBURG could not by any possibility be
regarded as a village of vigorous enterprise.
Situated fully six miles from the railroad, thus in-
volving a rtage-ride neither romantic nor exciting,
it was not a popular resort in any sense of that
term. Its name, however, was not a misnomer,
for the village in most parts occupied a ridge, from
which the thrifty farms sloped down on either side.
Several of these farms were skirted by lakes, to
which title the sheets of water had valid claim, for
they were too large and dignified to be called
ponds.

Standing well back from what was known as
the street, so far as to have something of a lawn
in front, there was a house of the usual order
of village architecture. Two fine old trees, stately
and luxuriant, on each side of the walk leading to
the front door, gave to this house an air of im-
pressiveness, also suggesting both permanence and
comfort. True the farm connected with this house
was not large, neither wei - the family overbur-
3 33

n i HIJ,»<iun. i nm i .1 1 101 1 ij i . i

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

dened with luxuries ; still they managed, not only
to get a good deal out of the land, but even more
out of life. They lived on their farm, not in it.
Life for them had larger meanings than hay or
potatoes or garden truck. The corn rustling under
the summer wind, the fruit ripening or mellowing
with each passing day, the cattle lowing at even-
tide, meant more to Abram Derwent and his good
wife Sarah, than so many cans of milk or crates of
market produce. When they allowed Ruth, their
daughter, to spend nearly two years in a distant
city attending school, all Ridgeburg was surprised ;
but the Derwents never offered any explanation.
Seeing that Stephen, their only son, had business
aptitudes, they encouraged him, finally securing
for the lad an opening in New York.

A little after the noon hour on the day
Stephen was expected home, Abram Derwent,
contrary to all custom, took a chair from the
dining-room, set it under one of the big maple-
trees, and, bringing out his corncob pipe, pro-
ceeded to make himself fairly comfortable. It
was a hot day, and the long, leafy arms of
the maple were a pleasant shield against the
glare of heat. Mr. Derwent had been idle most of
the forenoon; but things were so far along that
he could afford a few hours' indulgence. But if
he had been remiss, Mrs. Derwent amply atoned
for it. She had been awake long before the birds,
coming downstairs by early twilight to complete
her preparations for Stephen's home-coming.
Hardly once did she stop to rest, going from one

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

place to another with untiring feet. Huklah, a
grim-visaged spinster, who had been a member of
the Derwent household for many years, wondered
"how ever Missis could keep a-goin' so." But if
Huldah should ever become the mother of a big,
strapping son, whose face she hadn't seen for a
whole year, and who was coming home to spend
his vacation, she probably will "keep a-going" just
as Mrs. Derwent did. This contingency is some-
what remote ; for :iot only is Huldah grim of vis-
age, but full fifty years have passed over her maid-
enly head.

IMr. Derwent had not more than fairly started
with his corncob, when the baker's cart announced
its coming; for Mr. Jewitt used a handbell with
both skill and effect. Mrs. Derwent at once came
to the gate; for she remembered Stephen's boyish
regard for certain delicacies peculiar to Mr. Jewitt.
"The Libbys have got a tenant after all," the
baker remarked, turning from the cart into which
Mrs. Derwent was looking critically, and speaking
to Abram.

"You don't say!" replied Abram, moving the
corncob, and looking in a surprised way at Mr.
Jewitt. "I did n't think they had any show for a
tenant this season. It 's rather late for folks to
come to Ridgeburg. But I 'm glad on Mrs. Libby's
account."

"Yes ; and the best of it is, they have taken the
place just as it stands, and expect to remain on
into the fall," Mr. Jewitt announced, meanwhile
drawing out a canvas bag, from which he took

a tl THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

some change, giving it to Mrs. Derwent, who had
made sundry purchases and tendered him a dollar-
bill in payment.

Mr. Jewitt was not expeditious in these mat-
ters ; still he made few mistakes, which is the main
thing in life, after all.

"You don't know who these oeople are?" Mrs.
Derwent asked, moving slowly towards the gate,
her purchases in one hand am' L r change in the
other.

"Mrs. Libby says they are New York people,"
Mr. Jewitt replied, giving the canvas bag a twist,
and leisurely winding its drawing string, prepar-
atory to dropping it into his pocket.

"Then perhaps our Stephen knows them," Mrs.
Derwent remarked, with a little motherly pride.
She had a vague notion that Stephen's position in
the Gotham Bank gave him acquaintance with al-
most every person of consequence in New York.

"P'raps he does," Mr. Jewitt answered, in a
noncommittal way, moving up from the back of
the cart. "Mrs. Libby told me there was just two
of them, father and daughter, and the father was
real sick."

"She did n't say when they were coming?" Mrs.
Derwent asked, with some eagerness.

"Some time this week, she thought. The
agent's letter said they would leave New York yes-
terday. But the father, being sick, would delay
them some. Anyhow, they won't be much later
than to-morrow or next day."

Mr. Jewitt had now gathered up the reins, and

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

a a

was about to put his foot on the step when Mrs.
Derwent asked her final question :

"Did Mrs. Libby give you the name of these
people ?"

"No. I was careful to ask her, but she said
the agent who rented the place just mentioned a
father and daughter, and did n't give any name."

With this, Mr. Jewitt climbed up to his seat,
a proceeding which the horse understood, for he
at once put himself tjon, though not with

startling abruptness. little time, therefore,

passed before the bakei s cart reached the bend of
the road, which took it beyond the range of Mrs.
Derwent's eyes.

"I do hope Stephen is acquainted with these
New York people," she said to Abram, who, after
his first remark to Mr. Jewitt, had taken no part
in the conversation.

Mr. Derwent made no reply, though he looked
at his wife as she spoke, listening carefully, too.

"I wonder what ever induced them to take the
Libby cottage at this time of year?" Mrs. Derwent
went on, talking as much to herself as to Abram.
"I 'm afraid they will find it lonesome. Well, we
must be neighborly, whether Stephen knows them
or not."

"The old gentleman, being sick, will make it
hard work for them at the ,^tart," Abram said,
putting the corncob down on the grass beside his
chair. "I 'II go over to the Libby cottage in a day
or two and see if we can do anything for them.
As you say, we must be neighborly."

w^am ■

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

Just then Huklah came to the door with an
inquiry which involved Mrs. Derwent's presence,
not an unusual proceeding on Huldah's part.

"I wonder what she is like?" Ruth said, as,
with duster in hand, she sat down for a minute or
two to discuss ihe people who had rented the Libby
cottage.

"Mr. 7 .Jtt didn't know," Mrs. Derwent ad-
mitted, rather sadly ; for she was conscious that
several important elements were lacking in the
baker's exc'ting piece of news.

'But how could he know?" wis the natural
question; "for Mrs. Libby hadn't seen these peo-
ple, and knew nothing of them except what the
agent wro*^". And agents rarely send photographs
of the people who rent houses for the season," Ruth
said, gravely. "The house perhaps would object.
It is out of all harmony for Corinthian people to
occupy Queen Anne cottages, or women of Dutch
architecture to live in Gothic houses."

The look of blank amazement on Huldah's face
only caused Ruth to add with even greater gravity :

"Houses have right* which people should re-
spect. We have furniture to match, hangings to
match, decorations to match; why not people to
match ?"

As Huldah had no more imagination than an
iron pump, her appreciation of Ruth's fancy
touches was about as definite as the laughter of a
tortoise when its shell is being tickled with a
feather. This Ruth understood, so she went on :

"People think sometimes that brick and mortar

•'

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

have no feeling; but they have. And when you
hear the doors crack, the windows rattle, the ceil-
ings fall, it is the house expressing its sense of
wrong. Is it not so, mother?"

Seeing a smile on Mrs. Derwent's face, Huldali
had a vague notion that Ruth intended some pleas-
antry ; but the point, or idea of it, was utterly be-
yond her.

"Some people live in houses no more fitted to
them than a man's overcoat would fit a wooden
clothes-pin. Then, again, other people are all
house, and nothing else. They have a parlor in
their hat, a sitting-room up their sleeves, a dining-
room tied around their waist ; they have cellars
in their shoes, and their whole sky is a plaster
ceiling."

The reference to the overcoat and the wooden
clothes-pin Huldah understood fairly well ; but,
when Ruth spoke of people having parlors in their
hats, her countenance attained such vacuity that
Mrs. Derwent laughed outright, one of those genu-
ine healthy laughs rarely heard from women on
the senior side of fifty.

There was small fear of Mr. Derwent being
late for the train on which Stephen was expected
to arrive. Every few minutes he looked at his
watch — an honest silver one, which, so far, had
never failed him — still it -^eemed to be going slowly,
for some reason or other. He put it to his ear to
make sure it had n't stopped ; then he wound it
up; after which he went in and compared it with
the kitchen clock, which he had set that morning.

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

Not feeling quite certain, he marked the afternoon
sun — a common thing in Ridgeburg, where no
electric-bell sounds the noon hour, nor factory
whistles blow at a given time.

"You won't be late for the train?" Mrs. Der-
went called, coming to the door.

"No," answered Abram, taking out his watch
again, and looking at it with renewed interest.

"What time does Stephen's train get in?" Ruth
said, speaking from a window in Stephen's room.

Ruth knew exactly when Stephen's train would
get in. They all knew. More than two weeks
before, Abram Derwent had brought a time-table
from the station, and every day since, that time-
table had been consulted. But Abram looked at
his watch again, telling Ruth what time it was, and
when the train would arrive.

"Better be early than late," Mrs. Derwent re-
marked, sententiously, again coming to the door.
"The kitchen clock is inclined to be slow."

"What time have you?" Abram asked, rising
from his chair under the maple, and, taking out his
watch, he held it open in his hand while Mrs. Der-
went stepped in to look at the kitchen clock.

"Ten minutes after three," she answered ; "but
I would n't depend on the kitchen clock."

"I set it this morning, and it 's right with my
watch now."

"Yes, but your watch may be slow. I think,
Abram. it 's time you were going."

He was at the station at least an hour before
train-time; but when the train finally came in, he

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

had the comfort of seeing Stephen standing on the
car platform, who waved his hand to him in glad
recognition. Soon he was in the buggy with his
father, and on the road to Ridgeburg. The horse,
as if conscious of the eager, expectant hearts who
were waiting at home, started off in a vigorous
trot, nor did his pace slacken much until the house
was reached, where Mrs. Derwent and Ruth were
ready at the gate to give him hearty welcome.

TRUE to his word, a day or two after Stephen's
home-coming, Abram Derwent went to call
on his new neighbors. It was early in the fore-
noon when he drove up to the Libby cottage, and,
after hitching his horse to the post near the front
gate, he went to the door, giving the bell a ring
which could be heard all over the house. A young
woman, tall, of serious face, answered the bell by
opening the door, and looking inquiringly at Mr.
Derwent. Now, Abram was no Aaron, with easy,
flowing speech, more to be desired at times than
the precious ointment which ran from the beard
of that distinguished divine, reaching even, as we
are told, to the skirts of his garments. So for a
few moments he stood looking at the young
woman in a helpless way; but finally, raising his
weather-stained and somewhat frayed straw hat,
he said:

"Good morning, ma'am ! My name is Derwent.
My place is just a little way down the road; and
I called to see if there was anything we could do

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

in helping you to get settled. We heard your
father was sick, and I thought I 'd come over and
inquire."

There was something so frank and kindly in
Mr. Derwent's manner, that Eleanor Warriston —
for it was she — was touched by it, and accepted
his coming with sincere gladness.

They had arrived at Ridgeburg the day before,
both utterly exhausted — Mr. Warriston with the
exertion of travel, Kleatu)r with the strain, both
mental and physical, under which she had been
living for some months past. It surely was a
strange home-coming for the Warristons, unlike
anything they had ever ..nown. The new day,
however, had brought something of peace and
rest. The cottage was homelike and cheerful,
pleasantly situated upon the -idge. In the dis-
tance, hills Hfted themselves one above the other,
while forming a mighty background were moun-
tains whose lofty pecks reached into the measure-
less sky. The lakes, within easy walking distance,
partially hidden by clumps of trees, seemed all the
larger and more impressive for being thus ob-
scured. Then, everything was so still! And how
pure and sweet the morning air ! With what clear-
ness could be heard the song of the birds, and how
grateful w as the perfume of the flowers ! Already
a sense of rest was diffusing itself ; and these two
stricken hearts, like tender plants trampled under
reckl' ss feet, began to raise themselves into the
light, and once more put forth hope and trust.

"You are very kind," Miss Warriston answered,

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

gratefully. "My father was able to come down to
breakfast this morning, but is still much wearied
by the journey."

"I 'm very much pleased indeed to hear it,"
Abram said, evidently referring to Mr. Warriston
being able to come down to b«-eakfast, and not that
he was still much wearied wi his journey.

"My women folks would be very glad to come
in and help you," he went on, turning the straw
hat between his hands, though looking at Miss
Warriston as he spoke. "Things, of course, are
all strange here, and p'raps my people could make
it a little easier for you at the start. If you say
so, Mrs. D^rwent or my daughter Ruth will come
over right off. It 's only a little way, and no
trouble at all."

"It is exceedingly thoughtful of you," Miss
Warriston replied, speaking even more gratefully
than before, for the genuine simplicity and un-
affected kindness of Mr. Derwent touched her
deeply. "Please thank your wife and daughter for
me ; but Mrs. Libby has so arranged matters that
we shall be able to manage quite nicely just at
present."

Abram Derwent, having accomplished his er-
rand, had no further excuse for detaining Miss
Warriston at the door ; but, not being familiar with
the procedure of city life, he hesitated, wondering
what was proper under the circumstances, con-
tinuing meanwhile to slide the rim of his hat be-
tween his fingers. He was not fully satisfied with
the result of his call. Miss Warriston had de-

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE M

dined, though gratefully, his friendly of?ers. A
consciousness of failure was beginning to come
upon. him when Miss Warriston said:

"Mr. Derwent, I deeply appreciate your kindly
call this morning. I feel already as if we had
friends in Ridgeburg. In a few days my father will
be both able and g'ad to see you. He has been
very ill, but is now much better."

"Then I '11 call again, and soon, too," Abram
answered, cordially, turning away and putting on
the well-worn hat, though evidently in no hurry to
leave. Walking slowly down the path to the gate,
he made some remark upon the little flower-beds
upon which Mrs. Libby had bestowed so much
care, also calling Miss Warriston's attention to
several fruit-trees that seemed unusually promis-
ing. By this time Miss Warriston had come out
from the doorway, and was standing on the porch
listening interestedly to what Mr. Derwent was
saying, so delightfully sin z in his manner of
speech, that more than once Eleanor found her-
self smiling at the genial, kindly humor of her
visitor.

"That building over there," he said, pointing to
what seemed a schoolhouse, "is our city hall, pub-
lic library, courthouse, general academy, and ca-
thedral. We go to church there on Sunday; we
send the children there on week-days ; we hold
our elections and patriotic celebrations there, when
Ridgeburg turns out in overwhelming numbers."

To this Eleanor replied with a smile so definite
as to contain the germ of a gentle laugh

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"That building a little further down the street
is our emporium, our commercial center, our
board of trade, in which the vast interests of this
city are conducted. When you first enter it you
may think it is only a country grocery-store, owned
by Simon Tibbetts and conducted by him in person.
But the importance of that building will grow
upon you, just as Simon himself will, the more you
know of him."

Again Miss Warriston smiled, and more defi-
nitely than before. And of this Abram Derwent
was fully aware. More than once his keen but
kindly eyes had traveled swiftly to Miss Warris-
ton 's face, seeing there more than appeared on the
surface, and reading from it much that to other
men would have remained unknown. So he went
on chatting and talking, incidentally giving Miss
Warriston valuable hints and suggestions con-
cerning matters which had not occurred to her.

"But do n't you trouble, now, about anything.
Just remember we live next door, and will be glad
to serve you in anyway we can. Ruth is the school-
teacher here; but she is having vacation now, so
you need n't be surprised to see her any time."

Having staid much longer than he intended,
Mr. Derwent moved out to the gate, unhitched his
horse, and, getting into the wagon, drove rapidly
away.

Having some matters to attend to in the vil-
lage, Abram Derwent did not get home until late
in the afternoon, and, as Stephen had gone with
his mother and Ruth to Stapleton on a general

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

expedition of shopping and "i^l> injj, the fam-
ily did not meet for sijnie hour- len Mr. Der-
went spoke of his visit . 'he ^<it)by cottage he
was deluged with questions.

"What is she like?" Ruth asked. "Is she
young, old, stout, scrawny, tall, short, red-haired
with freckles, blue-eyed with dimples? Tell us,
won't you ? We are just dying to know."

"How can your father tell us anything, Ruth,
unless you stop talking? One can't get in a word
edgeways when you fairly get "Started," Mrs. iJer-
went laughingly remarked.

"An inheritance, mother mine," answored Ruth.
"Isn't there a proverb about things being bred in
the bone coming out in the flesh?"

"Yes ; but they are not all to come out at the
point of one's tongue," Stephen said, playfully com-
ing to his mother's rescue, for she was no match
for the nimble-witted Ruth.

"Be quiet, Stephen! Please allow father to
proceed." Ruth spoke in the tones of the school-
mistress, and being rather a dainty little lady, with
a face as sweet as it was attractive, her assumption
of authority was more amusing than impressive.

Mr. Derwent started in again, doing fairly well,
though subject to repeated interruptions.

"Tall," repeated Ruth ; "well, so is Nancy Jane
Hanks, who has not yet achieved an alarming repu-
tation for beauty. You remember her, Stephen?"

"What, Stilter? Can I ever forget her? And
does she still raise her lofty brow into the patient
skv T

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"With dark, earnest eyes," Ruth continued,
ignoring Stephen's questions. "Go on, father.
The plot thickens; the mystery deepens. Enter
villain; to the rescue, fond lover; lights low, fid-
dles slow — "

"Ruth, will you never stop?" Mrs. Derwent
protested.

"This tall, serious-eyed, but distressed damsel
makes me think — "

"Go at it gently, Ruth. That is something you
are not accustomed to," Stephen remarked, softly.

"Now for her name?" Ruth asked. "The key
to the mystery may then be in our hands, and who
knows but even Stephen may get an idea, and thus
prove that the age of miracles is not past."

"You do n't know her name !" Mrs. Derwent
exclaimed, incredulously. "Well, of all things!"
she said a moment later, a remark into which won-
der, disappointment, baffled curiosity, and pathos
had been interjected in almost equal proportions.

"D IDGEBURG rarely treated itself to a genuine
XV sensation, so when one happened to come
in its way it created something of a disturbance.
And this was the case, most assuredly, when Aus-
tin Tremaine, a young clergyman from New York,
came there to spend his vacation ; for he was un-
like any- other of his class that Ridgeburg had
ever known. Being a big, strapping fellow, full-
blooded, full-chested, eager, restless, he was not
content to doze in a hammock or snooze under
the trees. So the first thing he did was to organ-
ize himself into an athletic club. He introduced
golf, performing wonders with the elusive balls,
sending them over all sorts of barriers with a
skill which many envied, but none could imitate.
He played football, kicking the responsive pig-
skin so high and so far that the Ridgeburg small
boy looked upon him with awe. Arrayed in bath-
ing-gear, he would paddle his boat to the middle
of the lake, where the water is of mysterious depth,
and, jumping off, swim about like a fish, with no
4 49

a ^ THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

more sense of danger than if drowning was a
miracle. He would go trouting, beating every
stream and brook within the country, returning
sometimes with a big string of fish, and then at
other times with nothing but the string. He went
out in all weathers, and for all kinds of sport, even
taking an occasional turn in the hay-field, where
he would work for hours as if his h'-ead depended
upon it. There was nothing cleucal in his garb,
and the cheap, broadbrimmed straw nat which he
wore most of the time was, as he wrote to a col-
lege chum, "the crowning feature of a most im-
posing and becoming garb."

At first the Ridgeburg people were not a
little scandalized; but Mr. Tremaine was either
unconscious of the feeling he had aroused, or
calmly indifferent to it. The latter probably.

Arrangements having been made with an im-
pecunious student for the vacation Sundays, Mr.
Tremaine was not asked to take any of the serv-
ices, which were held in the building known gener-
ally as the meeting-house. But it so happened
that the student's father was stricken with a seri-
ous and sudden illness. The embryonic clergy-
man, therefore, departed somewhat abruptly, leav-
ing the Ridgeburg flock without a shepherd.

Two or three dear old men met in Tibbetts's
store to talk matters over. They looked at each
other gravely, then they spoke solemnly; after
which each man shook his head with a pious em-
phasis, deeply impressing the half-dozen of lookers
on, Mr. Tibbetts, being busy, took little part in

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

the conversation, though he dropped a word at
times, evidently favoring some arrangement
whereby Mr. Tremaine might be secured. But the
first meeting did not decide the matter. When
Ridgeburg had such an important question at issue,
it must have ample time for discussion.

Shortly after this meeting in Tibbetts's store,
an ancient brother came to see Abram Derwent,
and talk the matter over with him.

"Called to be saints," the ancient brother said,
in reply to a remark of Abram 's; "but who can
think of a saint kicking a football or whirling a
golfstick."

"I don't want any saint to preac. to me,"
Abram hastily interposed. "The average saint
>rth his salt. These mewling, rmling crea-
I.o are whimpering and whining, have no
ood than a turnip, and less bowels than a

isn'*^
tt ■ ^
m •;
ha .

"Why, Abram !" Mrs. Derwent said, reprov-
ingly.

"One good man of honest flesh and blood is
worth a wagonload of saints. The reason some
people want the wings of a dove is because they
have n't gumption enough to use their hands.
Why shouldn't we invite Mr. Tremaine? Prob-
ably he won't wipe his weeping eyes, but he will
talk sense, and say something worth hearing."

As a usual thing, Mrs. Derwent's "Why,
Abram!" had its designed and desired effect; but
there were times when her remonstrances pro-
duced even less result than the throwing of corn-

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

balls at an alligator. In this particular instance
his blood was up. Deacon Tompkins, who led the
opposition to Mr. Tremaine, was the meanest,
grubbiest man in the county, a pious old humbug,
who had n't done a kindly or a generous thing
since he was born, an event which took place al-
most seventy > .'ars before. As for Josiah Higgins,
another of the oppostion, he could hardly be
trusted to pass the contribution plate ! But Josiah
was an authority on "doctrine." He was also
mighty in argument. Proof texts rolled oil his
tongue after the manner of a surveyor's tape-line.
Then his eloquence in the form ot lengthy prayer
or tiresome address was never lacking, though
contributions of a more material form were ab-
horrent to his spiritual mind A heaven peopled
by such men as Deacon Tompkins, or Josiah Hig-
gins, had no special attractions for the young men
and maidens of Ridgeburg. The picture of the
one sitting upon the steps of a celestial mansion,
running his coarse, horny fingers along the strings
of a harp ; or that of the other, holding an inter-
minable argument with some one as long-winded
as himself, — excited no tumultuous desire on the
part of the Ridgeburg people to witness these sub-
lime exhibitions. Indeed, so utterly unregenerate
were many Ridgeburgians that they preferred not
to go to heaven at all, at least not the heaven to
which Deacon Tompkins and Josiah Higgins were
going.

And now to have this Philistine, this big-footed,
big-handed Goth, this uncircumcised Hercules.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

whose whoop could be heard clear across the lake,
whose laugh was almost profane, and whose exam-
ple already had disturbed all Ridgeburg, — to have
such a man niinister in their meeting-house seemed
rank sacrilege.

A bright Sunday morning it was, with such a
gathering in the meeting-house as Ridgeburg had
rarely seen; for Mr. Tremaine had consented to
take charge of the service. Having umpired a
ball-game the afternoon before, doing it so thor-
oughly that each man played his best, both teams
were out in force, occupying seats in the gallery.
Jake Simmons, who thought he could pitch horse-
shoes with any man in the township, but who
found more than his match in Mr. Tremaine, was
at service that morning, the first time for several
years. Tom Mayhew, a careless, good-hearted fel-
low, who had challenged Mr. Tremaine to a swim
across the lake, but who gave up the race when
the young clergyman began to swim around him,
just to keep himself warm, Tom meanwhile splash-
ing and blowing at a great rate, was in the congre-
gation that day, a matter of some surprise; for
Tom rarely overworked his church privileges.

As for the young ladies — well, not within the
memory of Isaac Thurber, who was commonly re-
garded as a contemporary of Noah, was there such
a company as assembled that August morning in
the Ridgeburg meeting-house.

Mr. Warriston, though not able himseif to at-
tend, urged Eleanor to go, and with such effect
that she yielded to his wishes. She went early,

a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

hoping to avoid special observation ; but being one
of the few strangers present, she could not escape
eager attention. Nor was it any wonder, for
Ridgeburg seldom had such a visitor. Some peo-
ple might not call her beautiful in the artistic mean-
ing of that word, but to catch certain expressions
on her face would be the supreme joy of a real
painter. There was something in her eyes, on her
lips, a mysterious light quivering across her coun-
tenance, as if her pure, strong soul, for the mo-
ment, had revealed itself. Then the glow and radi-
ance would become shadowed, as though a cloud
had entered her sky, directly in line of the sun.
But the shadows were not deep, and there was
strong light behind them. Hence the impression
only added to the beauty as well as the strength
of her face. Then, a sense of power was distinctly
manifest ; not that power which is often seen on
the faces of imperious, dominating women, of
which, too, they are always conscious, but a mys-
terious pervasive force, suggestive of unknown re-
serves of character and will.

Probably few of the Ridgeburg people gave
these things much thought, as they glanced quite
frequently at Miss Warriston. The feminine por-
tion of that congregation did not fail, however,
to observe her simple but eflFective costume, and
also the easy, graceful way with which she bore
herself; for she had that indefinable bearing which
is so easily recognized but so difficult to acquire —
a possession of incalculable value, and more to be
desired than rubies.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

Miss Robins, on the little wheezy organ, played
something which she was pleased to call a "Volun-
tary," after which Mr. Tremaine announced the
opening hymn. But where is that mighty voice
which the day before rang out, "Strike two!" "Out
at first !" "Safe !" Where are those stentorian
tones which frightened even the crows from their
nests in the woods? With are delicacy he read
the tender lines, putting new meanings into the
familiar words. And then he prayed in tones so
soft and low as not to hush the songs of the birds,
whose rich, full notes blended so sweetly with the
joys of that Sabbath morning. His sermon was a
revelation to Ridgeburg.

"Adam and Eve," he said as he began, "is your
story and mine, the story of every man and woman
in the world, the story of even the world itself."

Then he went on for a full half hour, talking
in the most sane, human way, showing that temp-
tation comes in some form to every life, and that
the forbidden tree was the cause of all discontent
and the source of terrible unhappiness and sin. He
spoke in the easiest, simplest way, so that all could
understand him. He said nothing about the New
Jerusalem; hence Deacon Tompkins had no op-
portunity to "weep his wiping eyes," as a Ridge-
burg maiden was wont to remark. Neither did he
discuss the story as related in Genesis, saying that
it made no difference to the lesson whether it was
an actual history or merely a parable. This griev-
ously disappointed Josiah Higgins ; for, concerning
this chapter, more than a score uf times he had

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

argued half through the night. Nor was anything
quoted from the "fathers," or reference made to
Darwin or Huxley. It was a flesh-and-blood ser-
mon from beginning to end.

Abram Derwent rubbed his hands in a way
which expressed much inward enjoyment. More
than once he looked at his wife with a funny little
smile when Mr. Tremaine made some quaint re-
mark or used a homely illustration. He even so
far forgot the proprieties as to reach his foot along
the floor and touch Stephen's ankle with his tc .
Then again he would turn almost half way in his
seat that he might observe the effect of Mr. Tre-
maine's discourse upon the congregation.

The half hour was not long in passing; but
there was one person from whom the preacher
failed to secure undivided attention. Try as she
would, Miss Warriston's thoughts went back to
the steamer ; once again she was at her stateroom
window, and she could hear: "Eleanor Warriston
is the apple on your tree. I understand your par-
able now." She knew from whom those words
had come, and also to whom they were spoken.
She was conscious, too, of what they implied ; and
this, more than all else, filled her with indignation
and shame. No wonder, then, that her thoughts
wandered at times, and breaking in upon Mr. Tre-
maine 's sermon she could hear the mocking echo :
"Eleanor Warriston is the apple on your tree.
I understand your parable now."

Whon the service was over, Stephen Derwent,
knowing a number of his friends would be present,

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

turned around to look over the congregation, and,
to his amazement, saw Miss Warriston. Not once
had he associated her with the Libby cottage.
From what Fred Westerhall had said, he thought
the Warristons were going in another direction.
To see her here was, therefore, a grateful sur-
prise; and, by her smile when she saw Stephen,
her surprise was equally grateful. In a moment
he had made his way down the little aisle, receiv-
ing from her a most cordial greeting. By the time
he had asked her about Mr. Warriston, their trip
down, and if she knew where a letter would reach
Fred Westerhall, the aisle was open, allowing the
Derwent family to move up to where Stephen was
standing with Miss Warriston. This gave him an
opportunity of introducing his mother and Ruth.
Mr. Derwent required no introduction; for when
Eleanor saw him she instantly held out her h_nd,
smiHngly saying:

"Please remember your promise to call and see

my father."

The vestibule was still fairly thronged, so were
the steps outside, also the walk leading to the
street; for Mr. Tremaine had not yet come out,
and a goodly company were waiting to speak with
him. Miss Warriston, therefore, was the subject
of a careful observation as, with the Herwents,
she walked in the direction of the Libby cottage.

But all that afternoon while Ridgeburg was
discussing the sermon of Mr. Tremaine, Eleanor
could hear: "Eleanor Warriston is the apple on
your tree. I understand your parable now."

BUT let us not forget Mr. Bodell. Of that,
however, there is no immediate danger; for
he belongs to a class whom to remember is pain-
fully easy. Mr. Carlisle remembered him, dis-
tinctly too, and though miles away, traveling as
fast as the train would carry him, he could plainly
see Mr. Bodell's mocking face, and hear the echo
of his cruel words.

Miss Warriston also had good cause to remem-
ber him, and many others as well, ncr was the
memory in any case inspired by -ratitude or affec-
tion.

But Mr. Bodell was not deeply affected by these
things. The philosophy of his life was both simple
and definite,— get all you can, anyway you can,
keep it while you can, and let the world generally
go to Bagdad.

Nevertheless, when he parted from the Warris-
tons on the Albany boat, his frame of mind was
anything but pleasant. For the dread and fear
on Mr. Warriston 's face he cared nothing what-

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE 59

ever, but the look in Miss Warriston's eyes was
terribly definite. The scornful curve of her lips,
though finely drawn, could not be mistaken. His
dark eyes, therefore, always bright and piercing,
had a dangerous gleam. His mouth, never kindly
at best, was drawn in hard, set lines. And there
was something more than anger on his face; for
anger is nearly always open, with warning signals
to denote its presence. Mr. Bodell was never
frankly angry, and, no matter what his stress of
passion, he rarely showed any expression of it be-
yond a bitter sneer or a mocking phrase. Hence,
when he reached Saratoga, no one would have
suspected that he was not in love and charity with
his neighbors; for a more bland, easy, courteous
gentleman could not anywhere be found.

Evidently he had plenty of money, for his
rooms at the "United States" were among the
choicest of that well-known hostelry. Every after-
noon he took a turn on the famous drive, his horses
being worthy of comparison with any in Saratoga.
He gave little parties at the '..''.ke, in which he
showed himself a generous host. He soon became
quite popular ; for though no one knew much about
him, still a well-groomed, handsome man, in the
prime of life, apparently wealthy, and a bachelor
as well, could not but meet with general favor.
And Saratoga rarely annoys its guests with im-
pertinent questions. People there have a way of
accepting each other without formality or restraint.
One introduction easily leads to another. The
question is not, "Who is he?" but, "What is he?"

^ THE RIDDLh . >F I IFE

Iierewithal

and the man who seems to lavc the
can enter any circle he desires.

In the smoking-room, Bod* !i met Tom Allen,
a casual acquaintance, from New Vork ; Ji t same
evening Allen presented him to Mrs. Endsleigh, a
lady of varied graces and fa cinations ; through
Mrs. Endsleigh he was favored with an introduc-
tion to Miss Aylesbury, an acknowledged leader
in Saratoga circles; so almost immediately Mr.
Bodell took his place in the tront rank, being ac-
cepted without hesitation or gainsay. He, there-
fore, had no cause for complaint. He was invited
to little suppers, parior dances, card pa ties, as well
as more stately functions. And everything that
came he accepted ; for he liked good things to eat,
pretty women to dance with, a lively game of cards,
or anything else of that order. One evening, as
he was leaving the hotel, a special delivery mes-
senger gave him a letter evidently of some im-
portance, judging by the haste with which he
opened it and his interest in its contents. Moving
from the door, but within easy distance of the
light, he read:

"Dear Jim,— The last of the Warriston boodle
.vent to-day. The price did not quite reach our
figure, but I thought it best to let the stufi go.
Your share has been paid into tht otham. Keep
me posted. As ever, JnJ^ g »

This singular epistle Mr. Bodell ead carefully,
frowning at times as if not well pleased. Perhaps

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

he objected to being addressed as Juu." Possibly
the use of the tern' "boodle" war offensi e. Such
expressions as "J' i-" "boodle," d 'V ^" wc^
surely not in keeping with eveniug dr<. and i
outward appearance so eh f^ant a*; that of Mr
Bodell. ailing for a blank he woit over to tht
large table in the n ading-room, and, after think-
ing for a few niinuies, wrote a telegram:

"Sorry you sold Montana,
fail. Will w-ite

Buy back without
J. B."

"Going to Maitlands ?"" said Tom Allen, as Mr.
Bodell disposed of his telegram.

"Yes ; you ?"

"Yes."

"Then we can go together."

"Carriage?" said Allen.

"At the uoor," answered Bodell, to whr u
AUei 's laconic form f spei ,ii had now becoi e
familiar.

Then they went ovi-, Bodell neglectinp it takt
up the letter whicl: iie bad i ut aside whet wruia}^
his telegram.

A nice, kind v oki gentleman, clean shaven, c
clerical appear.-! , whose ' ce was stiik fJ-
i>enevolent, and \vho fairly bea led tipon this
generate world *hri ug.i gold-rim iiitd -foctac
saw the letter, which Mr. BodeL had ev ontly lor-
gotten. Put for some reason he did not call at-
tention to it. Instead he quietly moved nn from
where he was sitting, covered the letter with a

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

newspaper which he had in his hand, then taking
another New York paper from his pocket, read
steadily for perhaps half an hour. There were only
two or three people in the room when Mr. Bodell
came in to write his telegram, and these had gone
out one after the other: so the clerical-looking
old gentleman was now the only one present.
After a time others came in, some of them talking
loudly, which seemed to disturb him, for almost
immediately he reached for the newspaper which
covered Mr. Bodell's letter, and in his haste took
It, and the letter as well, going at once to his room.

As neither Mr. Bodell nor Mr. Allen seemed
alarmingly anxious to meet their hostess or her
guests, the drive to Maitlands occupied consider-
able time. The evening air was delicious, sum-
mery, but crisp and vigorous; much soft, clear
light lingered in the sky; the horses were fresh,
the roads were good, the after-dinner cigar of
special flavor; small wonder, then, that an hour
soon passed under such pleasant conditions.

Nor was the hour altogether profitless, at least
not to Mr. Bodell; for he made many suggestive
inquiries, most of which Tom Allen answered un-
suspectingly.

"The Maitlands?" repeated Allen, "say rather
'the Maitland,' for in point of fact there is only
one."

"Isn't there another one?" Bodell asked, with
a guileless smile.

"Yes, somewhere. Seldom visible, though."
"Peculiar sort of man?" Bodell suggested, look-

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

ing meanwhile at the sky, in which clouds were
massing themselves in wondrous form.

"Peculiar sort of woman," Allen answered,
flicking the ashes from his cigar, then leaning back
more easily in the carria'^e.

"In what way?"

"Notions, hobbies, fads of all kinds ; suflfrag^st,
scientist, general reformer; hence the other Mait-
land takes to the woods."

"Bright woman, though; at least I should
judge so."

"Bright, yes; but a mighty uncomfortable
woman to get along with. When she gets fairly
started she would give the earache to an Egyptian
mummy. And then she takes up with all sorts 01
people."

"You seem fairly intimate with her."

This was accompanied with a smile which, like
Hebrew, had to be read backwards.

"She is a relative of mine ; not very close,
though. Maitland himself is a good sort. Always
liked him."

"Miss Aylesbury is something of a personage,"
Bodell remarked, as he looked at his watch, when,
finding it was yet early, he lit a fresh cigar, pass-
ing the case to Allen.

"Rather," vvas ail Allen said, as he proceeded
to light the new cigar from the butt of the old one.

"Money?" questioned Bodell, leaning forward
to speak to the coachman.

"Her father has. Rummy old cove. Ever met
him?"

^ a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"No."

"Strange. Thought every one in New York
knew Aylesbury. Bank director, and that sort of
thing. Real business note-shaver."

"Stocks as well?"

"Shady stocks mostly. Mines and stuff of all
kinds. He 's a downy bird."

"Feathered his own nest?"

"Feathered is n't any name for it."

In a few minutes the carriage drove up to the
Maitlands', and in another few minutes Mr. Bodell
and Tom Allen were formii.or a part of a numerous
and miscellaneous company.

■ ■■■

MRS. MAITLAND had a way of accepting
herself which, from certain standpoints, was
really admirable. No woman could possibly say
less with such a profusion of words, or mean less
in so many varied and distinct tones. She was
deliciously insincere, and exquisitely untruthful.
So she gushed, she overflowed, she held out both
hands to comparative strangers, she effused in gen-
erous proportion. Hence she was exceedingly
popular, almost every one declaring that Mrs.
Maitland was a most charming woman.

She was within whispering distance of forty,
though no one would have suspected it ; for t ")th-
ing in her face or in her manner gave evidence of
such a thing. Then she had the art of so wearing
clothes that they did not wear her — a sure proof
of artistic genius.

"Mr. Bodell!" she exclaimed, as he presented
himself with Tom Allen, "I am delighted to see
you. But why so late ? I was beginning to think
vou were not coming."
5 6S

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

The perfect smile and grateful look which ac-
companied this cordial greeting were not without
effect; for how was Mr. Bodell to know that she
had not once thought of him during the evening?
"As for j'ou, Tom," addressing Allen, "you
ought to be ashamed of yourself, coming in when
other people are going out. But you must make
up for it by staying that much later."

She did n't like Allen, having a suspicion that
he took sides with Mr. Maitland. But that Tom
regarded her as a chattering little humbug never
once entered her amiable mind.

"I want you to meet Mrs. Deveral," she said
to Mr. Bodell. "She is a most wonderful woman ;
so entertaining and original. You are sure to be
delighted with her."

Mr. Bodell courteously expressed his desire
to meet the distinguished lady, in whose honor the
gathering had been arranged.

Later in the evening, to a chosen circle, Mrs.
Deveral gave expression to certain views, of which
she was an acknowledged exponent.

"I did n't ask to be born," she said, in a tone
which admitted of no doubt, "hence I assume no
responsibility in the case."

The air of high tragedy with which this pro-
found utterance was given suggested manifest in-
justice somewhere. To bring a person of such
consequence into this world without a certificate
of approval was certainly a highhanded proceed-
ing. With most people the matter of being born
IS a mere incident, a circumstance of no moment

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

whatever ; but in the case of Mrs. Deveral, so vast
and complicated were the interests involved, she
was amply justified in refusing to accept any obli-
gation.

Two involuntary spinsters of mature but un-
certain years, with scrawny necks and obtrusive
cheek-bones, felt that a great \yrong had been done
Mrs. Deveral. Another female, of mannish air and
mien, whose dresses had side-pockets, into which
she thrust her hands with the grace of a Kentucky
colonel, loudly sympathized with Mrs. Deveral.
A little, wizened German professor, whose high
intellectual life had been attained chiefly through
Bavarian beer, strong tobacco, and Heine's poetry,
gazed rapturously upon Mrs. Deveral; that is, as
rapturously as his winkin^j, blinking eyes, hidden
behind huge spectacles, would allow. Under such
noble encouragement, Mrs. Deveral went on:

"By what right was I thrust into this world
without any choice or volition of my own?"

The marked emphasis upon "this world" im-
plied that Mrs. Deveral might have consented to
honor some other world with her presence ; but
to bring a woman of such transcendent abilities to
a planet of common, meager dimensii ■ iS, was an
outrage upon the harmonies of creation. Mrs.
Deveral did not intimate, in any definite way, how
her consent might have been secured. She doubt-
less thought that the company whom she was fa-
voring with such sublime sentiments had mental
capacity to arrange ways and means of their own.
Some things are ?o simple, so thoroughly elemen-

Jt a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

tary, that even to make mention of them is a
waste of time.

Tom Allen, great, stupid blunderhead, could n't
see any sense in what Mrs. Deveral was saying,
so he went over to a couple of nice, innocent-look-
ing girls in another part of the room, and talked
with them of golf and college boat-races, and other
common things. But Tom never ranked high.
Some of the "elect" said he was dull, that he
couldn't understand Browning, and, if a choice
were given him, he would rather attend a ball-
game than a lecture on Theosophy.

There was something of contempt in Mrs. Dev-
eral's eyes when she saw Allen withdraw from the
favored circle; but those remaining were so sym-
pathetic that not to resume would be cruelty to
them. Therefore she resumed:

"And now, being here without personal desire,
what remains for me but to take the world exactly
as I find it?"

What indeed ? And how kind this was of Mrs.
Deveral! Only think of what might have hap-
pened had she refused ; for a woman of her emi-
nence to have repudiated this world, would have
meant for our poor earth a deeper eclipse than
when the moon, standing on the hearth-rug,
stretches out its coat-tails in the most offensive
way.

The eloquence of Mrs. Deveral produced im-
mediate results ; for the masculine female at once
unpocketed both hands, running one through the
short, bushy hair which erected itself over her

mmmm

mmmmmm

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

noble brow, and with the other making gestures
both ample and expressive. Then she spoke, in
accents clear but not mild:

"To me, life is simply an appropriation of that
which pleases. The world is here. I am here. The
world was made for me, I was made for the world.
What we want is a larger appreciation of life ; not
a life within barbed-wire limits, but the bird-life,
with all the freedom of the sky ; the fish-life, with
the sweep of the boundless sea ; the Hon-life, with
the untrammeled realm of the forest."

In a certain sense, which, however, only the un-
regenerate can understand, the speaker may have
been a "bird," for some godless young men had
so designated her ; and, being puflfy, with lopsided
propensities, sundry persons, when speaking of her
among themselves, had alluded to her resemblance
to a porpoise.

Her desire, therefore, for the attributes of the
bird and the fish were being attained. But no one
had accused her of being a lion. A certain adven-
ture with a mouse — when she, well no matter —
was yet a vivid remembrance.

Mrs. Deveral smiled, a conscious superior
smile, in which several others joined.

But the professor did not smile. The allusion
to barbed-wire limits ditl not appeal to his sense
of humor. Among these lovers of freedom the
professor was ranked as a martyr, who, rather than
violate his principles, had suflfered the horrors of
a prison. Concerning this time in jail the pro-
fessor was becomingly modest. But such is the

M THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

f..

despicable tyranny of certain foreign Governments
that, in their police records, they basely refused
to class the professor's crime other than common
theft, even making marks opposite his name on
the prison register which would indicate his habit
of frequenting such institutions!

Then one of the involuntary spinsters spoke.
This spinster was musical, at least she so referred
to herself ; but those who had heard her either play
or sing have been known to make remarks openly
and positively profane.

"This world is a wondrous organ," she softly
murmured, her face wearing a rapt, ecstatic ex-
pression, "with a great variety of stops, and ca-
pable of almost infinite combinations. My life is
the keyboard which controls this noble instrument,
and it is for me to draw forth such exquisite music
as will flood my being with mysterious harmony."
Here the gentle creature sighed, a long, patient,
expressive sigh, in which wistfulness and yearning
were very manifest. This tender and poetic out-
burst so aflfected Mrs. Devera: chat she was com-
pelled to retire behind her fan for a few moments
to conceal her emotions.

"Mr. Bodell, just think how you have deserted
me !" said Mrs. Maitland, now joining the group.
"But I can't blame you," smiling at Mrs. Deveral,
contriving also to give each member of the little
company a labial token of her good will.

Then she led Mr. Bodell away, pleasantly re-
marking that her duties as hostess required his
kindlv services.

'HEN the dear old gentleman who had so
innocently taken Mr. Bodell's letter
reached his room, he proceeded to do some things
out of all harmony with his benevolent appearance.
First of all, he opened the letter, though on the
envelope, plainly written, was Mr. Bodell's name.
Then he read it even more carefully than Mr.
Bodell had done. After this he made two copies
of it, placing one in a large envelope with some
private papers, the other he inclosed in a special
wrapper, and addressed it to a correspondent in
New York". These things being done, he went
downstairs again, and, watching for a favorable
opportunity, put Mr. Bodell's letter exactly where
he found it less than an hour before.

Mr. Bodell did not think of this letter till late
in the evening, and was annoyed at not finding it
in his pocket. He remembered laying it down on
the readi'}g-room table, but could not recall taking
it up agam. Usually letters from his partner, Noel
Steiinctt, were destroyed when read: a wise pre-

M THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

caution in view of their peculiar relations. A vague
sense of uneasiness interfered somewhat with his
enjoyment of idle chatter, and he wished a dozen
times he had not been so careless.

Tom Allen's remark regarding Miss Aylesbury
led Mr. Bodell to pay her considerable attention.
Such homage, however, was no unusual thing with
her. Something, either the supposed wealth of her
father or her own personal attractions, made Miss
Aylesbury exceedingly popular. She had any num-
ber of admirers. Men of all grades, shades, orders,
and conditions paid willing court to Miss Ayles-
bury. Like a certain Mary upon whom poetry has
lavished itself, giving us in wondrous rhyme the
story of rare devotion on the part of a juvenile
sheep, so everywhere Miss Aylesbury went the
crowd was sure to go.

"How did you escape?" she asked Mr. Bodell,
in stage confidence, gNncing into the next room
where Mrs. Deveral .vas surrounded by her eager
disciples.

"Mrs. Maitland was my deliverer," he answered,
pathetically. Then, turning to Mrs. Maitland, he
said in whispei ed theatrics :

"From henceforth my life is at your service."

At this the all laughed, tho igh of course it
never occurred to them that they were laughing
at the guest in whose honor they were assembled.
Verily the ways of fashionable society pass all
understanding.

"You had been informed that she had been born
without her consent?"

THE RIDDLE OE LIEE a

"Yes."

"That she would assume no responsibility what-
ever?"

"Yes."

"That she would accept the world as she
found it ?"

"Yes."

"O Geneva!" Mrs. Maitland said, laughingly,
as Miss Aylesbury, in her frank, audacious way,
summed up Mrs. Deveral's theories, and, with wit
both keen and brilliant, served them anew to Mr.
Bodell.

In all truth Mrs. Maitland was a most charming
and interesting hostess.

On returning to the hotel, Mr. Bodell went to
the reading-room, and, to his great relief, found his
missing letter just where he had laid it on the
table, though covered carelessly with a newspaper.
The old gentleman with the gold-rimmed spec-
tacles sat near the table reading a serious-looking
magazine, absorbed evidently in its contents. But
a close observer might have noticed a singular
movement of his eyes when Bodell opened the en-
velope. The same keen scrutiny would probably
have discovered the faint outline of a smile as Mr.
Bodell, after again reading the letter, tore it into
little pieces and threw them into the waste-paper
basket. Then Mr. Bodell went to his room, the
old gentleman soon following, his room, however,
being on another floor.

It may have been the high stimulant of Mrs.
Deveral's wisdom, or Miss Aylesbury's daring

M THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

manner of ridicule, but for some reason Mr. Bodell
was not inclined to retire. So he concluded to
. write some letters. The first was a reply to Noel
Stennett.

"I wired you this morning, as a letter would not
reach you in season. That Montana stuff is all
right. Do n't fail to get hold of it again. When
we got it from Warriston, it was n't worth much ;
but within the past week, so the G. P. informs me,
a move has been made that will boom the whole
business. A big raft of copper is in sight, but
mum is the word. Be sure and get our stock even
at an advance. On the boat I came across Car-
lisle. ■ He is a cunning dog, and means trouble.
He knows all about the Warriston deal, so we
must keep track of him. Rut he can't do much
harm, for a month, as he is in the Adirondacks.

"Old Aylesbury is here. His daughter is one
of the swells, a regular high-flyer. She introduced
me to her father, and we bowed and grinned as if
meeting for the first time. If Miss A. knew as
much of her ancient daddy as we do, she would n't
carry so many streamers.

"I have track of some little lays which may
work out later. Hope you are enjoying Long
Branch. Let me know about Montana. J. B."

When this letter was finished Bodell lit a cigar
which he smoked half through ; but, finding himself
stdl mdisposed for sleep, he wrote another epistle,
though not to Stennett.

THE RIDDLE VF LIFE M

" When (lid you hear of the Warriston.H

The madonna and her father wert • i tlie boat
with me, l>ut our conversation was . )i .xtc sivt '.
I would like to know where tney arc goiu^, for
reasons which you can uu'lerstand. Rohji . is>
still invisiblf. What a simpictoii he is, and l^ovv
easily he j)la • «1 into our hands! I hope he is at
the bottom ot t he sea ; for it would lie awkward if
he showed up before we carrv out our j-lan.

"Stcnnett s working Long Branch. For a
guileless youth. Stennett is a marvel. He in with
Hawksb} , running a pasteboard shop and coffee-
stand, where fools go in with full pockets and come
out with empty ones.

"Wish you could have been with mc to-night.
I am just in from an idiotic reception given in
honor of our old friend, Mrs. Devcral ! She did n't
recognize me ; at least she gave no sign. But you
know what a sly old fox she is. Strange, to meet
her after all these years ! A silly creature enter-
tains the illustrious Mrs. Deveral, where I met a
lot of howling swells, mostly women — funn\
women too. What swarms of young fools there
are in this town ! But more when I see you.

"J. B."

Having in this classic way di«;yo3ed of his im-
mediate correspondence, Mr. Bodell retired for the
night.

It is not an unusual thing for a hostess and her
guest of honor to have various sweet and confi-
dential confabs, more particularly after some spe-

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

cial event in which both were prominent. Hence
Mrs. Maitland and Mrs. Deveral, though long past
midnight, amused and instructed each other by
discoursing of the chief characters who had at-
tended the reception.

"You are very hard on dear Miss Aylesbury,"
Mrs. Maitland said, in a purring tone.

"One could n't be too hard on such a creature,"
was the angry reply.

"I do n't blame you for feeling bad," rejoined
Mrs. Maitland, purring as before, though at heart
much pleased that Miss Aylesbury had so defi-
nitely and with such audacity disposed of Mrs.
Deveral.

Mrs. Maitland v.-as finding Mrs. Deveral tire-
some. There was also too much of her. No
woman can gracefully pose as an apostle of sweet-
ness and light with a waist-line almost invisible and
a waddle like that of a duck. Mrs. Maitland re-
sented the lack of correspondence between
Mrs. Deveral's aerial theories and her ponder-
ous corporosity. Then her lips were thick, her
chin repeated itself, her face shone unctuously,
her eyes were heady, with neither lashes nor
brows in definite quantity. A tufted mole here
and there, while breaking the monotony of
her face, added really nothing to its beauty.
From every poii.t of view, Mrs. Deveral of-
fended the delicate, artistic taste of Mrs. Mait-
land. But Mrs. Deveral was a reformer, a woman
with a mission, a loud proclaimer of the new gos-
pel. The daring of Miss Aylesbury in making pub-

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

He sport of this exalted being, and definitely reject-
ing her sublime theories, was an example Mrs.
Maitland secretly admired, but lacked the courage
to follow.

"She is a bold, flippant creature," Mrs. Devcral
continued. "She has no mind whatever. The
low, common views which she takes of life are
simply disgusting. What men see in her to admire
I can't imagine."

"Mr. Aylesbury is rich," Mrs. Maitland sug-
gested, suppressing a yawn.

"Mr. Bodell, I noticed, was quite attentive to
her."

To this remark, Mrs. Maitland made no rc[)ly,
hoping that a polite silence on her part would end
the conversation.

"I have met that Bodell man somewhere," Mrs.
Deveral said, using a phrase more striking that ele-
gant. "He is older by a good many years, and has
changed considerably ; but I 'd bet my boots I have
seen him before."

"Excuse my thoughtlessness," Mrs. Maitland
purred once more as she rose from her chair ; "but
just see how I have kept you up, and after such an
exciting evening! It is really too bad of me.
What a darling you are to let me stay here so long,
without one word of complaint !"

So they kissed each other lovingly, and went to
their rooms.

ABRAM DERWENT was not long in estab-
L lishing pleasant relations with the Libby cot-
tage. At first Mr. Warriston hardly knew what
to make of his neighbor. He would say the keen-
est things without the least tinge of cynicism, and,
though deliciously quaint in his humor, was never
sarcastic. He was shrewd, but not cunning or
subtle, differing in these particulars from most
people.

The two men were sitting on the piazza one
evening, !Vfr. Warriston in a steamer chair, a for-
mer boarder's legacy to Mrs. Libby ; Abram occu-
pied an old-fashioned rocker, enjoying his corn-
cob pipe. They had been talking quite freely, but
now both were silent, Mr. Warriston looking
dreamily at the distant hills, Abram thinking over
their conversation.

Mr. Trcmaine had gone v.ith a party to one of
the lakes, end a merry party it was: for bursts of
laughter, snatches of song, and gleeful shouts
could be plainly heard.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

Ruth Derwent had called for Miss Warriston,
taking her to the other lake, where Stephen was
waiting witl his boat, and in the rich twilight they
were lazily drifting on the quiet waters, which
shone , 5 though mingled with fire. It was just
the evening for lovers, for dreamers, for souls to
whom the world means more than clay or stone,
and with whom life is a glorious mystery.

A nature so intense and sensitive as that of
Eleanor Warriston felt keenly the spell of such
an hour. The strain under which she had been
living for almost a year was gradually relaxing.
At first there had been the shock, startling and
terrible, like a bolt from the clear sky. Then came
the horror and shame, which, in turn, were fol-
lowed by weeks of fearful anxiety when her father
lay hovering between life and death.

There was the usual hollow commiseration,
often prompted by vulgar curiosity ; a pitiless pity
more cruel than open censure. Nor did she fail to
experience the cold neglect of supposed friends,
one of the bitterest ingredients in the cup of mis-
fortune. Sad moments she had at times ; hot tears
often dimmed her eyes ; anger as well as grief fre-
quently crowded her heart ; yet, with a courage
surprising even to herself, she bore up under a load
which would have utterly crushed many others.

But, since coming to Ridgeburg, so complete
had been the change in her life and associations,
already a new feeling of hope and peace had come
to her. The future had more of promise. Her
heart was lighter. She was losing the depressing

RMgeburg Schoor ''"' ^'^^""'■"y in the

Stephen glanced up nuirHv *u
of vigorous strokes 4h ht /e , ' "'u'' ^ '°"P'=
boat from a reef unon t ! °"' ''^'"'«<' 'he

^he made no omm^" "l' P"" °' '"^ >->"■ Bu,
get i„,o the aTTwl f°™\r«"°"^. however,
words; and ,h . a ™ ,"f "'"^^ "'™^^'>'« 'n
which rises from a Iwer ""= " ""= P"'"™^

smile'"" ""' ''" °'""«"''" Stephen said, with a

"I will now," she answered- "=» i
mtimate that there is ,„ '. " '"'^^ ' will

■■"f, and the yonn/er h " "P"'^^'' on the

^ince." Stepl eH^f ..i^Z T *°'"""'- "Ever
Rock,, and People'';toi;it'':Hrrth;;'crn..'^'''"'^

HUH

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

"But why is it called 'Boilell's Rock?' Miss
Warriston asked, Stephen Httle dreaming of the
anxiety which prompted her question.

''Because it was Jack Bodell who was drowned,
son of old Squire Bodell, who lives here in Ridge-
burg."

"The other son escaped?" Miss Warriston said,
turning her face so it was shadowed from the light.

"Yes," Stephen answered, speaking constrain-
edly; "but, from what people say here, there were
ugly stories told of him."

"Do you remember anything of this?" Miss
Warriston asked, including both Ruth and Stephen
in her glance.

"O no," Ruth answered in a nervous voice.
"We were not born at the time. It is thirty years,
if not more, since it happened. I heard my mother
speak of it only last week."

"And the little fellow's name was Jack?" Miss
Warriston said, after a jiause, during which Ruth
and Stephen hoped the conversation might soon
take another turn.

"Yes, the other one was James," Stephen an-
swered, unconsciously making reply to Miss War-
riston's unspoken question.

Then they began to talk of other things, but
a feeling of constraint had come upon them.

"Bodell, James Bodell," Miss Warriston kept
repeating to herself. "But it surely can not be
the same."

Then she would try to put the matter out of her
mind ; but every few moments it returned, and

82 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

under her breath she could not refrain from say-
ing: "O, it can not be! It can not be I"

The bowl of Abram Derwent's corncob, not
being a capacious affair, required careful renewals
at short intervals. Before replying, therefore, to
Mr. Warriston's 'ast question the corncob de-
manded his attention. Close observers of Abram
had noticed that, when he desired to gain time
without an embarrassing pause, his pipe needed
immediate care. Abram had a way of thinking
twice before he spoke once, a plan not generally
adopted. His mouth was no rapid-firing machine
a mitrailleuse with numberless barrels all loaded
and ready to go oflf at a touch.

"Well, it seems to me," he said, resuming his
place in the rocker, "something like an elephant
saying its prayers to a mouse."

Mr. Warriston smiled, then replied: "I don't
quite understand your comparison of the elephant
and the mouse. There is an old fable of the mouse
and the lion, but that has a meaning of its own."
rhe way people ,;et down before things so
much smaller than themselves is what I mean"
"Perhaps you can make it still clearer," Mr
Warriston suggested, mildly.

"It was really Mr. Tremaine who said it, though
m another way. He has been preaching to us for
the last two Sundays on the apple of Eden, and
He said there were men who would get up early
and stay up late so that they might worship their
own pocket-books. Funny, is n't it ?"

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

3
i

Vr.

Warriston smiled almost audibly, not so
much perhaps at what Abram said as at his man-
ner of saying it.

"That Mr. Tremaine is powerful smart. He
said the world was full of people who would rather
steal one apple off another man's tree than gather
a bushel from their own. The way he talks about
that tree beats anything I ever heard. That apple
story used to puzzle me, but it does n't now."

Mr. Warriston, never having overstrained his
church-going propensities, was not very familiar
with the story of Adam and Eve. He hardly knew,
therefore, what reply to make.

"Josiah Higgins, one of our Ridgeburg saints,
has talked to me by the hour about that tree ; b-Jt
Josiah's idea is not much clearer than a bat's defi-
nition of sunlight, or a mud-turtle's observations
on the poetry of motion."

This time Mr. Warriston actually laughed, per-
haps the first time since coming to Ridgeburg.

"Then, there is Deacon Tompkins, a dear man,
whose grief-condenser is always in working order ;
he has wept over that tree so his eyes were foun-
tains of tears ; but I confess the Deacon did n't
move me much. You see, Mr. Warriston, these
men talk about the thing as if it was away of? some-
where, and took place thousands of years ago.
Why, the whole business happened in Ridgeburg,
and within my own knowledge."

"Then, this is the veritable Eden," Mr. War-
riston remarked, unconsciously tinging his words
with a mixture of humor and sarcasm.

M M

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

Yes, this is the veritable Eden. You see that
house yonder?" pointing to a house which was
ea .ly v,s,ble m the twilight, for it was a handsome,
o ornal type of building, of dimensions and archi-
tecture fairly pretentious. "The apple brought
rum to that house. The mother is dead, the fathe
IS broken-hearted, and God only know what has
become of the son."

Mr. Warriston's face twitched, then paled as

saw that somethmg had affected him, but turned
away as ,f to look at the house of which he had
just spoken. Then, moving along the pia^za. he

"Some time I will tell you the story of old
Squire Bodell. It is a sad one."

"Bodell! did you say.?" Mr. Warriston asked

h.s mention of the name had caused.

Mr VV ' ^ ""'" '" ^"^ ^^'•'^ «f that name."

voKre. evidemly desirous of comrolling his emo-

"How old a man might he be?" Abram asked
standing on the waJL- ,..!,; t, i i . "^"^"^ asKed,
fe '11 rne walk which led to the gate

leant say. T met him only a few times Per
haps thirty-five or forty. But'T do . ' Cw '

Abram knew by Mr. Warriston's voice and hi.
short, catchy breathing that somethi^^'ronnected

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

<^5

with the name of Bodell had stirred unpleasant
memories in the mind of his neighbor. He was
exceedingly sorry, therefore, that the name had
come up in their conversation. Rut before he
could express any regrets, or oflfer an explanation,
Miss Warriston, with Ruth and Stephen, came to
the cottage gate.

There was little sleep in the Libby cottage that
night. Eleanor could not get rid of the story oi
"Bodell's Rock" and the mention of Jack Bodell's
name. Mr. Warriston could hear, over and over
again, Abram Derwent saying:

"Yes, Bodell, the father, is a broken-licarU-d
man, and God only knows what has become of
the son."

lif ■,

TN the drawing-room car of the .rain which a

LZ :r ^ "" "=" ''^" '^■'"■"^' Ethan Car-
lisle sat not reading as was his wont wl,e„ travel

.ng but looking dreamily out of the win ow "hI"

Tf MU ,,,' T' '"""'^ ""^•"«' here ranges
01 lulls, tliere rollmg valleys; now dashing aIon<r
an open country, again skirting quiet viZes "f
one t,me the h.«rse whistle soundtag ou Sier

:;^;r Br^rr- -rt :iifS
:::rt\:'^rerh-tr='F--

rosS' "t"-' ^'"e snettg-Le-yToS
rose up before h.m, and he could hear a^ain thT

:p7r„:t';re^"^'^d""^"'""""'-^^

now." ^ understand your parable

poril^iUXltr.T^^^^^^^^^^
■ng om the familiar yellow e^elope ' '^°"'-

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"Yes," answered Mr. Carlisle, glancing at the

address. . ^„

"It was put on at the last station not more than

five minutes ago," the pprter said.

"Thank you," replied Mr. Carlisle ; "it probably
requires an answer," rising from his chair and
going down the car to a writing-table.

Opening the telegram he read :

"Have secured Warriston's Montana. Can't
you spend vacation there? Answer. H. C."

The telegram was from Hobart Craig, his con-
fidential manager, a man whom he trusted mi-
plicitly He knew that Mr. Craig had good reason
to suggest this Montana trip, else he would not
have sent this telegram. The securing of the
Warriston imerest, though not a surprise, still
had not been expected so soon ; and this materially
changed the aspect of affairs. By this additional
holding he had obtained control of a property in
which several large interests were involved. To
go out to Montana and take formal possession,
and on the ground consider what was best to br.
done, seemed both the wise and proper thing to
do And yet to turn aside from these hoped-for
weeks in the Adirondacks, a resting-time to which
he had eagerlv looked forward, was a serious mat-
ter with Carlisle. Not even Craig knew of the
strange burden which Carlisle had borne for sev-
eral years— a burden both sad and exhausting,
and which could not be shared with any one. On

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a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

%.\

the lakes, with their tempting fish; through the
woods, hunting for game; in the camp, with its
bed of fir and a return to primeval conditions;
under the stars in the cool night, so still and
grateful; in the storm, the winds holding high
carnival among the swaying, bending trees,— Car-
lisle for the moment forgot the pain and distress
under which his soul had so long staggered.
Thinking of these things, Mr. Craig's telegram lost
Its first impressiveness ; so he resolved to let the
matter stand over, and follow out his original plan.
Takmg a blank form from the holder, he wrote :

"Glad to learn of Montana. But can not
change my plans now. Will write."

Just then his thoughts went back to the night
before. Again he was on the Albany boat, and
agam he heard Bodell say: "Eleanor Warriston is
the apple on your tree. I understand your parable
now. ' Instantly his face hardened, and a gleam of
anger Hashed in his eyes. In another instant he
had torn his telegram in two, and thrown it into
the waste-paper basket. Then he wrote another
message :

"All right. Will start for Montana immedi-
ately. Wire me at Chicago. E. C."

This he gave to the porter, requesting its dis-
patch at the next station. Then he arranged about
his baggage, learning also from the conductor that

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

by taking a train at HunterviUe Junction, where
the express would siop, he could make close con-
nections and save considerable time. This he con-
cluded to do. In less than an hour, therefore, he
was on the HunterviUe platform, the express stop-
ping there for a miiuUe or two, then speeding on

its way. v i

But his telegram never reached New York,
for before the express reached its next station, a
broken rail caused the engine to jump the track,
throwing the train down a steep embankment.
The engineer and fireman were both killed, their
bodies so mangled and charred as to be almost be-
yond recognition. The same sad fate befell the
porter who had taken Mr. Carlisle's telegram, for
he was in one of the forward cars when the acci-
dent occurred. A number of passengers, in the
day-cor.ches principally, were terribly hurt, several
of them dying during the night. To add to the
horror, one of these coaches burst into flames; for
it telescoped with the baggage-car and engine,
then crashed down upon the boiler fires. In this
car was the conductor who had told Mr. Carlisle
of the train which stopped at HunterviUe Junction.
Next morning the New York papers had long
accounts of the disaster, giving Mr. Carlisle's name
a prominent place among those killed.

Mr. Bodell, never much concerned with news-
papers, gave still less heed to them at Saratoga.
A column, therefore, with the heading, "Frightful
Railroad Accident," had no attractin for his eyes.
Hence he was not aware that Mr. Carlisle was

II!

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

numbered with those who had been fatally injured
Had he known this, he v/juld not have written as
he did to Noel Stennett.

"How very dreadful ! What a shocking thing!"
Mrs Maitland exclaimed, as she glanced at the
big. bold type announcing the disaster; but, seeing
on another page an attractive pattern of an autumn
gown, she instamly said, "O, is not that pretty^"
and straightway forgot all about the railroad
horror.

Mrs Deveral did not even look at the head-
lines which so affected Mrs. Maitland. Her onlv
interest was in reading the report of a meeting at
which she was the chief speaker. As Mrs. Deveral
had sent this report herself, referring to her ad-
•Iress as "one of wonderful power and eloquence
and given in that graceful manner for which this
ady ,s so distinguished," it seemed highly proper
hat this Item should receive her undivided at-
tention. Ao one could ever charge Mrs. Deveral
with failing to appreciate her own merits. As a
trumpeter of her own virtues she never failed to
reach the highest and cleares- notes.

As the Warristons were on their way to Ridge-

night a ter, it ,s not surprising that they had no
knowledge of it whatever.

But Mr. Craig read every word of the terrible

itlaw Mr'r'r f .'"•■"' ''"' ^"*" h'^ ^-^ -hen
he saw Mr Carlisle's name in the death-list. Only

two days before. Mr. Carlisle had left the office

^•ager to meet his friends in the Adirondack camp

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

How thoughtful he had been for his clerks, ar-
ranging for each of them a vacation while he was
gone! With what genuine heartiness he had
clasped Mr. Craig's hand as he bade him good-
bye! These things, and many others, rushed in
upon Mr. Craig as he stood holding the paper in
his hand. Surely there must be some mistake.
But the name was there, standing out upon the
paper with terrible distinctness, while in another
column was a brief notice of Mr. Carlisle's death,
accompanied with some lines of editorial regret
at the loss of so brilliant and promising a lawyer.
Mr. Craig was not long in deciding upon his
course. In less than an hour he was on a special
train, at sundown he had reached the scene of the
wreck, and by midnight a more bewildered and
perplexed man it would have been difficult to find.
And no wonder, for he could not discover the least
sign or trace of Mr. Carlisle. His body was not
among the dead ; of that Mr. Craig was most posi-
tive. Nehher was he with the wounded; of that
Mr. Craig was equally positive. And yet he had
been on that train; for the telegraph office had
his acknowledgment of Ivlr. Craig's telegram, and
the time when he received it.

Mr. Craig had also searched through such bag-
gage as had been saved, but nothing of Mr. Car-
lisle's could be found. His leather traveling-trunk
had disappeared. A new bar 'bag, one given him
by his clerks on a recent birthday, had also gone.
There was nothing whatever to indicate that Mr.
Carlis" had even been on the train. And then

( ; ;l

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

Mr. Craig was certain, knowing Carlisle as he did,

that had he been on the train when the accident

occurred, and escaped uninjured, he would not

have left in this abrupt, mysterious way. He

would have been among the most active in ren-

denng every assistance in his power, not skulking

off like a thief in the night. For him to disappear

in this fashion was contrary to every habit of his

life.

But where had he gone ? He was not in any of
the farmhouses which had so hospitably opened
at this sad time. No one had seen him', at least
not m such a way as to make identification pos-
sible. Not a trace or clue of any sort seemed to
present itself.

But Mr. Craig, though considerably mystified
was by no means disheartened. Indeed, it was
exactly the other way. Next morning he was up
by daybreak going at once to the wreck, for gangs
of men had been working all night, and it might
be that other bodies had been discovered. But
such was not the case. Then it began to dawn
on Mr. Craig that possibly Carlisle had left the
train before the accident occurred. The telegram
suggesting the trip to Montana may have caused
him to break his journey at some intervening sta-
tion. This idea became more definite as he thought
't over. So, on learning that there was a short
cross-line some miles down the road, he resolved
o go there at once. He accordingly procured a
farmer s wagon and drove to the station, ordi-
narily a quiet httle place where the station-master

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

acted as telegraph clerk, freight agent, train dis-
patcher, ticket-seller, and general man of affairs.
"Yes," the station-master said, in response to
Mr. Craig's question, "a passenger got off here.
He was just such a person as you describe. I
remember his having & leather trunk, for I checked
it and put it at- 1 the train. He was the only
passenger who go t¥ the express, and as he had
to wait here 'most half an hour, I had a good
chance to notice him."

"Did he mention where he was going?" Mr.
Craig asked, now about convinced that Carlisle
was the passenger referred to.

"No, except that he inquired about Chicago
connections. I told him just where he 'd strike
the main line."

"He bought a ticket here?"
"But only to the main line. He said something,
now that T ' ' --k of it, of going up ♦o Niagara for
a day, an^. j.. ae came back to Buffalo he would
decide which road he 'd take."

Knowing that Carlisle, though he had been to
Niagara a score of times, alv/ays went there if
only for a few hours whenevei h' was in that
region, Mr. Craig no longer entertained any doubt
regarding his safety.

And now another idea suggested itself, no un-
common thing with Mr. Craig. Indeed, Mr. Craig
had ideas to spare, a condition oi mental opulei ce
to which few men attain. His thought now was,
to turn to advantage the report of Mr. Carlisle's
death. Unless that report was contradicted, it

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

would remain unquestioned for some time. Car-
lisle had no immediate relatives in New York.
Most of his friends and clients were out of town.
This Montana business was ticklish, there being
more involved in it than appeared on the surface.
If It were known that Carlisle was out of the way
some men might be less wary, and be led to com-
mit themselves. Mr. Craig was probably familiar
with that magnificent burst of poetic genius,
When the cat 's away the mice can play," as w-II
as the important principle which it so richly in-
folds. He concluded, therefore, to keep hi-
ones and information from the reporters,
allow the newspapers a free haml. Then he ' -
to Clifton House at Niagara, saying he v
arrive by a given train, using a cipher form of mes-
sage which Carlisle would understand.

After this he wrote to Mr. Arnold at the New
York office, telling him to give the clerks who had
not already gone, a week's leave of absence, and
close up the office for the same length of time.
Ihis Mr. Arnold did most cheerfully ; for there was
something in Mr. Craig's letter not intended for
the public eye.

Next day, when the reporters called they found
he offices deserted, every blind drawn, every door
locked, nor was there any one on the premises
who could give them the least information. In
some of the evening papers it was stated substan-
tially as follows :

"On our reporter's calling to make inquiry con-
cerning the death of Mr. Ethan Carlisle, who was

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

fatally injured in the recent railroad accident near
Hunterville Junction, he found the offices closed,
all the clerks having gone to attend the funeral.
It is understood that Mr. Hobart Craig, who has
for many years been associated with Mr. Carlisle,
will assume charge of the business. Mr. Craig is
a most capable lawyer, and will have the best
wishes of a large circle of friends."

How much of the above item Mr. Arnold is
iosponsible for, will never be known.

Meantime Mr. Craig wi.j jn his way to Ni-
agara.

MR. CARLISLE was sitting on the Gift
House piazza when received Mr. Craig
message. He had just returned from visiting
some of his favorite haunts ; for he was as familiar
with Niagara as many of the regular guides. In
the winter season, more than once he had gone
from New York that he might see the great Falls
in icy splendor, glistening under the January sun
with a beauty more suggestive of Aladdin's palace
than of actual reality. Then, in the springtime, he
had seen the mighty river pour itself out in a
volume, even more wondrous than ever, hastening
to the sea with icefloes and streams of melted
snow, that it might send them southward to temper
the torrid waters. Nor did he omit the early sum-
mer, those days of honeymoon tourists, where
every nook and rustic seat would be occupied by

"Deluded souls who dream of bliss,"

to quote from a poet who had more snowflakes
than red corpuscles in his blood.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

Even the autumn, with its sere and )eli \v leaf
and whisperings of the dying year, only invested
Niagara with yet richer beauty in his eyes; ami
in the still, crisp air he woUid wander from place
to place, finding pictures everywhere with which to
fill his soul.

As generally understood, Ethan Carlisle was
neither a poet nor a dreamer. By standards com-
monly accepted, he was considered a calm, self-
possessed man, eminently practical and defin. e.
Outwardly his life had both strength and repose.
His face, though fine, was resolute. There was
that in his bearing which inspired confidence. Peo-
ple trusted him. His clients never doubted eith 1
his honor or ability.

But while his outward life v as seemingly easy
and successful, he had burdens and secrets of his
own, not sharing the n with even his closest friend.
Hence there were times when he would pull down
the cover of his desk, take his gripsack, and, bid-
ding Mr. Craig good-bye, leave the office for a
week, or even longer. He never spohe of these
trips, and there was something on his face which
forbade the asking of any question.

"What can Craig mean?" he asked himself,
after reading the message. The telegram itself
was clear enough, but its real intent puzzle 1 Car-
lisle exceedingly.

Mr. Craig, true to the instincts of his Scottish
ancestry, was thrifty when sending telej,rams.
Anything over ihe ten-word limit seemt.J an ex-
travagance.
7

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"Wait for me — will arrive to-night — business
of much importance." Mr. Craig had wired
enough certainly to detain Mr. Carlisle at the
Clifton House, but not enough to give him the
faintest inkling of the business suggested. He
was certain, though, something unusual had oc-
curred. Mr. Craig would not take this journey
for nothing. For him to leave the office with Mr.
Carlisle absent, meant serious business of some
kind. But what could it be?

With the telegram in his hand, Carlisle mentally
ran over the more important cases in which he
was engaged; but he could not connect the mes-
sage with any one of them. He tried a cigar;
but, though it smoked bravely enough, still no
result was reached. Then he consulted a time-
table to see if Mr. Craig's ''to-night" meant late
or early morning, deciding finally upon a train
arriving about ten o'clock. Singularly he never
once thought of the place from which Mr. Craig
had sent the telegram, but assumed, and naturally,
it had come direct from New York.

As the afternoOii was pleasant, he concluded
to take a stroll over to Clifton, dining while there
at a quaint little inn with which he had some ac-
quaintance. He walked leisurely, stopping, every
now and then ; for his were eyes that saw much of
interest in things which n.any others ignored. The
British flag fluttering from a pole over the little
custom-house sent his thoughts around the world;
for, though a genuine American, Carlisle was an
Anglo-Saxon, and gloried in his kinship with the

Tm RIDDLE OF LI'

mightiest empire the world ,.a. ever known. A
soldier in uniform suggested Waterloo. Crcssy
Agmcourt. battles in which his forefathers had'
borne a noble part. Indians will, beaded wares
and carvings in birch-bark recalled the heroes of
Cooper, who had so vividly filled his boyish life.
Not far from the railroad station he saw several
piles of lumber, one of which offered bin. a fairlv
com ortable seat, where he mijjht enjoy his unfin-
ished cigar.

But Mr. "raig's telegram, though it di.l p t
e.. ctly troul him, kept repeating itself. fo!l„vve,l
up l3y h.s owi . jestion, What can Crai- mean '

Dismir.mg both as best he couhl, 1 . watched
with r-oh interest a train which had just arrived
at the ,1 uion, evidently an e.xcursion train, judg-
ing by the tlirong of passengers. For a few min-
utes there was the usual confusion,-some rushing
here and there after baggage ; groups of half adozen
or more arranging to go together ; the ever-present
but anxious-looking mother, whose children would
insist m scattering all over the platform; the irate
father, upon whose nerves traveling has an effe -t
anything but soothing; the consequential citiz i
whose nirs and bearing would be funny if they were'
not ridiculous; the city youth let loose from his
desk or counter, to whom the occasion means rare
hilanty,-all these were here, and many others,
crowding, pushing, jos.ling, talking, laughing,
shouting, and evc.-ything else of which such mis-
cellaneous companies are capable.

After a time the crowd dispersed, leaving two

lOO

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

■'

young men in earnest conversation. Carlisle was
not near enough to distinguish their faces, but
something familiar impressed him in their bearing
and appearance. One was speaking eagerly, as
if trying to convince the other of some matter in
dispute. The other listened attentively, but seemed
unwilling to be persuaded. Up and down the plat-
form they walked, the one arguing his case with
increasing earnestness, but meeting evidently with
slight response.

At length they came down the platform steps
walking slowly towards the place where Mr. Car-
lisle was sitting. But they did not see him, for it
so happened that in one of the lumber piles sev-
eral planks jutted out two or three feet, partly be-
cause of carelessness in piling and also through
difference in length ; thus, to speak astronomically,
Mr. Carlisle suffered a degree of occultation.
Manifestly it was the intent of the young men to
escape observation; for they went on the other
side of the lumber-piles, coming out by the railroad
track. Here they stopped within a few feet of
Carlisle, and at once resumed their conversation.

At first Mr. Carlisle intended to move away,
having no desire to play the part of unseen lis-
tener ; but before he could do so, he heard enough
to decide his remaining.

"Now, look here, Bob," the one said, "you only
played into their hands when you ran away; for
that left Uncle Warriston helpless; and so these
rascals have robbed him of almost everything.
But he did n't mind that ; it was the shame and dis-

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

a a

lOl

grace which almost killed him. I saw him a few
days ago. He was going with Cousin Eleanor
to a little place in the country, and he is just about
broken-hearted. I got track of you last week, and
came right on; and what I want you to do is to
come back with me. The longer you stay away,
the worse things get. Do n't give up now, after
coming so far,"

"Fred, I can't go back!" t:«e other burst out.
"I tell you I can't. How can I meet my father?
How can I look my sister in the face ? I do n't
care anything about the law; I wish they would
send me to jail. My life is worth nothing to me
now. I 'm not a coward, Fred; I think you know
that. I 'd meet that devil Bodell and his whole
crowd to-morrow. But when I think of my father
and Eleanor it breaks my heart."

The closing words ended in a sob, which shook
the stalwart young frame as a ship struck by a
heavy sea quivers in every part. For a full min-
ute, perhaps longer, not a word was spoken ; then
Mr. Carlisle heard :

"Bob, I 'm awfully sorry for you— sorrier than
1 can say. But you gain nothing by keeping away.
You are losing— "

"Fred Westerhall, what have I to lose>" the
other fiercely interrupted. "There was a time when
I had something to lose. I had a name, a home
a future. Now I have nothing," and again the
voice broke pitifully.

"Robert Warriston, you have something to
lose, the other responded almost as fiercely as his

I02

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

companion. "You have a father, a sister, a home ;
you have a name to redeem; you have a future.
Bob, you are not yet my age, and if you give up
now it will be a burning shame."

"Fred, you do n't understand it, and I pray God
you never may ! Think it over with me just a
minute. Think of my position with Azmon &
Grey, the contiilence both partners had in me, and
the good will of all my associates in the office;
then think of my father trusting everything to my
honor, which he thought was equal to his own;
and then think of my friends, people who believed
in me, and were glad to see me in their homes.
And now think of me as a felon, a traitor, a dis-
honored wretch, a worthless, ruined man ! O God,
how terrible it is I"

This time his voice did not break ; for the iron
which had entered Robert Warriston's soul seemed
to manifest itself in his speech, making it hard
and bitter, but uttt -ly hopeless.

Again there was silence; then Mr. Carlisle
could hear heavy footsteps, as if the young men
were walking to and fro, both too agitated to
speak. But soon he heard again:

"Bob, you and I have known each other since
we were boys ; and you know I would n't advise
you to your hurt. But as things now stand, Bodell
can say what he pleases without any one to contra-
dict him. Stennett has made charges which we
know are utterly false. But what can we do?
While you remain away, remember that disgrace
attaches to others even more than to yourself."

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

a a

103

"To others I What do you mean ?"

"Just what I have said, Bob. The innocent

sometimes suffer more than the guilty."

"You mean that others are implicated with
me?"

"I do."

"But that is false."

"Yes; nevertheless the most cruel lies have
been circulated. Even your father has not been
spared."

"What ! my father mixed up with this vile busi-
ness ; and he one of the purest men God ever made !
Surely you are mistaken."

"I wish I were, but I 'm not. It 's bad enough,
Heaven knows, for you ; but think of your father's
name being bandied about. Because he was will-
ing to pay every note you made, sacrificing his
property to do so, people said— at Bodell's sug-
gestion, of course— that you were only his agent,
and your ranning away was part of a scheme to
shield him."

"Anything more fiendish could not be imagined.
What an infamous scoundrel Bodell is ! And what
a dupe he made of me! He kept telling me I
could make a fortune by a single stroke ; but he
always said my father was not to know anything
For weeks and months he followed me

of it.

about, pointing out the big chance it was, and the
fool I would be to let it slip. One night he came
to the house, and, taking me aside, whispered:
The apple is ripe. If you won't take it to-morrow,
another will. But on no account tell your father '

I04 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

The next day I fell into the snare, and, once I was
caught, I went on from bad to worse."

Again there was silence, this time longer than
before. Neither could Mr. Carlisle hear footsteps,
both young men evidently standing still; the one
so shocked and stunned as to be incapable of move-
ment; thi. other silent through intense sympathy.

In the distance could be heard the dull heavy
roar of the Falls — a splendid but remorseless tor-
rent, hurling itself over the unyielding rocks, then
churnmg and swirling in the rapids below. Here
and there, from the adjoining trees, gloriously
luxuriant, and never more so than on this day,
birds trilled their afternoon song; for what knew
they of Robert Warriston's sin and shame? The
sun traveled slowly on, attended by a host of will-
ing clouds, whose edges crimsoned and goldened
under the rays of their imperious king.

At length Mr. Carlisle heard:

"Bob, I won't ask you to decide now. Suppose
we spend the night here. Let us go to the Clifton
Hot.se, and to-morrow we can talk this matter
over again."

Then followed the sound of retreating foot-
steps, gradually becoming more indistinct, till they
were lost in the distance.

When he was certain the young men haH ^one,
Mr. Carlisle resumed his walk, with new and abun-
dant material for reflection. The conversation to
which he had just listened started numberless
([Ueries in his mind. Then his thoughts went back
again to Mr. Craig's telegram. But how strangely

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

105

the Warristons were coming into his life ! There
seemed something Hke destiny in the way thi.igs
were haping themselves. More than ever he was
anxio s to meet Mr. Craig; so when, some hours
later, that canny Scot, or, tc be both Hteral and
accurate, that grandson of a canny Scot, stepped
from the train, Carlisle wrs there to give him
hearty greeting.

"T^MERSON, if he were living now, would not
J-v say, 'Hitch your wagon to a star,' " re-
marked Mr. Carlisle, after reading such accounts
of the railroad disaster as Mr. Craig had brought
with him.

"Probably not," replied Mr. Craig; "though,
for that matter, I do n't know wh} he ever said it."

"Hobart Craig, the soul of poetry is not in
you."

"I'm glad it isn't."

"You lack the fine, delicate appreciation; the
artistic temperament; the spiritual exaltation;
the ."

"Yes, that is just it, the , some indescrib-
able, mysterious quality, usually nonsensical to the
last degree."

"You are an earth-treader, a clay-tramper, a
mud-handler. Your life is only an adobe, a dug-
out; you have no wings; your fjet are never off
the earth."

"Which shows that I am neither a leek nor an

io6

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

a ^

107

onion, with my head in the ground and my feet in
the air."

"There are larger and less odorous vegetables
with which you might more t uthfully have com:
pared yourself."

"As, for instance, the turnip; a good honest
product nevertheless, of more worth to the world
than a wagon-load of poetry."

"Let me but write the ballads of a nation."

"I prefer to write its laws."

"The ballads form public sentiment, out of
V'hich come noble deeds and heroic characters."

"The laws form public safety, a matter of more
importance."

"You put a policeman on the same level with
a poet."

"No ; I put the poet below Ww. policeman, par-
ticularly when the policeman has ti e poet under
arrest as a disturber of the peace."

"Craig, you have no more imagination than a
pi'^ce of chalk. And to think that I have made a
friend and confidant of a mere lump of soulless
clay!"

To this Mr. Craig oflFered no reply other than
that given by a half smile and a twinkle in his blue .
eyes. Mr. Craig's eyes, by the way, were at least
two sizes too small. Not that they were so small
in themselves; but, his face being large, round,
florid, and set in an imposing framework of highly
inflammable whiskers, eyes of the ordinary stand-
ard seemed out of proportion. If they had been
dark, glittering, of Oriental type, their relative

■IM

io8

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

associations might have been counterbalanced ; but
being light-blue, they failed to impress themselves
with proper definiteness. And then they were such
harmless eyes ! The appealing, childlike, confiding
way \/ith which they looked out upon this wicked
world was most pathetic. There was something
beautifully innocent in them. Judging him by his
eyes, a more guileless, simple, unsuspecting man
than Mr. Craig could not anywhere be found.

"Emerson would have said, 'Hitch your wagon
to a New York newspaper,' " Carlisle went on,
holding up a paper of which pages were covered
with pictures of the railroad accident. "Here is
my picture ; a handsome one, surely. To this noble
work of art is appended a brief sketch of my life.
This sketch is doubtless intendea to stimulate* the
youthful rnind to follow in my illustrious footsteps.
Then follow four lines of editorial grief — deep,
black, inky tears, which can not be read without
emotion."

"Count yourself fortunate in securing even a
'stick' of a newspaper sorrow. Such mourning is
expensive. Remember you are no prize-fighter or
city alderman. You never robbed a bank, or
wrecked a railroad, or looted a corporation. Be
reasonable. T'.ie papers have treated you gener-
ously."

"You call four lines generous?"

"Certainly. If you had eloped with a variety

actress, or thrown an inkstand at the head of

Judge Duffer, whole columns would have been

given you. But such things are exploits. They

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

109

take rank among the great deeds of great men,
and naturally secure wide recognition."
"You know what sarcasm means ?"
"Never heard the won! before."
"Some time I will try and explain it."
"Do, I am always grateful for your kind in-
struction."

After a time Carlisle finished his perusal of the
papers, and then Mr. Craig outlined his Montana
scheme.

"We now control," he said, "though no one
knows it but ourselves. Before leaving you told
me to look out for the Warriston stock. By
a rare chance Dolphin got hold of it the day after
you left. Bodell is at Saratoga, where Dolphin
is also."

"But why should I go to Montana?" questioned
Mr. Carlisle. "The fact that we control is enough."

"Under ordinary circumstances, yes ; but at this
particular time, no. Mr. Warriston and his friends
have put a lot of money into that property. It
remains to be seen if the mines are really valu-
able. I think they are. Some things have come
to light since you left New York."

"You mean since the newspapers killed and
buried me?"

"Exactly. Yet only for the newspapers I
would n't suggest your going to Montana. The
Aylesbury crowd will have a man out there before
the month is up. With Mr. Warriston out of the
way, and you disposed of, an attempt will be made
to take possession of the property."

it THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"They surely would n't dream of such a thing."

"They would dream of anything."

"But the property is not theirs."

"But you and the interests you represent are

now understood to be out of the way ; Aylesbury

is sure to make a grab for the whole business.

He has picked up a lot of the stock; got it for

almost nothing. He thinks Bodell has Warris-

ton's; so give them rope enough. Let us find a

couple of men whom we can trust. Take them

with you. Remain out there a couple of weeks.

Have everything done according to Hoyle, for

these fellows are slippery. The first thing is to

find the right men."

"I think one can be found without going far,"
Carli-sle said, with more excitement than he had
yet shown.

"Who?" questioned Craig, noting the eager
look upon the other's face.

"Robert Warriston," answered Carlisle, speak-
ing in a whisper, but with marked emphasis.

"Robert Warriston I" repeated Mr. Craig, in-
credulously.

"I have seen him within a few hours, and he is
now in this hotel," said Carlisle, then hurriedly
going over the events of the afternoon, to which
Craig listened with deep attention.

"And you say he is in this house.?" he asked,
when Carlisle had finished his story.

"Their plan was to stop here over night, and
I saw them walking this way from the station."

It was now past midnight. Most of the guests

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

III

had retired; for the sky was moonless, and the
Niagara Falls without either sun or moon is too
weird and solemn for ordinary tourists. Had Car-
lisle been alone he would have remained on the
piazza, or sat at the open window in his room lis-
tening to the ceaseless roll, that sound of mighty
waters which, once heard, can never be forgotten.
His sensitive ear would have found variations in
the awful tones c ming up as from fathomless
depths ; a cry, a scream, a moan, a sob, and all of
infinite degree. No laughter of children, no song
of birds, no chiming of bells, no snatch of music, —
lovers and joyous maidens might have heard such
sounds, but not Ethan Carlisle. People hear and
see just what they are themselves. The world
outside is but the man enlarged.

"What an everlasting noise!" said Craig, rising
from his chair and stretching himself, as a man
will who has been traveling all day. Then he went
to the hotel office, chatting pleasantly with the
night clerk, meanwhile turning over with seeming
carelessness the pages of the register. In the most
casual way he inquired concerning floors and stair-
ways, giving the clerk to understand that he was
neivous with regard to hotel fires.

Never were Mr. Craig's eyes more innocent-
looking, and never did his face seem more free
f'-^ 'e than when he was speaking to the clerk.

i^ I J"* tender, confiding interview, he returned
to i.ie piazza, where Carlisle was still sitting, en-
joying the weird glory of thv night. Craig re-
mained but a few n; ;vjtes, saying he was tired

112 MM THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

and would go to his room. And this he did, but
not to rest; for he soon came out again, having
exchanged his shoes for a pair of slippers, and his
coat for a hght sunmier jacket. Thus arrayed, he
walked softly along the corridor, following the
directions of the clerk ; but instead of making his
way to a fire-escape or staircase, he was looking
for Robert VVarriston's room.

Mr. Craig never waited for things to turn up.
His habit was to turn things up himself, and quite
frequently to turn them down. When the iron
was not ready for him to strike, he worked the
bellows blowing the fire. Carlisle said truly, Craig
had no wings, and his feet were never off the earth ;
but his were lively feet, and served him better than
wings.

Observing by the transom .vindow that a light
was burning in Warriston's room, he knocked on
the door, which Robert immediately opened, ar.l
stepped back in amazement when he saw Mr. Craig.

"How are you, Robert? I 'm glad to see you,"
Mr. Craig said, entering the room, and holding out
his hand in the most cordial way.

Robert took the proffered hand gratefully,
though he said nothing.

^ "Surprised to see me? Well, I don't wonder.
I 'm surprised myself. Had n't any idea you were
here until Mr. Carlisle told me less than half an
hour since."

"Is Mr. Carlisle here?" Robert managed to say.

His face was now very pale, the flush caused

by Mr. Craig's sudden appearance having died

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE M

awa>, leaving a pallor almost deathly. Then
Craig's mention of Carlisle sent a chill to his hca
for Carlisle was almost the last person he wishc
to meet. He rememhered how earnestly he had
warned him against liodell. and on no account to
trust him in any way. %

"-it down, liob. I want to talk with you,"
Craig said in his matter-of-faet way.

Though he saw how agitated young Warriston
was, he pretet.ded not to notice it, busying him-
self b> bringing' a chair from the window, and
sitting down a. if he intended to remain some
time. He also observed that Robert had made no
preparations for retiring, and that his bag was
packed, suggesting to Mr. Craig that Robert
meant, if possible, to slip ofif (|uietly during the
night. There were few things in that room, or on
Robert Warrtston's face, his child-like, blue eyes
did not see; but he made no allusion to any one
of them. The number of things Mr. Craig left
unsaid were more than the sands of the seashore
in multitude. Nevertheless he remained with
Robert Warriston fully two hours, and talked
rapidly most of the time.

"Then you will go?" he said, fuially, risin<jf
from his chair and moving towards the door,

"Go!" exclaimed Robert. "I would be glad
to walk there, stay there for a year, or even ten if
necessary. How can I thank you and Mr. Carlisle
for this proof of your confidence?"

Mr. Craig may not have been a poet ; nor could
his warmest admirer say he had eitl.cr the genius
8

11]

114 ^^ THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

of an artist or the soul of a musician ; and perhaps
his cheeks did suggest bannocks, and his whiskers
approach dangerously close to the line of fiery red.
But Mr. Craig was a man, and, in opening a way
for Robert Warriston's return to a life of sturdy
honesty and independence, he was saving a soul
from death and hiding a multitude of sins.

Next morning, when Mr. Carlisle came down
to breakfast, he found Mr. Craig in earnest conver-
sation with Fred Westerhall and Robert Warris-
ton. This did not surprise him ; indeed he rather
expected it. With exquisite courtesy he greeted
Warriston, who had dreaded this meeting. He
was also most cordial with Westerhall, much to
that young man's pleasure, for he had always stood
somewhat in awe of Carlisle. Later on, when mat-
ters were being adjusted, he invited Westerhall to
go with him to Montana, an invitation which was
eagerly accepted.

About noon they left for Buflfalo, where several
busy hours were spent, Mr. Craig making all the
arrangements for the journey, the others fully oc-
cupied with substantial changes in both apparel
and appearance.

"Good-bye, Craig," Carlisle said, as the train
slowly moved out from the station.

"Good-bye, Mr. Carlisle," Craig replied ; then,
as the train moved along, he walked with it almost
to the end of the depot, finally calling out to Car-
lisle, who stood on the car platform:

"Remember the slippery fellows you have to
deal with."

IN Ridgeburg, mail matters were so arranged
that the postmaster was rarely seriously em-
barrassed. Just once a day the big leather pouch
made its appearance, a duty for which Tom Lang
was held responsible. In itself this mail contract
was not alarmingly profitable ; but by a combina-
tion of interests, Tom Lang managed to pay his
way and have something over. He constituted
himself general carrier of parcels and sundry forms
of merchandise, and also so arranged his wagon
that, when required, it answered for a stage-coach.
Every afternoon at a few minutes before the
appointed hour, Mr. Lang drove up to Tibbetts's
grocery-store, and after seeing to his horse —
sometimes he used two — would go into the store,
waiti'^' there while Mr. Tibbetts collected and
postmarked the mail. As a usual thing this duty
on the part of Mr. Tibbetts was not exacting; for
Ridgeburg did not carry on an extensive corre-
spondence, its principal mail being weekly news-
papers, varied with a few letters at irregular inter-

1 16 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

yals. During the summer this burden somewhat
increased, as Tremaine and the few other vif tors
received letters nearly ever} day,

"You 're going round by Squire Bodell's," Mr.
Tibbetts said to Tom, soon after he had returned
from Foxvale with the mail, "and I wish you 'd
take him some letters. One of them came three
or four days ago. Nat Sykes does n't come reg-
ular now."

"Squire ain't very well these days," Tom an-
swered, moving down the store to the pigeon-hole
arrangement where Mr. Tibbetts was distributing
the mail which had just come in.

"I should say not," replied Mr. Tibbetts, with-
out pausing in his work ; for there were nearly a
score of letters to be pigeon-holed, a large number
for Ridgeburg.

"How the Squire has changed!" Tom said,
reaching for the letters which Mr. Tibbetts held
out to him. "I remember Squire Bodell when his
hair was black as a crow, and himself as straight
as a gun-barrel. Now he 's grayer than a badger
and all doubled up."

"Squire 's had a hard time," Mr. Tibbetts re-
sponded with a fair measure of sympathy ; for his
exhausting labors with the letters were over, and
nothing remained but a batch of newspapers.

"When I was a boy I kind of envied him living
in that big house and having all the money he
wanted, but I gave up that a good while ago,"
Tom said in his drawling way, looking n antinie
at the letters in his hand.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 117

"You remember when he got married?" Mr.
Tibbetts asked, putting the last newspaper in its
place, and then leaning on the counter, a favorite
attitude of his.

"Very well. And a prettier woman than his
wife, when she first came to Ridgeburg, I never
saw. Her eyes were black as a sloe, and so was
her hair, and her face looked as if 't was cut out of
marble."

"Yes; but beauty in a woman isn't everything,
and specially that kind of beauty. It means tem-
per, Tom, and mostly bad temper."

"That i-.i;iy be," Tom drawled out even more
slowly than usual. "Still it 's sort of pleasant to
look at. I think that a good-looking woman has
a better show of being good herself than one who
is n't so well favored."

"Beauty is only skin-deep, Tom."

"Yes ; but that 's as far as most of us can see."

"Squire's wife made a lasting impression on
you, Tom."

"She did, and I do n't deny it."

"She never liked Ridgeburg."

"I won't say that."

"Well, she never was contented here."

"That 's true."

"And she night have been if she had tried."

"Well, Mr. Tibbetts, I 'm nigh on to sixt- years
of age, and my e-xperience is that most people
do n't know much about being contented. The
only difference is that some talk about it more
than others."

1 18 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"Mr. Tremaine said something like that last
Sunday."

"Yes. I was there. I would n't mis^ going for
a good deal. It 's worth a qu., *er to see Deacon
Tompkins and Josh Higgins.'

As Mr. Lang said this he gave a loving tug
to his chin whiskers, a gesture which afforded
outlet to certain emotions.

Mr. Tibbetts made no reply. Deacon Tomp-
kins and Josh Higgins traded occasionally with
him ; hence he allowed Tom Lang's remark to lose
Itself among the empty boxes which domed the
upper shelves of his store.

"I wonder if Squire ever hears from James,"
Tom said, looking at one of the letters in his hand
postmarked New York.

"I'm sure I don't know," Mr. Tibbetts re-
plied, taking the letter from Tom and examining
it critically.

"Perhaps the Warriston people have met him,"
Tom suggested, watching Mr. Tibbetts turn the
letter over in his hand, then run his fingers along
the envelope as if, like a bee on a flower, he would
thus absorb the contents.

"That reminds me there is quite a lot of mail
ff^r the Warristons," Mr. Tibbetts said, givin-
Tom Lang the letter and going back to the pigeor
holes.

"I can take their mail along with the Squire's,
if you wish," Tom said, "though I guess Miss War-
riston comes for it 'most every day."

"Yes, just about this time," Mr. Tibbetts re-

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 119

plied, looking at the clock, a round-faced, square-
framed affair, with dial figures so arranged as to
express the superior virtues of a certain soap.

"I guess I '11 ask her about James Bodell," Tom
said, sitting down upon a sugar-barrel which he
had rolled in after bringing the mail.

"Well, I do n't know," Mr. Tibbetts remarked,
cautiously.

Mr. Tibbetts had a fair measure of curiosity.
Speaking generously, his was an inquiring mind;
and this not only for the sake of the information
in itself, but chiefly because of its value to his
store. A little item of personal gossip answered
all the purposes of an advertisement, besides being
s< nuch cheaper, a matter Mr. Tibbetts rarely for-
When Dan Spencei got hurt at Foxvale
( .\\ Lang was waiting for his mail at the time,
and sav Dan dragged out from between two
freight-cars), Mr. Tibbetts had a big run of trade
that night and for n. — e than a week after. When
Sarah Pratt, a mature maiden of homely visage,
took the stage one afternoon "without saying noth-
ing to nobody," to use Tom Lang's exact phrase,
and at Foxvale met Martin Coote, to whom she
vas married before sundown, all the women of
Ridgeburg had purchases to make that evening in
Tibbett^'s store. An item of news concerning tlie
Warristons would mean much to Mr. Tibbetts,
for Ridgeburg was really curious about the new
tenants of the Libby cottage. And yet Mr. Tib-
betts was unwilling to b'-ve anything said to Miss
Warriston which would associate her with James

I20

a a

THE RIDDLE O F LIFE

Bodell Had he known anything of astronomy, it
might have occurred to him that planets can be-
long to the same system and yet move in orbits
entirely distinct. But Air. Tibbetts. unfortunately,
knew httle about the stars. He had spent so much
time in scraping sugar-barrels and molasses-casks
itiited' ^""'^^^"^^^^ ""^ *^'^ ''^^^^"^ ^a« exceedingly
"Good evening, Miss Warriston. What a beau-
Mr. Tibbetts stepped briskly in the direction of
the pigeon-holes, returning with the letters, which
lie gave her.

Miss Warriston was already a favorite in
R'dffeburg. Her evident devotion to her father
and her easy, simple, yet gracious wavs had re-
moved much of the suspicion with which stranjr.rs
are usually regarded in countrv villages

In a gown of simple gray,' broken here and

here with dainty trimming; with a broad-brimmed

hat, almost guiltless of adornment, but strangely

becoming, making her face even more winsom'e

and attractive ; with a natty parasol, whose crooked

uhich Turn Lang, sixty-ycar-old bachelor that he
was, comd not but admire.

Having a few purchases to make, Miss War-
riston availed while Mr. Tibbetts gave some young
people their mail, who went out soon after, leav
mg her the only customer then in the store. This
gave Tom Lang the opportunity he desired • so
ns.ng from the sugar-barrel, and tipping his hat

THE RIDD LE OF LIFE a 121

after a fashion not yet the vogue in Continental
courts, he said:

"Begging your pardon, Miss Warriston, but
do you know any one in New York by the name

of Bodell?"

Instantly Miss Warriston's face changed. At
first she flushed, then paled, her features becoming
like gray marble. A light leaped into her eyes as
from the gleam of a hidden tire. Fortunately Mr.
Tibbetts was at the other end of the store, getting
some things which she had ordered. With that
tact and prese ce of mind natural to most women,
she excused herself to Tom. and went to see the
articles Mr. Tibbetts had put on the counter.
After a word or two with him she returned to T. .m.
"You asked me about some New York people,
Mr. Lang. What name did you say?"

"Bodell— James Bodell, whose father lives in
that big house you can see from the Libby cot-
tage."

"I did know a person of that name," Miss War-
riston said; "-^.t least," correcting herself, "my
father had some business acquaintance with him."
"I '11 be bound Mr. Warriston found it an ex-
pensive acciuaintance. James Bodell would take
the wings ofT an archangel if he got the chance."
"Women are not supposed to know much about
business matters," :Miss Warriston replied, with a
hothouse smile, though her face was very pale.

"Every one who deals with James Bodell will
know it, whether men or women. We know him
here in Ridgeburg," Tom said.

122

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LI FE

"And you say his father— provided we are
speaking of the same person-lives in what is
known as the Red House?"

Eleanor was now as calm and self-possessed as
when she entered the store. Tom Lang evidently
had no ulterior motive in asking about Bodell
Like most of the Ridgeburg people, he thought all
Wew Yorkers were acquainted with each other
H,s question, therefore, was only a random one!
lom started in to describe Bodell; but Miss
Warnston excused herself, saying she had left
her father alone. Though satisfied that Tom
Lang was prompted by mere curiosity. Eleanor
Warnston could not but experience a vague sense
of uneasmess, particularly when she recalled the
evenmg on the lake when Stephen Derwent had
spoken of Bodell. Still there was the hope that
the name was only a coincidence.

"Wouldn't surprise me a bit if James Bodell
had got the best of it with Mr. Warriston. She
seemed sort of frightened when I first mentioned
his name, Tom said, moving to the door, from
which he watched Miss Warriston go down the

"Just like him if he did," answered Mr Tib-
betts, gathering up the packages which comprised
Miss VVarnston's order, and putting them in a
basket for his boy to take to the Libby cottage.
Them Warristons are nice folks," Tom re-
marked, coming back from the door and resuming
his seat on the sugar-barrel.

"That they are," returned Mr. Tihbetts. who

THE RI DDLE OF LIFE ^^ 123

had now gone behind the counter and v/as dusting
out the scales preparatory to weighing some things
which were going to the Derwents.

"I '11 take these letters round to the Squire,"
Tom said after a pause, rising from the sugar-
barrel as he spoke. "If I see the Squire I '11 men-
tion the Warristons. He likes to know what is
going on in the village."

"I do n't think I 'd say anything of their having
met James," Mr. Tibbetts replied, reaching for the
little ball of twine that he might tie up the parcels
he had weighed.

"You 're right there," answered Tom, who was
now at the door. "The Squire had better find that
out for himself."

■I

AUSTIN TREMAINK had put a ^ood deal
-t X into his Ridgeburg vacation, which is only
another way of saying he had taken a great deal
out of It. It must he admitted, however, that
there were those in Ridgeburg who looked for-
ward hopefully to his departure ; for he had great'v
distressed some pious souls during these summe
months. Der.con Tompkins was of this number.
Ihe Deacon will never forget one Saturdav
afternoon when the Ridgeburg and Foxvale base-
ba 1 teams met to decide tne county championship
A bitter rivalry existed between these teams, which
increased as the summer went on. A big crowd
v^-7\ -^^''^'•^^ to ^vitness the deciding game,
an Ridgeburg turning out in force, while Foxvaie
sent a large contingent of enthusiastic admirers.
Austin Tremaine went early to the ball-field that
afternoon with Ruth Derwent. an.l. having found
a desirable place for Ruth's camp-chair, she sat
down with such dignity as inheres in a school-
teacher, leaving him to enjoy a sprawl on the grass.

124

THERIDDLB OF LIFE a a 125

Let it be here remarked, though in a stage
whisper— a mysterious compUcation of sound,
which can he heard by every one in the theater
except certain people behind the foothghts— that
Mr. Tremaine was fin(Hng Ruth Uerwent's com-
panionship exceedingly pleasant, a matter which
did not escape the notice of many Ridgeburgian*.
To say that Ruth was entirely unconscious of cer-
tain nods and smiles when she appeared with Tre-
maine that afternoon, would not be an exact state-
ment of the facts in the case. She may not have
intended it, still there was something in her walk,
in the delicate flush on her cheek, in a glad light
in her eye, and in a certain expression on her face,
which gave evidence that she both understood and
enjoyed the situation. That Tremaine also en-
joyed it was equally manifest, though he did not
show it in the same way. And he had good reason
to enjoy it ; for a daintier, sweeter picture of pure,
sweet womanhood it would be difficult to f\nd than
that same Ruth Derwent, as in a simple while
dress, with gloves, hat. and parasol to match, she
walked with him across the ball-field.

"We are short-handed to-day," Ned Marshall
said, in response to a question of Tremaine.

"V'ho is absent?" Tremaine inquired.

"Leighton," :Marshall replied, with evident anx-
iety in his voice.

"Dick, the pitcher?" said Tremaine, now rising
from the grass, where he had been lolling so con-
tentedly.

"Yes; and we've no one to take his place ex-

126

0-0

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

cept Alec Scott. AIcc is all right, but he can't
pitch well enough for a game like this. I 'm afraid
we 're goners," Marshall said, swinging his bat
in a disconsolate way.

Ned Marshall was captain of the Ridgeburg
team, and was a bright, spunky little fellow.

"Who pitches for Foxvale?" Tremaine asked,
takmg the ball from Marshall's hand, and twisting
his fingers ar-nnc! i as pit Ji. rs are wont to do.
"Hawley, a college man who is stopping at the
Kenwood. They had him last time we played,
and our fellows got scared in the first inning."

Something in that ball api)ealed strangely to
Tremaine. He kept rolling it between his hands
while Marshall was speaking, reaching his fingers
from one seam to another, finally gathering it up
in a way known only to the initiated. College
memories came in upon him. He thought of the
field where many hard battles had been fought
He had often pitched, the most critical games
usually being given him. Surelv his right arm had
not lost its skill. This was the end of his vacation,
and if he would serve Ridgeburg, now was the
time. No particular changes were necessarv in
his costume, for he had on a golfing suit, his shoes
were fairly stout, and with the exchange of a cap
for his soft hat, he would be in good plaving gear.
"Let me try an inning or two," he said to Mar-
shall. "I am out of practice, but I may get into
it later on."

When Tremaine appeared as pitcher for the
Ridgeburgs, a great shout went up, which he ac-

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a 127

knowledgcd gooU-huiuorcdly. Then began the
greatest game of ball ever seen in Kidgeburg, the
memory of which remaineth even to this day. At
first Tremaine was unsteady, his arm not respond-
ing to his eye, so the Foxvales made sad headway
despite Marshall and his gallant company. But
later on he settled down, striking men out in short
order. Meantime the Ridgeburgs had been adding
to their score. Hawley did nobly, but, with two
men on bases, Tremaine hit the ball such a terrific
blow that it not only brought in the two men \vho
seemed likely to get no farther, but meant a home
run for himself. How Ridgeburg cheered as the
low-legged young clergyman went tearing around
the bases, finally sliding almost twenty feet and
reaching the home plate in safety ! Big milk-cans
were rattled. Cowbells were rung. Dinner-horns
were blown. The boys yelled themselves hoarse.
The girls waved their handkerchiefs. It is said
Ruth Derwent tried to stand on her camp-chair
and wave her parasol. But this can not be vouched
for. Anyhow, when Mr. Tremaine came up out
of the dust, no Alexander was ever greeted with
more enthusiasm. He was capless; his golf-
trousers had lost a knee ; his right arm was bare
clear to the shoulder, and all red and scratched
as the result of his slide; he was covered with dust
from head to foot; he walked ;ts though a knot
had been tied in one of his legs ; but these were
trifles compared with the glory of the hour. He
had saved Ridgeburg. He had vanquished the
elusive Hawley. The momentous (juestion of the

128 a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

championship had been decided by his skill. Tat-
tered and torn, bruised and dusty, he bowed to
the deafening applause which came from the as-
sembled throng.

Just at that moment Deacon Tompkins came
down the road. The pious Deacon classed base-
ball with the abominations of Babylon, never under
any circumstances giving sanction or favor to such
wickedness. And now here was Tremaine looking
like a lunatic, surrounded by a crowd of lunatics,
each one more demented than the other. This was
too much for the Deacon, so turning hastily away
he started for home.

There was just the slightest tinge of September
on that Sunday morning when Mr. Tremaine
started for the meeting-house. It lacked a full
hour of service-time ; but Tremaine was in no mood
for fast walking, preferring to loiter and dream
by the way. Though reminded almost every step
of his performance of the preceding day, he was
neither as stiff nor as lame as he had expected.
The wondrous stillness of Ridgeburg deeply im-
pressed him ; more so this morning than ever be-
fore. The clear, vast sky, broken here and there
with little sunshot clouds, seemed to bend low
over the hills, revealing yet hiding the infinite.
The lakes in the fresh morning light, unruffled bv
even a ripple, mirrored the skies in their crystal
deeps, causing the road upon which he was walk-
ing to appear as a boundary-line between the upper
and the lower heavens. The trees had not lost

>^.>>

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

129

anything of their foUage, save such restless un-
grateful leaves as gave themselves to the caprice
of the harvest wind. But those that remained more
than atoned for the easily-tempted fly-aways; for
between each tree and its leaves there seemed to
exist a holy affection, calm and beautiful.

To a keen, sensitive ear, one which listened for
other things than sound, the birds may not have
been so joyous as when early summer filled their
throats with thanksgiving; but the song was
deeper, its notes were richer and of fuller tone, as
though gratitude and hope had blended in the
strain.

Most of the early flowers had gone, those
dainty, exquisite, but simple doorways through
which the young summer came tripping in sheen
of golden light ; but other flowers had come, with
more vivid color, deeper hue, of ampler form, en-
riching the hummer as it passed away.

A serious, earnest look was on Austin Tre-
maine's face that Sunday morning. People whose
thinkings never reached below the cuticle, had a
notion that Tremaine was disposed to look upon
life in an easy, if not frivolous way. Because he
carried a frank, pleasant face, could speak without
whine or snivel, had a supreme contempt for all
forms of cant, gave greetings that were hearty and
cordial, insisted upon seeing the best in every
one, and entered joyously into the life that sur-
rounded him, he was misjudged and often most
severely. Few men of his years were more serious
at heart than Austin Tremaine. At times he was

1 30 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

well-nigh overwhelmed by the woe and the mystery
of life. The burdens under which so many were
staggering; the sorrows which dare not express
themselves in words ; the agonies of disappoint-
ment amid which multitudes writhed helplessly;
the troubles in whose presence even death is
hardly felt; the pain, the poverty, the weakness,
the sullen despair, the brooding discontent, — all
these came upon him with such force that there
were hours when he would cast himself upon the
floor of his room, and, after the manner of a medi-
aeval monk, spend the whole night in soul-anguish.
But on the morrow no one would suspect him of
monkish devotions or midnight vigils ; for there
was the same genial smile, the same cordial greet-
ing, the same pleasant word. Hence most people
had the impression that his life knew nothing of
burden or pain.

And this was just the impression he desired to
convey. His hours of spiritual struggle, when he
tried to break through his prison-house of clay
and escape from the bondage of mystery, when he
reached out entreating hands into the enfolding
darkness, fearful of giving way to utter despair, —
these seasons of conflict he held as secrets not to
be profaned by sharing them with others.

Standing on the bridge — for he had reached
the place where two of the lakes were united by a
canal of primitive construction then bridged in an
equally primitive way — Tremaine waited several
minutes, looking thoughtfully, first in one direc-
tion, and then in another.

THE RIDDLE OF L IFE a 131

"Say, Mister Tremaine, Squire Bodell wants to
know if you can come up this afternoon. He 's
real sick an' would like to see you."

Turning about at hearing his name spoken,
Tremaine saw Nat Sykes, Squire I'.odell's general
man, and only man, for that matter.

"Is the Squire very sick?" Tremaine inquired,
surprised at receiving this message.

"He 's pretty bad," Nat replied ; "has bad spells
'most every day, an' they last longer *han they
used to, an' come of'ner."

Arranging with Sykes for an hour when he
would call, Tremaine resumed his walk to the little
meeting-house.

The bell, which on week-days clanged with a
harsh, angry sound — at least it seemed so to the
Ridgeburg children — had now the sweet, tremu-
lous tones of a saint ; and the bell's pious invita-
tion was being generously accepted, almost every
seat being occupied. Children were gathered
upon their mothers' laps ; sturdy boys were taken
on their fathers' knees. Benches were carried in
and placed in the aisles. Some people had brought
camp-chairs, which they set wherever there was
room. The air being balmy and still, the windows
were raised to the top, that people outside, in
buggies, wagons, carry-alls, could hear, and in
some cases see, all that was going on.

Of course. Deacon Tompkins had a front seat.
His pious face was yet clouded with the thought
of yesterday's unholy spectacle on the ball-field,
but the clouds were silver-lined with the comfort-

132 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

ing assurance that this was the closing service of
Tremaine's Ridgeburg ministry.

Josiah Higgins also had a front seat, not out of
regard to Mr. Treniaine, but that he might stand
guard over such remnants of the faith, and such
ashes of the fathers as yet remained.

The sermon closed the "Adam and Eve" series,
Mr. Tremaine dealing principally with the life of
the fallen man and woman after leaving Eden. He
spoke of Cain murdering Abel; of Adam digging
a grave for his own son; of sin as a Brocken
Specter, throwing shadows of almost infinite pro-
portions ; closing with the thought that, among
the mysteries of life, no one- is deeper than that
of the innocent having, to suffer even more terribly
than the guilty.

Ridgeburg lingered after the service to bid Mr.
Tremaine bood-bye ; for almost every one in the
meeting-house, as well as those outside, insisted
upon shaking hands with him, and saying all man-
ner of pleasant things. As he was to spend the
afternoon with the Derwents, Abram and his wife
went on, though Ruth lingered for a time, but
finally left with Eleanor Warriston.

Deacon Tompkins and Josiah Higgins were the
last to quit the meeting-house; but this was not
because of their reluctc^nce to part from Tremaine,
but it so happened that this was Deacon Tomp-
kins's Sunday to lock up the building, a service
which, by being taken in turn, saved the expense
of a sexton. Never did the Deacon more cheerfully
turn the key in the lock than on this Sunday.

AT the time appointed, Tremaine presented him-
L self at Squire l^odell's. A sharp, striking
contrast the two men suggested as they met that
Sunday afternoon, — Tr*^maine young, strong, alert,
vigorous in every movement, with a hand full of
eager blood, eyes flashing in the light of health,
and a voice without a break or false note ; the
Squire almost helpless in his chair, his face as
bloodless as ashes, his hands wasted and trembling,
and his voice so uncertain that at one moment it
would break into a heavy sob, and at another die
in a whisper. Their greetings were simple ; l)ut
when men are on the border-land between time and
eternity they are too serious for effusive ceremony.

"You may go now, Sykes," the Squire said to
Nat, who had come up with Tremaine. "I shall
not want you for the rest of the afternoon."

"Hadn't I better stay?" Sykes inquired in a
tone meant to be sympathetic. "There 's your
medicine to measure, an' you may want me for
other things."

^33

134 ^ ^ THE RIDDLE OF LIEE

As he spoke, Sykes moved over to the big chair
in which the Squire reclined, busying himself with
making the sick man more comfortable.

"Thank you," the Squire said ; "but you need n't
remain. Put the medicine on this table. Any-
thing else can wait till you get back."

After Sykes had gone, the Squire turned to
Tremaine and said :

"Your name, I understand, is Tremaine?"
"It is," was the answer, given in a quiet, re-
spectful tone.

"You are a clergyman ?"
"I am."

"Well, Mr. Tremaine, though I am not a re-
ligious man — in fact, I never believed very much
in religion — yet perhaps you can help me."

The Squire paused through sheer exhaustion ;

then, as if resolved not to give way, he continued :

"I have a story to tell, not a long one, but to

me a painful one, to which, if you will kindly Hsten,

I shall be grateful."

Again another pause. Squire Bodell evidently
struggling with memories which distressed him.
"I was born in this house, the only child, and
at my father's death came into possession of what
was regarded as a handsome property. While m s
mother lived"^here the Squire's lips trembled,
but speedily controlling himself, ht went on— "I
had an easy, happy life, for she was as good a
mother as young man ever had. After her
death" — another silence, broken only by the sol-
emn tick of an old-fashioned eight-day clock which

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

135

stood in the corner of the room, the swing of whose
pendulum was a homily in itself — "1 v/ent to New
York."

Here the Squire took some of the medicine
which Sykes had arranged to his hand ; a stimulant
largely, for his day of restoratives had long since
gone.

"While there I met a Miss Ruthven. I thought
she was" — and again the big pendulum swung to
and fro in its heavy se, more solemn and im-
pressive with each beat — "all that I needed to make
glad my life. She was young, not quite twenty,
and in my eyes very beautiful. I spent most of
that winter in New York, and in the spring Amy
Ruthven came here as my wife. At first she
appeared quite happy and contented, but after a
time the quiet life of this place began to worry
her. Poor thing !" and again the Squire closed his
eyes, at the same time leaning back heavily in his
chair as though unable to proceed.

Tremaine could only wait in silence for the
Squire to resume his story, no opportunity yet
presenting itself for either counsel or comfort.

"When our boys came, having them for com-
pany, I thought she would be satisfied ; but she
pined for the city and her friends there. Perhaps
if I had gone into some kind of public life it might
have been better, for she was fond of excitement
and society, while I was just the other way. I
tried to make the best of it, for I loved her with
all my heart; aye, and T love her now!"

Those last words were spoken with such pas-

136 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

sion that Tremaine looked at the Squire in amaze-
ment ; for he was now sitting almost upright in his
chair, his eyes full of light, and a look on his face
which fairly transfigured it.

"Yes, I love her now ; and I will always love
her, not only in this world, but in the world to
come !"

But such unnatural excitement brought its in-
evitable reaction. A dying man may have the
spirit of a giant, but not even the strength of a
little child. So again there was a pause, this time
longer than before.

"And so the years went on," the Squire con-
tinued, his voice now weak and uncertain, "the
boys, James and John, growing up meanwhile.
James was masterful, determined; and, being the
elder, exercised a strong influence upon his
brother. Of course the boys quarreled and had
their little differences, as boys will; but my wife
always sided with James, no matter how much he
was at fault. This made him selfish and over-
bearing, and I often had to interfere."

For the second time the Squire had recourse to
his medicine, after which he proceeded :

"One day there were high words between the
boys; but towards evening they seemed all right
again, and went down to the lake where they kept
their boat. Rut I never saw John again."

"What happened?" Tremaine exclaimed rather
than asked, so deeply was he moved by the Squire's
story.

"I do n't know," was the reply, given in a low,

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

muftled voice. "They told mc the boys got into
their boat, went out only a little distance, when,
in some way, the boat capsized, and John was
drowned."

"What a terrible accident !" Tremaine was say-
ing, when the Squire broke in :

"An accident it surely was. The lads were both
high-spirited, and perhaps in the boat continued
their quarrel of the morning; but some people
think that James willfully — "

Squire Bodell could not put into the words the
fearful suspicions which had been aroused at that
time.

Ridgeburg vividly remembered those cerrible
days. When the people learned that Jack Bodell
had been drowned, their grief was profound.
Every one loved Jack. Bright-faced, glad-hearted,
a brave, kindly lad, he was a general favorite. An;!
when it began to be whispered that James was wiih
him in the boat, and that they had been heard
angrily disputing just before the accident, popular
grief took on an element of deep anger. Out of
regard for the Squire, these angry mutterings were
suppressed, but in time some of them reached Mrs.
Bodell.

This was the last drop in her cup. She turned
upon Ridgeburg vith unrelenting hatred. Noth-
ing would induce her to have even the most formal
relations with the villagers. She declined all calls
of condolence, refusing to see any one. The
Squire remonstrated, entreated, but to no purpose.
Her love for the dead boy, instead of being a holy

138 M THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

memory, became a black shadow whicli fell upon
the life of his brother. Her love for her husband,
never a noble or exalted passion, ceased to have
its rightful place, and for the time she numbered
him among the accusers of her son. A hard, bitter
look came upon her face; sharp, unkindly words
were ever on her tongue. No ray of joy entered
her home. She was morbid, suspicious, and at
times a nrey to such strange fancies as to be al-
most beyond control. The only person for whom
she seemed to have any affection was her son
James, and upon him she lavished a jealous, in-
tense, but reckless love, refusing him nothing, no
matter what his demands or exactions wore.

Thus the years went on, and at forty Amy
Bodell was worn out and ready to die. But death
does not come even when we long for it ; neither
can broken hearts always find refuge in the tomb.
One day she left Ridgeburg, taking James with
her, the Squire being in Albany at the time. She
did not return, announcing in a letter to the Squire
her purpose of making a home with her son. Hav-
ing some means of her own, the Squire being also
generous, she was able to gratify many of James's
selfish, extravagant habits, though the more she
gave, the more he imperiously demanded. This,
instead of weakening her love, only added to it, so
t!iat her passion for him became a positive idolatry.
Soon after he came of age, at his urgent requesL,
she allowed him some control of her property, which
in a short time he shamefully abused, finally going
out West somewhere and leaving her absolutely

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

139

destitute. Beiiig proud, high-spirited, conscious
now that she had wronged her husband, she could
not bring herself to ask his help in this extremity.
Neither could she believe that James meant to
desert her. But the weeks wore away, months
even came and went, still there was no word or
sign. Then followed days of utter poverty, when
she hungered for bread, when she shivered with
cold, when she wandered homeless in the streets.
But so intense was her pride that she resolved to
die rather thin let her condition be known. One
night she crept down to the edge of the river, and
in despair took the leap which many a broken
heart has taken. But the city, which wdl let peo-
ple die of hunger, will not let them die of despair.
So she was rescued, ann taken to a nea /-by hos-
pital ; for it was seen her condition was truly piti-
able. Frenzied with fever, she called loudly for
her husband, and with the mad strength of de-
lirium insisted that the nurses and doctors were
keeping him from her. Then she would go back to
the lover days, using the sweet, endearing names
of that early winter when her girlhood troth was
plighted. Sometimes she spoke with such wistful-
ness and tenderness that the ward doctor or hos-
pital nurse had difficulty tc keep lack their own
tears.

As she had often spoken the name of Bodell,
and mentioning Ridgeburg as well, a message was
sent them. The Squire, though confident that
there was a mistake, answered the message in
person. But when he saw her ! O how pitiful and

140

^ a

THE PIDDLE OF LIFE

terrible it all was ! She recovereil consciousness
an hour or so before she died, and when the end
came her hand was in his, her wasted face was
drawn lovingly against his breast, and with a smile
as sweet as when she came a bride to Ridgeburg.
she gently passed away. With the poor, emaciated
body. Squire Bodell returned home, giving it holy
burial beside the golden-haired Jack, whose grave
Kidgeburg held in such deep remembrance.

Recovering himself after a time. Squire Bodell
resumed his story, all of which need not be given
b'-re.

"Kor years after my sou went West I heard
nothing of him whatever. Knowing how reck-
less nun arc in mining countries. I thought it likely
he had been killed in some brawl. l'>ut he is
in New York, and has been there some time. A
few days since I had a letter from him, and it is
concerning that letter I wish your advice."

"I am grateful for your confidence," Tremaine
answered, "and will gladly render you any assist-
ance I can. Of that you may be certain."

"Then, tell me what reply I am to make to this
letter."

Here the Squire handed the letter to Tremaine,
who took it and read it carefully.

"Xow, Mr. Tremaine," the Squire said, "I am
an old man. But a few weeks or months of life
remain to me. God knows I never meant harm to
any one. But my boy was drowned down here in
the lake. My wife died in a New York hospital.
Mv home has been ruined. And must I send for

THE RIDDLli OF LIFli a a

141

the one who has caused all this sorrow ? And must
I forgive him ?"

The Squire's voice was now ahiiost inautUhle.
For some time he had spoken in a whisper, stop-
ping fre(iucntly to reserve his dechniiig strength.

Tremaine hardly knew what reply to make.
The Squire's (juestion embarrassed him. He knew,
of course, the general idea of forgiveness. But
with that idea he had little sym|)athy. To forgive
a man before he honestly asked it seemed like put-
ting a premium upon sin. Tremaine's notion was
that a wrongdoer should either be punished for
his wrong or make ample reparation. The cheap
way in which some peo])le made atonement, to
him was worse than a frau<hdent bankruptcy. A
display of crocodile tears and a How of hollow
phrases were poor compensation for years of cruel
injury. P>ut Tremaine knew something of Divine
forgiveness. Oftentimes he could hear in his soul
the pathetic cry, "Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do !" .\nd he could see that,
even under his anger and bitterness. Squire P>odell
yet cherished an affection for his wayward son, and
desired to see him. Better, then, err on the side
of mercy. In point of simple justice. James Bodell
had no claim. But life is short. Sins which are
sealed in death can never be expiated. The hands
of the dead are terrible in their grasp. Once their
bony fingers clutch the throat of the living, noth-
ing can ever relax their hold. Enmities and strifes,
Tremaine thouj^ht. should never be carried to the
grave ; for this makes a cemetery of the heart,

142

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

through which shrouded, ghastly forms are ever
walking. So he advised the Squire in the spirit
of that Master whom he tried to serve ; then, kneel-
ing down beside the big chair, he oflfered a simple,
tender prayer.

Promising to call again, if possible, before he
left Ridgeburg, Mr. Tremaine went out, and the
Squire, leaning back quietly in his chair, fell into
a peaceful sleep.

JACOB AYLESBURY, of whom Mr. Bodell
had certain things to say when writing from
Saratoga, lived in a world habited by just two
persons, Mr. Aylesbury and himself. No man in
New York was more unembarrassed or un-
restricted in the study of his own interests, or more
generous in the consideration of his own welfare.
When about thirty years of age, before he had
fully mastered the science of self-appreciation, he
met a bright and fairly attractive young womain,
to whom he offered himself with such worldly
goods as he then possessed. This young woman,
having the romantic zeal peculiar to her sex, en-
tered upon the holy estate of matri.aony with cer-
tain lofty ideals, her enthusiasm even going so far
as to invest Mr. Aylesbury with attributes of a
high order. But after a time she discovered that
her idol was not made of either Parian marble or
Egyptian alabaster, but of coarse, common clay.
Had the clay been native earth, a soil from which
flowers might come or fruit be gathered, Mrs.

143

144 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

Aylesbury perhaps would have recovered from the
shock ; but it was only fit for brick to be used in
the building of Mr. Aylesbury's fortune. When
their daughter Geneva was born, Mrs. Aylesbury
hoped that the new life now in their home would
bring about some change in her husband. But
chubby fingers can't do much with dense, hard
clay. When a man's heart is only a brickyard, a
cradle is of less value than a wheelbarrow.

Then Mrs. Aylesbury began taking in her
ideals, stripping the masts bare, until finally the
ship of hope with which she had started so bravely
on her voyage could not even make steerage way.
It then drifted an aimless, useless thing, and, being
caught in the fierce arms of a tempest \s flung
upon the rocks and became a total ■ ■
said it was morphine taken to reHeve
Others were less charitable. Anyh
swallowed up by the remorseless sea,
Geneva, a girl in her teens, to make what she
could of life.

As Geneva grew older she crossed Mr. Ayles-
bury's path much more frequently than her mother
had done. She was too keen-eyed not to see some-
thing of his real nature, and too frank to withhold
all of such knowledge from him. Instead of re-
garding him as a great and mighty being, who had
fought his way from poverty to wealth, able now
to give her a dowry of noble proportions, she
actually looked down upon him as a pitiable
money-grub who had spent his life in wriggling
and crawling on the earth.

Some

>le pain.

.-he was

leaving

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

Inheiiting all her mother's vivacity as well as
much of her romantic zeal, and having no incon-
siderable portion of her father's shrewdness and
tenacity of purpose, she developed a character
strongly marked in many ways. Fairly tall, built
on lines as shapely as a racing yacht, with a keen
sense of what was becoming in raiment, a face
strong enough to save it from being regarded as
merely pretty, having, though, such vivacity and
expression as made it wonderfully attractive, eyes
that looked out up'-.i the world in splendid fear-
lessness, and with a bearing always easy and self-
possessed, Geneva Aylesbury made sad havoc with
impressionable hearts.

For some time Mr. Rawson Wamphrey, presi-
dent of the Gotham Bank, an institution of which
Mr. Aylesbury was a prominent director, had
looked with much favor upon Geneva. But this
was not surprising ; for, as already intimated,
Geneva had numberless admirers.

On returning to the city early in September —
for Mr. Aylesbury spent only a few weeks at Sara-
toga — Geneva was surprised to learn that the War-
ristons had gone out of town and were not ex-
pected to return. She could not understand the
reason of this. Without pretensions of large
wealth, the Warristons had lived in an easy, pleas-
ant way. and at their house she had met many of
the best neople.

In her way Eleanor Warriston was quite popu-
lar. She was probably rather serious for her years,
often looking at things with a gravity almost

146 a a THE RIDDLE OF L IFE

formidable. Still, she had a lurking humor, and
at times would flash out some remark or reply
which, like a wave breaking in the sunlight, liad
a brilliance all its own. Though not much older
than Miss VVarriston, Geneva often deferred to
her, receiving from her counsels and admonitions,
which, if given by another, would have fallen upon
dull ears. And then, as iron sharpeneth iron,
Geneva in turn imparted to Miss Warriston a
measure of her shrewd, matter-of-fact way in deal-
ing with life. The girls, therefore, were good
friends, and, both being generous, sincere, clear-
eyed, and incapable of sentimental shams, their
friendship gave promise of lifelong endurance.
Geneva also liked Robert Warriston, treating him
as a younger brother, and, though once in a while
-le would hold her hand longer than was really
necessary, even going so far at times as to make
love to her, she would only laugh at him and say :
"Now, Robert, don't be silly!"
Then Robert would blush like a schoolboy
caught in some foolish trick ; for he was younger
than Geneva, and his time for real love-making
had not yet come.

"Do you mean to say the Warristons were
forced to offer their hot .a for sale?" Geneva asked
her father one morning as they sat at breakfast, a
look of wonder in her eyes.

"That is what I mean," he answered, helping
himself to another chop.

"But I do n't understand it," the look deepen-
ing to one of perplexity. "Mr. Warriston was

(ft

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

fairly well of. Robert had a splendid opening for
so young a man. To give up everything and leave
town in this way is very strange."

"Nothing strange about it," replied Mr. Ayles-
bury, as the servant took his coffee cup to have
it refilled. "Mr. Warriston went into some specu-
lation which didn't turn out as he expected. In
other words, the market went against him, and
he had to pay up," now stirring his coffee after
having taken an extra lump of sugar.

"But Mr Warriston had given up business.
Eleanor and I were speaking of this not long since.
vShe said her father had worked hard for forty years
and intended to rest. I remember, at the time,
wishing you would do the same."

"Thanks, you are very kind. I think, though,
I know my own business best," Mr. Aylesbury
said, having now disposed of his second chop, and
engaging with a boiled egg.

"Those who look on often see most of the
game," Geneva retorted, but not unkindly. "When
a man has made a competence he ought to give up
business and begin to get something out of life."
"Become a philanthropist, start soup kitchens,
attend charity meetings. The dear, old man on
exhibition is the fad just now. Faugh!"

"Better that than the dear, old man who takes
no interest in anything but hinself. It seems
to me—"

"I am tired of your everlasiing 'it seems to me.'
Sometimes 'it seems to me' you have a whole raft
of notions and fads."

148

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"Probably. Anything not in your line is a
notion or a fad. But let us come back to the War-
ristons. What can be done for them ?"

"I do n't know, and what is more, I do n't care,"
and Mr. Aylesbury pushed back his chair, then
opened the morning's paper, intimating in this un-
ceremonious way his desire for the conversation
to cease.

"But, papa, the Warristons are friends of ours,
and v/e ought to help them if we can," Geneva
said, a distinct note of entreaty in her voice.

"They may be friends of yours," Mr. Aylesbury
answered, grimly, "but they are nothing to me.
If Mr. Warriston was fool enough to do as people
say he did, he must take the consequences. The
man who dances should pay the piper."

"Perhaps you will tell me how it happened, as
you evidently know," Geneva replied with some
heat, her father's unfeeling dismissal of the War-
ristons having aroused her indignation.

"Well, if you must know, I will tell you.
Robert, that paragon of honesty and smartness,
thought he would make as much money in a week
as his father had done in a lifetime. So he 'bor-
rowed' — that is the polite term — some of his em-
ployer's money and went into what is known as a
deal. Then he had to 'borrow' more, and still
more, until one fine morning he was found out.
Then he ran away, leaving his father in a nice mess.
The whole thing cost Mr. Warriston a pretty
penny. This is what comes of having sons smarter
than their fathers. If Robert W^arriston had been

■rw

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

149

my son, I 'd have let him go to jail and stay there
for the next twenty years."

"So, in addition to losing their money, they
have had all this shame and disgrace. And Robert
was such a nice, bright young fellow. Poor
Eleanor! How dreadful for Mr. Warriston!
Can't you do something for them? Couldn't you
make some kind of an opening for Robert, and
give the poor boy another chance?"

Geneva spoke in an eager, excited way, look-
ing earnestly at her father, hoping for a favorable
response.

"Yes, I can appoint him cashier of the Gotham,
or Secretary of the Treasury. Such talents as his
are too valuable for common service," Mr. Ayles-
bury answered sneeringly. "I think I sec myself
finding a place for Robert Warriston. I have other
things on hand which, strange as it may seem to
you, are of even more importance."

"I differ with you," Geneva said, speaking
firmly, though fully conscious of her father's coarse
sneer. "There is nothing of more importance in
the life of any man than the saving of another man
from ruin. Think of what this means to the War-
ristons."

"I have told you I care nothing about the
Warristons. Their affairs are no concern of mine."

"But they should be. Such things are the con-
cern of every right-thinking man."

" 'It seems to me,' " this with another sneer,
"you will soon be ready to manage my business to
suit vourself. Robert Warriston undertook the

I50 a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

same thing with his father, and see what it has
led to."

"Who put Robert Warriston up to this ?"

"How should I know?"

"My fear is you do know."

"What then?"

'Just this," Geneva said, rising from her chair
and looking fearlessly at her father, "the men who
tempted Robert Warriston, as honest and true-
heart fellow as ever Hved, hoping in this way
to get at Mr. Warriston's property, are despicable
thieves, without one grain of honesty or honor."

Mr. Aylesbury drew in his lips in a hard, cruel
way. He pulled down his brows till they met in
a heavy frown. His eyes flashed with angry light ;
but he said nothing, resuming his paper as though
the matter had been disposed of.

But Geneva was in a mood which Mr. Ayles-
bury could not restrain. A splendid anger had
taken possession of her. Every drop of her
mother's romantic blood was tingling with shame
in her veins.

"Father," she said, still standing and speaking
like a priestess beside her altar, "Eleanor Warris-
ton is my friend. Some of the happiest hours of
my life have been spent in her home. That home
is now broken up. Mr. Warriston has been
robbed. Robert's name is covered with disgrace.
As sure as there is a God in heaven, there will be
a terrible reckoning for these things."

"You needn't blaze and storm at me," Mr.
Aylesbury said, lifting a white but angry face from

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

151

the paper. "Your Saratoga friend, Mr. Bodell,
is the one to blame."

"Mr. Bodell! The gentleman I met at Mrs.
Maitland's?"

"Yes, he is responsible fo'- the whole business."

"I thought you didn't know Bodell," Geneva
said, turning from the window where she had been
standing for a few moments, and once more facing
her father. "You were introduced to him by Mrs.
Maitland."

Mr. Aylesbury instantly saw his mistake in
speaking of Bodell. . In his desire to shield him-
self he had gone too far. Meantime the clear,
shrewd eyes of Geneva were looking steadily at
him.

Seeing no immediate way of escape, Mr.
Aylesbury, ostrich-like, hid his head behind the
newspaper. Geneva's question, therefore, re-
mained unanswered. But just as the big, ungainly
body of the ostrich stands in full view, though its
head is buried in the sand, so was the answer
which he refused to give. There are times when
an open lie is better than a cowardly evasion. A
falsehood shot out on the impulse of the moment
is more honest than an ambush of silence, behind
which falsehood and deception lie hidden. In point
of fact, Mr. Aylesbury had answered Geneva's
question, and more significantly than if he had
spoken.

Soon after, he went to his office, nor was the
subject resumed for some time.

THE Gotham B; ., in wlwch Stephen Derwent
was a teller, ould not claim distinction for
either architectural beauty or massive proportions ;
but being at the lower end of the city, within easy
reach of certain Wall Street clients, it enjoyed
favors and privileges not accorded to some more
pretentious institutions. Mr. Wamphrey, the
president, had a way of keeping his own counsel,
an example closely observed by the cashier, Mr.
Strathford; and as both of these gentlemen had
an implicit following among the directors, no em-
barrassing questions were ever asked.

Mr. Wamphrey, though on the steady side of
fifty, was unmarried, having failed to respond to
certain matrimonial overtures with which he had
been favored at different times.

Mr. Strathford had not been so remiss, and
even after the first Mrs. Strathford retired from
this weary, wicked world, leaving to his care sun-
dry junior Strathfords, he agaii' essayed the mighty
task of bringing a woman into a state of sui)jection.

152

1
4

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE M a

153

The first Mrs. Strathford was a woman of sim-
ple tastes and quiet life, content with hor home and
its surroundings, and, all things ronsidercd, made
an excellent wife and mother. Dut when Mr.
Strathford came to make his second venture into
the holy, but often uncertain, estate, it was no
quiet, simple woman who was chosen to bear his
name, but a maiden of high degree, of many am-
bitions, and with desires almost limitless in their
range.

At first he enjoyed getting into his dress-coat,
something he rarely used under the former regime,
and going out with her ; for she was a dashy, bril-
liant woman, fully able to sustain herself any-
where. And then it pleased him to have men at
his table who owned yachts, country houses, fa-
mous pictures, or horses, as the case might be.
All this was grateful to Mr. Strathford; for he
could easily remember where he had looked up to
these magnates with a deference akin to awe. And
now to see them in his home, or to visit in theirs
upon terms of equality ; to know that his wife met
the women of their households at afternoon teas
and certain feminine functions ; to hear himself ad-
dressed familiarly by men who at one time would
hardly notice him, were matters from which Mr.
Strathford derived much satisfaction.

Hut such enjoyments are expensive, and when
once the pace is set, the tendency is to go faster.
Hence there came a time when Mr. Strathford
began to feel the shoe pinch him, and not on one
fuol merely. The savings accumulated under the

-v»i<v

o4 if ^ TH3 RIDDLE OF LIFE

former administration had gone, and in their stead
sundry obligations had conu But of this Mrs.
Strathford knew nothing. Being a woman of
superb taste, with a positive genius for color and
effect, her dinner parties, and gatherings, and
musicales were very popular. She also had rare
tact, so distributing her invitations that people of
♦•ival sets never met under her roof. And so every-
thing went on gayly.

"Lucky fellow Strathford is," one magnate sai !
to another, as they stood in a corner of the r^ cep-
tion-room, the crowd meantime pressing mto the
parlors, where some literary and mu ical lions were
on exhibition.

"I understand Mrs. Strathford ^'rought him
quite a large pile," was the ather singular reply

"Which, of course, he can make the most of.
Lots of chances down there."

"Chances he won't let slip."

"He will be president of the Goiham one of
these days."

"How so?"

"Wamphrey is likely to resign."

"Anything wrong?"

"No ; but Wamjthrey has g< le inti lining, and
will probably go West."

"Isn': this something new "

"He has been dabbling u, :.iine- or some time.
Recently he went into a big <le. ' wuh Aylesbury,
buying a whole lot i,\ Montana.

"I wis! him j.iv oi ill he mak( out of .A vles-
bury."

THE RIDDLE OE LIFE

a a

'55

"Sr do I."

" amplircy C(' "' stay wi^h 'he Gotham as
Jong - he pleased. That, and lis other pickings,
shouli satisfy him.'

"True, but Aylesbury ha a daughter; W n-
phrey is unmarried. The r t you can readily
imagine."

"So that is how ihi cat ^umns."
Then ;he ma nates looke<l each othtr for
about three sec >u after whii. iic fir'>r ma^' late
so coutrac 1 tht. iiiu cles of his right e\e that it

)rehensible way; which

jxinded by a puckering of

to indulge in a ;\ uine

ifies having been mdy ob-

nodded with the irravity

se mandarin a proceeding clost ly foi-

th' oond magnate, only in lesser de-

winked in he nosl
the second innate
his lips as i „• mt
wh stle. TT 56 pr lin
served, tl first i; agn
oi a Z\\
lowi b

the

gree i the principle that echoes rarely eqt^
igina sound.

''\^ ainpbrey is here," the first magnate now
remarked, .ia\ mg for the moment exhausted his
panto mic resources.

'^ " asked the second magnate, who had

a u curiosity to see Mr. Wamphrey in the

role : 'ovelorn youtl paying court to the dautrh-
ter of J cob .Aylesbury.

"In tnere with tht screui rs," said the first
magnate, with a movement of b s thumb iv> ir,i'!c;Jte
the music-room.

"He must be in love to stand that noisf, What
a ..owl that woman is making!"

Wf»M

156

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"That is Mrs. Strathford's latest. Imagine
being in the same room with such a yell as that."
The magnate had cause for provocation, as at
that moment the singer by a chromatic ladder had
climbed to the top of her voice when it broke like
a rocket in midair, dispersing in a medley of ear-
splitting sound. The songstress, a stout, Frenchy-
looking woman, with rouge enough and to spare,
was heartily applauded, as indeed she well deserved
to be ; for when people deliberately put themselves
in the way of being tortured they should most cer-
tainly reward the one who tortures them.

Again the two magnates expressed themselves
pantomimically, though not so distinctly as before;
for people were hurrying from the music-room,
and the spectacle of two florid-faced, baldheaded
gentlemen, winking and puckering at each other
might have caused some comment.

Just then Miss Aylesbury, attended by Mr.
Wamphrey, came within the vision of the mag-
nates, who had managed to keep their places in
the corner.

"Well, I do n't blame Wamphrey," said the one
with the winking eye, after looking at Miss Ayles-
bury as she walked across the room.

"Neither do I," replied the one with the puck-
ering lip, whose scrutiny had been equally careful.
On general pi \ oiples Geneva Aylesbury would
be considered hanasome rather than beautiful, for
she was above the average woman in height, and,
though not masculine In the least degree, she em-
bodied more of strength than most women pos-

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 157

sess. Her head was shapely and well set which,
combined with a certain alertness, added dignity
as well as verve to her movements. And, then,
her face was much more than an aggregation of
teatures. No one ever looked into her eyes merely
to know what color they were, or studied her lips
because of their curves. To have done so would
have been like weighing the gold-leaf on a Raphael-
framed picture in order to ascertain its value!
Being a New Yorker, she knew how to robe her-
self with exquisite taste, her attractions never los-
ing anything because of inharmonious raiment.
This evening, at the Strathfords, she wore a white
gown of soft silk, with just lace enough to save it
from being severe, while for jewels she had limited
herself to pearls. She may have been conscious
of it, or she may not— for the feminine conscious-
ness is too subtle an J delicate to be disposed of
abruptly — nevertheless, as she stood in the front
parlor where the light played upon her expressive
face and with the glow and excitement of the even-
ing shining in her eyes, most assuredly, to put it
in phrase which, though millenniums old, is ever
fresh and new, "she was fair to look upon," and
the enthusiasm of the magnates need excite no
surprise.

"My dear Geneva, how glad I am to see you!
And you look even more charming than ever. It
seems an age since I saw you," said Mrs. Mait-
land as she came forward smilingly, and speaking
in her eflfusive way.

She cordially disliked Miss Aylesbury, just as

158 ^ a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

she did Miss Warriston, or any other woman who
dared to be young and attractive.

Miss Aylesbury responded to Mrs. Maitland's
greeting in the way common with society people ;
for, though thoroughly persuaded that the smiling
gusher was as hollow as a soap-bubble, still she
was careful not to convey this feeling in the least
measure. So they smiled pleasantly at each other,
and said the usual things proper for such occa-
sions.

"Mr. Bodell is here," this in an effective whis-
per. "You remember him, of course— the dark,
handsome man, introduced to us by Cousin Allen."
And again Mrs. Maitland smiled in her effusive
way.

"Yes, I remember Mr. Bodell," Geneva repHed,
with something of an early frost in her tone.

"He was quite marked in his attentions at
Saratoga," Mrs. Maitland said, with rare delicacy
of intonation and emphasis.

"He was courteous, and at times fairly agree-
able, more than that I fail to remember."

The frost in Geneva's tone was now very evi-
dent.

"You dear, sweet child," was Mrs. Maitland s
response. "Of course, everything must be different
now," glancing at the same moment to the corner
where Mr. Wamphrey was standing; for he had
joined our f lends the magnates, who were mem-
bers of his financial circle.

"And why, pray?" Geneva asked, for the mo-
ment off her guard.

i 1

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

159

"O, Geneva, how innocent you are !" Mrs. Mait-
land replied, playfully tapping Miss Aylesbury with
her fan and looking again at Mr. Wamphrey.

Among her special and intimate friends, Geneva
had heard of Mr. Wamphrey 's devotion, the sub-
ject affording much amusement whenever it was
mentioned. But here was Mrs. Maitland actually
regarding the matter as serious and in a way not
to be misunderstood. Geneva's first feeling was
one of anger. But that, if shown, would simply
give Mrs. Maitland an opportunity, under cover
of her gracious, effusive way, of saying mean,
spiteful things. In shrewdness, as well as wit,
Geneva was more than the equal of Mrs. Maitland ;
but for the stab aerthetic, the thrust artistic, the
lie ingenious, Mrs. Maitland had a reputation all
her own.

"I trust Miss Aylesbury has not forgotten me,"
Mr, Bodell said, as he presented himself, a few
moments after Mrs. Maitland, with her alluring
smile, had gone to another part of the room.

Geneva's greeting was not cordial. The frost
in her tone when Mrs. Maitland had spoken of
him was now deeper by several degrees. This Mr.
Bodell was not prepared for. At first he thought
she had only assumed this bearing for a purpose,
and that later in the evening she would accept a
return to their former relations. But she pointedly
avoided him, and more than once withdrew from a
circle when he would join it. Then an angry light
kindled in his dark eyes, and a ;icornful smile came
upon his lips.

i6o a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"Of course, you have heard of Miss Aylesbury's
engagement to Mr. Wamphrey," Mrs. Maitland
.J to him on her way upstairs to get her wraps.

"No," he answered, in truthful surprise.

"Strange, isn't it?" she asked.

"Very," his eyes turning unconsciously from
Mrs. Maitland's smiling face to that of Miss Ayles-
bury, who just then was speaking to Mr. Wam-
phrey.

This, then, was the explanation of Miss Ayles-
bury's frigid air, and her evident desire to ignore
the friendly relations of Saratoga. But Mr. Bodell
did not know of Geneva's recent conversation with
her father concerning the Warristons, neither did
he dream of the contempt with which she had
spoken of him.

Soon after Mrs. Maitland came downstairs
cloaked and wrapped, for the air was like that of
December. Having a spare seat in her carriage
she invited Mr. Bodeil to occupy it, which he gladly
did, as he was anxious to learn something more
of Miss Aylesbury's engagement to Mr. Wam-
phrey.

(

ESST!

WHEN the Carlisle party reached Montana,
they found a surprising state of things.
The whole country seemed given up to mining.
There were mines everywl e — mines in the hills,
mines in the valleys, mines j ,st opening, and mines
in full swing. In one place whole townships, con-
taining hundreds of square miles, were in control
of Eastern capitalists, and the copper to be taken
out of this territory was estimated as something
enormous. In another place copper was only an
incident, a mere trifle to pay current expenses.
The expectation here was gold, and in quantity
to make the fortune of every shareholder. Every
other man carried a map, and the easy, assured air
with which he would unroll that map, locating
great cities and thriving towns, showed his supreme
faith in the boundless future. In one place a city
would soon be built rivamig everything east of
the Alleghanies. Through another section a rail-
road was planned, a double-tracked railroad, with
the latest rolling stock, and fully furnished in
II i6i

i62 a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

every way. Towns, therefore, were springing up
along the route of this iron highway ; that is, map
towns, land-broker towns, towns to be carried
around in prospectus form and shown to credu-
lous investors. As Carlisle took knowledge of
these things, a certain old song got mixed up in
his mind:

" To the East, to the East, the land of the Hub,
Where the shekels are waiting the Western tub ;
Where foolish investors are standing in line.
To drop their hard savings in some copper-mine."

Fred Westerhall was silent for some time after
this outbreak of Carlisle, his face wearing a
pained, anxious expression. Then he proposed:

"Which is the worse, for body or purse,
Humbugaria, or Malaria?"

"Is that a conundrum or a brain flash?" War-
riston asked.

"Robert," said Fred, "you have no idea of the
sublime."

"You are mistaken," answered Robert; "it is
lime put under brick, a situation of which you are
deserving."

The stage-ride from San Gabriel to Cressona
afforded Mr. Carlisle additional facilities for ob-
serving the ease with which Eastern capital is
disposed of by Western brokers. As the horses
knew the road, and the driver knew the horses,
and there being no annoying time-schedule to ein-

^^^IkT^S^^SSP

":ii.»

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

163

barrass the stage, its movements were deteru.ined
by circumstances. Hank Dobbins was the Iriv-
er's name, Dobbins, however, being rarely given
him, except in court or on legal documents. He
had driven that stage for a number of years, and
was a familiar figure at both ends of the line. With
keen gray eyes, heavy, overhanging brows, a face
strongly marked, hands and wrists of iron, a dead
shot, cautious as well as fearless, an expert coach-
man, his fitness for the place was generally con-
ceded. Twice the road agents had "held hiiv up."
This was soon after he had taken the stage ; but
in an unguarded moment one dropped his eyes,
which he never raised again. Hank's revolver
making such a movement impossible. Then he
gave the whip to the horses, sending them tear-
ing along like mad devils, the coach swinging and
swaying most fearfully. The agents who were in-
side the coach, instead of securing any plunder,
were glad to escape with their lives; for at the
rate Hank was driving he would soon have landed
them in Cressona, where a short shrift awaited all
of their kind.

Another time, a bright, moon-lit night, return-
ing alone with the mail, having received an ink-
ling of some intended courtesies from this same
band, Hank got down from his seat within easy
sight of the men who were waiting for him, pre-
sumably to take a stone from the foot of one of
his leaders. Instantly four men on horseback
dashed out from the shadow of a clump of trees;
but before they could rein up beside the coach.

1 64 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

he had hit two of them with that terrible revolver,
the third had his horse shot under him, while the
fourth rode away leaving his companions to their
fate. Hank did the same, and what became of
these men he never knew. But from that time on
his coach was unmolested. Road agents trou-
bled him no more. It was generally understood
in that region that Hank's revolver was always
within reaching distance.

"So you are going to the 'Cutty Hunk ?' " he
said to Carlisle, who sat with him on the front
seat. •

Carlisle nodded by way of reply.
"Rough country over there," Hank remarked.
"Country or people?" Carlisle asked.
"Both."

"The mines, though, are all right?"
"The mines are right enough. The question
is, who owns them ?"

"I think that questioi xxv be easily answered,"
Carlisle said, quietly.
"Perhaps."

"The mines are good property, are they not?"
"That 's where the trouble is," Hank said, eas-
ing up a little, the horses showing sign of fatigue.
"Dogs do n't fight over a clean bone; that is, dogs
with any kind of sense."

"There are lots of clean bones lying around
this part of the country," Carlisle remarked, using
Hank's figure of speech.

"The way you Eastern people throw good
money away is wonderful," Hank said, tightening

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

165

up the reigns ; for they had come to a bend in the
road which required steady driving. Once the
bend was rounded, the horses were allowed a
breathing spell, which gave Carlisle an oppor-
tunity of lighting a cigar. Passing the case to
Hank, he told him to help himself, which he did
without demur.

"From New York?" Hank said, after he had
lighted the cigar.

"I plead guilty," Carlisle answered.
"Come about the Cutty Hunk?"
"Guilty again."

"Surveyors, assayers, or promoters?"
"No; owners."

"Then you are Mr. Aylesbury ?"
"Aylesburv! What has he to do with Cutty
Hunk?"

"Only that he claims to be principal owner;
has so telegraphed to the superintendent. Ex-
pects to have a man out here in a few days to take
formal possession."

"Bodell's work," Carlisle muttered.
He had no intention of speaking the name ; but
drivers of stage-coaches, men whose ears are
trained like those of an Indian, and who are as
alert as soldiers on picket, hear with a keenness
often extraordinary. Carlisle, therefore, had
hardly mentioned Bodell's name before Hank
asked, in eager, excited tones :

"Bodell, did you say? James Bodell?"
Carlisle was too frank to attempt a denial.
"Yes, I said Bodell ; James Bodell."

1 66

^ M THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"About eighteen years ago a certain James
Bodell came here from the East, with whom I
have an account to settle," Hank said, in a low,
distinct voice.

Nothing more was said for some time, Hank
giving his undivided attention to the horses, urg-
ing them with both voice and hand. Several miles
had yet to bt traveled, and sundown was coming
on apace.

It is generally understood that, where doctors
differ, the patient dies; but in mining countries,
where the owners difFer, the miners do not die
except as they happen to kill each other ; for they
live to fight, and fight to live. At heart man is
a barbarian. The pounding of a sheepskin on a
drumhead means more to his soul than a chorus
of angels. He would rather handle a rifle than
a harp, though the harp have keys of ivory and
strings of fine gold.

These Montana miners were no worse than
others, and the genuine enthusiasm with which
they went into a fight proved, if any proof were
ever needed, that the line between savagery and
civilization is largely imaginary.

Hank Dobbins knew of the trouble at Cutty
Hunk, and that already the miners were taking
sides in what threatened to be a serious struggle.
He desired, therefore, to bring in ihe stage by
early twilight, this being the time of least dis-
turbance.

All this time Carlisle had been making a study
of Hank, flashing, now and then, a keen, search-

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

167

ing glance at the rugged, weather-beaten face,
which was set in such a grim, earnest way. He
was not long in making up his mind that Hank's
account with Bodell meant serious business. The
resolute set of that jaw and the implacable look
on that face were not to be mistaken. But it may
be Bodell was only a coincidence in name. More
than likely they were thinking of different men.
Watching his opportunity, when the horses al-
lowed of easier conversation, Carlisle said:

"The Bodell I mean is trying to defraud some
friends of mine, and it is doubtless at his instiga-
tion that Mr. Aylesbury claims the Cutty Hunk
mines. But your Bodell may not be my Bodell."

Mr. Carlisle smiled as he said this, an inquir-
ing smile which lawyers often use to advantage.
Hank smiled also, but his smile had iron in it.
It was stern, terrible, pitiless, like the opening of
a dungeon-door, only not to admit the light, but
to cause the prisoner to meet his doom.

"We will talk of James Bodell at another
time," Hank answered, without taking his eyes
from the horses or the iron from his lips.

After a run of some distance, which brought
the mining settlement within sight, Hank said :

"Where are you folks going to stop?"

"With the superintendent," Carlisle replied.

"Better not."

"On account of the trouble at Cutty Hunk?"

"Yes."

"Can you suggest a better place?"

"Yes. My daughter lives at this end of the

1 68

^ ^ THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

town. I stop with her when I come to Cutty
Hunk, which is every other day. I can drop you
there before taking the mail-bag to the office.
As I have no other passengers, you can all slip
oflf the stage without any one being the wiser.
I will whisper a word to the superintendent, and
he can come up later. You can then fix your
plans for to-morrow. Just at this time Cui y
Hunk is not a pleasant place for strangers."

Without a moment's hesitation Carlisle grat'^-
fully accepted the suggestion. He saw the wis-
dom of it, and yot he imagined that Hank's un-
settled accoun: with Bodell had something to do
with the generc;:s proposition. In a few minutes
the stage stopped before a rough frame building,
from which a woman of not far from forty years
of age came out to welcome Hank, greeting him
most affectionately.

"Where is Zona?" Hank inquired.

"Down at the office," was the reply. "Mr.
Gray sent for her to copy some papers. He wanted
them ready for you to take back to-morrow."

"My daughter, gentlemen," Hank said, when
the three travelers had descended from the stage.
"Emma, these gentlemen are going to remain with
us over night."

(iathering up their baggage, which was not
e.xtensive, the three men prepared to enter the
house, when Hank called out to his daughter, as
he was driving oflf:

"I will bring Zona when I come back, and
won't be gone more than half an hour."

WHEN Carlisle was cond - jd lo his room
by Hank's daughter, lie could not but ob-
serve' signs of both neainess and refinement.
Everythinf^ was plain, some things were prim-
itive, yet the room suggested something more
than a mere shelter or place of rest. The
little window-curtains were of cheap common
scrim, but they were clean and neatly ar-
ranged. The few ornaments set here and there
were not art of the highest type, still the good
taste in the placing of them was evident. The
wall-paper had not been put on by a trained
artist, but it covered walls whicli would have been
unsightly, besides hiding various cracks and stains.
And when, a few minutes l'<tcr. he returned to
what might be regarded as the sitting-room, the
same signs were manifest. A rag carpet covered
the center of the floor, not a frayed, strap sjling
thing, raveling out with strings and streamers in
all directions, but a neat, well-kept carpet, upon
which a fair-'^ized, and by no means unhaiidsome,

169

I70 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

table stood in conscious pride. In all truth, most
of the furniture of this room was not elaborate,
but it had an air of comfort, one or two chairs
being positively inviting.

The coming of three unexpected guests some-
what strained the accommodations of this Cutty
Hunk home, but in mining countries domestic
arrangements are more elastic than in great cities
where space is measured by inches.

Sitting by the window, in one of the chairs
referred to, Carlisle watched, with both interest
and amusement, his hostess provide for the imme-
diate needs of the newcomers. The kitchen,
though architecturally in the same class with a
common woodshed, had conveniences of various
kinds, by which an appetizing meal was being put
on its passage. From his chair Carlisle, without
being in the least intrusive, could follow the move-
ments of Hank's daughter, at the same time carry-
ing on with her an easy, pleasant conversation.
As a girl she had undoubtedly been very pretty,
that sweet, simple prettiness, which for a few years
is so attractive. Her hair lacked the lu.xuriance
of her girlhood, when it was so wayward and
troublesome; still it retained much of its former
gloss and color. Her eyes had faded somewhat ;
for originally they were light blue, a shade upon
which time works mischief; but they held some-
thing of their brightness, and at times twinkled
bravely. Possibly her complexion had suffered
most of all ; for she was now almost colorless, the
inevitable fate of those who are pink and , white

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

171

in their youth. Her figure, though, was firm and
strong, graceful as in earlier years, but matured
and developed. She did not impress Carlisle as
a person of much inward resources, or of strong,
dominant character, but rather as a sweet, inno-
cent worran, easily influenced, capable of following
blindly where her affections led. Under the light
of the lamp, Carlisle saw upon her face lines of
anxiety and suffering, and when the smile ^aded
from her lips, and the flash of humor died out of
her eyes, she seemed to have a hunted, frightened
look, as though there was something in her life
from which she was trying to escape.

Warriston and Westerhall, after washing oflf
some of the road-dust, went to "elongate them-
selves into the perpendicular," as Fred put it.

"I do n't feel stagestruck," he said, "but I am
stage-bumped. Shakespeare must have had a long
coach-ride before he wrote of shuffling oflf this
mortal coil. He undoubtedly referred to the twist
in his legs which stage-riding involves."

"It is 'arms and the man I sing,' as my friend
Mr. Pope would observe," said Robert, stretching
himself with grateful enjoyment of the privilege.

"I would n't sing at all, Robert, if I were you,"
Fred remarked seriously. "There is trouble
enough in Cutty Hunk now, if our worthy Jehu
is to be believed, and if you start to sing, good-
ness only knows what would happen."

"You are simply jealous, Fred. My singing
is heavenly, divine, and angelic harmony compared
with vours."

172

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"I understand now why so few people care to
go to heaven. Indeed, Bob, if you are to be one
of the chief musicians there, I rather think you '11
have to excuse me."

"I 'm glad to know you have ever thought of
such a place ; one would n't have suspected it from
your walk and conversation."

Having regard to Hank's caution, the young
men did not go far, contenting themselves with a
short walk down what was known as the street.
Hank's description of Cutty Hunk as a rough
place was fully borne out by what they saw. Such
men as they met looked reckless and forbidding.
At different points along the street a glare of light
v.'ould be seen indicating some drinking-place or
gaming resort. vShouting, swearing, a snatch of
some common song, the uproar of angry voices,
then a street brawl, gave them the distinct im-
pression that, as a quiet, peaceable retreat. Cutty
Hunk had rivals much nearer home.

On coming back to the house they found that
Hank had returned, accompanied by Zona. As
before, the introduction was not strikingly elab-
orate. Hank's idea of that ceremony being:'

"Gentlemen, this is Zona, my granddaughter."
At the first glance Zona looked like a fully-
developed woman, but on closer scrutiny the girl
revealed herself, a girl of about seventeen. In
feature she resembled her mother; but she was
darker, taller, cast in larger mold, with a dash of
the Oriental in her bearing. There was something
about her which seemed familiar to Carlisle, and

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 173

he looked at her keenly as well as curiously. He
wondered where he had seen that peculiar expres-
sion, that quick, characteristic movement of the
lips, that smile so mesmeric in its inflr 2nce. Then
he would catch a tone, a cadence, upon which
memory seized, and he found himself listening to
a voice which he must have heard before.

Closeiy scanning Hank, he looked to see if
Zona had inherited from him ihese decided traits.
But Hank's eyes were not black, neither was his
smile alluring. His voice, too, was gruff and
harsh, without the least strain of vibrancy. Car-
lisle was puzzled, and incautiously allowed it to
be seen on his face. This Hank instantly de-
tected, and a glance of lightning passed between
the two men, of anger from the one, of surprise
from the other, and in the flashings of that glance
Carlisle read the name of Zona's father— James
Bodell !

Later in the evening, the superintendent, Mr.
Grey, came up from the office, and Cutty Hunk
matters were discussed with much interest. For
some reason, Mr. Grey was known among tlie
miners as "Nibs," a name which, strange as it
may seem, implied both respect and authority. A
practical engineer, cool, daring, able to handle a
gtm almost ,i. well as Hank Dobbins, Mr. Grey
was eminently fitted for his position. More than
once he had taken his life in his hands, facing
odds before which other men would have quailed.
Capable, shrewd, thoroughly reliable, young
enough to have plenty of hot blood, but sufficiently

174 ^ a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

experienced to be wary, he made a typical super-
intendent. This Carlisle recognized early in the
evening, and took Mr. Grey into his confidence.

So far Mr. Grey was not in close touch with the
Aylesbury syndicate, other than the notice which
had been served on him concerning the new owner-
ship, and the coming of a representative to take
possession. As Mr. Grey was indebted to Mr.
Warriston for his present position, and ever since
the opening of the mines had done hard, honest
work, the announcement that the mines had passed
to other control came upon him as an unpleasant
surprise. Then he learned of certain operations
which involved other properties under the same
management, and he found himself wondering if
the Warriston interests had been sold out to make
way for a big mining scheme. He had written
to Mr. Warriston, but receiving no reply, came
to the conclusion that the Aylesbury syndicate had
managed, in some way, to obtain his consent to
their plan of reorganization. This he could not
reconcile with his knowledge of Mr. Warriston,
so he was more than glad when Hank Dobbins
told him of Carlisle's arrival and of the new de-
velopments that were possible.

"You mean that this Aylesbury combination
intends to secure possession, in some way, of the
Cutty Hunk property?" he asked in amazement,
when Carlisle had given him an idea of the scheme.

"Cutty Hunk, with its rich deposits and won-
derful assays, is to be used as a decoy duck, so
it is an essential part of the plan," Carlisle replied.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 175

From Mr. Craig, Carlisle had learned the pur-
poses of the Aylesbury syndicate, whole counties
having been secured, some of them hundreds of
miles from Cutty Hunk. Attractive advertise-
ments had been prepared for the newspapers. A
general raid all through the East was contem-
plated. Shares almost without number were to
be put on the market. Men of glib tongue and
insinuating address were to travel up and down
the land. Men not accustomed to the ordinary
methods of business, college professors, teachers,
farmers, clergymen, were to be approached, and
such adroit appeals made to them that they would
at once fall into the snare. To the right persons
stock was to be given in return for such influence
as they would exert. Already numerous inquiries
were being made, and an immense rush was cer-
tain when the stock once became a matter of pub-
lic sale.

Bodell was the projector of this scheme, though
Aylesbury nominally stood at the head, while
prominent as directors were Wamphrey and
Strathford, of the Gotham Bank. But there was
a fly in the ointment. And that fly was the War-
riston stock in Cutty Hunk. How many times
Bodell had sworn at Stennett for letting that
stock go! And where had it gone? Twice Bodell
had wired from Saratoga, telling Stennett to get
that stock back no matter what it cost. But not
a trace of it could be found. All Stennett knew
of the matter was the visit of a mild-mannered,
benevolent-looking old gentleman who looked like

1 76 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

a country clergynian, and who bought the stock.
As Stennett very truthfully said in defense :

"You thought, just as I did, that when War-
riston loaded himself with it he was a fool. And
how was I to know that the old bloke who called
here was not another fool?"

"An agent of Aylesbury's, most likely," Bodell
remarked, angrily.

"You think Aylesbury would be up to such a
dodge?" Stennett asked, doubtingly.

"If you knew Aylesbury you would n't ask such
a question. He is up to anything and everything."

"But this is x mean, contemptible trick."

"All the more reason why we should suspect
A.}lesbur>."

"I tho.ight we were all working together on
this scheme."

"O, yes ; we are a i)and of brothers," Bodell
answeretl with a sneer. "But we will '?v.n ii up
witii Mr. Aylesbury before we get through. What
say you?"

"The old scoundrel," replied Ster.nett, \v"io had
just returned from the management of a private
gambling house at Long Bran( h, and was conse-
quently an authority on all matters of honesty and
honor ; "to take advantage of hi.-, friends in such
a way is worse than oard-sharpivg."

Aylesbury thought Bodell had the Warriston
stock, for Bo'lell had told him so at Saratoga.
And the worthy Jacob was thinking tlit sa^.ie
kind'y things of his associates as they were of
him. Each man, therefore, was prepared to cook

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

177

the other man's hare ; and yet neither man had
the hare to cook, a circumstance of some moment
as it afterwards turned out. So the Cutty Hunk
Mining Company was formed, Cutty HunK itself
being taken for granted.

With old Mr. Warriston out of the way, and
Carlisle happily disposed of by a railroad accident,
all other inteiests were of minor importance. A
hawklike swoop, descending on the mines without
waiting for the slow movement of the courts, tak-
ing immediate possession, and assuming direct
ownership of Cutty Hunk with all the property
involved, was Bodell's plan of operations. He
kt'.ew how easily claims could be set aside, for had
he not prospected and surveyed in this same terri-
tory years before? And who could oppose them?
Carlisle might have done so, for some of his clients
had large interests in Cutty Hunk; but, as Bodell
sneeringly remarked :

"An honest lawyer has no business in such a
world as this. His loss is our gain."

All these things were freely spoken of around
Hank Dobbins' supper-table, and, after the dishes
had been remove<l, maps and surveys were spread
out, over which most of the company pored inter-
estedly for some time.

But it must be confessed that Robert Warris-
ton, after his first flush of eager interest, did not
jjive his undivided attention t(j the proceedings.
His eyes insisted upon wandering from the maps
on the table to a girl in a chair. Though follow-
ing bravely the general conversation, his thoughts
12

178

M ^

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

strayed but never leaving the room, at least not
while Zona remained in it. Her dress, only a
pretty print, but nattily made, he thought very
becommg. Then her movements were so grace-
ful ; and what eyes she had ! Sometimes their eyes
met, and what more natural than for two young
people to look at each other? Once he smiled at
a remark of Mr. Grey, continuing the smile while
he looked at her; then she smiled, and a feeling
of comradeship was immediately established In
removing some dishes from the table, she was
forced to bend over his chair, and her arm touched
h.s, causing both of them a peculiar sensation.
Feehng that the coming of three unlooked-for
guests involved considerable labor, Robert felt
constrained to share a part of the extra service
He tried to make himself useful by assisting Zona
m such labor as fell to her. Of course he made
mistakes; he put articles in the wrong place, and
perhaps did more harm than good; but Zona only
laughed, and she laughed in such a bright, rippling
way that he laughed in return. Before the even-
ing was half spent he had changed his mind about
Cutty Hunk. On the stage, when talking with
Fred Westerhall, he had spoken feelingly o, .he
long, lonely evenings that were before him, and
made Fred promise to write him every few days
so he would have something to break the terrible
monotony. But this feeling of desolation was fast
passing away. He no longer regarded himself as
an exile, or New York as the center of earthly
bhss. Ah me f what a strangely resilient thing the

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a i^Q

human heart is, particularly a young man's heart,
and still more particularly when a young, pretty
girl is within whispering distance!

Thanks to Mr. Craip, who had been carefi'-i < "
forward all necessary documents, at the sam tii..
making everything legally secure, Carlisle wa abl
to establish absolute control of Cutty Hunk. >
Grey, therefore, accepted without question the ne\^
order of thin'ijs, and anr.viunced himself as willing
to carry out any plans ihat might be proposed.
Carlisle suggested going to the mines early next
morning, and entering upon formal possession;
but Hank, after making a circuit of the room two
or three times, said in his abrupt way :
"Better not."

"Why not ?" Carlisle asked.
"Let them show their hand first," Hank an-
swered, still moving about restlessly; for he was
laboring upder strong excitement.

"Have they not already dr-ivo that?" Carlisle
questioned.

"Not even their finger-tips," Hank replied,
coming to the table and taking up a map which
remained unrolled. "Take my advice and lie low,"
he continued, looking meanwhile at the map : "let
them have their head for a while. Do n't trouble
about the reins more than to be sure you have
them in your hand. When you are good and ready
you can bring them up fast enough. You 've got
the papers, and can spill the whole coach-load any
time you please. But a spill when the horses are
in an easy walk don't amount to much. Wait

Kjafl

i8o

' ' Tin-: K/DDi^n of life

irU*"^ "a *^°'"« "own-hill, when there 's a bend
Pi. h'th^'o"' ""^"" "^'"^ '"<' --i. Th"n

lookert!?. ■?■'" '''«^" '° ^P~'<. Mr. Grey

ooked at h,m sm.lmgly ; for under the stage-cMch
terjn,„ol„gy he discerned good sound eL Tu^
wer" ptsb"! "rf' -P^-'-fent felt that .her

^^r^r^rc^rsie^-rd-^^^^^
:£xrh:^cr'°"^"'^°-— -

It was now late so Afr r-^
I,;-, ' ^*^'^- ^rey went bark- tn

his rooms over the nffir« v 7 . °

-ired ;or .,e „t.: w:v;^r„ ^d \v;ri"

CARLISLE, now that Zona and her mother
had left the room, asked Hank i; he might
indulge in a cigar, at the same time saying he
was not yet ready to retire. His real reason for
proposing this was that Hank, in case he desired
it, might have an opportunity of speaking to him
of Bodell. In that glance which early «n the even-
ing had passed between these two men, each had
read something (,f the other's mind, hut only
enough to make nove a necessiti. With regrird
to B'jdell there was t ^horoogh understanding.
The fact of his having lived in Montana years
before, his famili.irity with the region in which
the Cuit/ Hunk property was located, the unmis-
takable likenes;; to Zona, together with Jther
vi.ing, whi.:h hrd come out during the evening,
estaii'iishfd Boued's i<lentity beyond all question.
But the txact -elation of Hank's daughter had
yet to be established ; also the reason for the stage-
driver's terrible hatred.

As an answer to Carlisle's suggestion. Hank,

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l82

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

declining the proffered cigar-case, took down from
the mantelpiece a big cherrywood pipe, with a
long stem, and began to fill it with plug tobacco,
a small pouch of which he had drawn from one
of his numerous pockets. This done, he Hghted
the pipe, smoking it German fashion, with the
bowl in one of his hands. For a time nothing was
said ; indeed, so long did the silence continue that
Carlisle's ^igar was half smoked before another
word was spoken. At length Hank said:

"Mr. Carlisle, we had better come to some kind
of an understanding."

"You refer to Mr. Bodell and his relations to
the Cutty Hunk ?" CarHsle said, cautiously.

"Yes, I refer to Bodell; but the Cutty Hunk
part of it can stand over for the present."

"But, Mr. Dobbins," Carlisle said, speaking in
a frank yet serious tone, "you will please remem-
ber that we met this morning for the first time.
We are, therefore, strangers to each other. I
have no right then either to ask or expect your
confidence. If — "

"Very true," the other interrupted ; "but some
men are easier to get acquainted with than others,
and some men will find out more in a day than
other men will in a lifetime. Now you have trusted
me, considerable too, in Cutty Hunk matters. I
am now going to trust you, if you will let me."

Hank's voice kept dropping as he spoke, losing
much of its gruffness, and his closing words had
a pathos which Carlisle could not but feel.

"You found out at supper- time that Zona was

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 183

Bodell's daughter; but you did not find out that
my daughter is his wife. Well, she is, though
she thinks he is dead, and has been dead for a
long time. But I have kept track of him, and
if he values his life he will give Montana a wide
birth."

Hank paused, not to make his words more
impressive — he was too much in earnest 10 think
of such trifles— but to collect himself for the story
he had now to tell.

Carlisle felt surprised at Hank's mention of
Bodell's marriage. Though he had frequently met
Bodell, and was acquainted with others who were
supposed to be intimate with him, he had never
heard anything of either wife or child. Bodell
was generally considered "a man about town,"
who lived in bachelor apartments, a frequenter of
clubs, a hon v'xvant without either matrimonial ten-
dencies or desires. He talked flippantly of mar-
riage, sneered at the mention of disinterested love,
said pretty things when speaking to pretty women,
and made sport of them in their absence, declared
to his own immediate set that the man who bur-
dened himself with a wife was a fool, and at the
club had many things to say which would not
look well in print.

But there were few who really knew anything
of Bodell. There was an impression that he had
spent some years in the West, mostly in the min-
ing countries, where he had made some money,
but, tiring of ^hat sort of life, came to New York,
going into business with Noel Stennett. That he

1 84

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

was married, and had a daughter on the verge
of womanhood, never entered the thought of
any one.

"I had a considerable part of a farm." Hark
resumed after a long pause, "did some stock-rais-
ing, and was getting along in good shape, when
Bodell came to our part of the country. He was
then about twenty-two or twenty-three ; and he was
smart as chain lightning, one of the smartest fel-
lows I ever knew. He was a surveyor or pros-
pector of some kind, and, having plenty of room
in our house, we took him to board. He made
good company for my women folks, and both my
wife and daughter got to be mortal fond of him.
He knew all kinds of tricks and games, and could
amuse a whole company by the hour. My son.
Will, the same age about, used to follow him
around like a shadow. Will had always been a
good, steady lad, never giving either his mother
or myself an uneasy hour. We placed great de-
pendence on Will, and when I went over to Helena
with stock, sometimes being gone a week, he took
my place, and things went on all right. But after
Bodell had been with us a spell, Will began to
fall off in lots of ways. He would stay out nights.
He spent a good deal of time at the Four Corners,
a tavern down in the village. Then he got mixed
up in all sorts of low company. His mother used
to talk to him, and coax him, and for a time he 'd
be all right ; but he 'd go off again and be worse
than ever. But I never once suspected Bodell.
and sometimes I 'd ask him to counsel with Will.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE en 185

Nellie, that is my wife, set great store by Will.
Yc»u see, he was her only son, and when he was
at himself no more likely boy could be found any-
where."

Hank again paused, ostensibly to put his pipe
back on the mantel-piece, but in reality to get time
to control himself. Aft<^- disposing of the pipe,
he sat down again, not upright as before, but
resting his elbows on his knees and a hand on
either side of his face. As he resumed speaking,
his voice hardly rose above a whisper.

"One night Will went out, it was in the early
winter; but he never came bad: again. There
was some trouble down at the Four Corners, just
what I never knew. Bodell was there, and some
one accused him of being a card-sharper and play-
ing a snide game. Will took Bodell's part, and
high words followed. They had all been drinking
heavilv, and in the excitement some one drew
a revolver, and Will was shot dead. What a night
that was! I can hear now the trampling and
s -ufifling of feet as my Will was brought home.
My poor wife went out of all control. She sat
all that night beside the dead boy, talking to him
and kissing the dear white face just as she did
when he was a baby. She recovered a little, but
never really lifted her head again. We kept back
all of the story we could, making out it was some
kind of an accident, but we could n't cover over
everything. And, strange, I never connected
Bodell with it. But then, you see, he told me his
side of the stoiy; and while he didn't appear to

1 86

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

blame \. !11, he made me think somehow that the
boy had been hot-headed and foolish. None of
the others who were mixed up in it ever came
near me. Most likely they were too ashamed,
and I never made any inquiry. Bodell came in
and out the same as before; but Nellie couldn't
bear to have him touch her or even go near her.
We thought this would pass away in time; but
it did n't, and up to the last she 'd give a kind of
a shiver when he came anywhere near her. Being
so weak and delicate, she was n't able to do much
about the house, so Emma, that is my daughter,
had to take her place."

Once more Hank paused ; but this time he did
not rise from his chair or even vary his position.
He' remained just as before, only silent. His face
gave evidence of intense feeling ; but there was no
softness on it, neither were there any tears in his
eyes. Better for him if there had been. But
some natures have no access to those mysterious
fountains, which, like rivers hidden in the earth's
caverned deeps, restrain the fires that burn with
such awful : --tensity. Hank Dobbins was of this
class. His grief was denied he outlet which af-
fords to many such grateful relief. A sob could
no more express his sorrow than the rattling of
a tin pan a thunderstorm crashing in the moun-
tains.

"This brought Emma and Bodell a good deal
together. A sweet girl Emma was. She knew
no more of evil than a wild rose. She was thought-
less, just because she was so innocent. Well, as

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

a a

187

I told you, Bodell was a smooth-tongued, artful
villain, and with the kind of face most women
like. So he set himself to win Emma just as he
had Will. He kept talking to her about the life
she might have in New York, and got her all
stirred up and discontented with our life at home.
"I couldn't make out what had come over
Emma ; but I thought, perhaps, she was troubled
about Will. But gradually a great change cam.e
over her. She wasn't like the same girl. She
used to be fond of birds and flowers, and had
pets all over the place. Some of the horses would
whinney when they woukl hear her voice, and she
would put her arms around their necks and fondle
them as if they were human. But all taat stopped,
and she seemed to have no more interest in any
of them. I did n't want to speak to her mother
about this; for she, poor woman, had enough
trouble of her own; aid then, as I have said, I
thought Emma was fretted and worried about Will.
"One time I had to go to Helena. I hated
awfully to go, for I felt things were not right;
but it was the time of the year when I had to
make that trip. So I went, and when I came
back— I was gone about ten days— I found that
Bodell had persuaded Emma to go off ^'ith him
and get married. She was then just the dge Zona
is now. At first my wife and I were mortally dis-
tressed; but we made up our minds to do the
best we could, and, as she was getting more feeble
every day, I di.i n't want to make it any harder
for her.

1 88

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"Then Bodell began to show himself in his
true colors. Knowing that I was helpless, he did
about as he pleased. He would swear at Emma
if she did n't do everything he wanted, n» matter
how much her mother needed her. More than
half of his time he spent at the Four Corners,
coming home some nights so drunk he could n't
stand on his feet. And so things went on from
bad to worse, when at last my poor wife died.
But at the funeral he wasn't sober enough to
be in the room with Emma and me, and had to
stay upstairs, or he 'd have made an exhibition of
himself. That ended the business for me. Next
day I told him to get out. He stormed and swore,
and threatened all sorts of things, upon which I
let him look at my revolver, which quieted him
right off. Then I toiu him that he was a black-
leg, a cowardly drunkard ; that he had led my boy
to his ruin, and forced my girl to marry him,
and that the next time I saw him, no matter when
it was, I 'd shoot him stone dead. He saw, then,
that the game was up— and like all of his class
he is an arrant coward— so he went awav, leaving
Emma with me. She wouldn't have gone with
him anyhow, for she had come to have a horror
of him.

"I heard nothing of Bodell for a long while;
then I saw in an Helena paper that he had been
in a street-fight and was terribly hurt. The next
paper I got from Helena said he had died in the
hospital. Emma saw this paper, though I did n't
mean she should, and within twelve hours after

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 189

that Zona wa born. Some weeks later I learned
it was not Bodell who died, but another man who
was in that same row. But I never told Emma.
What was the use? I knew she would never go
back to him, and I knew he 'd never come after
her while I Hved.

"You see now why I hate Bodell. My son's
death, my wife's broken heart, my daughter's
ruined life, my own desolate home, I lay at his
door, and if I ever r-'t a chance I will kill him
as I would a snake.

If Hank had . > ^ voice, or shown any

special excitement, ^ . .vouM have felt a sense

of relief, but the low, a.inost v, .ispered tones con-
tinued to the last. And this made the story all
the more impressive. Reluctantly breaking upon
the silence, for Carlisle felt the strain under which
Hank had been during this sad recital, he said :

"Is Bodell aware he has a daughter, and that
his wife is yet living?"

"Yes ; but he does n't know where they are
or even the name they bear. I gave up where I
was, Emma and her baby coming with me. When
we settled here, she took her mother's maiden
name, Duncan, and people in these parts do n't
bother one with questions. I do n't stage-drive
for a living, but I wanted something to take up
my mind. I am not so poor as most people think ;
but I have Hved all my life with horses, and they
are the best friends I have. Once in so often
Bodell hears from me, though in a roundabout
way, as I do n't want him \o ki ^w where we are.

I90

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

But this Cutty Hunk business may bring us to-
gether. If so, it will be worse for him."

It was now long after midnight, so Hank and
Carlisle, after a hearty handshake that conveyed
something of what each man felt, parted to snatch
a few hours of much-needed rest.

SOME one has said — and -..nen a person is of
such consequence as to have his sayings put
in quotation-marks and handed down the genera-
tions, it is assumed that he has said something
of merit — "Better is the end of a thing than the
beginning thereof." But when a young man is
closing up a well-earned vacation, every hour of
which has been enjoyed to the full, it would be
difficult indeed to persuade him that .c end of
such a holiday is better than the beginning.

But Stephen Derwent was something c. a
philosopher. He knew that on a certain day he
would be expected at the Gotham Bank, and he
knew also the penalty for any failure to report
for duty. Stephen had learned that banks were
not conducted as health resorts, and that philan-
thropy, as a distinct feature, was not prominent
in their management. He therefore packed his
bag, rolled up his umbrella, took down his over-
coat from the hall rack, and went to the buggy
where his father was waiting.

191

192 Till-: RIDDLE OF LIFE

But the leave-taking among the Dervvents was
less serious this time t. n in former years, Stephen
having stipulated that they were all to come and
spend Christmas with him. Still Mrs. Derwent's
eyes were not quite guiltless of tears as he turned
to go away, and even saucy Ruth had a look on
her face not often found there.

But all of Ruth's sorrow was not on account
of Stephen. Tremaine had something to do with
it ; for he also was going away, having arranged
to meet Stephen at the station.

The dear little Ruth, with her sweet face and
bright ways, was beginning to learn that strangest
yet deepest lesson of life— love, after all, is but
another name for pain ; for love means suffering.
The divincst love that this world ever knew
reached its supreme glory on a cross ; an<i *'• love
which shrinks from suflfcring is a b.atal, selfish
thing, masquerading under a name which it de-
grades and profanes. And yet, so wondrous are
the workings of the haman heart, Ruth would wil-
lingly have given up almost everything of life
rather than go back to the happy unconsciousness
of a few months before.

What Tremaine had said to her during the last
few days of his stay in Ridgeburg, we are not
privileged to know. For they were spoken softly
and in a tone intended only for Ruth. But what-
ever they were, they meant everything to her, and
upon them her whole life now centered. As for
Tre- Jne. he kept his own counsel ; but Ridgeburg
meant more to him than ever before.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE 193

Mr. VVarriston and Eleanor were exc cdingly
sorry to have the young men go. They seemed
hke a part of their former life, and, though not
in the immediate circle of their Xcw York friends,
yet they had some knowledge of them, and formed
a link which connected them with happier days.

On their way to the station, Mr. Derwcnt spoke
of the Warristons.

"I believe," he said, "James Bodell has had
something to do with their coming to Ridgeburg."

"The Squire's son?" Stephen replied, with a
wondering look at his father.

"Yes, the Squire's son," Mr. Derwent repeated,
giving the horse a flick with the reins, though
there was no need of it.

"What makes you think so?" Stephen asked,
the look of wonder remaining on his face, for he
had not once connected the Warristons with
Bodell.

"Nothing directly, but a good deal indirectly,"
was Mr. Derwent's reply, again using the reins,
and with even less cause than before.

This reply did not fully meet Stephen's ques-
tion. He therefore waited tur his father say
something more. After a few moments, M: Der-
went said :

"Mr. Warriston and I have come to be pretty
well acquainted, and we have talked about some
of our ^!Jgebtirg people. This was only natural,
he being a stranger, so I would tell him about one
family and then another. One evening I said
something about Squire Bodell; but the words
»3

194 ^ ^ THE RIDDLE OF LIF E

were hardly out of my mouth before a sort of
spasm came upon him. I pretended not to notice
anything — sick people, you know, are often very
sensitive— and, it being dusk at the time, he
thought I hadn't noticed anything. But I tell
you, Stephen, the look on Mr. Warriston's face
was something awful."

Once more the reins dropped abruptly on the
horse's flanks; but as this was evidently a habit
of Mr. Derwent, the horse paid no attention to
it, beyond a swish of its tail.

'•Another time I made some remark about the
Squire being sick. I really did n't mean to speak
of him again, but it slipped out, as things will,
and I could n't but see how both Mr. Warriston
and his daughter were affected by it. And the
other evening he asked me if the Squire had a son,
and what was his name."

"I have met a Mr. Bodell in New York; he
comes occasionally into the bank; but I never
thought of him as the Squire's son."

"I 'm not surprised, for it 's a good many years
since James Bodell left Ridgeburg. Some of the
people here do n't even know that the Squire has
a son. What is the New York man like?"

"He is tall, almost dark enough to pass for a
Cuban, with piercing black eyes, and in a general
way would be called handsome."

"And how old would you think?"

"I would guess about forty."

"Not a bad guess, either. The Squire's son
is somewhere near that age, and your descrip-

■ » ' - p ". i .w i m a wn

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

195

tion tallies with what I remember of him. The
first time he comes to the bank give him a close
look, and write me if you notice anything special.
And let me give you a word of advice, though I
do n't think you much need it : if you have reason
to think he is the Squire's son, beware of him;
for a more artful, plausible villain does n't live on
the Lord's earth."

The flick of the reins this time was more than
a gesture, and the horse knew it, for he gave a
jerk forward which indicated a measure of re-
sentment.

"But now," said Mr. Derwent, turning to
Stephen, "I have another matter to speak of.
Things, you know, have been going nicely at the
farm, and we have got ahead somewhat. It is n't
much as compared with some other folks, but
it 's considerable for us. I have talked this over
with your mother, and we think you had better
buy a United States bond. The interest is n't
much, but it 's sure ; then I always feel, when a
man has a Government bond, that he is an owner
of the concern down there in Washington. So," —
here Mr. Derwent looked carefully up and down
the road to see if any one was in sight. Having
convinced himself that they had the road to them-
selves, he slowly unbuttoned his coat, Stephen
meanwhile holding the reins. Then he reached
to an inside pocket of his vest, from which he
took a package carefully done up in brown paper.
"Here," he said, "is a thousand dollars. Get a
bond of some kind; you know more about these

.:i

196

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

things than I do. I thought it best to have this
in even money, but if there is any extra needed,
let me know."

"Why, father," Stephen said, as he took the
money, "you are on the way to become a bloated
bondholder. Think of it! You must be careful
not to let your wealth be discovered, or the Social-
ists will be after you."

"Like enough," Mr. Derwent said, settling back
in the buggy ; for having had his say about James
Bodell, and also disposing of the money, his mind
was at peace. "We have some Socialists round
these parts, and a smart lot they are. You re-
member Jake Cobb, the lazy, good-for-nothing
mason — he 's one. He drinks most of the time,
loafs when he is n't drinking, makes his wife just
about support him, and while she is keeping a
roof over his head by doing the neighbors' wash-
ing, he is spouting Socialism. And we have some
others 'most as bad as Jake. But it 's pretty hard
to please every one nowadays. If a man is a little
bit careful, and lays up something against a rainy
day, he is called a mean, niggardly miser; and
then, if he spends all that comes, people say he
is reckless and extravagant, and by rights should
die in the poorhouse. I tell you, Stephen, them
Adam and Eve sermons of Mr. Tremaine Were
eye-openers to a good many people in this town.
I never thought there was so much in that apple
story."

"Ruth, though, seems to be the apple Tremaine
is after," Stephen said, in a pleasant way.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

197

"True enough," replied Mr. Derwent, and not
without a measure of sadness; for the thought of
parting from his little Ruth was far from pleasant
to him; "but there are some apples to which a
man has a right; in fact, they were planted for
him. Now, Tremaine, if I am any judge, is a
bright, honest, straight-up-and-down man, just the
man for Ruth, and I mean that bond which you
are going to buy to help them start housekeeping.
But the trouble is when folks want apples that
were n't planted for them. I know two men in
Ridgeburg who do n't want ever to see or hear
Mr. Tremaine again," and a shrewd smile lighted
up Mr. Derwent 's face as he made this remark.

"Only two! I thought the saints as a body
repudiated him utterly."

Stephen had a vivid memory of some Ridge-
burg saints. One man was so sour of visage that
Ruth and Stephen spoke of him as "the walking
pickle." Another one had such a sepulchral smile
that Ruth said it was "Hke a gleam of sunshine
on a coffin-lid." Another one assumed such peni-
tential airs that they dubbed him the "litany in
shoes." One dear sister had such severe notions
that she wouldn't use visiting cards, as "the very
name of cards was enough for her."

The terrible solemnities which Stephen had to
endure from some self-canonized Ridgeburg saints
yet remained. Hence, when his father spoke of
two men to whom Mr. Tremaine's ministry was
not a supreme joy, he had no difficulty in recall-
ing several others of the same type.

198

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"The two large-hearted and generous brethren
to whom I refer," Mr. Derwent said, the dry,
shrewd smile deepening on his face, "are Deacon
Tompkins and Josiah Higgins."

Mr. Derwent rarely indulged in sarcasm. He
usually said what he had to say in a plain, homely
way, leaving each word to stand for itself. But
men of the Tompkins and Higgins type were so
repugnant to him that his ordinary form of dis-
course failed to meet his mental necessities. Ruth
and Stephen not infrequently referred to these
sanctimonious humbugs under the firm name of
Fraud and Frump.

So carefully had Mr. Derwent timed his horse
that there were but a few minutes to wait at the
Foxvale Station. The platform good-byes were
therefore short, almost, indeed, to the point of
abruptness. And better so. Men, as a rule, are
incapable of high, spectacular emotionalism. These
men, therefore, merely shook hands ; then the one
went back to his buggy, and the other took his
place in the train.

But if any one had followed that buggy, ob-
serving it particularly at a certain bend in the
road, he would have seen the man in it take a
handkerchief from his pocket, and carefully wipe
his eyes. Nor was it dust he wiped away. And
yet, when that same buggy reached Ridgeburg, no
one would ever have suspected the incident of the
handkerchief. Which goes to prove, with various
other things, that the man who has a heart never
wears it on his coat-sleeve.

ONE evening, taking advantage of his wife's
absence, who had gone to visit her mother,
Mr, Strathford spent some hours in a careful study
of his financial concerns. He had intended doing
this before, for matters were becoming serious,
but kept putting it off, hoping that something
might turn up which would relieve the situat'on.
But nothing turned up. It seldom does. WI.en
a man does n't want money, he can have it by
the pocketful ; but when he does want it, he could
more easily find a double set of hen's-teeth.

And then — for trouble is a most companionable?
fellow, and fairly revels in company of its own
kind— certain little . states of which Mr. Strath-
ford was trustee, and a couple of concerns to
which he had been appointed receiver, were fast
approaching settlement, when he would be ex-
pected to present satisfactory statements. Never
before had he felt the stress of financial embarrass-
ment. It was a quiet boast of his that no man
ever asked him the second time for monev which

199

200 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

he owed; and small sympathy men received from
him when they came to ask for renewals or ex-
tensions. Sometimes, when the directors of the
Gotham would vote to carry certain men along,
he was stirred to the point of anger.

"Terribly strict fellow Strathford is," some of
the directors would say, after their meetings, when
they were speaking among themselves.

"Too strict altogether," Mr. Wamphrey im-
patiently remarked ; "every one is n't as well fixed
as he is."

"But no man could be more honest," they
woulJ all say, by way of extenuation.

With apparent unconcern he had asked Mrs.
Strathford for her personal accounts, as well as
those relating to the home, saying, in a pleasant
way, it was best to balance up once in so often.
Smilingly she complied with his request, and wrote
to the different establishments where she had ac-
counts, asking them to forward statements for
immediate settlement. But when the bills came
in, Mr. Strathford was simply overwhelmed. He
could scarcely believe his eyes. He knew that
Mrs. Strathford had entertained generously during
the year, and also that she had gowned herself
quite handsomely for a number of special func-
tions, but it never occurred to him that the ex-
pense would be of such proportions. To meet all
these demands he had practically nothing but his
salary ; for in arranging to secure a large holding
of the new Cutty Hunk stock, he had drawn heav-
ily upon his other resources.

mam

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

201

In this emergency there was just one thing
to do — tell Mrs. Strathford exactly how matters
stood, show her the figures in black and white,
state plainly his own condition financially, and
then let them come to an understanding as to
what had better be done. But how could he do
this? Socially, his wife was well connecteil. By
right of family she had entrance to almost any
circle in the city. To deprive her of the enjoy-
ments for which she had such exquisite adjust-
ments would mean that he had deceived her and
virtually entrapped her into a marriage under false
pretenses. To confess to Mrs. Strathford that he
was practically dependent on his salary as bank
cashier, and that her dreams of social leadership
were at an end, was a humiliation to which he
would not descend, cost what it would.

Then his own pride came to the fore. The
men at whose tables he had sat and with whom
he had associated on equal terms would speak
of him as a vulgar, presuming fellow, not much
better than a common adventurer. So he drew
down the cover of the desk which he kept in his
own room, and determined to fight the thing out,
no matter how it was done.

Hardly had the lock snapped in the desk be-
fore r servant came with Mr. Bodell's card. Mr.
Bodell had an appointment with Mr. Strathford,
one made that morning at the bank. There were
some matters connected with Cutty Hunk, re-
garding which Mr. Strathford desired to con-
sult Mr. Bodell. Lengthened conversation in the

202 a THE RIDD LE OF LIFE

bank was impossible, and as Mr. Bodell had
dropped some significant hints relative to Cutty
Hunk, a meeting was arranged for at the cashier's
home.

"I see you allow smoking in your den," Bodell
said, after the usual greetings, his glance indicat-
ing a box of cigars on the top of the desk.

"Yes, I indulge here," Strathford replied,
reaching for the cigars and passing them to Bodell.

"I had a letter this morning," Bodell sr'd, a
few minutes later, taking out a letter-book from
his pocket, "which will interest you. Suppose I
read a few extracts, and then we can talk it over."

"I am at your service," said Strathford.

"This is from a man who knows as much about
mining as I do," Bodell remarked, meaningly, and
smiling in that peculiar way of his which caused
his white teeth to show prominently. People who
didn't like him said he smiled like a wolf. Of
this, however, there is no certainty; for most of
those who have seen a wolf smile are not living
to describe it.

"Then you know something about mining?"

\s Mr. Strathford said this, he carefully re-
mo v^ed the ash from his cigar, depositing it on
a little bronze tray, which he pushed along the
table towards Bodell.

"Rather," answered Bodell, smiling more defi-
nitely than before. "Ten years in mining coun-
tries, two or three of them in this very region,"
tapping the letter with his fingers, "have given
me a fair experience."

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE ^ a 20 3

"Then, if your correspondent knows as much
as you do, his letter should be of interest."

"*^o I thought. Hear what he says: 'Cutty
Hunk is rich. The last assays run over sixty-nine
per cent copper. The deeper we get, the richer
the ore. All that is needed is depth, for there is
ore in abundance below.' Then he goes on to
say: 'Other claims are all looking good, but we
are only working the richest ones.' There is a
lot more about smelters and new machinery, but
it means the same thing."

Mr. Fodell put the letter back in its envelope,
then replaced it in the letter-book, finally putting
it in his coat pocket. Evidently he attached much
importance lO it. And he had good reasons, for
there were portions of that letter of special value.
One brief sentence, underscored, read: "Unless
yon have definite control of the original Cutty Hunk,
you might as ivcU give up the zdiole business. Every-
thing depends on this." Another extract was also
underscored: "The superintendent, Grey, is not with
us. I offered him big money, but it was no use. He
knozvs ';ome things about Cutty Hunk which I am
afraid you do n't know."

But when one is reading a letter, and certain
portions of it are marked confidential, to read
such portions aloud in the presence of other par-
ties would be a base betrayal of sacred trust!
Hence the highly honorable Mr. Bodell gave Mr.
Strathford only such extracts from this letter as
did not violate the faith of his correspondent.

Another sentence, though not underscored.

204 THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

was marked "special." "What you do, must be
done quickly. Grey seems to be hand-in-glove
with Hank Dobbins, the San Gabriel stage-driver.
I have tried two or three schemes with Dobbins,
but he fooled me every time, I do n't think Dob-
bins is his real name, but he is as wary as a fox.
He brought three men from San Gabriel two weeks
ago; and they are as wary as himself. I think
the jig is up."

"1 have arranged for u large holding of Cutty
Hunk," Mr. Strathford said, after Bodell had put
the let' r away, "more than is my share. Indeed,
I was thinking of letting some of it go, as I need
he money for other things," and with something
like a sigh he unconsciously turned to the desk
under whose cover lay a heap of unpaid bills.

"Sell your Cutty Hunk?" Bodell said, in-
credulously. "In three months from now your
stock will be worth a fortune."

"Yoi' have great faith in Cutty Hunk," the
other replied.

"Faith! Why, sir, it is one of the biggest
things New York ever heard of. My special
reason in coming here to-night was that I might
arrange with you for some more of the stock.
Unfortunately I am not favored as you and Mr.
Wamphrey with a bank to draw on. But I am
buying all I can. I heard to-day of some Cutty
Hunk I want to get. The man who took it we
both know, but no names must be used. He got
knocked out the other day in a deal, so his Cutty
Hunk is on the private market. He is trying to

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

205

hold it, but gave me an option, and I will get it
somehow. I do n't want any one to know of this ;
but I will go shares with you if we can make an
arrangement."

"I don't think I can take any more," Mr.
Strathford said, regretfully.

Bodell's enthusiastic confidence in Cutty Hunk
was having its effect upon the embarrassed cashier.
If things turned out as they promised, his diffi-
culties would dispose of themselves; Another
thousand shares bought now, betore they reached
the regular market, would mean handsome returns
before long. But where could he-find the money?.

"I ought to say," Dot. ^U remarked in a care-
less way, "my plan is to hola this extra stock only
a few weeks. Early in the season I expect to use
a few thousand dollars for a special purpose. I
thought of keeping this stock, perhaps a month,
then let it go, meantime having made a big thing
of it."

Mr. Strathford could easily postpone most of
his payments a month. Why not accept Bodell's
proposition ? A few thousand dollars secured so
easily would straighten matters out wonderfully.
The bills under that desk-cover could then be
paid. There would be no need of humiliating
either Mrs. Strathford or himself. He might have
to borrow from the bank, but who need know
of this?

Mr. Bodell then rose to go. Having made the
offer to Mr. Strathford, he had no reason for re-
maining. But more than once his keen, piercing

2 o6 THE RIDDLE OF LIF E

eyes harl flashed a searching glance at Mr. Strath-
ford, though the cashier was not aware of it.
When they parted in the hall, Mr. Strathford said :

"Come to the bank to-morrow. Perhaps I can
arrange this matter."

It wr.s almost eleven o'clock when Bodell
reached the "Old Ki g Cole," a club of which he
was a prominent member. He went at once to
the writing-room, where he wrote a short note,
sending it by special messenger. And this was
what he wrote :

"Dear Noia, — The mouse has had a smell
of the cheise, and likes it. To-morrow morning I
expect to spring the trap. Have that stuff ready.

"J. B."

This disposed of, Bodell went into the main
parlor, where a score or more of the King Colers
were supposed to be amusing themselves. These
amusements, though, were not distinctly intellec-
tual, consisting chiefly of drinking, card-playing,
looking at pictures in the comic papers, while here
and there were little groups whose noble minds
wrestled with such absorbing problems as the win-
ner in an impending prize-fight, or the most
shapely figure in a new company of ballet-dancers.
No wonder that most of these men had expansive
foreheads, in some cases extending to the nape
of the neck: for when a man gives his whole
time to such absorbing themes, small surprise if
he grows prematurely bald. Others, again, had
crow's-feet, not under their eyes merely, but far

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE 207

more generously diffused. Still, how can a man
keep up with the latest crease in trousers or the
uev est wrinkle in hats without these stupendous
efforts »-' thought being reproduced in himself?

In all truth, the King Colers were not the high-
est types of athletic manhood. iMost of them
suggested Chippendale furniture — spindle legged,
wasp-waisted things — with this difference, how-
ever, they were not graceful, nor pleasant to look
at. Some of them wore very high collars, on the
top of which rested a vacuous head, into whose
echoless space a sensible idea had never yet pene-
trated. Two or three essayed evening dress, com-
ing in late and hurrieaiy, as if they had torn them-
selves away from some crush or function uptown.
This pleasing Httle fiction deceived no one, as it
was generally known that the suits were hired,
and the wearers little above the rank of counter-
jumpers. In one corner a member was trying to
tell a funny story ; but having imbibed in (juantity,
the narrative lost something of its meaning by
hiccoughs and gestures through which it slowly
made its way.

Bodell was a great favorite here. He had held
every office that the King Colers could give, his
election always being by acclamation. This being
his first visit since returning to town, he had a
regular ovation.

"Boys," he said, to a group who were standing
about him after the greetings had subsided. "I
went up the river with a Pilgr.m father."

"Then you dropped him overboard," one said.

208

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"Run him into Sing Sing, perhaps," another
remarked.

"Both wrong. We went as far as Albany."
"A Pilgrim father in Albany ! We must have
proofs," said one of the noble-browed youths
whose head had to be content with a rim of closely-
cropped hair.

"Yes, and I parted with him there," Bodell
answered, smiling in such a way as to show his
gleaming teeth.

"You 'd gladly have parted with him before,
I 11 be bound," said one of the Chippendale mem-
bers, for a moment lifting his eves from the rapt
contem,.lation of his own feet, which were encased
in patent-leather shoes.

"Moreover, we had much pious conversation
on the way," Bodell continued, with a still more
promment smile.

"Say, Bodell, you set them up for the crowd,
ihat s the champion whopper," hiccoughed the
imbiber.

"He talked of Adam and Eve, and made a

reguhr sermon out of the apple," Bodell went on.

You mean he talked of Adam, and you

thought of Eve," came from a head on the top of

a high collar.

This remark created much enthusiasm. Two
or three men shouted, "Good !" "Good '" "Give
us another!" while the heavy imbiber in sheer
ecstasy flung his arms around the neck of the
bnlhant youth whos lighty intellect had evolved
this sublime production.

Bii ;i

T//£: RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

209

"No; I thought of the apple," said Bodell.

"Same thing," replied one of the young men
in evening dress, whose face had that magnificent
vacuity which suggests the infinite. This called
out another chorus of approval in which all present
joined.

"What did you say to the Pilgrim father?"
asked a man, much of the Bodell pattern.

"Fell back on the syllogism: apples were made
to be eaten ; I was made to eat apples, therefore — "

"The Pilgrim father preferred to remain in
Albany rather than travel any farther with you,"
the same man remarked.

How the Chippendales applauded! How the
broad foreheads wrinkled in laughter ! Then more
bottles were opened, more songs were sung, more
stories were told, Bodell the leader and moving
spirit of the club.

WHEN Squire Bodell, after hearing Nat
Sykcs speak of the Warristons, and more
particularly of Miss Warriston, expressed a desire
to meet the new tenants of the Libby cottage, it
did not occur to him that Sykes would accept him
literally. But the worthy Nat, with rare prompt-
ness, proceeded to convert the Squire's wish into
words, and then deliver those words in person.
It was in the early evening when he called at the
Libby cottage, and, never having met Miss War-
riston ceremoniously, an introduction seemed es-
sential.

"Be you Miss Warriston?" he inquired, as
Eleanor opened the door in response to his ener-
getic pull of the bell.

"I am," she answered, with a little smile of
recognition, for she had seen Nat at Tibbett's
store, and knew he lived somewhere in Ridge-
burg.

"I 'd like to speak with you, if I may," Nat
said, giving his hat-rim a tug.

2IO

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 211

"Certainly," was the reply; "won't you come

in?"

"I be Squire Bodell's man, an' he 'd like to see
you. The Squire's been powerful sick. He 'd like
very much to see you any time you kin come."
Nat spoke hurriedly, still standing at the door;
for he was so much absorbed in his message that
he did not hear Miss Warriston's invitation to
come in.

"Squire Bodell wishes to see me?" Eleanor
asked, in surprise.

"Yes 'm. He 's said so a number of times.
An' as the Squire 's very sick, I guessed p'raps
you 'd come."

As Nat said this he gave another tug at his
hat-rim. As the hat and the rim had hardly been
on speaking terms for some time, this second tug
strained it beyond endurance, so it parted from
the hat right across his forehead, where it hung
down like a piece of face armor worn by valiant
knights centuries ago.

"Are you sure of this? Is there not some mis-
take?" Miss Warriston asked, even more eagerly
than before.

"Yes 'm. No mistake. 'T is you he 's spoken
of lots of times, an' wishes you '<1 come soon."

"But why should Squire BodcU wish to see me?
I never saw him, and we are utter strangers to
each other. You must be mistaken."

The look of uriosity with which Eleanor first
greeted Nat lu . now disappeared, and in its stead
an expression of complete bewilderment had come.

212

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

wan7A'' •""' ^' ^ 'r '''^'" ^""^ P^"'«ted. "Squire
It s Miss Warriston he 's asked for."

This certainly seemed conclusive. But what

be denied lightly; but why had he sent for her'

An he wishes you 'd come soon," x\at said
breaking m upo- her unspoken questions; "he 's'
got somethin' on his mind he wants to see you for."

that t^h i ' ■ '''''°" ^^^ '^y'"S this. Knowing
that the Warnstons were from New York the
Squire nattirally felt a desire to see them, bu be!
yond that had not said a word. But so uncon-
sciously are we controlle.l by forces beyond our-
selves that we, in furthering our own plans be-
come parts of other plans infinitely larger. Nat's
Mde c 1, ,, ,^.^^ ,^^ ^^^ ^^^^.^.^ to meet Alis.:

oTrn";st::r ^'^^^'^' '^ ''- ^--- ^*-'^'

at ttlX ^'' ^'f ^^"' ^'"^ ^'' P'-^""^^ to call
at the Squire s the next day. Eleanor was disposed

broulri 'f '■ 1 '" ^^^""^^ "'^^-^^ ^-t had
brought, but concluded, finally, not to say any-
thing lest he might he anxious and distressed.

in th. '' '"!u ""T "'"" " ■'^"S^gestion of autumn
n the air hat afternoon when Miss Warriston
set out on her strange errand ; for October had
lealy come, clear, crisp, and beautiful. The light
wind lad just sting enough to make the blood
leap with life, and send it bounding through 'he
vems, as a spirited horse touched gently fyith a
spur. In a tightly-fitting suit of dark-grav tweed

THE RIDDLE OF UFh a a 213

» \

which set off her lithe, graceful figure; in a felt
Alpine hat, with just curl enough in the brim to
make it singiilarly becoming; a grayish feather
boa, rang loosely around her neck; her shapely
hands daintily gloved, and walking rapidly along
the Ridgeburg Road,— it need excite no surprise
if more than one admiring glance followed her on
the way. The bracing air gave a slight tinge to
her cheeks; the clear bright sky repeated itself
in her eyes; and though her face was thoughtful,
more so even than usual, it seemed to bear an
expression f splendid fearlessness.

The leaves ha<l fallen heavily during these Oc-
tober days, both the road and pathway being
strewn with them; yet the trees were far from
bare, and, clad in glowing foliage, rustled and shim-
mered in the afternoon sun. From the fields
nearly everything had been gathered ; for in Ridge-
burg winter conies early, and the frosts have a
bite which few things ca.. resist. Eleanor felt
nothing of that melancholy which so many asso-
ciate with autumn. It seemed to her as if the
earth, like a great, strong man after his day of
earnest toil, was taking a breathing-spell in the
hush of eventide, preparatory to a season of deep,
healthy sleep.

But her eyes coul ^ be limltei' ' < the hills
which rose in the distance, nor her thoughts re-
strained by the trees rustling overhead. The er-
rand upon which she was going had aroused many
emotions and started up memories that were a
part of her life. She thought of Robert— brave.

»f

214

a a

THE RIDDLE OF L IFE

kindly ingenuous-over whom her heart vearned
with a bve almost as that of a mother. Then came
memones of her early home, once as peaceful
the fields upon which the golden sunlight wa fall

hf ZZT'f ""''''- '^' «h^ ^-'et CarlLt
he strong, patient m.n, who accepted so bra- ely

t^rom the Lihby cottage to Squire Bodell's
TnTr ' ^' ''' '^.^'' ^'- ^••--- . as p:rha;s'
ng: eager! a nule does not seem long. It was
h ri: r:; T ^ '^'^ °^ ^"^P"- EleLor foTnd

It was a large house, and in former years must
have been both attractive and imposing There

and porticoes attestmg to the original design It
stood m the midst of ample grou^nds, w tTnoble
trees nsmg here and there; shrubbery in all forms

oneT/r^fl ^'T^'- ^"^""- of what weT

evervth^. '°"^""'t'' "''"' P^^'"^>^ ^'^^b^^' but
evervthmg was unkempt, disordered, tangled-

weed 3nd flowers hopelessly interble'nded ,' he'
shrubs were untnmmed, the grass was coars^ and

aIZZ '"" "^'■^ '''^SS'y -d broken.
Vhl u ?'"^'' ^"^ "^"^h '"O'-^' E'eanor saw as
she walked up the circular path; nor did she fai
to observe that the path itself was jagged and
uneven, with tufts of grass here and fh. ,

ing across it. ^^^ ^P''^^^'

The door was opened by a grim-looking female

II 11

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 215

of the cookstove persuasion, whose hands and face
bore the marks of her unceasing warfare with pots
and pans. Nat had probably spoken to her of the
unexpected visitor, for she manifested no surprise
at seeing Miss Warriston. Nevertheless, she
looked at her carefully before letting her in, even
continuing the scrutiny as she went to the foot
of the broad staircase to call Sykes. Her voice
wa>5 not sweet, but it possessed what is known
among musicians as the "carrying quality." Then,
she had a way of making what singers speak of
as the "attack," and, as Sykes is a phrase capable
of erudition on the upper register, she pronounced
his name with a thrilling effect. The stairs being
guiltless of carpet, and Sykes wearing shoes of
stalwart proportions, his coming was announced
considerably in advance. The grim female, how-
ever, remained standing sideways to the stairs, her
head poised as if listening to the echoes of her
own voice, yet all the while watching Miss Warris-
ton, who stood near the door.

"The Squire be very glad to see you. Mis'
Warriston," Sykes said, as he conducted Eleanor
upstairs. "He 's some easier to-day, an' is much
pleased you 's come so soon."

The stairs circled in easy, pleasant steps, lead-
ing to the room where Mr. Tremainc had been
a few weeks before. The Squire was seated in
his big arm-chair, and, though not so deathly
pale as when Mr. Tremaine had visited him, he
fully justified Nat Sykes in describing him as a
very sick man. Rut there was more of life in his

2l6

a a

THE RIDDLE OF L IFE

voice as he thanke<l Hleanor for calling, even
faintly smihng as he said •

invalid but hearing you were from New York
I greatly desired to see you." '

While he was speaking, Eleanor looked at him

"ss^^" '" \^^' ^'^°"^'' ^'-P'^ >--• with st-
ness and pa.n, the outlines of another face with
which^she had reason to be sadly familiar. At fi s t

beo I r" "" r^ ^^^>' ^•^^•"'^^' f- the fa"e

^idd k".""'' ''"^°'^ '^'^°^'^««' the eyes were

bidden by heavy brows, white hair, irregular and

haggv, covered the head as well as mudi of the

hru;;e:tru^,:;r,/r ' ^^^'^ - '--^^'y

V4 iici, was aark, the eves were orominpnf

a keen co„ •'\"CKen. But though possessing

a keen sense of justice and deeplv conscious of
the wrong that had been done, she' made a hero^
effort to pur aside her own feelings for the tim

Id nirabi?the7""" "' "" '''' '""^ — ^^d
sto r • '""■' "'^"'" ""^^ ^Ireaming of the

twee^ H '""°" ''.'' "^^ '■^^•"^ •" her soul. Be-
tween the pauses in tl.cir conversation-for the
Squire s speech would at times almost fail h m
as when He talked with Tremaine-she could
agam the mocking words: "Eleanor Warriston'

narahl ''""'^^V'''' ^"^- ' "^'-^^and C
parable now. Then the <lark. cruel face would

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE ^ 217

appear as she had seen it so often. The Squire
asked all manner of questions about New York,
listening with deep interest to her replies. After
a time the Squire said, somewhat abruptly :

"I have a son in New York. Perhaps you have

met him?"

This was the question Eleanor had been ex-
pecting, though fearing; and now that it had come,
how was she to answer it? But anything like
evasion or subterfuge was contrary to her nature.
She therefore answered:

"We have met a Mr. Bodell in New York, and,
from his likeness- to you, I believe he is your son."
Something in her tone caused the Squire to
glance quickly at Eleanor. She had not intended
that any feeling should betray itself; but she had
suffered so much that, unconsciously, her voice
expressed intense pain. Then, resting his head
wearily against the side of his chair, the Squire
looked at Eleanor with strange intentness. His
eyes had a light almost supernatural. They
seemed to reach the depths of her soul.

For some time not a word was spoken, the
silence broken only by the clock as the big pendu-
lum swung its measured stroke. But in that
silence these two souls were speaking with each
other. For the time each had put aside its habita-
tion of clay, and entered upon the realm of spirit-
ual illumination. As a prisoner with file of steel
cuts his way through bolts and bars, forcing his
passage to liberty, so suflfering had wrought upon
the physical sense of the vSquire and Eleanor

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

jpirits

breaking the bondage under which their
had been held in thrall.

"I was not aware of this when I sent for you
Miss Warr^ton." the Squire said, speaking fn a

Z'. tdlte'f'" ^°'^^'' '"^"^ "°- '"^-^ "o" "re
nere, tell me of your trouble."

"O, I can not," Eleanor said, piteouslv her
heart go.ng out with wondrous tenderness t the

t.an you forgive.^" asked the Squire with a
-j-nu, hke tho tolling of a bell at 'the ^ill^igh:

He remembered the word.; nf T

frrp-ve? ' ^" ^"'"^ '"'"•'°"- CouM she

h tw aT °' ,!-«'— had no. entered
ner mind. Anger, .ndignation, a burning sense o(

. 3e..d as a voice ,ro™%aeXVnrsLZ

THK RIDDLE OF LIFE

219

Soon they spoke of other things, but biiefly,
for October afternoons are short, and the mile
walk remained to the Libby cottage.

"You will come again, and soon?" the Squire
wistfully asked, as she stood up to leave.

As she promised, there was a grateful smile
on his wan face, a smile which she remembered
for many days after.

xrx had so generously diffuscl itself ai Sir.,

York J th. : . ""'^ ^^''"'■'^^ '" New

iork as the guest of i^ Uj,,, t, • ,

that Mrs. Deveral's .Hf „. • ^ ^"^"^

and chscple, confident of a joyous welcome

It so happened that Mrs. Maitland was not at

tnat Mrs. Maitland was out airl \w at •., ,
par.,c.„arl,. engaged? A "ll^^'.e'^he Sf "o

else BnTM s'D::'rarii'° !''^ '" ^"""^"""^

Jjevcral Incd in an atmosphere

220

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE M0 221

so far removed from common things that she
quietly entered Mrs. Maitlands parlor, though not
before she had seen her trunk carried from the
hack and given a place of prominence in the hall.
And even when Mr. Maitland came into the
hall a few minutes later, and made certain profane
remarks about that trunk, asking angrily to whom
it belonged and why it had been taken in, though
both his remarks and questions were distinctly
audible to Mrs. Deveral, yet with such scicnity
did she maintain her affluent soul that she sat calm
and undisturbed in an easy-chair, waiting for Mrs.
Maitland to return.

Why should a woman of her splendid gifts be
aflfected by such trifles? Who was Mr. Maitlan.l
anyhow, and what were his profane remarks and
vulgar questions but the expressions of a low,
common mind? To her thought he was nothing
but a man, a two-legged, two-armed, two-eyed
creature ; a thing who presumed to vote, to make
money ; but in the last analysis a man, and noth-
ing more. She heard him go out, and even smiled
when she listened to his slamming of the door,
and his angry tread on the doorsteps. She did
not, however, observe the look on Mrs. Maitland's
face when that guileless creature entered the hall
and saw the trunk ; neither did she hear the whis-
pered remark addressed to a servant, one with
whom Mrs. Maitland was on confidential terms.
But she did sec a face lit up wit) smiles when it
entered the parlor, and she also heard the voice
of her self-constituted host.

,1,
if'

222

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"My dear Mrs. Deveral! How glad I am to
see you! How good it was of you to come » So
sorry I had to go out. Why didn't you let me
know the tram you were coming on, and I would
nave met you with the carriage ?"

And so the sweet creature went on, removinjr
in her own graceful way, Mrs. Deveral's unwieldly'
bonnet, then assisting in taking oflf her wraps,
and waitmg on her in the mos-t eflfusive way.

Bemg a prophetess, recognized in Boston as
a superior being, and having a high place among
the nob e reformers of the age, Mrs. Deveral re
ceived the services of Mrs. Maitland as the right
and due to which she was properly entitled, con-
sentmg, finally, to make the Maitland home her
habitation while she remained in New York

"Then you did n't receive my note?" she asked,
when sufficiently mollified to indulge in common
conversation.

"It must have got into Mr. Maitland's mail "
was the reply. "You sent it— when >"

It did get into Mr. Maitland's mail, but not
accidently; and when he read it at the breakfast-
table that morning, he made remarks somewhat
intlamniatory and picturesque.

"I can't see how that can be," Mrs. Deveral
said in tones expressive of positive unbelief

I must ask Mr. Maitland about it. Such mis-
takes are really provoking," Mrs. Maitland replied
111 evident distress.

To this the Prophetess vouchsafed no answer.
A great soul, accustomed to concentrate itself

wmm

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 22,

upon the mysteries of undiscovered thought, could
not descend to such trifles. Still her face did not
possess that effulgent sense of rapture natural to
a person of her degree ; and no wonder, for just
then she was bemoaning the hack hire which Mrs.
Maitland had cost her by failing to send the car-
riage to the station.

For reasons, which in time would inure to her
personal advantage, Mrs. Deveral was anxious to
present her views to a New York gathering, and.
having communicated this desire to Mrs. Mait-
land, that lady invited a number of friends to meet
the eminent Prophetess. Mr. and Mrs. Strathford
were honored with a special invitation. Mrs. Mait-
land taking pains to write a nice little note, send-
ing it with the card. Mr. Aylesbury and Geneva
were also favored in the same way.

A card was sent to Mr. Wamphrey, with a line
scrawled at the bottom, which caused him to re-
turn an immediate acceptance. Mr. Bodell re-
ceived his invitation in relays; the first by word
of mouth from Mr. Alaitland ; the second in the
usual form; the third a reminder — one of Mrs.
Maitland's visiting cards, with the date written on
it and marked "special."

Seeing Fred Westerhall on the street, and be-
ing short of men, Mrs. Maitland invited him. Fred
had just returned from the West, a vacation trip
he called it; but for one usually so talkative, he
had very little to say of his summer outing.

Despite her efforts to secure a sprinkling of
men, the female element overwhelmingly pre-

224 ^ ^ THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

vailed at this gathering of Mrs. Maitland's. Nor
was it the young female with the bright eyes, the
healthy cheek, the fluffy hair, the fresh, sweet
voice; it was the female antique, whose hair was
patched and matched, whose eyes languished and
anguished, whose cheeks stained and pained,
whose voice quivered and shivered, Vvio thronged
in such numbers to meet the Prophele' s.

After graciously receiving the \ '■^jnal hom-
age of the assembled throng, later in the evening
the Prophetess consented to speak of the mighty
message with which she had been intrusted.

"We are now mi the Universe of the Disembod-
ied," she said, after having gradually led her sym-
pathetic auditors to this mysterious condition.
"We are all spirit ; everything else is purely im-
aginary."

As a disembodied spirit Mrs. Deveral did not
look alluring. Though out of doors it was toler-
ably cool, the parlors were hot, so hot as to be al-
most oppressive. Hence Mrs. Deveral perspired,
and, having a face which shone with pronounced
unctuosity, perspiration added nothing to its
beauty. At first a fan diflfused some relieving
waves across the heroic countenance of the Proph-
etess ; but that not meeting the necessities of the
case, she was compelled to have recourse to a
pocket handkerchief. So she mopped her ex-
pansive and liquidating face, and went on:

"This is not real," laying her hand upon her
head, touching it gently, however; for there were
some people base enough to insinuate that she

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

225

wore a wig. "Nor this," removing her hand from
her head, and placing it upon her ample bosom,
which rose and fell with asthmatic irregularity ;
for the room was now almost stifling.

Some of the antique maidens looked at each
other in a conscious way ; for though women, like
poets, are born, not made, nevertheless some
dressmakers could a bust unfold.

"This thing that we call a bodv is not real.
It has no actual substance. We t. lagine that

we see it. But. in point of fact, it mmaterial

as this." waving her ungloved, perspiring hand
through the air.

The real Prophetess never wears gloves.
Gloves are a base conformity to mere fashion, and
therefore must be scorned. The fact that the aver-
age prophetess has fat, unwieldy hands, which
gloves would only emphasize, should not be con-
sidered. And the other fact that the modern
prophetess always inclines to showy rings, adorn-
ing every podgy finger she can, has nothing to do
with the case. Fair-minded persons are content
to know that a prophetess insists upon having
hands which she can brandish in the way most
effective and imposing.

Some may think that, in thus declaring her-
self, Mrs. Deveral was out of harnionv with her
famous protest, so elociuently made at Saratoga.
But such was not tlic case. Above all things else,
Mrs. Deveral possessed a logical mind. At Sara-
toga she protested against being born without
hei consent having been previous'v obtained ; at
15

226 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

New York she logically followed up that protest
by declaring she never had been born; and, as a
sequence, repudiated the supposed body with
which she had been dowci id.

"Do I feel pair. ; ' she asked, now rising from
her chair and gazing with fine, frenzied eye upon
the listening con- .ny. "I? I? I? I am inca-
pable of pain. Pain is utterly unreal. It is a trick
of the imagination, a weak, foolish delusion, to
which many of you have basely subjected your-
selves, b. ■ of which I know nothing, not even a
thought."

If Fred Westerhall had been promised just
then the wealth of Sheba's famous queen, he could
not have refrained from something which sounded
like a snicker; for he was absorbed in watching
the movements of the big, brandishing hands, and
he saw that another such gesture, now that Mrs.
Deveral had moved to the side of her chair, would
result in a decided contact with the sharp corner
of the mantelpiece.

The Prophetess heard something of Fred's
snicker, and it made her justly indignant. Hon-
est opposition she looked for; indeed she rather
courted it ; for then she posed as a martyr, and
sighed with thrilling effect. But a snicker ! And
a snicker from a man ! No wonder an angry light
blazed in her imaginary eyes, and the blood pulsed
indignantly through her imaginary heart.

"I repeat it," she said, glaring at Fred, who
had the grace to look conscious, but still intent
upon the gesture which should accompany this

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

227

outburst, "pain is sin. Sin is phantasy. Phantasy
is mental deHriuni. Mental 'lelirium is delusion,
and delusion is but the shadow of weakness and
imbecility." *

Such phrases as these, one rising upon another
in splendid gradation, called for proportionate
dramatic effect. So the prophetic eyes flashed, the
mighty bosom heaved, the streaming hands bran-
dished, one of them striking the sharp corner of
the mantelpiece with a force which caused the
ornaments thereon to shiver and rattle in the most
decided way.

But c'.id the Prophetess pause in her mighty
^peech ? She did. She paused abruptly. She did
more, she came to a dead stop. Then she ceased
glaring at Fred Westerhall, turning her anguished
eyes upon her more anguished hand. For there
was blood upon that hand, more blood than Lady
Macbeth saw upon hers when she used certain un-
ladylike expressions. Then the mighty bosom
heaved once more, this time, not to fall in gentle
movement, but to vent itself in a prolonged shriek,
the like of which is seldom heard on either land
or sea. The next moment everything and every-
body was in confusion ; for chairs, sofas, lounges,
the maidens antique, the bewildered men. the still
more bewildered women, were involved in chaos
and distress. And small wonder ; for in a ponder-
ous heap on the floor lay the Prophetess in a state
of supposed unconsciousness. In falling, her re-
pudiated body struck the chair which she had so
recently adorned. The chair having spindle legs,

228 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

ami therefore unduly sensitive, resented this act
of the Prophetess by falHng right across her face.
So there they lay, each disembodied and supremely
unconscious one of the other.

MrSi Maitland, knowitig something of the
treatment which the Prophetess herself would im-
pose, suggested that they all resume their seats,
and, having completely emptied their minds, look
steadily at the ceiling for ten minutes, and, by con-
centration and subjugation, secure perfect recov-
ery. Fred Westerhall, having a vague notion that
he was in part responsible for the trouble, got a
glass of water, and dashed some of it in the face
of the wounded Prophetess. This partially revived
her; but a woman of such proportions could not
be expected to revive all at once. Mr. Bodell
procured some brandy, which, after diluting
slightly, he gave to the Prophetess, who imbibed
it with apparent relish. Then, with the help of
Mr. Strathford and Fred Westerhall, he carried
her to her room, which, fortunately, was on the
next floor. Concerning the reality of her body,
these gentlemen had decided convictions. There
was nothing specially ethereal in the form which
they carried upstairs. The gratitude which they
felt when relieved of their burden was plainly evi-
dent ; and when they saw Mrs. Deveral deposited
on a lounge, the springs of which creaked under
her weight, a sigh of relief came from all three.
And so the disembodied Prophetess, with her hand
done up in bandages and her breath fragrant with
brandy, was lulled into sweet repose.

¥t

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 229

This unfortunate accident caused an abrupt
departure of most of the guests, a few chosen
friends remaining, to condole with Mrs. Maitland.
After the others had gone, in that sweet, cooing
way of hers, Mrs. Maitland said :

"Now that we have heard of the nothingness
of matter — also that food neither strengthens nor
helps the body, and that gustatory pleasure is a
sensuous illusion — it is, of course, useless for me
to ask any of you into the supper-room; still,
though you won't believe it. I am positively
hungry."

"May I ask," said Fred Westerhall. "if the su-
perioi being, whose etherealized essence I had
tlie felicity of assisting upstairs, carried out her
own beautiful theories when in your dining-room ?"

"Yes, indeed," answered Mrs. Maitland; "for
there she 'demonstrates' that man shall not live
by bread alone, but must have everything else
within reach of the markets. Upon these she
'concentrates' her energies in a way that is sim-
ply wonde'-ful. As a further proof of her con-
sistency, she 'subjugates' all within her range, and
in quantities of heroic proportions."

At the supper-table, to which they all laugh-
ingly adjourned, sundry remarks were made about
Karma and Yoga and Dama, which afforded all
of them much merriment.

Mr. Wamphrey managed, with Mrs. Maitland's
help, to get seated beside Miss Aylesbury ; but as
she had Westerhall on the other side, the banker
did not score heavily. Mrs. Strathford had to con-

230 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

tent herself with such attentions as Mr. Aylesbury
could give; for both Mr. Strathford and Bodell
remained standing in a corner of the room, talking
over business matters.

"I called at the bank this morning," Bodell said,
"but could not see you. I got your message, how-
ever."

"It was the best I could do," was Strathford's
reply.

"That is all right," Bodell said, reassuringly.
"The note secured the stock, and before the month
is up, we can sell at a big advance."

"He doesn't know anything?" Strathford
asked, with an almost imperceptible movement of
his head towards Mr. Aylesbury.

Bodell merely smiled. Strathford then did the
same ; and as each man's smile conveyed a great
deal to the other man, the result was eminently
satisfactory.

"If Wamphrey goes out, you go in," Bodell
then said, referring to another matter which they
both understood.

"Probably. I have a number of friends on the
Board."

"No other arrangement is possible."

"Wamphrey may not go out."

"He will, and before a month."

"You are sure, then?"

"I have good reason to be."

Upon this, Mrs. Maitland came over to where
the two gentlemen were standing; so the conver-
saciuii took another turr

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

231

After the company had broken up, which was
about midnight, Mrs. Maitland opened a note re-
ceived some hours before ; but knowing it was
from her husband, she deferred reading it till now.
It was not a long letter ; Mr. Maitland's letters sel-
dom were, some of them being only a few lines.

"I found, this morning, on reaching the office,
that some matters in London require my personal
attention. I must therefore take to-day's steamer,
and may not return for several weeks. Address
letters and cables as before. B. M."

As the letter called for no reply, and not pos-
sessing much value either literary or otherwise,
Mrs. Maitland can hardly be blamed if, after read-
ing it, she twisted it around her fingers, and then
threw it into a waste-paper receiver which was
in the room.

There was a time when Mr. Maitland would
not have so abruptly announced his departure for
even a day, much less a trip across the sea. Some
memory of this came to her ; so she went to the
waste-paper receiver, and, taking out Mr. Mait-
land's letter, untwisted it, smothered it between
her hands, then locked it up in her desk. After
this she went to Mrs. Deveral's room, opening
the door softly, but the Prophetess was still fast
asleep. She therefore came back to her own
room, and, sitting down on a chair by the window,
looked out in the direction of the sea. Mr. Mait-
land, meantime, was speeding across the Atlantic.

THE clerks in ^lr. Carlisle's office manifested
no special surprise when he came in one
morning, and, after greeting them cordially, went
over to his own desk. For a man who had been
killed in a railroad accident, obituarized in the
newspapers, and buried in an unknown grave, Mr.
Carlisle looked remarkably well. He had a deeper
color than in the early summer, and his appear-
ance suggested good, healthy exercise in the open
air.

Naturally Mr. Carlisle had many things to do
on this particular morning, and, as Mr. Craig had
been in charge during his absence, it seemed nec-
essary that they should have nmch to say to each
other.

Once in a while when Mr. Craig came out of
Mr. Carlisle's office that forenoon, his little eyes
had a peculiar gleam, and there wore two or three
times when he actually smiled. One of the clerks,
whose desk was close to the private office, affirmed
that he heard Mr. Craig laugh — a defmite, posi-

232

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

23:

tive laugh— but the other clerks unanimously re-
fused to accept this as even possible.

At the other end of the suite of offices, in a lit-
tle corner off by itself — a queer little corner, too,
for it was made by the com'Mnation of two high
desks and a Japanese screen — sat Mr. Dolphin.
He heard the remark of the clerk in the other
room, for it was spoken openly. But Mr. Dolphin
said nothing. He raiely did. As a listener he
had few equals. By common consent he could
think more and speak less than any other clerk in
the office. His name was not Dolphin, though
among his associates he practically had no other.
His father's name was Fish — a good, honest
name, and not without recognition in New York
annals. For some reason his mother, though a
woman of average intelligence, insisted upon hav-
ing him baptized Adolphus. But the >mbination
proved too much for her unfortunate son. Though
a fish is not of necessity a dolphin, a dolphin can
not be anything but a fish. Dolphin in his cas'- was
simply inevitable. Even before he had completed
his juvenile task of chewing rubber rings, acquir-
ing thus early the noble art of mastication, peo-
ple were calling him Dolphin. He "goo-goo'd"
his earnest disapproval, but the "goo-goo's" were
taken just the other way. Occasionally Mr. Car-
lisle would call him Fish, but generally he was
known as Dolphin.

He had several marked peculiarities, some of
which interfered with his worldly welfare, while
others contributed to his social worth. There

234 ^ ^ THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

were times when, using a form of speech familiar
to his fellow clerks, he would "crook his little
finger," to which task, at stated intervals, he de-
voted his entire energies. At such seasons he was
absent from the office, his chair reminding one of
a certain unplucked rose, left blooming alone.
Then, having crooked his finger to such an ex-
tent that his money was all gone, also sundry ar-
ticles, chiefly ornamental, loaned to an accommo-
dating relative, he would return to his desk after a
penitential interview with Mr. Craig. Finding that
he had much time to make up, as well as his name
to redeem, not to speak of other things which
were in the care of his obliging uncle, Mr. Dolphin
worked with a zeal eminently praiseworthy. So,
to sum up the case, when Mr. Dolphin was crook-
ing his little finger, his services to Mr. Carlisle
were seemingly of little value ; but when his little
finger was not undergoing this process, he was
worth his weight in gold.

Living with a widowed mother, who possessed
some means of her own ; having no wife to issue
her dread mandates concerning his habits ; devoted
to Mr. Carlisle save at such times as have been
referred to, Mr. Dolphin allowed the years to come
and go at their own sweet will. For some reason
he was partial to clerical attire, not such canonical
garments as are affected by some young divines,
but a black frock-coat well buttoned up to the
chin, and a v^^hite necktie arranged bow-knot
fashion. Rarely did he wear any other trousers
than those of solid black, and almost invariably

^mmm

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

235

he wore a high silk hat. Being :.i.. jth-faced, be-
nevolent-looking, with a studious cast of features,
the effect materially heightened by a pair of heavy
gold spectacles, it was not surprising that Mr.
Dolphin should be taken for a clergyman. But
if any one imagined that he was an artless, simple-
minded brother, intent only upon the concerns of
another world, he usually found out, sooner or
later, that Mr. Dolphin was not exactly that type
of man. Mr. Craig had known him for years, and,
when opportunity presented, gave him a place in
the office. And he often consulted with him, going
so far, at times, as to follow his judgment, even
when his own did not accord with it.

In some way he became acquainted with a Mr.
Carter, a gentleman who, when under certain in-
fluences, referred to himself as an "ink-slinger for
the firm of Stennett & Bodell." This acquaintance
was probably brought about through finger-crook-
ing, a practice to which Mr. Carter had distinct
proclivities.

Mr. Carter, though of secretive mind, had never
fully realized that when the wine is in, the wit is
out. Hence there were times when he opened his
mouth, not merely to swallow certain liquors, but
to say things not best for him to say. To most
of these things Mr. Dolphin listened carefully.
Nor did he fail to recall them when necessary.
At such times as he was in the convivial fellow-
ship of Mr. Carter and others of his class, he never
arrayed himself in professional garb, but assumed
a costume so opposite in every way that he was

236 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

usually taken for a country sport or a discarded
jockey, everything about him suggesting horses
and stables. Mr, Carter, on the other hand, never
failed to impress his auditors with the fact of
his connection with the eminent firm of Stennett
& Bodell, intimating at times that he was a part-
ner. "Yes, and not a sleeping one either," he said
one night in "The Den," a resort of the bibulously
disposed.

That night Mr. Carter had bibulated with much
profuseness ; so he talked considerably in a stupid,
boastful way.

"Bet yer hfe on it. Our firm do n't do much
that way. We got old Warriston asleep. Yes,
we did. I know what I 'm talking about. And
we cleaned him out. But he was a fool to give up
as he did. We played a game of bluflf on him."

Having said all this, Mr. Carter tried to relight
his cigar by holding the match fully three inches
from any point of contact, and tugging so vigor-
ously that his cheeks formed a double concave.

Not being a double-minded man, in the sense
of being able to control two lines of thought at
the same moment, Mr. Carter gave his undivided
attention to the cigar, utterly ignoring the match
between his fingers. But there are times when a
match will not be ignored. It angrily resents such
treatment; and it expresses that anger most defi-
nitely. In this instance that expression took the
form of burning Mr. Carter's fingers, which
caused him to drop the cigar and hold on to the
match. This was not what he intended, but he

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

237

was in that condition when his mind worked in
opposite directions. The match, however, kept
on burning — for a matcBr at times is positively
malignant — until Mr. Carter not only dropped it
on the floor, but stamped upon it with his boot-
heel, at the same time using certain forms of
speech known generally as profane.

This little incident strongly appealed to Mr.
Dolphin's sense of the humorous. Things of this
kind appeal to most men. So long as it is the
other man who is holding the match and whose
fingers are being burned, there is considerable
sport to the lookers-on. Hence Mr. Dolphin
laughed. This annoyed Mr. Carter ; for he thought
Mr. Dolphin was laughing because he claimed to
be a partner in the firm of Stennett & Bodell. He
therefore, with an air of defiance, went over to
Mr. Dolphin, and said:

"I tell you, I am. And what 's more, I 'm a
top-sawyer in the business. If you do n't think so,
just come to our office and find nut. I worked
that Warriston business. I know where the stock
is and what it can be bought for. I know why
Bodell has gone to Saratoga. You may know
something about horses, but if you want to know
anything about Stennett & Bodell, ask me."

Mr. Dolphin made no reply to this. There
was no necessity for it. He knew that in a few mo-
ments Mr. Carter would rise up from the chair into
which he had abruptly deposited himself, and make
his own reply. He' usually did. At certain stages
of finger-crooking, Mr. Carter was his own audi-

238

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

ence ; and when no one would answer him, rather
than have the debate cease, he answered himself.

"Yes, I know them through and through.
And they can't fool me. Say, do you know what
I think? Well, I'll tell you. Stftinett isn't half
as smart as Bodell. I think Bodell is the devil.
Yes, I do. I tell you, I do."

Mr. Carter had now reached the contidertial
stage, a condition most men attain when they have
bihulated in quantity. During such stages the
person affected puts his mouth close to the list-
ener's ear, then speaks loud enough to be heard
on the next block. He is also most affectionate,
placing his arm around the neck of the friend
chosen for a confidant.

When Mr. Carter reached this stage, Mr. Dol-
phin usually retired. Having no wife or children
to arouse his tender feelings, Mr. Dolphin was ir-
responsive, and when Mr. Carter became demon-
strative, Mr. Dolphin either left the room or in-
curred the embrace with the warmth of an Indian
tobacco-sign. But this night he remained, even
suflfering Mr. Carter to put his arm about his
neck and weep over him as a long-lost but newly-
found brother.

Then followed the penitential stage on the part
of Mr. Carter, where he would pour out his tears
and make all manner of promises. Mr. Dolphin,
having gone through this himself a number of
times, knew that Mr. Carter's money was all spent ;
for the financial condition and the penitential stage
were closely related.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

239

Years before, Mr. Carter had made a brave
struggle to redeem himself from the thrall of a de-
sire which was in his blood; for he had inherited
an appetite at times almost overwhelming. A
brave but fooli^ woman undertook the heroic
service of trying to save him from himself. For
years she made him a sweet, happy home, and their
two children brought strange joy to his life. But
in an evil day he entered the office of Stennett &
Bodell. At first Bodell merely smiled at his scru-
ples, then he called him a strait-laced fool, and,
after this, made sport of him before the other
clerks. And so it went on till, one day, the poor,
weak man forgot the patient, loving woman at
home and the two ; weet children at her side.

And they ar -; i ,. t her side ; for she sleeps in
her little chan _>; .j Woodlawn Cemetery, her
children so clo. » her that, when the resurrec-
tion comes, their mother's voice will be the first
to fall upon their ears.

The penitential stage, therefore, with Carter
meant more than maudlin tears; for oftentimes it
was a season of bitter, agonizing remorse. No
wonder, then, that more than once Mr. Dolphin
heard him say, when speaking of Bodell, "I tell
you, he is the devil."

All these things took place not far from the
time our story opens ; but they explain in part the
movements of a certain clerical-looking gentleman
who bought Montana stock from Mr. Stennett,
and who, the next day, appeared in Saratoga,
watching closely Mr. Bodell's plan of operations.

240 ^ a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

An electric button on Mr. Carlisle's desk sum-
moned Mr. Dolphin to the inner office, where he
remained for some time, conferring with Mr. Car-
lisle and Mr. Craig. On returning to his own
desk, Mr. Dolphin gathered up such letters and
papers as required ir-.mediate attention, disposing
of them in various ways. Then he pulled down
the desk-cover, giving it a litt.e jerk to make sure
it was locked. Mr. Dolphin evidently was pre-
paring to leave the office for :ome time, judging
by the way he cleared up his desk and the care
he took of his papers. Then he went back to the
inner office, after which he went out, and, taking
the elevator at the door, was carried rapidly down-
stairs, where he disappeared in the midday Broad-
way crowd.

/^N the morning after his return from Ridge-
V>/ burg, Stephen Derwent was in the Gotham
Bank fully half an hour before opening-time. That
was a rule of his, as it enabled him to prepare for
the usual forenoon rush. Though quick in his
movements, and wonderfully rapid in his handling
of money, yet he never allowed himself to be flur-
ried; indeed sometimes he was provokingly de-
liberate.

One morning, soon after his promotion to the
position of teller. Miss Aylesbury presented a
check at his window. Not having met her before,
he courteously insisted upon the bank rule that
required -identification in such cases. This pro-
ceeding amused Geneva, seeing she was the daugh-
ter of one of the bank's directors. Mr. Strathford
happening at that moment to come along, she
smilingly referred to him, and the matter was in-
stantly adjusted.

"You have a new teller at the bank," she said
that evening to her father.
i6 241

242 a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"How do you know?" he asked, in his quick,
suspicious way.

"I went in this morning to cash a check, and
had to be identified. Mr. Strathford stood sponsor
for me,"

"Yes, I remember. We put on a new man last
week. Derwent, I think they call him. Careful,
is he ? Well, a man can't be too careful in a bank."

"Is Mr. DeiAvent, if that is his name, a new
man ? I thought you promoted men as vacancies
occurred."

"So we do," replied Mr. Aylesbury, irritably;"
for Stephen's promotion had interfered with a little
scheme of his own.

"Then the new teller has been in the bank some
time?"

Geneva's interview with Stephen had been quite
an episode in the day's experiences. She remem-
bered that he was tall, good-looking, with clear,
honest eyes, and that his voice had a certain qual-
ity which greatly pleased her. She also recalled
the little creep of blood which came to his face
when Mr, Strathford greeted her so cordially ; nei-
ther did she forget the smile he tried to hide when
giving her the money. More than once during
the day she thought of him, wondering who he was
and why she had not met him before.

"He has been with us some years," Mr. Ayles-
bury said. "One of the directors knew his father,
and recommended Derwent. Yes, that is the
name — I remember now — and he was put into the
correspondence department."

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

243

'Then he has worked up to his present posi-

tion?'

isted.

Geneva evidently was interes

"I do n't see much working up about it," Mr.
Aylesbury said, still more testily. "When a va-
cancy occurs, as it is bound to do once p. so often,
a man is moved along to fill the place. That is
all there is of it."

"That being the case, a man has only to live
long enough, and he will become president. So,
after all, it is only a matter of years."

The artless, unconscious air which was on Ge-
neva's face when she made this remark suggested
nothing less than Arcadian simplicity.

"You seem mightily interested in that young
teller. Why do n't you invite him up some even-
ing? You would doubtless find him interesting."

As Mr. Aylesbury said this, he did not attempt
to conceal the sneer which accompanied his words.

"Thank you for the suggestion. I may adopt
it some time. You are partial to the Gotham
people."

As Geneva spoke, Mr. Aylesbury glanced up
quickly, half hoping to see on her face something
of the sneer his own had worn but a moment
since. In this he was disappointed. Geneva never
sneered. Such things to her were not only vulgar,
but signs of weakness. She thought that a word
which depended for its force on the curl of the lip
was a poor, paltry thing, and were better un-
spoken. Her face, therefore, was sweetly and in-
nocently calm under her father's scrutiny.

244 ^ ^ THE RIDDLE OF UFE

Of late, Mr. Aylesbury had much to say of
Mr. Wamphrey and his wonderful success as presi-
dent of the Gotham. He had spoken most admir-
ingly of the way in which he worked up from a
lowly clerkship until now he was a leader in finan-
cial circles. At first Geneva hardly knew what
to make of all this. But when Mr. Wamphrey had
been invited several times to dinner, then drop-
ping in odd evenings when he was certain of find-
ing her at home, finally entering upon a form of
attention which she could not but recognize, she
began to discern the secret of her father's gener-
ous praise.

This was substantially how matters stood when
Stephen was appointed teller, which event took
place a few months before he went to Ridgeburg
for his summer vacation. Geneva went frequently
to the bank, nor was there need of further identifi-
cation. Choosing her banking hours with discre-
tion, she avoided the rush incidental at certain
times. This gave Stephen ample opportunity of
attending to her checks and such other matters
as required his services. He began somehow to
look for her coming, and from the moment she
entered the bank until she left it, he felt the glow
and inspiration of her presence. Once, in paying
her some money, their hands touched, and though
Stephen's fjngers rested for only a moment on
hers, yet he tingled from head to foot, and for the
rest of that day he lived in a new world. He was
well aware that she was Jacob Aylesbury's daugh-
ter, and as such moved in a circle far removed from

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE 245

jif

his, and yet he could not put away the hope and
the (iream which at times fJled his heart to over-
flowing.

If she had noticed the strange light in his eye,
or felt his voice vibrate, or seen his hand even
tremble when waiting upon her at his window, it
would not have been surprising; for Geneva was
keen of vision, and little escaped her. What ef-
fect these things had upon herself, Miss Ayles-
bury did not reveal. All we know is that she
came to the bank more regularly than ever, and
coming to the bank, in her case, invariably meant
some business at Stephen's window.

On the morning after his return from vaca-
tion when Stephen reached the bank, his first duty
was to arrange the package of bills with which
his father intrusted him, and afterwards make in-
quiry about a suitable bond. He smiled as he
undid the package ; for his father, not content with
a lavish use of twine, had put on several wrap-
pings, tying each one separately. Arranging the
bills in bank order — the larger ones at the bottom,
then gradually declining as the top was reached —
he tied the package up again, first placing a slip
inside bearing l:"s father's name, the date when the
money had been received, and the purpose for
which it was intended. Stephen was well aware
that such precautions were unusual, still he
thought it best to provide against any mistake.
He resolved, wheu Mr. Strathford came in, to ask
him about a bond, and at the same time get his
permission to put the package in the bank-safe

246 THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

for the time being. He then began his usual prep-
arations for the regular business of the morning.
"An' it 's myself that 's glad to see you back
ag'in," said Dan Hogan, the bank porter, as he
stood outside Stephen's window, waiting for the
clock to strike nine, when he would open the
big door.

Dan had given Stephen a similar greeting half
an hour before, when he answered his ring at the
side entrance. And he was sincere in both in-
stances ; for Mr. Hogan, as he was generally called,
had taken a deep interest in Stephen ever since
he came to the bank. Having been with the Go-
tham since its beginning, and being a man of un-
questioned integrity, Mr. Hogan was well thought
of by every one connected with the bank. He oc-
cupied rooms on the upper floor of the building,
and had general care of the entire premises.

There was a Mrs. Hogan, a kin- motherly
woman, whose brogue retained much of its orig-
inal sweetness; for she came from County Cork,
a circumstance regarding which she had consider-
able pride. During the years there had been a
fair sprinkling of Hogans, both male and female ;
but they had gone out from time to time, making
homes for themselves. One boy remained — Theo-
bald Mathew — named for the famous temperance
apostle, whose statue adorns Mrs. Hogan's na-
tive city. The boy, however, was generally called
Teddy, and at home rarely got more than Ted.

In some mysterious way, Ted had been de-
prived of sight, coming into the woi id totally blind.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE 247

III

But as nature is full of compensations, the boy
had gifts which were denied to every other mem-
ber of the Hogan family. Not only was there a
wonderful acuteness of hearing and a marvelous
sense of touch, but something in the nature of
spiritual vision. Not that he was clairvoyant or
subject to mesmeric fancies, but somehow he was
able to see md realize things hidden from ordinary
eyes.

Once, in the bank, when Mr. Bodell came in,
Ted, who was standing near Stephen's window,
shivered as though stricken with a chill, and put
out his hands in a helpless, entreating way. Bo-
dell, thinking the boy was taken suddenly ill, went
over to him, hut the moment Ted felt his hand he
shrieked as if touched by fire. He had much the
same feeling in Mr. Strathford's presence, shrink-
ing with terror and turning deathly pale if the
cashier spoke to him. Ted was about ten years
of age when this peculiar gift first manifested it-
self, but people thought it would pass away as he
grew older. But it rather deepened. Mr. Hogan
therefore, being sensitive, did not allow Ted in
the bank during business hours. And yet, strange
a? it may seem, though upstairs with his mother,
he instantly realized when anything unusual took
place in the offices below. At the time spoken of
here he was not far from twelve years old, but,
being small and ethereal-looking, he seemed much
younger.

When Stephen first went to the Gotham, Mrs.
Hogan, knowing that he was a country lad, ren-

248 THE RIDDLE OF LIFf-

dered him such kind services as were within her
power. Once, when he was sick, she insisted upon
acting as nurse, freely giving of her time , nd care,
and when Stephen attempted a remonstrance, she
said :

"An' shure it 's your mother that would be
doin' the anie thing for my hoy, if it was him that
needed it. Can't I tell the kiml of a mother you
have by the kind of a son she has ?"

When he got better, he called on the Hogan ,
making the acquaintance of Ted, who took to him
at once, first standing by his chair, then getting
up on his knee, nor did he allow Stephen beyond
his touch all evening. Stephen occasionally took
Ted out to Central Park on Saturday afternoon,
and as the boy listened to the music at the Mall,
or to the birds singing in the Ramble, his face
would light up as with radiance from a mysterious
sky. At another time they would go to the
beach, where the roar of the breakers or the sweep
of the winds had for Ted a wondrous charm. The
boy rarely asked questions, content if Stephen
held his hand or remained within his touch. Mr.
Hogan, therefore, when he expressed his i^v at
seeing Stephen back again from Ridgeburj; ras
speaking not only for himself, but also for Ted.

When Mr. Strathford came in, Stephen spoke
to him about his father's package of hills, and the
bond as well, receiving permission to use the safe
until the bond matter was decided.

Some time during the forenoon a gentleman ,
came to Stephen's window with a check for cer-

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

249

tification. As the check was i >r a larj?e atii mt,
Stephen looked carefull> at th. signal ire, which
was that of James lodcll. In tanth h rec;/ ed
the conversation with his father and his promise
to note carefully the Mr. Botlei of whom he had
spoken.

"V«)U arc the sij^ner uf this cluck?" Stephen
asked.

He desired tt> dtiaiii l?odell ^ hilc he c*»mpared
him with his father .^ description.

"I am. " was the curt reply

"And ou wish Mr. Strathford's indor>ement? '
Ste!>hen askt<! again, watching every n vemem
on Bodell's ace.

"Mr. Strathford's or the bank's. It is the same
thing, I presume," I'.ode" replied, his eye-i shift-
ing uneasily un ler Stephen's st idy If k.

But that \va- a peculiarity oi Bodeli's eyes.
They could stare in the niust 1 spudent and de-
fiant way. They could burn d blaz'', emitting
sparks as o: tire. They cotdd mock so cruelly that
people wouM shrink under them TUtt when they
wero looked into fearlessly, • shifted, and never
gav- a frai , steady look n return.

will lake the check to M -. Strathfc ; d."
Stei ien -id, now fully sati>ned that t le i -an be-
fore hin- .as Squire Bodell's son.

In cw moments he returned with the check
duly .:ei ified, wiiich he gave to Mr. Bodell, who
almost ^ atched it 'rom his ha <1, ani immediately
left the i>ank.

An elt.vTly gentleman, cvidentl a clergyman,

250

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

who had been leisurely filling out a deposit blank,
looked up as Mr. Bodell was passing. He appar-
ently changed his mind regarding a deposit; for
he at once gathered up his book and papers, and
went out. On reaching Broadway, Mr. Bodell
took an uptown car, and by the way in which he
ensconced himself in a vacant corner he intended
going some distance.

By a singular coincidence there happened to be
another corner seat vacant, into which dropped
contentedly the old gentleman, who had so ab-
ruptly left the Gotham Bank.

Mr. Bodel's eager, restless eyes traveled every-
where, seeing everything. The old gentleman sat
absorbed in his newspaper.

AUSTIN TREMAINE, as was perfectly nat-
I. ural under the circumstances, felt a deep in-
terest in Stephen Derwent. The simple fact of
his being Ruth's brother made him a tender ob-
ject in Tremaine's eyes. Real love is a gener-
ous, all-inclusive emotion. A man's prospective
mother-in-law may have a big wart on the side of
her nose, a neck as ungainly as a piece of drain-
pipe, a figure from which everything of grace has
long since departed, but as the mother of his
adored one, his heart goes out to her in holy aflFec-
tion. He may not regard her as the highest ideal
of feminine beauty, nor refer to her as the perfect
embodiment of all that is exquisite and charming ;
still the love which is given so lavishly to Ara-
mintha extends even to Aramintha's mother.
Anyhow, Tremaine often called at the bank, and,
while there, invariably, if opportunity occurred,
chatted for a few moments with Stephen.

He was there one day when Mr. Bodell came
in, who, after attending to some matters at

251

252 a a THE RIDD LE OE LIEE

Stephen's window, asked Dan Hogan if Mr.
Strathford was in his private office, and if he
could see him, giving his name so loudly that
Mr. Tremaine easily heard it. This caused him
to look closely at Bodell, for he had a vivid re-
membrance of his interview with the old Squire.
He immediately saw a striking resemblance be-
tween the two men, though the one was so much
older and on the brink of death, and the other in
the fullness of life. He observed, also, the quick,
restless eyes, the cruel mouth, the defiant air, and
the haughty, imperious bearing c^ Bodell as he
stood there impatiently waiting for Mr. Hogan to
return.

"Misther Strathfoord sez for you not to lave
for about foive minutes, an' he will be out to see
you," Dan said, when he came back.

Tremaine observed the gleam in Bodell's eyes
upon receiving this message, and also the peculiar
smile which curled on his lips. He did not seem
over-pleased at having to wait ; but, taking a news-
paper from his pocket, he went back to a window
where was an open space, and began reading in
his quick, eager way.

Tremaine at once went over to where Bodell
was standing, and said :

"Excuse me, sir, but did you sav to the porter
your name is Mr. Bodell ?"

"I did. May I ask in what way mv name has
any interest for you?'.' Bodell answered, hold-
ing the paper as before, but turning his eyes de-
fiantly on Tremaine.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

253

He saw Tremaine was a clergyman ; for though
the garb was less pretentious than with Mr. Dol-
phin, there were certain outward and visible signs
which he recognized. For clergymen Bodell had
small regard. He looked upon them as weak, ef-
feminate creatures, whose chief concerns were
vestments and altar-cloths. The idea of a big,
virile man giving himself to such a calling never
once occurred to Bclell. Yet right before him
was just such a man ; for Tremaine stood full six
feet in his stockings, and looked the hardy athlete
all over. Bodell also saw more than blood in that
face, or health in those eyes. He saw power, reso-
lution, a will as determined as his own, a strength
.against which he might well hesitate to measure
himself. His reply therefore was purposely curt,
with intent to disconcert the young clergyman.

"In this way it has an interest for me," Tre-
maine answered, calmly, meantime more than
meeting Bodell's impatient glance; for his eyes
never took themselves from Bodell's face; "I spent
part of the summer at Ridgeburg," here Bodell
gave a perceptible start, which he tried to cover
up by folding his newspaper, "and while there 1
was sent for by a Squire Bodell, who desired to
see me."

Again Bodell started, and again he tried to
hide it, but the strong, clear eyes of Tremaine re-
mained as before, and they saw Bodell's movement
in each instance.

"You think, because of the name, I am related
to the person you saw?"

4.-?

254

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"Yes."

I* And his name, you say, was Bodell ?''
'^Yes. Squire Bodell he was generally car.<»d "
And the name of the place, what was it>"
''Ridgeburg, in the northern part of this State."
Bodell IS not such an uncommon name as to

make your idea probable."

"That may be, but the circumstances under

which I met Squire Bodell, and the story which

I had from his !ips make me most anxious to

meet his son.

"But why should you think I am Squire Bo-
dell s son.? There may be a score of Bodells in
the city, perhaps a hundred, or even more "

Bodell made a mistake in asking this question,
lo ask a question at a critical time is like open-
ing the iron door of a walled fortress, thus mak-
ing possible an attack against which nothing can

Tnn. ^'^TT ""^^ ^"'""^ '° ^^^ '^'^ advantage,
and, before Bodell's words were well spoken, he

Twhirpt ""'""^ ""^''"'' ''^"^'^ ^P^^'^'"^ '"
"The reason I think you are Squire Bodell's

son IS simply this: you are his son, and I know it

and you dare not deny it."

Tremaine's eyes now held Bodell's as though in-

ZmVTm '''"'^'^ ^'■""^ °"^ *° the other. Nor
could Bodell get out from the power of that intense
determined look. Shifty as his eyes usually were,'
for once they had met a force against which they
were helpless. There was that in Tremaine's look
as well as in his voice, something so absolute and

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 255

masterful, that Bodell could not offer the denial he
intended. He therefore said impatiently:

"Supposing such is the case — though I am only
supposing it — what possible concern can it be of
yours ?"

"Just this," replied Tremaine, and speaking as
before, "I have been intrusted with a message from
Squire Bodell, a message given to me in holy con-
fidence, and which can only be repeated to the one
for whom it is intended."

In every great battle there are decisive mo-
ments when the opposing forces meet in one
mighty struggle. At such moments the fate of

, empires trembles in the balances. It was so in
this conflict between Bodell and Tremaine. They
were both conscious the supreme moment had
come. One or the other must yield. If Bodell
refused to admit the relationship to the Squire,
Tremaine was helpless. If he admitted it, he con-
ceded that Tremaine had a will stronger and more
imperious than his own.

So there they stood, both outwardly calm, but
each straining every power of which he was pos-
sessed. The tremendous self-will of Bodell, like
the Old Guard at Waterloo, threw itself agai:^ t
ihe massive strength of Tremaine, there to meet
cold, remorseless steel. The poise, the adroitness,
the skill with which Bodell had so often conquered
were here unavailing. He tried to assume an air
of bravado, and his lips looked contemptuous;
but the terrible eyes of Tremaine pierced the petty
subterfuge, and reached to his inmost heart. No

256

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

such conflict had ever raged in that bank before.
Men had struggled there mightily; but it was for-
tune against fortune, interest battling with inter-
est. But this was a soul battle. These men were
contending for supremacy in the realm of spirit
And defeat meant an irretrievable overthrow to
the one who was conquered.

Finally Bodell said, in a voice hardly above
his breath, "What is the message?"

"I can not give it here. Mr. Bodell," answered
Iremaine in the same voice. "Appoint your own
time and place, and I will arrange to meet you."

Give me your card," Bodell then said. "I will
write you. Mr. Strathford is coming, and I have
an engagement with him."

Tremaine gave Bodell his card, who took it
hastily; then, seeing Mr. Strathford, he started to
meet him, and they both went to the cashier's pri-
vate room.

"I saw you speaking to Mr. Tremaine," said
the cashier, when he had shut the door. "He is
making some repairs or alterations on his church
I presume he wanted a subscription."

"That was the reason, I presume, why you
did n't come out," Bodell answered.

"Not altogether, though you probably have
given enough for both of us."

"He is welcome to all he gets from me," Bodell
angrily responded. "These canting parsons, who
spend their time meddling with other people's busi-
ness, levying blackmail on the community, deserve
to be tarred and feathered."

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE M

257

Now that the strong, clear eyes of Tremaine no
longer held him in thrall, Bodell easily resumed his
role of braggart and scoffer.

"I am afraid you have n't a high regard for
these noble sons of the Church," Strathford said,
flippantly.

"Noble sons — phah!" Bodell fiercely ex-
claimed, his anger now breaking through all forms
of restraint, "a lot of sniveling humbugs !"

"Tremaine must have nailed you for a big sub-
scription, and now you are sorry for it. But do n't
lose any sleep over it. Drop him a line, and say
you have reconsidered the matter. I often do that.
People come here and bother me ; so I get rid of
them by making all sorts of promises. Then, the
next day, they get a little note, saying I regret,
and all the rest of it. Great scheme."

"When I write to Tremaine it will be to tell
him that he is a sneak, a spy, a blackmailer, poking
his nose into matters which are not his concern,
and that he had better mind his own business in
future."

As Mr. Bodell expressed himself in this ele-
gant and chivalrous form, he rose from his chair,
and strode across the room, a picture of rage and
fury.

"We '11 let Tremaine go," Strathford said, who
saw that something had greatly angered Bodell.
"We have other things of more importance to dis-
cuss. What is the last word from Cutty Hunk?
And how is that little venture of ours ?"

They talked for some time, Bodell forgetting
17

■ii

258 ^ THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

his anger in the big future for Cutty Hunk, and
Strathford listening with absorbed attention.

Tremaine, having seen Stephen for a moment,
and arranged for a meeting later in the week,
went out with Fred Westerhall, who came into
the Gotham while he was speaking with Mr.
Bodell.

"Well, young man, you must give an account
of yourself, and how you have spent your sum-
mer. So far as I understand your movements,
vou went with Derwent to Albany, arranging to
meet him at Ridgeburg, where we had all manner
of attractions provided for you."

Tremaine tried to speak in his usual cheery
way; but it was not easy, for the interview with
Bodell had taken some virtue out of him.

"Ridgeburg, I understand, is an attractive
place. Hills to climb, lakes to sail, streams to
fish, and all the rest of it. What a pity the people
are not so attractive as the place !"

Fred's face was too guileless, l^is innocence
and simplicity were overdone. But no man should
ever try to be artless. He is too clumsy. It is
like trying to do miniature portrait-painting with
a whitewash brush. Tremaine, therefore, only
smiled, and not at Fred's remark, but at Fred
himself, for the veil with which he had draped his
innocent allusion was as open as a fish-net.

"The Ridgeburg people are not under discus-
sion at present," Tremaine remarked, "but a cer-
tain guileless voung gentleman known among his
friends as Fred Westerhall."

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

259

"I confess, then, to going to Albany with
Stephen. I also confess to having had designs
upon Ridgeburg, but I went to Canada instead.
There I met my Cousin Robert, and we took a trip
to Montana. I think that covers the case."

"Did you hear anything in Montana of a Mr.
Bodell who lived there some years ago? But
then he was in the mining region."

"That is where we were," Fred answered, "and
I did hear of a Mr. Bodell."
"What did you hear?"

"That he was a schemer, a trickster, an ad-
venturer of the most brutal type," Fred answered
without a moment's hesitation.

"You saw that man to whom I was .speaking
when you came into the bank ?"
"Yes," Fred replied, wonderingly.
"Did you notice him particularly'"
"I did."

"Well, that man is James Bodell."
"You do n't mean the Bodell of whom I heard
in Montana ?"
"I do."

They had now walked up Broadway beyond
the City Hall, when Mr. Tremaine, remembering
an engagement uptown, took a cable-car, leaving
Fred to think over the surprising fact of his hav-
ing seen Bodell, the man of whom he had recently
heard so much.

As Mrs. Libby was going to Ohio, where one
. of her daughters resided, she desired to sell
her cottage before leaving. Fearing that this
might seriously inconvenience the VVarristons,
Abram Derwent drove across to Forestville, where
Mrs. Libby was now living, and had a talk with
her concerning the little prope.cy.

Ever since the Warristons ■ .me to Ridgeburg,
Mr. Derwent had been a frequent visitor at the
Libby cottage. At just about such an hour every
evening, Abram might be seen coming up the
road, his hands clasped behind his back, his shoul-
ders bent somewhat as if weary with tlie day's
toil, but his honest face iting itself gratefully in
the twilight. After the usual greetings, he would
sit down in his accustomed place, take out his
corncob, fill it carefully, then proceed to smoke
with evident enjoyment. Mr. Warriston watched
this performance much as one would a fisherman
arrange his line and set his bait preparatory to
casting it into the stream.

2t>0

. |i|liiiiiNM|i|ll IJil^ii W mUllil III II iWiHWII IIHII

.♦asr^

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE 261

Stephen had tried to persuade ';is father to use
cut tobacco, and sent a handsom< jar of a choice
mixture ; but Abram missed the preliminaries, the
cutting into fine flakes, the rubbing between his
hands, the pulling apart of refractory pieces, and
then the satisfaction with which he regarded his
completed work.

"I admit," he said to Stephen, "it is fine and
regular ; but that," pointing to the jar, "looks as
if a man was smoking for the sake of tobacco,
whereas I only smoke for the fun of it."

Being tolerably keen-eyed, though not of a pry-
ing disposition — a failing common with country
people— Mr. Derwent observed many signs of
economy in the Libby cottage. Evidently the
family purse was slender. Of course, he asked no
questions, neither did he say much at home, but
it invariably happened that a few prints of butter
came up after each churning. Then, every day
or two. a little basket of eggs made its appearance,
some of the eggs so fresh that the hens which
laid them had hardly ceased cackling. Frequently
Abram would stop on his way to and from the
station, and at such times invariably had an ex-
cuse for bringing something to Miss Warriston.
And it was all done with such tact that there was
no sense of oppressive obligation, but a feeling of
mutual pleasure and kindness.

The relations between the two families being
so cordial, it was only natural, when Abram knew
of Mrs. Libby's intention to sell the cottage, his
first thought was for the Warristons. The result

262 THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

was that he bought the cottage, arranging with
Mrs, Libby to pay her the money before she went
to Ohio. He then wrote to Stephen, telling him
not to buy the bond, as he wanted the money for
Mrs. Libby, and would send for it in due time.
So the package of bills remained in the big, time-
locked, steel-bolted safe, one upon which no
burglar would waste his time, or thief ever hope
to open.

Mr. Strathford was aware of this ; for Stephen
had spoken of his father's change of mind con-
cerning the bond, and of the new purpose intended
for the money.

"How do you think your father would regard
an investment in Cutty Hunk?" Mr. Strathford
said to Stephen one morning.

Stephen smiled, but shook his head.

"He might double that money within a month,'
Mr. Strathford remarked.

"My father has rather limited idras of busi-
ness," Stephen answered ; but feeling that his reply
did not do his father justice, he added, "and some
old-fashioned notions about money."

"It is a great pity to have that money lying
idle in the safe when it could so easily turn itself
over," Mr. Strathford said, in a friendly, con-
fidential way.

"As we look at things, it certainly is; but my
father regards that money as Mrs. Libby's, and
he would n't touch it on any account."

"But the money is not due for several weeks.
It is your father's money, and will remain so till

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

263

it is paid to some one else. If he bough- 1
thousand dollars' worth ol Cutty Hunk, and be-
tween now and the time he has to pay for the
property made another thousand he might have-
both the cottage and the bond."

"According to my father's ideas, if that money
should be taken from the safe, inasmuch as he
has reserved it for Mr>. Mbby, any profit he might
make he would insist belonged to her."

"He would never succeed in the banking busi-
ness."

"I have often told him so."

"You do n't entertain such notions."

"By no means."

"I should hope not. But you might write to
your father suggesting a purchase in Cutty Hunk,
or, at any rate, giving you the use of the money
until it is done. It is a great chance."

"I will write most certi»inly, but 1 am certain
he will not consent."

"Tell him I will assume the enMre responsibil-
ity, and stand ready to cover any loss," Mr. Strath-
ford said, handing Stephen some papers which had
required the cashier's signature.

vStephen thanked Mr. Strathford for his gerer-
ous offer, and said he would write in seascv, for
the afternoon mail.

When he went back to his window, Dan Hogan
was there with an urgent invitation from Mrs.
Hogan to take tea at the Hogan apartments, and
spend part of the evening with Ted, who desired
greatly to see him. As Stephen had hardly more

264 ^ a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

than seen the Httle fellow since returning from
Ridgeburg, and this particular evening being free,
he accepted Mrs. Hogan's invitation, much to
Dan's evident satisfaction.

At odd moments during the day Stephen
thought seriously of what Mr. Strathford had said.
Cutty Hunk matters were discussed freely in the
hank. It was known that Mr. Wamphrey was
heavily interested in the new company. It was
also known that Mr. Strathford, not content with
his original purchase at the formation of the com-
pany, had made large additions to his holdings.
Most of the bank officials had been favored with
admissions to the "ground floor" circle of share-
holders. But, so far, the shares had been taken
privately. The rush would come later when the
stock was offered for public sale. During the
weeks of Stephen's vacation, Cutty Hunk matters
had gone forward by leaps and bounds.

Stephen, therefore, wondered if Mr. Strath-
ford's suggestion might not be accepted. It cer-
tainly was a kindly proposition. Under Mr.
Strathford's conditions, his father had no risk
whatever. Then he began to query if he could
not let Mr. Strathford have the money without
waiting to hear from Ridgeburg. This would be
a compliment to Mr. Strathford's judgment, and
also an appreciation of his k'ndness.

Stephen was considerably perplexed every time
he thought of Mr. Strathford's suggestion. He
had a young man's natural ambition and desire to
improve his opportunities.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 265

Ted was waiting for him when he weiit up-
stairs to the Hogans. In fact, Ted had been wait-
ing for him all day. Mr. Hogan, after seeing that
Stephen had the place of honor in the room known
as the parlor, this being a big easy-chair, went
off in search of Mrs. Hogan to announce the
arrival of their guest. In due time Mrs. Hogan
came to the parlor, saying that tea was ready; so
they went to the dining-room, Mrs. Hogan lead-
ing the procession, Stephen coming next, Ted
holding him by the hand, Mr. Hogan forming the
rear guard.

On such evenings as Stephen was her guest,
Mrs. Hogan's teas were exhibits of real Irish hos-
pitality. Having a Ridgeburg appetite, Stephen
was able to deal creditably with Mrs. Hogan's
generous arrangements ; for the Ridgeburg appe-
tite, once fairly aroused, is something to be ad-
mired. And the more thoroughly Stephen en-
joyed Mrs. Hogan's fare, the more Mrs. Hogan
enjoyed Stephen.

"Made from a resate of my own," she said,
proudly, helping him to an enormous piece of cake.

"An' shure ther 's plinty more where that came
from," as she placed before Stephen a heaping
dish of ice-cream.

"You wouldn't be bavin" us break our cups.
Misther Derwent," she responded, smilingly, when
Stephen asked for half a cup of tea. "Och, an'
you 're not goin' to stop now? Why, Dan's only
gettin' started," when Stephen gave signs of un-
conditional surrender.

266

tB a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

But there are limits to even a Ridgeburg appe-
tite, and Stephen reached those limits in due
season. Then they went back to the parlor,
Stephen again taking the big chair, and also a
cigar which Mr. Hogan had thoughtfully provided.

Mrs. Hogan, having certain duties in the
kitchen, Stephen and Mr. Hogan soon drifted into
bank gossip, Ted sitting on the side of the big
chair, his sensitive face lighting up at nearly every
sound of Stephen's voice.

"An' it seems to me as if all of them had the
Cutty Hunk faver," said Mr. Hogan. "I niver
saw the loikes of it. First Misther Wamp'rey gits
it. Then, after him, Misther Strathford. Then
one, an' then another, until about every gintleman
in the bank gits it. On one occasion Misther
Strathford spoke to me about it.

" 'Daniel,' sez he, 'do n't you want to put some
of your money into Cutty Hunk ?'

" 'lord 5ave us,' sez I, 'an' what is that?'

"In my country, Misther Derwent. 'C«itty' is
the nanio we gave to a short clay pipe — like this,
for instance," and Mr. Hogan produced a clay to-
haccopipt- , of abbreviated stem, but positive odor,
which had seen much service, judging by the black-
ness of both shank and bowl. "Then 'hunk' means
a big piece of bread, such as we 'd given to some
poor divil at the door. So at first I did n't git at
what Misther Strathford intended. But he very
kindly explained it all to me ; how they had found
three or four mountains of solid copper out West
somewhere, as high as the Giant's Causewav, an'

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

267

as dape as the lakes of Killarney, an' that I might
have a piece of these mountains all to myself.
He talked so fair an' jd pleasant that I came near
drawin' out my little savin's — the money I had
put aside for Te . But Ted, for some reason,
wouldn't hear of it. Ted, my boy, if your poor
ould father has made a miss this toime. it 's your-
self that 's to blame,"

"Then you don't approve of Cutty Hunk?"
Stephen said, laying a hand affectionately on the
boy's shoulder,

"Not the Cutty Hunk they talk of downstairs,"
Ted answered, taking Stephen's hand from his
. shoulder and holding it in a loving clasp.

"What is wrong with the downstairs Cutty
Hunk?" Stephen asked, good-humoredly.

"A good deal," Ted replied, in a tone which
he rarely used, but which when heard was almost
unearthly.

"It may have been only a dream," Ted went
on in the same voice as before, "but I have seen
the mountains of copper, and there is blood on
them. Dead men are lying at the mines. Flames
are coming out on every side. The sky is full of
blackness."

• The boy shuddered and trembled as he spoke,
which made his words all the more impressive.
Then, for a few moments, nothing more was said.
Mr, Hogan sat looking intently at Ted; for he
saw, by the strange expression on the boy's face,
that there were things passing before his sight-
less eyes which other eyes could not see. Mean-

268

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

while Ted's hands were gently smoothing those
of Stephen's, who, though familiar with the lad's
mysterious gifts of vision, could not but wonder
as to the meaning of the words just spoken. Then
all at once Ted's hands became rigid, closing upon
his hand as if stricken in a convulsion. At the
same moment his face became strangely drawn,
and fire seemed to flash from his eyes. But, with
the exception of the first movement of his hands,
he remained almost as marble. Just then Mrs.
Hogan came into the room, and would have
spoken ; but Daniel held up his hand, a sign which
she understood. All three were now watching
Ted, whose face was white as death, but whose
eyes fairly blazed in their sockets. From the door
near the front of the building his eyes slowly
moved, resting here and there as if obstructed
in some way, finally going out from the parlor into
the room beyond ; here his intense look concen-
trated itself, his eyes fixed as in death. Then he
said:

"Mr. Strathford is downstairs, doing something
to the timelock in the safe."

Immediately his fingers relaxed on Stephen's
hands, some blood came back to his face, the
strange fire died out of his eyes, and when he
spoke again it was in his natural voice.

"It 's about toinie I made my round," Mr.
Hogan said, now rising from his chair. "You
know I have to go through the bank once in so
often until the night-watchman comes, which is at
ten o'clock."

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 269

"May I go with you ?" Stephen asked, who felt
deeply moved by Ted's mysterious words.

"No, thank you," Mr. Hogan answered, giving
Stephen a meaning look. "I '11 make my report
in a few minutes."

Another look from Mr. Hogan gave Stephen
to understand that Ted was not allowed to know
of these peculiar visions, and, as he never re-
ferred to them unless at rare intervals, they did
not speak of them in his presence.

In a few minutes Mr. Hogan returned, saying
that everything was all right, and that Mr. Strath
ford, having some special matters in hand, had
been at work since early evening in his private
office. This, Mr. Hogan added, was quite a com-
mon thing for Mr. Strathford to do.

Stephen, however, could not wholly suppress
his surprise when he learned of Mr. Strathford's
being downstairs at the time when Ted said he
saw him at the safe ; but another glance from Mr.
Hogan prevented him from saying anything more.

He remained for the rest of the evening, mak-
ing his usual visit with Ted, who evidently had
no remembrance of copper mountains or bank
safes; for he listened with all a boy's delight to
Stephen's stories of Ridgeburg, laughing heartily
at iiis description of Mr. Tremaine when he made
his famous slide on the baseball-field.

But on his way home, even amid the noises
of the street, Stephen could hear Ted saying:

"Mr. Strathford is downstairs, doing something
to the timelock in the safe."

MRS. DEVERAL'S imaginary hand gave her
considerable trouble. Being the right hand,
the one she used with such energy when demon-
strating the non-existence of her body, the sus-
pension of its activity annoyed her excessively.
And Mrs. Deveral did not approve of being an-
noyed. Anything that interfered with her noble
ideal of ethereal life, she strongly resented. To
her transcendent genius the body was lighter,
more aerial, infinitely finer in texture than a soap-
bubble, and under no circumstances could impede
the movements of the soul. But there was that
hand, swollen, discolored, helpless, and though the
pains which shot through it were mere fancies,
yet as a form of the imagination they were neither
rapturous nor blissful.

Under these circumstances, Mrs. Devera! was
not an ideal guest. She became peevish, irritable,
querulous, and. though a Prophetess of high de-
gree, she often lost her temper and said things
neither divine nor beautiful. This was unfortu-

270

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 271

nate, because if jrought Mrs. Deveral the woman
into collision with Mrs. Deveral the Prophetess,
and the Prophetess came off second best.

To have her imaginary beefsteak — Mrs.
Deveral was fond of beefsteak, succulent, of gen-
erous proportions, rarely beginning her aerial
flights for the day without this as a preliminary —
cut up into small nieces for her by Mrs. Mait-
land, or, more degrading still, by the cook; to
have her imaginary toast or rolls — Mrs. Deveral
was fond of both toast anl rolls— buttered and
prepared because she could not help herself; in
short, to have to sit at the table and be fed as
one would an overgrown child, was exceedingly
distasteful to Mrs. Deveral. Her theory of being
all soul and no body was in danger. Incieed, there
was a possibility of some people thinking her all
body and no soul.

But what distressed hei more than all else was
the growing unbelief of Mrs. Maitland. She had
hoped great things from Mrs. Maitland, count-
ing her as one of her ;^tanrhest followers. Mrs.
Maitland's wandering from the laith gave her,
therefore, n.uch concern; for throiigh lier devo-
tion she had counted on reaching a goodl> num-
ber of New York's chosen ones, 1. ."aching them both,
to empty their minds and to fill her pockets. In
matters that penained to filthy lucre, AJrs. Deveral
carefully eliminated the imaginary. Her .splendid
vision never lost sight of pecuniary gain. The
higher the flights of her elociueiice, the deeper she
went into the purses of her hearers. Her body

272 THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

might levitate, float as on invisible wings through
the yielding air, but she desired no such quality
in her pocketbook. This was why she limited
her gracious ministry to those who could opei.
their treasuries at her dulcet voice, and bring their
tributes to her waiting hand. She determined,
therefore, at all hazards, to keep her hold upon
Mrs, Maitland, and, after thinking the matter over,
concluded to work in co-operation with Mr. Bodell.

At this stage of our story it need hardly be
said that Mr. Bodell was a singular personage.
Though men, as a rule, questioned his m.otives,
doubted his sincerity, and generally regarded him
with suspicion, yet they admitted him to their fel-
lowship, and seemed to find pleasure in his so-
ciety. And though women, as a rule, disliked
him, and had no confidence whatever in his pro-
fessions, still they invited him to their gatherings,
2nd in such circles as he had access to, not infre-
quently he was the chief- figure in the company.

Upon some people he exercised a mesmeric
influence, he held them in thrall, and they yielded
to his spell. Others he dominated by uK'tT force
of will, compelling obedience by a son of spirit
mastery. Then there were others whom he p'M
suaded. Words more musical than bird-net t-s fell
upon their ear. Suggestions sweeter than honey
were presented to their minds, and, in listening,
the siren's story passed from fable into experience.
Some he would laugh at, and, in the presence of
his light, scornful laughter, scruple:, would vanish
as dew before the hot sun.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

273

That he was cruel, treacherous, wily; sinuous
as a serpent, passionate as a lion, and implacable
as death, were matters of common belief ; but be-
cause he was handsome, had a winsome tongue,
a fascinating address, and an audacity almost in-
finite, no man for the time was more generally
popular, or occupied a more enviable position.
Young girls gathered around him, and listened
as to an oracle. Matrons waited on him at teas
and evening gatherings with positive rivalry At
a dinner his hon mots and keen repartee enlivened
many a table which otherwise would have been
dull. In the smoking-room it was his story at
which the men would roar with delight.

He often went to Mrs. Maitland's, seldom los-
ing an opportunity to hear Mrs. Deveral, whose
views ht accepted without question.

"You see how pleasantly it relieves us of all
responsibility," he said to her one evening when
she had been explaining her theories at length.

Whatever else Mrs. Deveral required in her
explaining process, she must have length,— and
great length. Indeed, the longer she talked, the
greater the need of explam ' on.

"Personal responsibility under this supreme
idea is simply impossible," the Prophetess re-
sponded, with oratorical emphasis.

"Why people will burden themselves in such
a needless, foolish way, is beyond my compre-
hension," Mr. Bodell said, speaking at Mrs.
Deveral, but to Mrs. Maitland.

"Ther all this i.onsense about heredity is cf-

18 •'

2 74 ^ ^ THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

fectually disposed of, seeing the body is a non-
existent superfluity," Mrs. Deveral went on, beau-
tifully unconscious of the hopeless contradiction
of her terms.

"Very true," Mr. Bodell replied, but not en-
thusiastically.

He had found much comfort in well-defined
ideas of heredity. All his passions, desires, ten-
dencies, he charged up to ancestry, claiming that
his life was simply a river into which so many
riils and streams emptied themselves, and that for
either the taste or the color of the waters, no
obligation attached to him.

"In the same way it removes the horrible doc-
trine of sin," the Prophetess continued ; "and of all
the monstrous perversions of the human intellect,
nothing is comparable with the degrading sug-
gestion, contained in what is called 'the doctrine
of sin.' It is a confusion of intolerable bondage,
h means that the soul is held in a worse dungeon
than the Black Hole of Calcutta. Out upon such
slavery ! What are we if we are not free ?"

"Just what I have believed all my life," an-
swered Bodell, with rare fervor. "If people will
insist iipun an old Oriental fable of an apple and
a tree, i also insist upon my right to eat such
apples as I please. And when they tell us that
tlie tree is good, and has the quality of making
us wise, we would be foolish not to eat all the
fruit we wish. What say you, Mrs. Maitland ?"

At that particular moment, though her blue
eyes had <-one from one speaker to the other, as

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

275

if closely following the discussion, Mrs. Maitland
was thinking what an intolerable bore Mrs.
Deveral had become, and how could she possibly
get rid of her ! And then the moment before she
had thought that Mr. Bodell was much too fre-
quent a visitor in her house, now that Mr. Mait-
land was in Europe, and she had wondered what
was best for her to do. These were the things
Mrs. Maitland was thinking of when the
Prophetess and Mr. Bodell were holding high in-
tellectual intercourse, and to which she seemed
to be intently listening.

"Well, I do n't know," she answered, after a
short pause. "These questions are not familiar
with me as they are with you anil Mrs. Deveral.
But the other side has not yet stated its case."

Then she smiled sweetly, and all the more
so because of her escape froni a temporary em-
barrassment.

"The other side has been stating its case for
thousands of years," Mrs. Deveral retorted, with
a fair measure of asperity.

"But I ha^e not been here for thousands of
years," Mrs. Maitland innocently remarked.

This simple reply annoyed the Prophetess.
She iniagined it suggested a measure of antiqiiity
on her part. Because of her wounded hand there
were certain toilet mysteries which she vas com-
pelled CO share with Mrt. Maitland, who made
sundry flippant, if not unkind remarks.

L may be that Mrs. Maitland had nothing per-
sonal in her reply, and ye, she contriv^.d to put

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2 76 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIF E

a distinct emphasis upon the first person singu-
lar. Hence the anger of the Prophetess.

"By the way," said Bodell, "have you heard
the latest about Miss Aylesbury?"

Bodell saw the storm coming, so he changed
the ship's course.

"No; what is it?" was the response, both ladies
speaking at once.

"It seems that her father has been urgent in
suggesting Mr. Wamphrey as a possible husband
to Miss Aylesbury. She point-blank refuses the
suggestion, and will not even see Mr. Wamphrey
when he calls. The dove of peace, therefore, no
longer hovers over the Aylesbury mansion."

"Geneva is a strange girl," said Mrs. Mait-
land.

"She is a bold, impudent thing," said the
Prophetess.

"She always had romantic notions," said Mrs.
Maitland.

"She always was a fool," said the Prophetess.

"Mr. Wamphrey, though much older than
Geneva, would make her a good husband," said
Mrs. Maitland.

"He is a thousand times too good for her,
no matter how old he is," said the Prophetess.

Then Mr. Bodell said :

"You know one time, when Mr. Aylesbury was
on Queer Street and about to fail, he made over
most of his property to his wife. She, without
saying anything to him, conveyed the property
to her daughter, appointing as trustees special

;»-_

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 277

friends of her own. Shortly after this, Mrs. Ayles-
bury died, and when the sorrowing widower at-
tempted to resume possession of his former es-
tates, the trustees interfered. By all accounts,
Aylesbury was mad enough; still he had to put
up with it. He thought when Miss Aylesbury
came of age she would adjust matters. But she
wouldn't concur in any arrangement, and now
holds the property. This Wamphrey business
brought matters to a head. She — "

Bodell was here interrupted by Mrs. Maitland
saying:

"Geneva was always an independent girl.
Then by the Prophetess saying:
"She is a greedy, selfish girl—"
"has now gone into the profession of the ultra
pious, works altar-cloths, teaches in some mission,
and, under the leadership of a sanctimonious par-
son called Tremaine, is fast assuming the propor-
tions of a saint," Bodell said, when he had a chance
to complete his sentence.

"Have you ever seen Mr. Tremaine?" Mrs.
Maitland asked.

"Never," answered Bodell; "but I presume he
is of the usual type of wheedling parsons, who
contrive to frighten or flatter people more weak-
minded even than themselves."

"This proves you have never seen Mr. Tre-
maine," said Mrs. Maitland. "I have met him
several times."

"Of course he is unmarried," the Prophetess
said, sneeringly.

278

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"Very likely," was Mrs, Maitland's reply.

"And handsome as well," the Prophetess con-
tinued, the sneer likewise.

"That depends," Mrs. Maitland said, defiantly.

"Given: a young, handsome, unmarried par-
son, and a young, handsome, unmarried woman,
and the conditions of saintship are at once estab-
lished," Mr. Bodell remarked.

"The woman need not always be unmarried,"
the Prophetess said, spitefully, looking at Mrs.
Maitland.

"Or handsome," returned Mrs. Maitland,
purringly, looking at the Prophetess.

"Or young," the Prophetess retorted.

"Or a thousand years old," Mrs. Maitland
quietly murmured.

"The last thing I heard was that Miss Ayles-
bury had promised a big subscription to the
Church of this young, handsome, unmarried par-
son, and that Mr. Aylesbury was so angry about
it he wouldn't even speak to her," Mr. Bodell
said.

"Having her own money, she can do as she
pleases," Mrs. Maitland observed.

"It isn't her own money; it's her father's,"
the Prophetess snarled.

"Her mother gave it her," was the purring
response of Mrs. Maitland.

"Her father made it," the Prophetess said,
vindictively.

"Considering tht.t he was in Queer Street when
he gave this nwey to Mrs. Aylesbury, I think

! !

I .

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

a a

279

it belongs to tne creditors," Mr. Bodell said, with
a beautiful assumption of indignant honesty.

Just at this moment Mrs. Maitland was called
to the reception-room, when the Prophetess un-
masked in her most imperious way :
"We have met before, Mr. Bodell. '
"We have," he answered; "I remember some
of the circumstances distinctly."

"You made no sign of recognition;" the

Prophetess did not speak so imperiously as before.

"There was no need of it. Besides, I thought

you would not care to have some things recalled."

This made the Prophetess wince. She intended

Mr. Bodell to do the wincing. But he didn't.

His black eyes flashed ominously. His white,

pointed teeth gleamed through a malicious smile.

Mrs. Deveral's bullet was of lead, and came from

a well-aimed rifle; but it had struck against a

heavy steel plate, not even making a dent, only

falHng flattened on the ground.

"Perhaps A-e had better let bygones be by-
gones," she remarked, as she looked at his cool,
mocking face.

"As a man, I am not supposed to have been a
saint all my life. With a woman it is diflfere.it.
That little afifair of yours with Hal Mor— "
"Hush !"

The Prophetess was now thoroughly discom-
fited. Her imperious airs had gone. She fairly
cringed with fear. Whatever it was, Bodell evi-
dently knew something she desired to hide, and
that knowledge placed her completely in his power.

28o a a THE RIDDL E OF LIFE

Then they talked of other things, speaking in
such a low tone that not even a whisper could be
heard beyond themselves.

After a time Mrs. Maitland returned; but
Bodell remained a few minutes longer, then leav-
ing the hostess and her guest to their own de-
lightful companionship.

■i

WE have it on the best authority that, among
the mysteries of life, none is more wonder-
ful than "the way of a man with a maid." That
may be. But what of the way of a maid with
a man? For at best a man lives much in the
open. Neither can his best friends affirm that he
is not awkward, clumsy, only a coarse tinkerer,
with a positive genius for blundering and mis-
takes. Except in the rarest instances, he knows
nothing whatever of finesse, while his most grace-
ful movements in affairs of the heart are as heavy
and- lumbering as the friskings of an overgrown
cow. On the other hand, the woman is elusive,
delicate, subtle, a perfect combination of nature
and art, and so far in advance of the man as to
suggest a distinct creation.

And, now that we come to think of it, was
not such the case? In the beginning man was
slowly evolved, developed from insensate clay to
conscious being. But the woman was not evol/ed ;
for when the man awoke from a dull, heavy sleep,

281

,1
t

282

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

he found her waiting for him, alert, bright, keen,
ready for the glory and mystery of life. So, from
the first, man has been at a disadvantage. What,
then, could Robert Warriston do with Zona Dob-
bms? It is true Zona had never been East, not
even as far as Chicago. The customs common
m great cities were utterly unknown to her. A
stray paper left in the stage, or given to Hank
Dobbms by some traveler, was her only glimpse
of the great life which pulsed along the Eastern
Coast. She was untrained in the wisdom of the
Egyptians, and knew as little of the New V'ork
social code as of the court customs of Rameses
the T' ,rd.

But she had bright blac'- eyes, which at times
could be strangely alluring. She had fresh sweet
lips, from which pouts and smiles would come
like drops from a rosebush. She had a way of
drawing up that lissome figure of hers which
would have made a Newport belle turn green
with envy. She could arch her neck as gracefully
as a bird, and with seemingly the same uncon-
sciousness. One moment she could droop her
eyes with their lon^, heavy lashes, set her features
most demurely, and look like a young nun pre-
paring for an interview with the mother superior ;
the next moment her eyes would be sparkling with
mischief, her face glowing with mysterious joy,
and her entire bearing as that of an Italian sprite.'
For her dark, passionate type of beauty she was
indebted to her father; but this was tempered
by an expression of simplicity and tenderness,. a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

283

special inheritance from her mother. She was not
old enough to know anything of the sorrow and
burden of love, and, never having read any thrill-
ing legends of the handsome knight, the beautiful
maiden, the cruel father, and the terrible villain,
her knowledge in sentimental lore was somewhat
limited. And vet Robert Warriston had not been
a full week in' Cutty Hunk before Zona had him
in leading chains, and a mo--- wi''ing, obedient
captive no woman ever posse

Hence, we repeat— thoi -^ is not the

least need of it— wonderful ' , ay of a maid
with a man.

Robert, however, had not forgotten any part
of his mission to Cutty Hunk. But. from the de-
cisive measures taken by CarHsle, it was evident
that the Warriston interests were in safe hands.
Robert's special business now was to keep close
watch on the conspirators. He knew they had
tried to tamper with Mr. Grey, the superintendent.
He also knew that money had been spent among
certain of the miners, with the hope of inciting
them to violence. It was very clear that Bodell
and his associates were playing for high stakes,
and to obtain even temporary possession of the
mines would take desperate chances.

An attempt had been made to steal the records
from the registry office. FaiHng in this, a fire
was started in the building where the deeds were
kept. But Mr. Dolphin, who was in close touch
vith most of the Bodell schemes, managta to send
\v irnings of both movements.

284 ^ a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

Then, o-e night, several masked men at-
tempted an interview with Hank Dobbins, select-
ing the loneliest^ part of the road, between San
Gabriel and Cressena. Being modest men, de-
sirous also that Hank should not be embarrassed
with company, they chose a night for this inter-
view when he had no passengers, the stage carry-
ing only the mail-bag and a number of parcels.

Two men who were lounging about in a care-
less way at the stage-office in San Gabriel ex-
changed significant glances as Hank drove off
wrhout any passengers, after which they abruptly
disappeared. The mail-bag that day was heavy,
nuich heavier than usual, for Mr. Grey told Hank
he was expecting a lot of mail from New York.
When Hank reached a certain turn in the road,
he slowed up, allowing the horses to walk ; then
he brought them to a standstill while he Hghted
his pipe. This done, he looked up and down the
road, after which he gave a peculiar whistle, when
three men came out from a clump of trees, and
hastily entered the stage. One of these men
strongly resembled Mr. Grey; another had a
marked resemblance to Robert Warriston; while
the third tlistinctly favored a crony of Hank Dob-
bins, who often came over on the stage with
him. Each one carried a rifle, and it is highly
probable that a business-like revolver had its place
in each equipment. Before leaving San Gabriel,
Hank had shut the stage windows, drawing down
the curtains as well, a usual proceeding of his
when he had no passengers.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

2S5

During the early afternoon, and towards even-
ing, conversation was freely carried on. Hank
opening the little window at the top, through
whicn passengers communicated wiih him ; but
when he gave a certam sign, all was still.

Just about sundown a couple of horsemen
passed the stage, looking at it keenly as they -vent
by. Seeing Hank was alone on the box seat, and
the stage curfins down, one of tl remarked,
"Not overcrowv ,d this trip?"

"Can't always have a crowd." Hank answered,
glancing sharply at the man who spoke.

In a few minutes the stage had the road to
• itself, the two horsemen having disappeared, as
they were evidently in a hurry.

Not being altogether bereft of creature com-
forts, the occupants of the stage indulged J^n a
good, substantial meal shortly before dark. Then
pipes were lit, each man getting down on ' c
coach floor and putting his head under the seat
while doing so, careful not to let the light be seen.
Of the four comprising the party, two were seem-
ingly unconcerned. Hank and his friend from
Cutty Hunk. Mr. Grey, though a brave and at
times a daring man, was more nervous than he
would care to say. An honest, open fight he did
not fear; but highwaymen and road-agents were
tricky and dangerous. He was also well aware
that his refusal to fall in with the Bodell schemes
had made him a mark, at which deliberate aim
would be taken. He smoked his pipe in a quick,
nervous way, though mindful of his rifle.

2X6

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

Robert Warriston was in a stdu of eager ex-
citement. He was measurably familiar with a
gun, for he had shot at birds, clay pigeons, and
even small game, at different times ; but to shoot
a man, the man meantime having a chance to shoot
at him, was a new experience; and, if the truth
must be told, Robert had less desire to begin the
shooting than when this stage-ride was first pro-
posed, riiere were several thing.* he had n't
thought of in the beginning, which now occurred
to him. The other man— his unknown, unseen an-
tagonist—had .some important advantages in his
favor. The stage was a big thing to shoot at.
The other man would likely be behind a tree.
Hank was supposed to be alone, thus giving con-
fidence to the attacking party. Then these mer
knew every turn and bend of the road, and had
an option when the firing should begin. Being
in the stage cooped up, while the- others were free,
gave them varied opportunities for strategy.

In his early boyhood Robert had ambitions for
the life of a Texan ranger, imagining himself rid-
ing across the plains, his horse going like the
wind, his long hair streaming picturesquely from
under his sombrero, spurs at his heels, pistols
at his belt, the perfect embodiment of heroic dar-
ing and manly grace. But to sit in a stage-coach
on a dark n.ght, with a chance of being riddled
by men shoot: - from behind a tree or a ledge
of rock, did not appeal to Robert's sense of the
humorous.

But Hank smoked with as much u .jncern

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

28-

as if at liis own fireside. I lis eyes, though, cut
their way through the darkness like those of an
Indian, and his ears were strained to catch every
sound. At length lie heard, above the rumble of
the heavy stage, the sound of horses' hoofs.
Stooping down to the little window, he said:

"They are coming. Get ready !"

In a moment the three men were in position,
Hank's friend climbing up beside him on the seat.
Mr. Grey and Robert each opening a window,
through which their rifle-barrels projected slightly.

Mr. Dolphin had sent word that three or four
men might make this attack, but Hank thought
half a dozen were concerned in it.

There is not much ceremony in matters of
this kind. No cavalier comes forward in advance
of his fellows to announce the beginning of hos-
tilities. The only intimation Hank had of any
intended courtesy was a gruflf "Hands up!" ac-
companied by a shot, intended chiefly to emphasize
the demand; for these men were more anxious
to get possession of ilie mail than harn either the
stage or its driver.

But Hank and his friend, though regretting
the omission of surh formalities as might have
been proper under the circumstances, did not al-
low their regrets to interfere with an immediate
response, so the "Hands up!" had hardly been
spoken before the speaker was "Hands down,"
Hank's shot taking the man, his friend's taking
the horse.

Seeing that Hank meant serious resir.tance,

288

tf a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

but having no knowledge of his allies in ihe stage,
or the one beside him on the seat — for it was
pitch dark — they attempted to surround the coach ;
careful, though, of Hank's gun, for they knew
what it was.

This brought them in range of Mr. Grey and
Robert Warriston, and Robert, now that the fight
was on, had lost his nervousness and fear. Watch-
ing his chance, Robert fired, and with instant re-
sults, for his shot was followed by a yell as if
some one had been badly wounded. Mr. Grey,
on his side, was not so fortunate; but his second
shot made up for the failure of the first, the bul-
let plowing its way through the horse's neck into
the groin of its rider, causing the horse to rear
in awful agony, throwing the man senseless to
the ground.

Thus ended the fray, and well it might; for
three of the attacking party were wounded, while
it seemed to the others that Hank had a stage-
load of trained fighters. So the remnant beat a
speedy retreat.

Robert Warriston, not being familiar with
Western ways, thought it strange of Hank Dob-
bins to drive off, leaving the wounded men on
the road, but Hank merely said:

"A fight 's a fight. When it 's over, that 's the
end of it. Some men won't be around to-mor-
row — some men won't be around any more. But
that 's their affair, not mine."

After driving slowly for over a mile, and see-
ing no prospect of any further trouble, Hank gave

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

289

the reins to his Cutty Hunk friend, and, taking
out his pipe, proceeded to fill it, then smoked
as coolly as if nothing unusual had happened. He
had intimated, when leaving Cutty Hunk the day
before, that he might have a Uttle trouble on the
return trip, but spoke in such a careless way that
neither Zona nor her mother felt any special
anxiety. But ugly rumors came up from the
mines. Some men who had been giving trouble
were not anywhere about. Three men whom Mr.
Grey summarily discharged had also disappeared.
Certain threats were now recalled. It began to
be known that important documents relating to
the mines were expected from New York. Then
the secret departure of Mr. Grey and Robert War-
riston meant a fear of serious trouble somewhere.
So, as the day wore on, the anxiety in the Dob-
bins household became very manifest, deepening
every hour. More than a dozen times Zona had
gone to the gate, listening intently; for the stage
had a heavy rumble, and in the still evening air
could be heard fully a mile off. Hank was usually
within a few minutes of his time; not twice in a
year would he be a quarter of an hour late. Men
could almost set their watches by the stage, so
prompt and regular was its coming in.

But on this night the terrible minutes dragged
slowly by, reaching to a full Hour before the sound
of the stage was heard. Then came the next ques-
tion, asked anxiously by both mother and daugh-
ter, but which neither could answer, "Were all
safe and well?"
19

290 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

Knowing Mr. Grey was desirous that neither
Robert nor himself should be known to have any
part in this affair, Zona did not go out to the gate
when the stage stopped, but stood inside the door,
eagerly waiting. Hence, when Robert came in,
which he did hurriedly, she was standing there
trembling with excitement.

Then happened the most natural thing imagin-
able. Robert opened his arms. Zona sprang into
them. Robert stooped down to kiss her ; she flung
her arms around his neck. For a space not to
be counted by clock-ticks, Robert forgot all about
the fight on the road from San Gabriel, and Zona
no longer remembered the distress and anxiety
of the last twelve hours.

After all, few experiences in life are richer in
real joy than the way of a maid with a man.

MR. BODELL was an artist in lying. For a
lie that stood up gaunt and bare, like a
telegraph-pole, he had positive contempt. A lie
that had to be kept going bicycle fashion, or it
wou'l fall of its own weight, only excited his
anger. A coarse, clumsy lie. over which people
were bound to stumble, seemed to him like mend-
ing a lady's pocket-handkerchief with a bit of sail-
cloth, or darning a piece of delicate lace with
grocer's twine. By the mere displacement of a
word, or even false emphasis, Mr. Bodell could
produce a superb lie, one which had in it the very
genius of falsehood. When he said, "Miss Ayles-
bury had taken to work altar-cloth, teach mission
children, and was fast assuming the proportions
of a saint," the blade of his statement was as
sharp a lie as was ever forged, while the handle
had just enough truth in it for his fingers to take
hold of. A point-blank falsehood he rarely in-
dulged in, unless driven to it.

Indeed, so carefully had he followed tliis
291

2g2

a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

course, that many regarded him as a most truth-
ful man. Htiice his remarks concerning Miss
Aylesbury found immediate lodgment in the heart
of Mrs. Maitland. The Prophetess, though de-
testing Miss Aylesbury, did not accept Mr. Bodell
as Mrs. Maitland did.

Thanks to Austin Tremaine and the kindly,
generous applications made possible by his teach-
ings, Geneva was finding more to interest and
occupy her than in former days. Her eyes were
being opened to new duties, and obligations which
she had hitherto ignored were now taking their
proper place. Hence her life, instead of being
a solitary wire stretching along a barren roadway,
was beginning to relate itself to other Uves, each
as definite as her own.

Mr. Tremaine called one evening with Stephen
Derwent, as he was desirous of having Stephen
submit to Miss Aylesbury plans for a new chapter-
house. This was the first time Stephen had called,
but the fault did not attach to him, for he cer-
tainly desired to do so. But, so far, no oppor-
tunity had presented itself. He was very grate-
ful, therefore, for Mr. Tremaine's invitation, and,
as he had made the rough draft of the plans, the
suggestion that he explain them to Miss Ayles-
bury was promptly accepted.

Stephen spent a full hour, and more, at his
toilet that evening. He tried on every suit in his
wardrobe, except his common, every-day gear.
Never did neckties so absorb his thought. Both
gasHghts, one on each side of his mirror, were

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a ^ 293

in full flare all the time he was dressing. He
looked at himself at every angle possible in that
room. Sometimes he would come so close to the
mirror that he could almost "touch noses," then
he would back away to the wall opposite. He
brushed his hair up, and he brushed it down. He
pulled his cuflfs out until they half covered his
hands, then he pushed them back, leiving about
one inch visible^ That was an anxious time with
Stephen, and yet Jie was neither vain nor con-
ceited.

Nor was he the only one who spent some time
that evening in various attitudes and forms o*" re-
flection. Geneva Aylesbury was equally guilty,
choosing her dress with extra care, and so robing
her gracious figure that it would appear to the
best advantage.

How foolish they both weie!
What concern was it of Stephen Derwent that
he should look handsome and gallant in Miss
Aylesbury's eyes? Was not she the daughter of
Jacob Aylesbury, and chosen by her father as the
future bride of Mr. Wamphr.y? And what con-
cern was it of Geneva Aylesbury that Stephen
Derwent should regard her as beautiful and at-
tractive? Was not he a mere teller in the bank
of which her father was a director, and Mr.
Wamphrey the president. O dear! how foolish
young people sometimes are !

At first there was a slight feeling of constraint,
but this passed oflf after a time.

"You are fond of music, Mr. Derwent," Geneva

im*mmm>mmtm

294

j^ a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

said, when he had spoken of a place in the pro-
posed parish-house where the choir might meet
for rehearsal.

"Very, though my personal efforts in that di-
rection have never been fully appreciated."

"You sing?" she inquired, cautiously, suspect-
ing latent mischief in his reply.

"Never but once to the same audience," he
said, gravely.

"All great artists have their peculiarities," she
answered, with equal seriousness.

"But, however willing I might be, there are
objections which so far I have not been able to
overcome."

"And these are ?"

"The listeners," interjected Tremaine, taking
advantage of Miss Aylesbury's intentional pause.

"Mr. Derwent, having studied under the re-
nowned Mr. Droner, can not expect New York
barbarians to appreciate him all at once. Mr.
Droner's methods are so pronounced that only
the highly endowed can understand them," Mr.
Tremaine added.

"And who, pray, is Mr. Droner?" Miss Ayles-
b"iry asked.

"Mr. Tremaine's choir-master," Stephen said.

"Mr. Derwent's music-teacher, and the marvel
of Ridgeburg," Tremaine said.

"Never having heard until now of either Ridge-
burg or Mr. Droner, I must ask for a more defi-
nite reply," Miss Aylesbury said, smilingly.

Stephen then told her where Ridgeburg was.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

295

of the little meeting-house where Mr. Droner
exercised his peculiar gifts, Tremaine adding a
word here and there; so, between them, Geneva
was much amused.

"Such a beautiful place, that is, as describerl,"
the parenthesis with a smile, "ought to attract
many of our city people," she remarked.

"Ridgeburg is very fortunate in that respect,"
Tremaine said, "only a limited circle has discov-
ered it."

"Then the woman with ten trunks, two
servants, and one poodle-dog has not yet de-
scended upon it?" Geneva questioned.

"Not yet, for which we are all devoutly thank-
ful," Stephen replied.

"Nor the mother with an army of marriageable
daughters in search of sons-in-law?"

"Still happily absent."

"Nor the woman with the unfortunate nurse
and the infuriating child; the child a terror by
day, and a horror by night ?"

"Not yet, of which fact special mention is made
in our Thanksgiving services."

"Nor the young Miss just emerged from short
frocks, who simpers, giggles, and languishes
yearningly ?"

"Her absence adds two lines to the Ridgeburg
doxology."

"Nor the advanced female, the woman with
views, the strong-minded, progressive, fetter-
bursting female?"

"Her failure to appear has made the Hallelu-

■pip

296 a a THE RIDDLE O F LIFE

jah Chorus more familiar in Ridgeburg than
Yankee Doodle."

"One of the New York families discovered
Ridgeburg this season," Tremaine said.

"The advance guard of the barbarians," Miss
Aylesbury suggested.

"No, indeed," Stephen promptly replied; "the
Warristons are not of that type."

"What Warristons do you mean?" Geneva
eagerly inquired.

"Fred Westerhall's relations," Tremaine an-
swered.

"Not Mr. Warriston and Eleanor?" she asked,
greatly surprised at Mr. Tremaine's reply.

"Yes; for when I saw Fred the other day he
told me he had gone with Mr. and Miss Warris-
ton to Albany, and that they were the same people
I had met in Ridgeburg."

"Speaking of the Warristons reminds me,"
said Stephen, "that I had a letter from my father
this morning in which he says Mr. Warriston is
much better, and that Miss Warriston has been
to sec Squire Bodell two or three times. He sent
for her, it seems. He was very sick, you remem-
ber, when we were in Ridgeburg."

Stephen looked at Tremaine as he spoke.

"I met a Mr. Bodell at Saratoga, and also
since I came home. Any relation of his, I won-
der?" Geneva asked.

Tremaine did not accept the question as be-
longing to him, leaving Stephen to answer it as
best he could.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a ^

297

"I never saw Squire Bodcll," Stephen an-
swered, ruthfully, which served to break a silence
somewhat awkvvard.

The conversation then took another turn,
Bodell's name not being mentioned again during
the evening.

After her visitors had gone, Geneva resolved
upon an immediate visit to Ridgeburg. She un-
derstood thoroughly why Eleanor Warriston had
not replied to her urgent letters. The only course
open now t( her was to go 10 Ridgeburg and see
if there was not something which she could do for
the Warristons. Possessing much of her father's
energy, she soon made such preparations as were
necessary ; so, early next morning, a cab was at
the door of the Aylesbury house, and in less than
an hour she was in the train, speeding towards
Ridgeburg.

When Mr. Bodell called that evening, he was
informed thac Miss Aylesbury had gone out of
town.

This imple fact formed the ground-plan of
his remarkable statement to the Prophetess and
Mrs. Maitland. in which he made it appear that
Miss Aylesbury had openly defied her father, said
defiance leading to a general rupture in the Ayles-
bury home.

As a witness giving testimony in the case, Mr.
Bodell's evidence was irrefragable. Miss Ayles-
bury had identified herself with Tremaine's
Church. She had made a generous subscription
to the new chapter-house. She was on pleasant

I •.

1 t

298 THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

terms with the young clergyman. She did refuse
to consider Mr. Wamphrey in the light of a pos-
sible husband. She did differ with her father con-
cerning Mr. VVamphrey's desire, and she had gone
oMt of town. No amount of cross-questioning
could detect a flaw in this deposition. The twelve
good and true men who represent the massive in-
telligence of a court jury on such testimony would
bring in a verdict without leaving the box.

Mr. Bodell was not a monolithic liar. That re-
quires neit' or genius nor skill, simply brute force'.
He lied mosaic fashion, each statement true in it-
se! but, when put together, forming a complete
falsehood. With him lying was a science ; it was
art at its supreme altitude.

On arriving at the station, Geneva found Tom
Lang waiting for the Ridgeburg mail. On learn-
ing that he was the stage-driver, she inquired if
he knew the cottage occupied by the Warristons.

"Yes 'm," Tom answered, looking at her cu-
riously.

"I wish to go there as soon as possible." As
Geneva spoke, she handed Tom her trunk-check.

"Yes m."

Tom looked in a helpless kind of way at the
trunk-check ; then at the trunk which stood end
up on the little platform, then at Miss Aylesbury,
finally looking at the wagon which he had brought
over that day instead of the usual stage. The
trunk he could easily provide for by patting it
into the body of the wagon with the mail-bag, a
keg of nails, a barrel of sugar, anfl general sun-

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a ^

299

dries intended for Simon Tibbetts. Hut what was
he going to do with this elegantly-dressed young
lady? His stage at best was not an imposing af-
fair, but, as compared with the wagon, it was a
Pullman coach in comparison with a ficight-car.
Tom therefore was not a little embarrasscil.

Holding the trunk-check between his fingers,
he went to the other side of the station, hoping to
find the doctor's buggy, which had passed him in
coming from Ridgeburg, or a carriage of some
sort ; but not a vehicle except his own was any-
where in sight. As Tom had backed his wagon
up against the platform, '"tting down the tail-
board, the station agent, being an obliging fel-
low, had rolled in the sugar barrel and keg of nails,
putting on the other goods as well ; so when Tom
returned from his search for the doctor's buggy,
his wagon was loaded and ready to start.

"I 'm very sorry, ma'am, I have n't the stage
here to-day, an' — "

"But I must get to Ridgeburg, and as soon as
possible," Geneva said, not waiting for Tom to end
his sentence.

"I can take you to Ridgeburg." Tom answered,
speaking slowly and with evident embarrassment,
"only I 've nothing here but my wagon, an' I 'm
afeared you won't find it comfortable."

As Tom spoke, his eyes mournfully traveled
along the platform to where his wagon stood,
which caused Miss Aylesbury to do the same.
Her idea of a wagon was not very definite. She
thought it a smaller type of wagonette. But when

300 th:i riddle of life

she saw Tom Lang's wagon, her views on such
matters were materially changed, ^till, what could
she do? This was the best Tom could offer.
Whereupon she pave Mr. Lang a bright, good-
humored smile, and said:

"This will do very licely."

Tom smiled gratefully in return, and proceeded
to arrange the seat, making it fairly comfortable.
Fortunately he had a good carriage-robe ; so, after
helping her up to the wagon-seat, he spread the
robe in such a way that it gave her a fair measure
of exclusiveness, also protected her skirts from
contact with the wheel. This done, he got the
trunk, giving it the place of honor near the sugar-
barrel. Then, seeing that everything was snug
and safe, he took his place beside Miss Aylesbury,
sitting well over on his side of the wagon, to avoid
crowding his lady passenger.

Perched up on that high scat, with her shapely
head set even more firmly than usual, her grace-
ful figure richly but quietly clad, the cool, crisp
air giving a tinge of color to her cheeks, the nov-
elty of the situation adding fresh brightness to
her eyes. Miss Aylesbury suggested various forms
of both reflection and remark to such people as
she met on her way from the station.

For the fir.>t mile or so little was said, Tom
asking once or twice "if she was sittin' comfor-
table." But as Geneva became accustomed to the
wagon, and saw she was in no immediate danger
of being thrown over the horses or against the
sugar-barrel, she talked to Mr. Lang quite freely.

\L.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

30 »

Seeing a large, stately house in the distance, she
k-ariicd from La''g it was Squire BodcU's, Tom
going on . speak of Miss Warriston's visits to the
Squire. He had also much to say of Tremaine,
and from the admiring view-point. Neither did he
omit mention of Stephen Derwent, to whom he
referred with some pride as "a mighty nice young
man, not a bit stuck up, an* who was bound to
get on,"

When they were passing the Derwent home,
which Tom pointed out. Cieniva looked at it with
peculiar interest. Then she thought of Stephen.

As they drew up to the Kibby cottage, Eleanor,
hearing the wagon stop, came to the door — for she
was expecting some things from Mr. Tibbetts —
when, to her amazement a young woman hastily
scrambled from the wagon-seat, and came running
up the little path. In another instant it was:

"() Eleanor!"

"O Geneva!"

Then ihey kissed each other, embraced each
other, talked at each other, and finally, with arms
around each other's waists, went into the cottage.

Tom Lang meanwhile had taken the trunk
from its honored place in the wagon, and, bringing
it to the side door, drove off to report proceed-
ings at Tibbetts's store.

FOR some reason Mrs. Maitland renewed her
vows of allegiance to the Prophetess, and, as
an atonement for her former waywardness, she
gave herself with supreme dtv'otion to the cause
of her august guest. The light and flippant way
in which she had once spoken of the Prophetess
was abandoned. She also introduced her to a
number of upper-class Gothamites, thus enlarg-
ing the ministry and swelling the purse of her
gifted teacher. Under these circumstances, what
could be more natural than for Mr. Bodell to call
frequently at Mrs. Maitland's? For he also had
prominently identified himself with the sublime
utterances of Mrs. Deveral. But his Sundays were
usually spent at the Old King Cole, where he was
always a leading figure.

Once Tremaine's nanie came up in the club,
incidentally though, the real theme of the conver-
sation being Mr. Wamphrey ; but this led natur-
ally to the Aylesburys, finally involving Tremaine.

"Tremaine ! I've heard of him, of course; so

302

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

303

has every man whose office is open to whining let-
ters and begging circulars. A big, lazy lout, I
take it, with more body than brains, able though
to feather his own nest."

"But, Bodell," one of the King Cole's re-
marked, "they say he is a smart, wide-awake fel-
low, writes for one of the dailies, lectures on art,
and is one of the brightest men in town."

"Almost thou persuadest me to become a Tre-
manian !" Bodell sneered, showing his sharp, white
teeth. "How long is it since you became an au-
thority on petticoat parsons? Gentlemen," he
continued, now rising from his chair, a cruel
smile on his face, "allow me to present Tom
Barnes, of Barneyville, a lamb just entering the
fold, but whose fleece is not as white as snow."

Barnes had no desire to quarrel with Bodell;
but there was an angry glitter in his eye and a
look on his face which were ominous. But Bo-
dell, conscious of his strength, and enraged at
Barnes for taking Tremaine's part, determined to
punish him to the last degree. Therefore he re-
mained standing, and proceeded to fill his glass
from a bottle on the table before him, inviting the
others to do the same ; then he said :

"St. Barney does n't sound so well as St. John
or St. Paul. But after a time it will go all right.
Gentlemen, let us do special honor to this toast
by standing. So I give you 'St. Harney,' the re-
sponse to be made by the Saint himself."

In a reckless but good-humored way the group
rose, when the newly-canonized saint responded

304

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

by throwing his glass straight into Bodell's face,
and with force enough to make an ugly gash in
his cheek, the wine meanwhile spilling all over him.
With a cry like that of a wild beast, Bodell leaped
at Barnes ; but Barnes was one of those dangerous
men whom anger only steadies and empowers. He
therefore met Bodell with a stinging blow in the
mouth, then caught him at the throat, holding
him with the grip of a bulldog.

Everything was done so quickly that those
standing by hardly realized what was taking place.
Meantime that terrible hand of Barnes was tight-
ening in its grasp, so that Bodell's eyes almost
bulged out of their .sockets, his face had become a
deep purple, and blood streamed from his nostrils.
Then there was a general rush to separate the
angry men, when Barnes, with a strength simply
amazing, drew Bodell up close to him, then with a
sudden push sent him tumbling to the floor, where
he lay stunned and bleeding.

No one in the Old King Cole suspected that,
when Barnes awoke that morning, he remembered
it was the anniversary of his mother's death. He
had n't thought of her for some time, but on this
morning his mind was full of her. He got out
her picture, one he had not seen for months, and
sat holding it in his hands while he looked wist-
fully into her patient face. Then he read several
of the last letters she had written him, and more
than once his lip trembled at her sweet, tender
words. The church-bells rang as he sat m his
lonely room, and they seemed to bring back his

If '-'^

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

305

boyhood when he went with his mother to the
village church, and he could almost hear her voice
again uniting in the responses or joining in the
hymns. How plainly everything came back to
him ! What hopes she had of him as he came up
to early manhood, and with what pride she used
to speak of his future ! And now she was dead.
Ten years ago he had taken his last look at the
face of the truest and most generous heart he
would ever know. But before she died he had
caused the iron to enter her soul, and the last
words that ftll from her lips wore in prayer for
him. Later in the day he went to the club, and
tried to drown his remorse in drink. But when
Bodell gave such a turn to the conversation, end-
ing up with allusions too plain to be misunder-
stood, the membry of his dead mother and the bit-
ter consciousness of his lost manhood drove him
to a condition bordering upon frenzy.

Bodell was quickly raised from the floor, and
carried to a couch, where he lay for a few min-
utes, breathing heavily, as if strangling. Some
one then unfastened his collar, and his neck was
seen to be swollen and discolored, giving cvidciu-e
of the remorseless grip with which l>arnes liail
held it. Then another one washed the blood from
his face, while still another prepared strips of court-
plaster for the ug'" gash which the glass had made.

In a few n lutes he opened his eyes in a

dazed, bewildered way, then placed his hand under

his head to relieve it, seemingly, from terrible pain.

This caused the now sobered Colers to examine

3o6

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

his head, revealing a severe wound, the result of
his striking against a chair as he fell. A basin
of warm water was brought, and the wound
bathed, the matted hair removed to make way
for strips of plaster, after which he was taken up-
stairs tc one of the club bedrooms.

As a club, t' King Colers did not approve of
what Mr. Barnes had done : but, as individual mem-
bers, almost every man took occasion to say to
him, "You served Bodell just right, and I am glad
you did it." This proves conclusively that cor-
porations have no souls.

In the early evening Mr. Bodell sent a note
to Mrs. Maitland. Eagerly opening it, she read:

"Dear Mrs. Maitland,— I am exceedingly
sorry I can not keep my appointment at your
home this evening. But I am called out of town,
and may be absent several days. This is a sad
disappointment to me ; but as I am acting for oth-
ers in some important interests, I am compelled
to leave at once. Be good enough to convey my
regrets to Mrs. Deveral.

"With kindest regards, I am, dear Mrs. Mait-
land, Most sincerely yours,

James Bodell."

Having disposed of Mrs. Maitland's invitation,
Bodell sent for some of his special cronies who
were in the King Cole parlors, and, vith their
help and sundry bottles of wine, he spent two or
three boisterous hours. But though they sang

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

307

funny songs and told funny stories, and made them-
selves as silly as drunken men usually do, Bodell
felt that Barnes was the real hero of the club, and
had the sympathies even of the men who were ca-
rousing and roystering in his room.

During the season, in feeble imitation of cer-
tain literary folk, Mrs. Maitland held an informal
reception every Sunday evening. But when a
woman has seldom anything to give her guests ex-
cept that which can be eaten from a plate or taken
with a spoon, her attempts at literary brilliance
rarely attain positive success. Still the plate and
the spoon have often more to do with assembling
a company than anything else. But on this par-
ticular evening the Prophetess was expected to
speak on the "Tyranny of Marriage," and in the
presence of such a theme and such a speaker plates
and spoons were not of much consequence.

It must be conceded that an overwhelming
majority of those present knew nothing experi-
mentally of the theme proposed for discussion.
It is probable that many of the spinsters at this
gathering — perhaps all of ' n— -would have been
willing to ascertain lor th ves the awfi'l depths

of this tyranny ; but no 1. ... had asked .aem to
make this sacrifice. Indeed, it might be safely
affirmed that these spinsters had left no means
untried by wliich they might enter this dreadful
tyranny under which so many groaned and suf-
f'ored.

From an artistic standpoint, few of these he-
roic females embodied the poet's dream of fair

3o8

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

women; neither did they represent the highest
ideal of the female form divine. Some of them
were long and thin ; others were short and stout.
vSome had high cheekbones, counterbalanced by
depressed noses; while others projected their
noses defiantly.

As the Prophetess did not make her appear-
ance unti' it could be done with high dramatic
effect, a lair damsel of uncertain age executed
something on the piano, to which no one listened
except those who had no opportunity of talking.
The execution was brilliant but painful, the only
person enjoying it being the executioner. So they
were all glad when it was over, clapping thcr
hands, and giving other expressions of their joy.
These demonstrations, however, the damsel mis-
interpreted; for she immediately began executing
something else, slamming and banging the piano
most vigorously. This gave the others further op-
portunity of talking, which they at once accepted.
When this second subject had been disposed of in
a grand crash, with could be heard two blocks
distant, the talkers once more applauded, but
feebly, lest it might again be misunderstood.

Then Fred Wcsterhall read a poem. Fred had
not been at Mrs. Maitland's for some time. He
did not like the Prophetess, being convinced she
was not only a humbug, but an arrant fraud. But,
the day before, Tom Allen brought him an urgent
request from Mrs. Maitland to come and read
a selection of his own writings.

Fred had several points of advantage over the

I' I

|( li:

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 309

ordinary poet — he was well-dressed, good-look-
ing, and unmarried; neither did he write poetry
for a living. As Westerhall's poems have gone
through numerous editions, giving him a place in
literature of world-wide recognition, the selection
he gave at Mrs. Maitland's need not be transcribed
here. But never was poet more gratefully re-
warded for the outpourings of his genius. With
difficulty some of the spinsters refrained from em-
bracing him then and there. Had he suggested
such a thing, a number of them would have eagerly
followed him into the land of bondage, concern-
ing which the Prophetess would soon utter her
words of warning. Fred was the hero of the hour ;
but meekly bearing his blushing honors which
fell thick upon him, he resumed his seat. Then a
hush came upon the company. All talking ceased.
Not even a whisper profaned the stillness. Eyes
drooped in awed expectation, while hearts beat
nervously. Then the Prophetess appeared, walk-
ing slowly but ponderously to the chair which
had been reserved for her. Robed in black satin,
a black lace shawl, the gift of an ardent devotee,
flung loosely over her shoulders, carrying a fan
as a marshal his baton, her bearing was most im-
posing. Having seated herself with dignity, and
calmly surveyed the expectant company, she began :
"We are here to speak of the 'Tyranny of Mar-
riage.' But let us first define marriage. Tyranny
needs no definition, it defines itself; but marriage,
being the common lot of all, is universally mis-
understood."

1 ^'1

3IO

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

As an opening sentence, this was admirable.
Making marriage a conmion lot, which no one
could possibly escape, she at once found favor with
the spinsters, suggesting possibilities of much
comfort.

"Marriage in its ideal state is only a relation
of soul. Two souls may live in sweet, blissful mar-
riage without having even seen each other. Yea,
the soul with which some other soul is wedded
may never have been In this world at all."

Another happy sentence; for it explained why
no bridal veil had been required for so many in
that company. Their spiritual spouse had not
yet favored this world with his presence.

"What is marriage as commonly understood?
A coarse, vulgar relationship; a contract drawn
up by the State, having penalties attached ; a tyr-
anny on the part of the man, a degradation on the
part of the woman ; a relation into which no real
man would ever enter, and a condition to which
no real woman would ever submit."

Remembering the mantelpiece, against which
she had once come to grief, the Prophetess was
less demonstrative than before, using her fan this
time to supplement Ikt eloquence. For over half
an hour she continued in this strain.

Tom Allen, on his way home with Fred v\ester-
hall, said "he had never heard quite so much rot
at any one time in all his Hfe."

"Double-distilled rot," was Fred's addition to
this remark.

I s

AFTER leaving the Libby cottage on the even-
. ing of Miss Aylesbury's arrival in Ridge-
burg, Tom Lang went to Tibbetts's store with
the mail. Of course, he spoke of the lady who
had come to visit the Warristons, exciting con-
siderable curiosity among the customers.

"A reg'lar high stepper, an' no mistake," Tom
said, admiringly; "an' a beauty, too. I thought
she 'd be provoked when I told her I had n't any-
thing but the wagon ; but she just smiled, and
said 't would be all right. She 's none of yer airy
ones. An', golly wash! but she did ask me a
heap of questions ; how long I 'd been stagin', the
sort of people we get here summer-time ; how often
I brought the mails, and 'most anythin' else. Then
we got to talking about Mr. Tremaine — she goes
to his church in New York — an' about Stephen
Derwent. She often sees him in the bank."

Mrs. Droner, who sometimes came to the
stores in the evening, leaving Mr. Droner to look
after the little Droners — a service for which he

3:1

312

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

had various qualifications— here asked a question
which was strictly feminine. iMrs. Tibbetts, who
was at the other end of the store, heard Mrs.
Droner's question, and came forward to catch the
answer.

"Well, I 'm sure I dunno," Tom said. "You Ve
got me now, Mrs. Droner. Women's dresses
am't much in my li:.e ; but I can tell you she looked
real picture-like, sittin' up there on the wagon, her
eyes shinin' like two stars, and her cheeks the
color of peaches. But you '11 see her for your-
self, Mrs. Droner, an' you too, Mrs. Tibbetts, for
she 's goin' to stay a spell at the Warristons'; she
told me so herself."

Next morning Geneva went over to Tibbetts's
store with Eleanor, and in less than five minutes
so completely had she captured Mr. Tibbetts, that
he was ready to turn the store upside down or in-
side out, just as she desired.

She had often heard of a country store with
its aggregation of drygoods, crockery, hardware,
groceries; in short, everything imaginable and
much unimaginable. And she was girl enough to
enjoy the novelty of it, looking first at one thing,
then a^ another, and asking Mr. Tibbetts all man-
ner of questions. Of course, she had to be w eighed,
standing on the scale while Mr. Tibbetts attended
to the weights. Then she insisted on Eleanor
gomg through the same performance, laughing at
her for weighing less than she did. As Mr. Tib-
betts was not embarrassed with business at the
time, they had a free run of the store. Geneva

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 3'3

made good use of those brigb* eyes of hers, and
her nimble wits were busily engaged. She had
discovered already that the burden of the War-
ristons' home rested entirely upon Eleanor, and
it was her purpose to relieve that burden.

After this she came over frequently to the 'l>b-
betts store, giving her orders with a directness
whicn c lused the worthy Simon both anxiety and
pleasure— anxiety to fill the orders exactly as they
were given, and pleasure in the quantity which she

ordered.

She soon became acquainted with the Der-
wents, taking to Abram at once. His quaint, dry
humor was a delight to her. When he came up
for his evening :hat in the Libby cottage, she
would look eagerly for the funny little twinkle m
his eyes, and that ptouliar smile which suggested
even more than he said.

At first she was a little shy with Mrs. Derwent,
but without the slightest reason, for a more kind
or motherly soul never breathed. It is probable
that Mrs. Derwent could never have written a
poem or composed an oratorio, while, as for art,
her noblest achievement in that line was a sampler,
worked when sht was -'ry young, which her
proud, fond mother had ;.-amed, that it might be
handed down to admiring generations. As

A female struggling for her right,

A female eager for a fight,

A female clamoring in the night, .

Mrs. Derwent was a hopclcFs failure. But as a
sweet, gentle, kindly woman, her name in Ridge-

'1
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314

TH/i RIDDLE OF LIFE

burg was as ointment poured forth, and precious
ointment at that. precious

It was strange, therefore, that Geneva should

for unde/ r^ '° '^^'^"'""^ '" '^^ P--"
for under ordmary circumstances Geneva was no

noted , or timidity. The Prophetess did nl con-
sider her alarmmgly bashful ; for she had a keen
memory of the cool, self-poised, and posit vely as"
sured young lady who openly and auSacious'y de-
fied her at Saratoga. Neither would Mrs. Mai -

InA I^ f '" ^^' ^ "'•^•fi"^« "^niing timidity
and bash ulness as her chief virtues; fof shT had
often enved the easy, ^..ceful way n which Ge
neva would put asi oresiim L i

or ward oflf an intendeo T r^BolT.'T'

raged in his heart when .. '4 of h^r Sit

dThkedidtt ^" '"'''^^^"^^ - Perf^ct'^hat h
dislike did not even reveal itself. Hatred he could

d^neThim^"!; T ^"^' ^'^"^^'"P^ ^ ^^ -^

went shl 'T '" '^' P*-"^"" °f ^^^^- Der-

went she was singularly quiet and restrained But

tnat Mrs. Dervvent was Stephen's mother,
servadon °^ '°"''^^' '^^.'"^ '" ^or a measure of ob-

RuThte;.?"'"' ''""? '^'^' ^"-^"^ E'^-"- o^

Kuth s engagement to Tremaine. So as a no
tential occupant of the pastor's pew. where 'hj
would be exposed to both curious'and un^'end

hnt.^ ! r^ ''""^''"^ ^"*h ^'^h evident concern •
but ^th^at dainty little maiden walked right in^o

During Geneva's visit to the Warristons, the

a I

J^JOr ' . !'

T HE RIDDLE OF LIFE 3»5

Derwents gave what was known in Ridgeburg as
a tea-party. A simple affair, surely, this party
was, and Mrs. Granimercy would have turned up
her nose at the whole proceeding. Miss Harlem,
being younger and usually more vulgar, would
have laughed outright, not even sparing Mrs. Der-
went's Dresden tea-service, which had been
brought out specially for the occasion. The
Countess of Tuxedo, whose father, to his honor
be it said, had entered upon mercantile life by
selling suspenders and shoelaces on Courtlandt
Street sidewalk, would have stared haughtily
around, then retired with an air of superb disdain.
It is true, the furniture was somewhat involved
in appearance, and the dining-room could not be
considered elegant. It is also true that the pic-
tures were neither choice nor costly, and were
probably premiums given by some weekly papers ;
for there was a fruit-piece in all the colors of the
rainbow, and children impossible in either earth
or sky. And it needed no special vision to dis-
cern a wooden-cased clock, with a glass door and
a highly ornamental pendulum, occupying the
center of the mantelpiece, ticking obtrusively, and
striking even more so. Then, there was a stove
standing out some feet from the wall, a brightly-
polished aflfair, bearing sundry emblems of the
founder's art, having also a crown of wondrous
device. Withal the room loo'ied cheerful and
homelike, and. to Geneva, had a more inviting air
than the lofty, spacious dining-room in the Ayles-
bury mansion.

'^^Mm.v m x

316

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

As a tribute of respect to her guests, Mrs. Der-
went wore her best silk dress, and. in doing this
she gave then, signal proofs of her esteem ; for
this dress was an unheard-of piece of extravagance
and only worn on special occasions.

Abram was arrayed in his Sunday suit, one
which had done duty in Ridgeburg for many vears.
Rarel3- weanng this suit, except when attending
funerals or gomg to meeting, donning it meant an
event of unusual importance.

The fact that Miss Aylesbury was acquainted
with Stephen made her coming to the Derwents
a matter of special interest, particularly to Mrs
Derwent, in whose heart Stephen was throned
among such principalities and powers as repre-
sented the highest possibilities of manhood.
Then the other fact, that she was a parishioner
Of Austin Tremaine caused Ruth to hail her com-
ing with delight ; for Tremaine was the sun in the
sky or ner heart, around which her affections
planetlike, steadily revolved.

At the table Geneva spoke of going occasion-
ally to the Gotham Bank and the responsible po-
sition Stephen now held.

"You mean that Stephen will pay out thou-
sands of dollars in a day?" Mrs. Derwent asked
so astonished that she held the teapot in her hand
while looking at Geneva.

"Thousands sometimes in an hour," Geneva an-
swered, smiling at the look of wonder in Mrs Der-
went's face.

"Well, I declare!" she said, putting the teapot

.m^.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

3»/

down, and passing a freshly-filled cup to Mr. War-
riston, who sat beside her.

"What heaps of money Stephen has to take
care of!'* Mr. Dervvent remarked, with a solemnity
befitting his Sunday raiment.

But it was not the suit which caused Mr. Der-
went to feel serious. He was thinking of that
thousand-dollar package which Stephen had. and
which should soon be paid to Mrs. Libby.

"But you know the proverb, 'Safe as the
bank,' " Geneva said, looking at Mr. Derwent as
she spoke.

"Still thieves sometimes get into a bank," the
Sunday suit yet dominating his tone.

"Not into New York banks," Geneva an-
swered, confidently.

Then she went on to speak of the vaults, the
safes, the time-locks, the burglar-alarms, all of
which had been explained when she went one day
through the Gotham with her father.

"Is Mr. Aylesbury connected with the bank
Stephen is in ?" Abram asked.

"He is one of the directors."

She answered reluctantly, fearing the Derwents
might attach some importance to this.

Whatever pride Geneva had — and it was con-
siderable despite her easy, democratic ways at
times — did not relate to her father's supposed
wealth. Having reason to suppose that most of
her father's possessions had been secured at the
expense of his manhood and honor, she regarded
them as a reproach, something for which she had

3i8

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

cause for shame. But the Derwents knew noth-
ing of this; so Mrs. Dervvent was more than
pleased at having on her best silk gown, and also
in bringing out her Dresden tea-service. She had
imagined all along that Miss Aylesbury was a per-
son of some consequence, but h-^,' not ranked her
as a bank director's daughter. A nd a director of
the Gotham !

Soon after, the conversation took a new turn,
when Abram spoke of Mr. Tremaine.

"I wish he would preach in New York his
Adam-and-Eve sermons. We never heard any-
thing like them. Ridgeburg got a regular shak-
ing up. Deacon Tompkins hasn't recovered yet;
and as for Josh Higgins — "

"Now, Abram," interposed Mrs. Derwent.

"You remember that sermon on the Woman
and the Apple, Miss Warriston ?" Abram went on,
good-humoredly accepting his wife's interruption.

Eleanor's heart gave a great throb as Abram
spoke. Then, in a series of flashes, her mind went
back to things of which Mr. Derwent did not
dream. Once more she was on the steamer look-
ing out upon the silent night, the silence rudely
broken by the taunting words: "Eleanor Warris-
ton is the apple on your tree. I understand your
parable now." With a rush, the memories of that
terrible night returned when she sat through the
dreary hours, waiting for the dawn to break in
her soul. But she controlled herself sufficientlv
to answer Mr. Derwent, who then went on to
speak of other parts of Mr. Tremaine's discourses.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

319

But while Eleanor's thoughts wandered from
Abram Derwent and his remarks concerning Tre-
maine, Ruth gave to him her undivided attention.
She had heard all this before. Her father had
spoken of these things again and again. At every
available opportunity he took occasion to remark
upon something Tremaine had said. And yet Ruth
listened as to news from a f' country. She
watched every movement on he r's face, and

followed him with an eagerness Js\ was never
relaxed.

Geneva saw this, and, while giving due atten-
tion to Mr. Derwent, she could not but observe
the bright eyes, the flushed cheeks, the e.xcited
face of Ruth all the while her father was speaking
of Tremaine. Geneva concluded that Ruth was
very much in love with the young clergyman, and
had given him every affection of which she was
capable. Then she thought of Ruth's brother!

"I am glad you are acquainted with my
Stephen," Mrs. Derwent said, when the company
had adjourned to the parlor and Geneva was sit-
ting beside her on the old-fashioned sofa.

"I shall be more acquainted with him now,"
Geneva answered, taking Mrs. Derwent's hand in
hers, and holding it.

"He is a good boy, as faithful and true as was
ever born," Mrs. DerwenL said, speaking in a tone
intended only for Geneva.

To this Geneva had no other reply than that
conveyed by a gentle pressure of Mrs. Derwent's
hand, which she still held in hers.

{. i]

320

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

As Mr. Warriston was yet an invalid, the tea-
party broke up earlier than is usual in Ridgeburg.
When it came Geneva's turn to say good-night,
Mrs. Derwe.iL kissed her, and she in turn kissed
Mrs. Dervvent. But on the way to Libby cottage
she thoueV-*^ Si Stephen.

It was probably Abram Derwent's remark
which suggested it, bringing everything vivid to
her memorv ; but that night Eleanor opened her
he -t to Geneva respecting even Rodell's taunt-
ing words on the Albany step.mer.

"The coward ! The contemptible sneak ! The
infamous scoundrel !" Geneva exclaimed in horror.
"And that wretch actually dared to make love
to me !"

It was late when they retired ; for the story
was a long one, but both hearts were lighter, and
both slept sweeter, and both awoke stronger and
better when the next day dawned.

T^OR reasons best known to the promoters, the
A Cutty Hunk Mining Company was incorpor-
ated in a neighboring State, where generous pro-
vision is made for such enterprises. Angry share-
holders in various companies have affirmed that
the State referred to is mainly concerned with the
fees and taxes paid by promoters, and rarely makes
an examination into the schemes which seek the
sanction of its seal and charter. But shareholders
often do not seem to understand that corporations
and companies are promoted solely for the bene-
fit of the promoters. The idea of a shareholder
making money seldom occurs to any one but the
shareholder himself. A shareholder is not sup-
posed to make money; he is to h(»ld shares, shares
printed on parchment paper, handsomely engraved,
adorned with various signatures, and representing
potential values. To hold these without the dis-
turbing thought of profit or dividend is the one
function of the shareholder. It is for this purpose
the shareholder exists. Any man who expects in-
21 321

322 a a THE RIDDLE O F LIFE

terest or return for his investment is unworthy
of being a shareholder. With the promoter it is
entirely different. He simply promotes, not the
company, but himself. His own business is to pro-
mote his own interests, and this he invariably
does. Hence his name.

So the Cutty Hunk Mining Company was put
under the fostering care of that noble common-
wealth which seldom demeans itself by prying
closely into the character of such concerns. But
in this instance influences were at work which in-
terfered with the plans of Mr. Bodell. He was de-
layed in various ways. State officials did not re-
spond so promptly as at other times. Inquiries
came to which he had to make definite reply.
Men who had never given him the least trouble
caused him much annoyance.

Perhaps if he had been in the office of Mr. Car-
lisle he might have understood the cause of "the
law's delay, the insolence of office," and the other
things so vividly set forth by a certain Hamlet,
who had trouble of various kinds.

But M . Bodell did not think of Carlisle in this
connection. He should, for Mr. Carlisle was think-
ing of him ; and so was Mr. Craig. Mr. Dolphin
had also a part in this business. Indeed, he was
giving his undivided attention to Mr. Bodell.

Hence the affairs of Cutty Hunk made slow
progress, much to the grief of the generous men
who were so eager to invite an anxious public to
become its subscribers. But no one so chafed un-
der the delay as Mr. Strathford. Every week

THE RIDDLE OE LIEE a a

323

added to his personal embarrassment. Men who
had always waited on his convenience now became
urgent in their demands. One or two little "flyers"
did not turn out well, the market going the other
way. He could not borrow, as that would make
public his financial weakness, and this he was
most anxious to avoid. The note he had made
with Bodell troubled him; for such a thing was
contrary to bank precedents. The delay, there-
fore, in Cutty Hunk matters seriously affected
him.

Meanwhile Mrs. Strathford, unconscious of all
these things, was rapidly attaining the goal of her
social ambition. It was whispered that her pri-
vate fortune admitted of handsome expenditure ;
that Mr. Strathford was possessed of large means,
only remaining with the Gotham so he might be
in vital touch with great corporations of which
he was the virtual head. Once these rumors ob-
tained credence, Mrs. Strathford's aspirations
were cheerfully recognized. The ^larchioness of
Hoboken gave her jilace on her visiting list. Lady
Castleton invited l.er to Castleton Hall. The Hon.
Mrs. Lynbrook, not content with the usual cards
for a distinguished function, called upon Mrs.
Strathford, and personally urged the invitation.
All this meant gowns, handsome gowns, "expen-
sive gowns, with all the appurtenances thereof,"
as Mr. Craig would say. And it meant more than
gowns ; for Mrs. Strathford had to enlarge the
circle of her entertainments, giving in return as
she had received.

■ fa

l^i

324

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"I am very sorry Madison Duane can't come
to-morrow evening," she said one morning after
opening a letter, which, with a score of others,
was beside her plate when she came down to
breakfast. "He starts for Europe to-day. Very
unexpected. Sends regrets and all the rest of it,
but that does n't help me. He was to take Ge-
neva Aylesbury in."

"Can't you change your plans, and get some
one to take Duane's place?" Mr. Strathford sug-
gested. "

"Who can I get ?"

"Is Bodell coming?"

"Certainly."

"Mr. VVamphrey?"

"No; he is out of town."

"Why not ask Dervvont, one of our tellers ? He
is a good-looking young fellow, and Miss Ayles-
bury would find him fully as entertaining as
Duane." ^

"Duane, I know, is stupid, hopelessly so; but
he belongs to the Murray Hill set, and is in with
the Hempstead fox-hunters. That suggestion of
yours is not a bad one. I could n't ask Fulton or
Desbrosses to come now. 1 hey would know the
invitation was a mere stop-gap."

Stephen, therefore, was inviteri o the Strath-
fords, Mr. Strathford adding to las wife's note a
word or two of his own.

Whatever fears Mrs. Strathford had regarding
Stephen, they were soon dispelled; for he ac-
quitted himself adn-Vably, and accepted the situ-

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

325

ation with apparent ease. If the Castleton girls,
both of whom were present, accompanied by their
regal mamma, had once suspected that his dress
suit was Tremaine's property, though it fitted
Stephen as though made for him, they would not
have been so gracious, nor smiled upon him so
pleasantly ; or if my lady of Grammercy had even
dreamed that on the morrow he would be paying
out filthy lucre in the Gotham I'ank, her daugh-
ter woald not have been profaned with an intro-
duction. But in this case ignorance was bliss. The
Castleton girls fairly beamed on Stephen. So did
Julia Granmiercy. When Mrs Strathford was
asked about him, she smiled pleasantly, and said :
"A friend of Mr, Strathford's. Engaged, I under-
stand, in some financial operations with him."

As a reply this was a work of art. Geneva was
pleased to be introduced formally to Stephen, as
it seemed to establish a more perfect equality than
had previously existed. As he was privileged to
take her in to dinner, they had opportunity of little
snatches of conversation, which was availed of
gladly.

"I have been to Ridgeburg since I last saw
you," she said, soon after they were seated at
dinner,

"So I have heard. My mother has written of
your visit tc Castle Derwent. Our baronial halls
are an interesting study."

Geneva looked at him keenly, wondering why
he had thus spoken of the Ridgeburg farmhouse ;
but there was nothing of sarcasm to be seen.

326

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

Then she remembered Mr. Dervvent, and could
hear the father repeat himself in the son.

"I spent an evening with vour people, and a
delightful evening it was to mc."

"Vou are very kind to say It gave great

pleasure to them."

"I went over from the station with Tom
Lang."

This was accompanied with the demurest little
smile.

'•In the stage?" i^ephen asked, gravely.

Then their eyes met, when her smile 'became
more definite and his gravitv lost something of
Its weight.

"I became an ardent admirer of vour music-
teacher, xMr. Droner," she said, after a'pause made
necessary by certain dinner essentials.
''Then you did n't hear him sing."
"No; my acquaintance was limited to an oc-

Mr' Tibb^tt! ""^ '" ^^^ '^"""^ ""^ °"'' ^''"'''' ^"*^"'''

"Who, my sister writes, mourns vour untimelv
departure."

Then another pause, after which Stephen asked •
"Pardon me, but were the Warristons whom
you met m Ridgeburg the people we were speak-
ing of the evening I had the pleasure of calling
upon you with Mr. Tremaine ?"
"Yes."

Something in her tone caused him to refrain
from askmg further concerning the Warristons
Olancmg across the table, he saw Mr. Bodell

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a %;

eagerly attentive, as if anxious to catch Miss
Aylesbury's reply. Then it occurred to .Stephen
that, in speaking of the VVarristons, Mr. Bodell
had heard his (piestion.

"I understand you have been out of town," Mr.
Bodell said, looking at Miss Aylesbury.

"In this instance your understanding is cor-
rect," she answered, indiflfcrently.

"My claims to infallibility have never been posi-
tively asserteil," he replied, with just smile enough
to show the front of his gleaming teeth.

"I was brought up to believe that some men
were born infallible," she returned, with intent to
lead him from any mention of the Warristons, or
further reference to her Ridgeburg trip. .

"That they might be the equal of some
women," Bedell answered, his smile distinctly
wolfish, for he saw Miss Aylesbur- ' -, purpose.

"Modesty, of course, precludes any repl_, ," she
said, a gleam of triumph in her frank, fearless eyes.

"Who knows anything of a Mr. Trciaine?"
Miss Castleton asked, so putting her question that
it became common property.

Miss Castleton would probably have been of
serious mind had not her surroundings weakened
her. But oak-trees rarely develop in Dresden
jardinieres.

"I do," Miss A}lesbury responded, without a
moment's hesitation. "I attend the church, and
have the pleasure of his personal acquaintance."

A close observer would have seen a fine sneer
on Mr. Bodell's face, while any one who cared to

328

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

look would have seen a heavy scowl on the face
of Mr. Aylesbury. There was nothing delicate in
Mr. Aylesbury's mental movements. His emo-
tions poured themselves into coarse, common
molds, iron-foundry fashion. This, he thought,
betokened great strength of character. He was
not aware that cast-iron is a brittle affair, less
tensile often than glass.

"There was a mission of some kind opened in
Castleton a few weeks since, and I went down one
evenmg," Miss Castleton continued, speaking in a
clear, pleasant voice. -The church was crowded
with all sorts of people. Mr. Tremaine preached,
and It was simply wonderful. It seems he had
been preaching a series of sermons on Adam and
Eve. That evening his topic was the Angel at
the Gate. But you have doubtless heard these
sermons. Miss Aylesbury?"

"I regret to say I have not," Miss Avlesburv
replied.

"Have you, Mr. Bodell," Miss Castleton asked.

"I am glad to say I have not," he answered,
with unnecessary warmth.

We are told that great men are not always wise
which, perhaps, is only another way of saving
cunning men are often stupid. Mr. Bodell's reply
was a blunder, and there are times when a blunder
is worse than a crime. His hatred of Tremaine
had led him beyond the limits of propriety, and
this he saw. So he hastened to add :

"In matters theological I am a sorrv blunderer.
Miss Castleton. But that Adam-and-Eve story

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE J r

32<

was so dinned into nic in my c^'^^ "fc t mt I have
carefully avoided it ever since. '

"Then vou have not heard Mr. Tremaine?"

"No." "

"Or seen him?"

"Never."

At that moment Stephen had difficulty with
himself. He thought of the meeting in the bank,
of which he had been a witness. lUit Miss Ayles-
bury, divininfj something of his thoughts, asked
him a question which required inunediate re|)ly.
Still he looked at Rodell, a foolish thing to do,
for his eyes showed both contempt and indigna-
tion. Then, for the first time, Bodell recognized
him.

The conversation soon drifted into other chan-
nels, and in a few minutes the Tremaine episode
was seemingly forgotten. But only seemingly.
Aware of his relations with both Wamphrey and
Strathford, Bodell determined on being revenged
for that contemptuous glance. Moreover, he felt
certain that, behind those blazing eyes, Derwcnt
had a knowledge of some things which might be
dangerous.

Later in the evening he said :

"I have met you before, Mr. Derwent."

"Yes, at the Gotham Bank. I am a teller
there."

"Great pleasure indeed to meet you here.
Have you been in the Gotham long?"

In point of phrase Mr. Bodell's remark and
question were harmless ; in tone an(i bearing they

i ).l

330

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

were insulting. Stephen felt just what Bodell in-
tended him to feel, but he gave no sign, saying,
gently :

"I have been in the Gotham for seven vears;
in fact, ever since I came from Ridgeburg, a place
with which you are familiar, Mr. Bodell."

Bodell's eyes flashed with angry fire. The re-
ply was utterly unexpected. He knew nothing
whatever of the relations between Stephen and
Tremaine.

"Ridgeburg!" Bodell repeated, a mocking
smile upon his face. "I have heard of it, now that
you recall it. Miss Aylesbury went there, I un-
derstand, on an antenuptial visit to your people.
I hope she enjoyed her trip."

The merciless eyes of Bodell had read the
hearts of Geneva and Stephen, hence the cunning,
sneering allusion.

"But she did not have opportunity, I regret to
say, of seeing your father. Squire Bodell. You
will be glad to know, I am sure. Miss Warriston
has seen him several times."

Bodell fairly writhed. Stephen was as cool as
if in the bank. Being taller and of larger build
than Bodell, he had the advantage of looking down
upon him, and his look was one of supreme con-
tempt. F'or the moment Bodell seemed to have
lost control of himself. When he thought of
Eleanor Warriston visiting his father at Ridge-
burg, of Tremaine having done the same thing,
of Derwent evidently familiar with the secret of
his life, it maddened him almost to the point of

T HE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a li\

fury. Had he dared, he would have struck Stephen
in the face. But he was afraid; for at heart he
was a craven.

"Come, gentlemen, Miss Grammercy is going
to give us a little music," Mrs. Strathford said,
coming up at this moment, giving a smile to
Stephen, and, taking Mr. Bodell's arm, led him
towards the music-room.

Seeing Miss Aylesbury in the parlor, Stephen
lingered, hoping to renew their conversation of
Ridgeburg. In this, however, he was disappointed.
But before leaving she managed to say to him:
"Mr. Derwent, I beg of you to beware of Mr.
Bodell. He is a bad and a dangerous man, and
means to do you harm."

In a few minutes she had gone, contriving,
though to give him a warning look when leaving
with her father.

MR. CARTER was sick. Mr. Carter will be
remembered as the gentleman who at cer-
tain times referred to himself as an ink-slinger for
Stennett & Bodell. Sickness was not an unusual
thing with Mr. Carter, at least not in the form
with which he was afflicted. Hence Stennett &
Bodell were wont to accommodate themselves for
a few days at stated intervals, knowing that Mr.
Carter would appear when his sickness had run
its course. But Mr. Carter, at this particular
time, not content with sending the particular no-
tice, wrote a letter which Mr. Dolphin delivered
in person. In this letter he said :

"I am leaving for the South. The doctor in-
sists upon my going away. My heart action is
feeble, my lungs are weak, and I am all used up.
As my absence may embarrass you, knowing that
Cutty Hunk matters are urgent, I have taken the
liberty of suggesting as my substitute the bearer
of this note. I will be frank in saying that my
friend 'crooks his finger' at times, and also 'plays

33^

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

III

the races' when he can. But he will do what you
want, and in your way. His name is Fish."

How it happened that Mr. Robert Craig should
be in Mr. Carter's room when this note was being
written is a circumstance for which each reader
must find his own solutions. And why he particu-
larly desired Mr. Carter to intimate that Mr. Fish
"crooked his finger" and "played the races" is
another problem left for the reader to solve. But
perhaps stranger than all is the fact that, imme-
diately after writing this letter and giving it to
Mr. Dolphin, Mr. Carter went out with Mr. Craig,
nor did he gi •' the impression of being a sictc

man.

When 1 oh presented himself at the office

of Stennett > odell, in no way did he resemble
the Mr. Dolphin with whom we are acquainted.
The black frock-coat, the white necktie, the tall,
shiny hat, had disappeared. Even the gold-
rimmed spectacles were missing, together with
that gracious benevolent look so characteristic
of him. His suit, though horsey, was shabby, and
his general appearance indicated that he did not
as a usual thing give his nights to meditation and

prayer.

"Been in New York any length of time?" Sten-
nett asked, his sharp eyes taking in the details of
Mr. Fish's gear,— the scuffled boots, frayed col-
lar, dented hat, but everything neat and clean, as
if the wearer had made a brave attempt to hide
his poverty.

'"Only a few months," replied Mr. Fish.

334

a a THE RIDDLE OE UEE

it:;

"In any office during that time?" Stennett
asked, scanning Mr. Fish keenly.

"No, sir. I have tried to get something to do
since coming to \\-t city, but have not succeeded."
"What do you think of him?" Stennett asked
Bodell, a few minutes later in their private office.
"I have found out that he comes from Buffalo,
writes a good hand, is famlMar with office work,
and. with a Httle coaching, may do."

• "Who is he ?" Bodell asked, looking up from
the desk where he was writing.
^ "A friend of Carter's— relative, I believe. He
came to New York last summer, and has been
hunting for work ever since. Drinks, of course
Plays the races, Carter says. But, he writes, we
can depened upon him doing what we want, and
doing it our way."

"Well, that is all we care about. Better have
him come in. Carter knows what we want, and
how we want it done."

Mr. Fish was, therefore, engaged to serve in
the absence of Mr. Carter, who had gone South
to recruit his enfeebled health.

"Better fix up a little," Stennett said, "presume
you have run down, being out of work so long."
"Thank you, sir," said Mr. Fish, gratefully ac-
cepting a slight advance payment.

In less than two hours he returned looking
more respectable, having interviewed— at least
Stennett imagined— a certain relation to whom so
many appeal when in financial stress.

Before many days Mr. Fish had amply justi-

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

335

fied Mr. Carter in rec )mmending him as a capable,
useful clerk. In a surprisingly short time he got
the run of the office business, and proved to be
a really valuable man. But if any one had fol-
lowed Mr. Fish when he left the office, his con-
duct might have occasioned remark. Instead of
going home, he went to a cheap downtown board-
ing-house, the address of which he had given Mr.
Stennett. He occupied a room here on the top
floor, where he spent some time making copies
of such transactions as had taken place during
the day. Later in the evening he went out, but
so changed in apparel as to be barely recognizable.
In half an hour or so he might be seen going to
a private room in an uptown hotel, usually find-
ing Mr. Craig waiting for him.

Mr. Fish was not in the least surprised to dis-
cover that the Cutty Hunk Mining Company was
simply an immense swindle on the part of the pro-
moters. But the magnitude of the swindle as-
tonished him. The vast tracts of land represented
as belonging to the company had never been ac-
quired. With the money advanced by Mr.
Wamphrey, Mr. Aylesbury, Mr. Strathford, and
several others, a company had been formed which
was to purchase these lands, absorb the original
Cutty Hunk, and proceed to develop the mines.
Through an accomplice in Montana, spurious
deeds were forwarded to New York, signatures
having been forged, seals attached, and the docu-
ments made to appear genuine. Already a large
number of shares had been sold, the fact of su^-h

336 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

men as Wamphrey and Aylesbury being at the head
of the concern making the stock valuable before
the company was fairly under way. So far the
whole management had been in the hands of Sten-
nett and Bodell ; but when these promoters found
they could not obtain possession of the original
Cutty Hunk, they knew the whole thing must fall
through. They resolved, therefore, to make a
clean sweep of the business. Hence shares were
rushed from the printer, Mr. Aylesbury and Mr.
Wamphrey signing them in blank, against the time
when the general public would rush in to purchase
them. These shares were nominally put in the
safe of Stennett & Bodell, but in reality they were
privately disposed of, dividing the proceeds be-
tween them. With such consummate skill had
they carried out their plans, that Mr. Wamphrey,
practical financier as he was, never once suspected
them. Even Mr. Aylesbury, that shrewd old fox,
full of tricks and turns, rarely trusting any one,
was so deceived by Bodell that he signed stock
enough to absorb his whole fortune.

But Mr. Fish could not tell where Stennett &
Bodell put the money which came from these
shares. There was no entry in the books. No
memoranda could be found. The firm had its ac-
count in the Gotham, but the immense sums real-
ized from Cutty Hunk stock disappeared without
leaving a trace.

One afternoon Mr. Bodell received a telegram ;
Mr. Fish found it later in the waste-paper basket,
and saw the name Maitland signed to the message.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

After answering the telegram, Bodell hastily
changed his office coat for a more fashionable
garment, then immediately went out. As there
was no one in the office with Mr. Fish at the
time, he considered it a favorable ^oportunity to
study the interior pockets of that coat which
Bodell had carelessly thrown on his desk chair.
On investigating the coat he found the letter-book
which Bodell had taken out in Mr. Strathford's
when he read the cashier a letter from Cutty
Hunk. This book Mr. Fish opened, going
through every compartment, reading also such let-
ters as it contained. Finally he came upon a little
slip of paper at which he glanced with much eager-
ness, making mental notes as he went along. Con-
fident that when Mr. Bodell realized the absence
of the letter-book he would return at once to the
office, Mr. Fish rapidly executed his task. Hav-
ing placed the coat where he found it, he climbed
back to his high stool, where, a few minutes later,
Bodell found him.

"You didn't see my keys anywhere?" Bodell
said, giving him a keen look before entering his
private office.

"No, sir," Mr. Fish replied, getting down
awkwardly from his high stool to assist Bodell in
finding the keys.

"I have them," Bodell called out from the inner
office.

Then he went out, saying he would not return
that day.

Not having resumed his place at the desk, Mr.

338

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

Fish thought he would see if Mr. Bodell had re-
moved his coat from the chair. The coat was
there, but the letter-book was gone, whereupon
Mr. Fish smiled a broad, opulent smile, after which
he whistled variations of an involved and convo-
luted nature. For a man of his years, there were
times when Mr. Fish was positively frivolous.

That same evening Stephen Derwent called
upon the Hogans.

"A purely formal call this is," he said pleasantly
to Mrs. Hogan. "I have n't been here since the
party."

When Ted heard Stephen's voice, he came into
the hall, his pale face lighted up, and a smile was
upon his tremulous lips.

"Well, Ted, my boy, I suppose you think I am
deserting you; but we are busy downstairs these
days."

"The boy is askin' for ye, Misther Derwent,"
Mr. Hogan had said that afternoon, soon after the
bank had closed, and Stephen was arranging his
money before putting it in the safe.

"How is Ted?" Stephen asked, snapping a rub-
ber band over some bills.

"He 's not well at all. I dunno just what 's
wrong with him. He 's troubled in some way."

"Tell him I may get up this evening," Stephen
said, as he finished the clearing up of his desk.

Stephen, of course, had the big chair when he
went into the parlor, Ted occupying it with him,
and he soon had the blind boy interested in some
Ridgeburg happening. Mr. Hogan had been sent

1 11

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

339

on an errand by Mr. vStrathford, and would not
return for an hour at least. Mrs, Hogan having
some duties which detained her in the kitchen,
Stephen and Ted had the parlor to themselves.
During a lull in their conversation, Ted nestled
his head upon Stephen's arm, and dropped off al-
most at once into what seemed a deep sleep.
Stephen looked tenderly down at the boy's pale,
delicate face, so ethereal and spiritual that it
seemed as the face of an angel. For a few min-
utes Ted breathed heavily, then he began to gasp
and struggle as if in pain. Stephen's first thought
was to lay the boy back in the big chair, while
he ran into the kitchen for Mrs. Hogan; but be-
fore he could do this Ted had opened his eyes,
which seemed full of mysterious light. Then he
sat on the edge of the chair, looking and listen-
ing most intently. Stephen, remembering how
careful the I^ogans were not to have the boy dis-
turbed, remained perfectly still, though both anx-
ious and troubled. Finally Ted's eyes moved
slowly from the spot where they first rested, turn-
ing his head as if following some one. Then h
stopped. \x. another moment his lips moveil, but
the voice was so low that Stephen could barely
catch what he said. Then he spoke more dis-
tinctly :

"Mr. Strathford is at the safe. He has opened
it. He is taking out packages of money — one —
two — three — four — five. Now he is setting the
timelock. Now the door is shut."

Once more the eyes traveled slowly to the

340

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

point from whence they started, and then Ted
drew a long, deep breath of relief,

"I 'm afraid I 've been asleep, Mr. Derwent,"
he said, raising himself up and turning his face
towards Stephen ; "but it was so nice to lay my
head on your arm I could n't help it."

"An' sure it 's time Dan'l was home," Mrs.
Hogan said, coming in with a tray, upon which
there were various forms of refreshment. "An'
it 's himself that always likes a little taste of some-
thing when he comes in."

Stephen fully appreciated Mrs. Hogan's hos-
pitality; but he was more grateful still for the
interruption of her presence. Ted's smgular words
impressed him most strangely.

He did n't sleep well that night, and, when
he did sleep, dreams troubled him. He had all
sorts of queer fancies ; but in ea i one of them
he saw Bodell's mocking face.

On going to the bank next morning he found
a letter from his father, asking him to return the
package of bills, as Mrs. Libby was going to Ohio
in a few days. When the safe was opened, he
took the package and placed it on his desk, in-
tending to do it up express fashion, and send it
off bj' Mr. Hogan. As there were a large num-
ber of such packages on his desk, he put his
father's to one side, where it might be undisturbed,
though still within arm's reach. That was a
crowded, busy morning, and before noon he had
paid out large sums of money. Exactly at noon
Miss Avlesburv came in with her own check for

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

34'

a thousand dollars. Stephen had a notion that a
goodly portion of this check was intended for the
new parish house. They spoke to each other, and
Stephen, not wishing to lose one glimpse of her
face, reached his hand along the desk, and gave
her the package intended for his father.

Geneva took the package, though not without
allowing his hand to touch hers, a contact which
sent hotter blood into both of their faces, then
placed the money in her side-bag, and in a mo-
ment was gone. After this. Stephen had a run
of large draft'- which involved fresh supplies from
the safe, the one package, his father's, as he
thought, remaining unbroken on the check. See-
ing he could not get the money off as he had in-
tended, he removed the package from the desk,
dropping it into his overcoat pocket, which was
hanging on a hook at the back of his compart-
ment. Just then Mr. Bodell appeared at his win-
dow.

No word of recognition passed between the
two men, Bodell contenting himself with placing
the check on the glass plate, and Stephen with
paying the money called for in the check.

When Bodell received the money, he went into
Mr. Wamphrey's room, remaining there some
time.

As the bank was about closing, Stephen re-
ceived a telephone message from Tremaine ask-
ing him to call at the office of the parish archi-
tect. Stephen, taking the package from his over-
coat, transferred it to the inside pocket of his

342 a a TIfE RIDDLE OF

coat, meaning to sd-p at the express office in
his way to meet Trcmaine. But, l)eing detained
at the hank, he hurried to the arcliitcct's office,
where he remained for some time. Then he dined
with Tremaine, parting from hini about nine
o'clock. As there was no express office on the
line of his way home. Stephen concluded on send-
ing the package in the morning as he went to
the bank. Carefully buttoning up his coat, thus
making assurance doubly sure, he took a street-
car, and was soon in his lodging.

MR?. MAITLAND, being naf'-ally a .veak,
impulsive woman, without an. dc uhie pur-
pose in life, could not but be affected by such a
wily, unscrupnlous -dventuress as Mrs. Deveral.
Whatever religious mclin-itions Mrs. ^ laitla id
once possessed Mrs. Deveral labored to overcome,
one time with sneers ai.. mocking^, then aga -
with open, direct dctiar. Watching Mrs. M ait-

land Aith a vigilance whicii never relaxed, '\e
was able to divine 1 er n-oods and influence ner
feclinp'^ in any way ^".^ pleased. One day tht
Prophetess would bi smgularly gi oious, smootl
of rongue. oily of sptvch, ful' of thai flattery which
apr^^als to a \ain wo ,ian, cans ig ^ Irs. M;; .land
to dush and simper -ike a boarding-school miss.
Aru>ther day she would 1'.- sul)tle, alluririg, sug-
gestive, making light of thing^ which women kc"-
enlly hold acred, so "hat M s. Maitland w mid
look at her with startle* i ey . Then there wvi
da\ when she would exert dl the force of her
imperious, dominating will, c^mpeUing Mrs. Mait-

343

344

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

land to bend before her as corn to the autumn
wind.

And yet Mrs. Maitland found little pleasure
in her association with the Prophetess. Even at
the theater, when the mirth on the stage would
be fast and furious, filling the house with shrieks
of laughter, Mrs. Maitland would feel a chill at her
heart, and have a terrible sense of depression.
An after-theater supper, with its inevitable cham-
pagne, would relieve this feeling for the time,
but her gayety was forced and hollow. She had
a dim consciousness that her womanhood was be-
ing undermined. Her eyes were growing cloudy.
A strain of coarseness was working itself into her
Inc. Her perceptions of duty and obligation were
losing edge. Right and wrong were not so sharply
defined as formerly. Things at which she would
have once stood aghast no longer frightened her.
She had a sense of danger, and yet the danger
almost fascinated her. For the first time in sev-
eral years she longed for the protection of her
husband ; for she was beginning to realize a sense
of helplessness, conscious also that, unless rescued
in some way, she would be overborne and swept
away.

The Prophetess in the most unctuous tones
would speak of her as a deserted, neglected wife,
and of Mr. Maitland as a cruel, heartless man, un-
worthy to be the husband of such a noble, gifted
woman. Mr. Bodell also sympathized with her,
his carefully-modulated voice dropping words that
were sweet to her ear, but as poison to her soul.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

345

Every clay the cordon seemed to narrow, and ilie
way of escape became more difficult.

Going alone down the avenue o.ie morning,
she heard the sound of music, and, on looking
to see where it came from, she found herself at
the cathedral. Something in the music touched
her. It seemed familiar; so she stopped and lis-
tened for a moment or two, then went up the
cathedral steps, finally going in. Only a few peo-
ple were present, and no one seemed to notice
her as she went forward and sat down. With
exquisite sweetness the organ and choir blended
in the "Adeste Fideles," the strains seeming to re-
peat themselves in the echoing arches, and then
fall as celestial rain upon her troubled heart. Years
before her mother sang this same music to one
of the Church hymns, and she could now hear
that sweet voice gently murmur:

"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes ;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I '11 never, no never, no never forsake ! "

Then the tears came. At first gently, distilling
like dew on summer eve, diffusing itself graciously
upon the poor, drooping flowers, which had felt
the fierce heat of the burning sun. But soon the
fountains of her inner life were opened, and great
tears rolled down her cheeks, dropping on the
daintily-gloved hands which were clasped on her
lap. As through a lattice-work one can see the
vines and flowers growing on the other side, so

346

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

through the strains of the organ and choir she
could hear that voice, now sweeter than ever :

"I '11 never, no never, no never forsake."

She remained over an hour in the cathedral.
The organ ceased its music. The choir passed out
from the gallery. No voice of prayer ascended
from the altar. The little company of worshipers
silently dispersed. Only a ^tray figure here and
there could be seen, lowly b :nt as if in rapt de-
votion. And still Mrs. Maitland lingered. At
length words of prayer formed themselves on her
quivering lips, and deeper prayers gathered in her
heart. With clasped hands she sat silently, wait-
ing in some dim way for the answer to her soul's
ciy. Never did her danger seem so terribly near,
and with what horror it now impressed her ! The
fascination was broken. The alluring fruit, cun-
ningly pressed agaii st her Hps, was now seen to
be a revolting thing. The suggestive words of
Mrs. Deveral burned as with fire before her eyes.
Bodell's honeyed phrases revealed to her fright-
ened soul their terrible meaning. But the answer
came at length in a deep new peace, and holy pur-
poses took possession of her soul. She had been
weak, vain, frivolous, — that was all; ^ut she had
been led to the edge of that pit into which so
many have fallen, and from whose slime there is
no deliverance, once its pollution has been ex-
perienced. Dropping upon her knees, Mrs. Mait-
land solemnly renewed her vows, then walked

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

j4/

slowly down the cathedral aisle, hearing even in
the silence:

"That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I '11 never, no never, no never forsake."

On returning home she went to her room,
leaving word she was not to be disturbed. At
lunch-time she came downstairs, meeting Mrs.
Deveral, who noticed a new expression on the
face of her hostess. Not much was said at the
table, each woman seemingly occupied with her
own thoughts. After lunch, Mrs. Maitland ex-
cused herself from an engagement she had with
Mrs. Deveral, saying there were matters that re-
quired her personal attention. The Prophetess
protested ; but Mrs. Maitland put the protest aside
in such a way as to admit of no discussion. All
this was most distressing to the Prophetess.
Neither could she understand it. Only the night
before she had boasted to Bodell of her influence
over Mrs. Maitland, giving him to understand that
she had carried out to the letter her infamous
compact with him. But she was careful no to
show anything of her resentment, speaking most
lovingly to Mrs. Maitland, and regretting her ab-
sence during the afternoon.

No sooner had Mrs. Deveral gone than Mrs.
Maitland, taking her maid, went to the room so
long occupied by the Prophetess.

"Martha," she said, speaking in a tone not
usual with her, "I wish you to pack Mrs. Deveral's
trunk. She leaves us this evening."

348 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

it'ii

Nothing loath, Martha set about the task,
shrewdly suspecting that Mrs. Deveral was not
aware of Mrs. Maitland's intentions.

For some weeks the servants had been on the
point of revolt, Mrs. Deveral's coarse, vulgar ways,
together with her insolent bearing, having aroused
their indignation. The cook was particularly
wrathful. For a woman wi h an imaginary body,
Mrs. Deveral gave the cook much trouble, de-
manding substantial food in astonishing quantity.
Martha, therefore, packed the trunk with hearty
good will.

When this was done, Mrs. Maitland telephoned
to a Broadway hotel, engaging a room there, also
asking that the trunk be sent for. When the ex-
pressman came for the trunk, all of the servants
gathered at the basement windows, that they might
rejoice at its departure. Then Mrs. Maitland
wrote a short note to be given Mrs. Deveral when
she returned, also leaving positive orders with the
servants that under no circumstances would she
see Mrs. Deveral.

Before going back to her room the afternoon
mail came in, and among the letters was one from
Mr. Maitland. Taking it, she went upstairs, where
she remained most of the afternoon.

Mr. Maitland's letter was as follows :

"My dear Wife.— -

"Thank God for that word!" Mrs. Maitland
said, fervently, tears of gratitude filling her eyes.

"I want you to come over here by the first
steamer. Leave the house just as it is; the

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

349

servants can take care of it, as there is a chance
of our getting home for Christmas.

"I think we have been drifting apart long
enough, perhaps because we have not understood
each other. But there is yet time for us to begin
all over again. I need n't write any more now, as
you know what I mean. Cable me your steamer,
and I will meet you at Southampton or Liver-
pool. Good-bve. Ever yours,

' "E. M."

With the eagerness of a girl Mrs. Maitland
consulted the steamer sailings in the newspapers.
In an hour a messenger war at the office of the
White Star Line engaging her room. Once more
Martha was packing her trunk ; but this time there
was no joy in the service, and before dinner had
been announced most of Mrs. ]\Iaitland's prepara-
tions were made for sailing on the following day.

That evening, when Mr. Bodell called, he could
hardly believe his ears when told that Mrs.
Deveral had gone to the St. Swithin's Hotel, and
Mrs. Maitland expected to sail for Livci|Ool on
the morrow. He asked to see Mrs. Maitland, but
the servant said she was busy and desired to be
excused.

When Bodell left the house he \vas purple with
rage. His eyes shot fire, and all his passionate,
vindictive nature came to the surface. Maddened
to a point of fury, he stood for a moment on the
sidewalk, staring inipotently at the house. Then
leaping into the carriage in which he had come,

350

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

he told the driver to go with all haste to the St.
Swithin's.

**A nice mess you have made of it!" he ex-
claimed, furiously, the moment he entered Mrs.
Deveral's room.

If Mr. Bodell had ever known the first move-
ment of pity, he would not have greeted the
Prophetess in this brutal fashion. But she was
so stunned that she hardly knew what he said.
Only a few hours before she was the honored
guest of Mrs. Maitland, with the entire household
at her command. That very afternoon she had
driven through the park in Mrs. Maitland's car-
riage. For several weeks Mrs. Maitland's servants
had waited on her from morning till night. Just
an hour or two before, Mrs. Maitland's purse was
open to her slightest wish. Through Mrs. Mait-
land's influence she was making her way into cir-
cles of wealth and favor. And now she is cast
out without a moment's warning, her dreams of
enrichment utterly broken, nothing left but the
old life of imposture and poverty.

"Read that," she said hoarsely, when Bodell
had concluded his angry tirade, throwing him Mrs.
Maitland's letter.

He read it. Mrs. Maitland had not written at
length, but her note was painfully definite.

"]\Ius. DevKral: My dear Madavi, — I have sent
your trunk to the St. Swithin's, where you are my
guest for a week.

'Tcrniii me to say thai for your teachings and

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 351

theories I have an utter abhorrence, and deeply
regret that such things have ever had the sanction
of my house.

"I am compelled to believe that your purpose
in urging your mischievous doctrines upon me is
unworthy of any true, honest-hearted woman.

"You need not trouble to call, as I have given
the servants instructions not to receive you.

"Yours, etc.,
"Mrs. Earnest Maitland."

"What am I to do?" the Prophetess asked,
when Bodell had finished reading the letter.

"As you have done all your life." he con-
temptuously answered, "live by your wits, hunt up
another victim, fatten that big carcass as best you
can."

"What about my money?" she demanded,
fiercely, stung into madness by his coarse, un-
feeling words.

"Your money!" he sneered, his face resuming
its mocking expression.

"So you have added swindler to your other
accomplishments, and have now reached the level
of common thief," she hissed at him, fairly beside
herself with anger.

At his suggestion she had subscribed for a
large number of Cutty Hunk shares, giving him
the money, as he represented that only in this
way could the stock be secured.

"As you please," he snarled, showing his white
teeth. "You did not have to add swindler to your

352 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIF E

list, for you have done nothing but swindle ever
since you were old enough to know what it was."
Having spoken in this elegant form to a woman
whom he had robbed, Mr. Bodell went out, leav-
ing the Prophetess to her rage and poverty.

On the day Mr. Fish examined Bodell's letter-
book he went to his lodgings earlier than usual.
After reinvesting himself in the character of Mr.
Dolphin, he went to Mr. Carlisle's office. When
Mr. Dolphin named the amount stated on the
memorandum which he had seen in Bodell's letter-
book, Carlisle looked at Craig, Craig looked at
Carlisle, then both looked at Mr. Dolphin.

"It is a fact, gentlemen," he said, "here is an
exact copy," taking out of his pocket a well-worn
wallet, from which he produced a card.

On this card were figures written in pencil
tallying exactly with those he had first given.

"How long are your respecteu employers likely
to hold out?" Carlisle asked, at the same time
writing a telegram.

"About a month longer. There is a lot of
money coming in. Shares are going out in stacks,
but each buyer is sworn to secrecy. The fool-killer
hasn't been in these parts for some time."

"Then you think, Mr. Dolphin, we can count
on four weeks?"

It was Mr. Craig who spoke.
"They may light oul to-morrow for all I can
say ; but as things now look, I should say not far
from that time."

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

353

When Mr. Carlisle had written his telegram,
he showed it to Mr. Craig, who simply nodded
after reading it.

"Have that sent immediately," Mr. Carlisle
said to the office-boy who answered his touch of
the electric button on his desk. The telegram
was to Hank Dobbins.

"Come on at once with Zona and her mother.
Bring Warriston. Wire when you start.

**E. C."

•'Things are getting pretty warm," Craig said,
when Dolphin had gone.

"And they are likely to be warmer," Carlisle
replied.

"Stennett & Bodell are a precious pair," Craig
then remarked.

"And so arc Craig & Carlisle," Mr. Carlisle
responded.

"Especially the Dolphin," Craig said, his little
eyes twinkling merrily.

**'\7'OUR friend, Mr. Tremaine, has a pleasant

X job on his hands," Mr. Aylesbury remarked
grimly to Geneva, as they were at dinner the next
day after her visit to the Gotham bank, when
Stephen cashed her thousand-dollar check.

"You refer to his ^^lans for the new parish
house?" she question.*' surprised that her father
should speak of this, as it had caused unpleasant
discussion more than once.

"No, I don't " he returned, snappishly; "I re-
fer to his getting bail for Derwent, one of our
tellers, who is under arrest for '^teaHng money
from the batik."

"What! .Mr. Derwent!" Geneva exclaimed, in-
dignantly "There must be some mistake. He
couldn't lo such a thing."

"O yes I — everything is a mistake. Of course
he could n't. Still, when he was arrested a package
of our bills was found on him," Mr. Aylesbury
sneeringly answered, enjoying the distress so evi-
dent on Geneva's face.

354

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

155

"Why, papa!" she sai- more dismayed than
before, "you do n't mean that Mr. Derwent is
actually charged with stealing money from the
bank. I tell you it is impossible !"

"That is just what I mean ; and, what is more,
there is n't any doubt about it, either. Five
packages of a thousand dollars each have been
taken from the safe. Yesterday he was seen put-
ting one of these packages in his pocket. Last
night when he was searched this package was
found on him. Do you want it made plainer?"

"You may believe Mr. Derwent guilty, but I
do n't. He is incapable of it. And you will find
this out before long."

"Your high heroics, Geneva, do nt count in
this case, and you are only wasting them on me.
One would think, to look at you, that it was some
concern of yours."

"It is my concern," she hotly replied, a wave
of indignation sweeping over her face. "To have
a friend of Mr. Tremaine's arrested and taken to
the police station as if he were a common crim-
inal, is an outrage."

"Then he should n't have stolen the money."

"He did not steal the money."

"Mr. Bodell saw him put the package of bills
in his pocket."

"I do n't care what Mr. Bodell saw ; Mr. Der-
went is innocent."

"Well, he will have to prove it, and I would n't
give much for his chahce." ,

"Where is Mr. Derwent now ?"

356

a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

11 'i

"At the police station. Mr. Tremaine is try-
ing to get bail for him ; but he won't find that as
easy a job as building parish houses."

"Did he ask you to help him ?"

"He did."

"And you refused?"

"Certainly. It would be only throwing good
money after bad. If he gets out, he will go off
just as young Warriston did."

By this time Mr. Aylesbury had left the dining-
room, and was on his way to the hall, and in an-
other moment Geneva heard the door shut after
him.

It was yet early, for the Aylesburys were not
fashionable in their dining hour. To the average
young woman such tidings as those just told by
her father would have been overwhelming. I»ut
Geneva was not an average young woman. She
was strong, resolute, and full of resource.

Instead, therefore, of sitting down to weep,
she went to the telephone, calling up Mr. Car-
lisle, the lawyer chosen by the trustees under her
mother's will. In less than an hour, accompanied
by Mr. Craig, Carlisle was at the Aylesbury home.

"Who saw him put the package of bills in his
pocket?" Carlisle asked, at a certain stage in
Geneva's narration.

"Mr. Bodell; but perhaps you are not ac-
quainted with him."

"I am acquainted with Mr. Bodell," Carlisle
said, speaking slowly, and at the same time try-
ing to catch Mr. Craig's eye.

THE RIDDLE OF UJ'/: a a 357

"Who reported the niattt-r lo Mr. Waiiii.mi'v
Mr. Craig askcl.

"Mr. I'odell. At lea.st I infer ^^o from vvli.u
my father said.*'

"In that cast we will go to the police .station,
and if Mr. Dcrwent i.s still there, we will arranpt-
for the necessur; bail."

As Mr. Carh -Ic said this he looked at Mr.
Craig, whose eye.s twinkled an immediate reply.

"May I ^o with yon?" Geneva asked. "Only
a few weeks since I met Mr. Derwcnt's people
at Ridgchnrg — snch nice people, too! And t! oy
have been cxceedinj.,dy kind to Mr. Warriston and
Eleanor."

When Geneva mentioned the Warristons.
Carlisle gave her an eager look, Mr. Craig doing
the same. She ditl not know that Eleanor Warris-
ton was the key to Carlisle's inner life.

"I am afraid yon vill be distressed if you go
to the police station," Carlisle said. "We could
bring Mr. Derwent here it you wish to see him
to-night."

"Please let me go," she urged. "I won't de-
tain you two minutes," and before he could make
reply, she had gone out of the roo;iv

"Bodell again," said Carlisle.

"Wherever there is any devilment you can look
for him," Craig answered.

By this time Geneva had returned, and was
standing at the door ready to go with them.

The circumstances of Stephen's arrest were
substantially as described bv Mr. Avlesburv.

358

a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

! I

■ i

It seems that when Bodell went into Mr.
Wamphrey's room, after seeing Stephen put the
package in his overcoat pocket, he said:

"You had better look out for Derwent. I have
just seen him drop a package of bills into his
pocket."

""Vou are surely joking, Mr. Bodell," Mr.
Wamphrey said, lifting up a surprised face from
the desk at which he was sitting.

**An expensive joke for you," Bodell answered,
going on to describe what he had seen while
standing at the teller's window.

"And now. having faithfully discharged my
duty, as the parsons say, I leave the matter in
your hands. But if you take my advice, you will
look after that young gentleman, and I would n't
be slow about it, either."

When Bodell went out, Mr. Wamphrey sat for
some time thinking over what he had heard.
Bodell was so positive, and had described the cir-
cumstance so minutely, that it looked suspicious.
He decided, therefore, to have Stephen shadowed
until the matter could have full investigation. Go-
ing to the telephone, he at once put himself in
comm.unication with police headquarters.

"I want a detective," he said, "one of your
best men. I am here at the bank, and will wait
for him."

In less than half an hour a Mr. Wilkins called
at the bank, who said he had private business with
Mr. Wamphrey.

"I want you to look ; fter one of my tellers,"

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE si

359

Mr. Wamphrey said. "Keep him in sight all day.
I will have our own detective meet you if an
arrest is necessary."

When Stephen left the bank that afternoon
close upon five o'clock, a simple-looking country-
man followed him to the architect's office where
Tremaine had been waiting some time ; then to
the restaurant where Tremaine and Stephen dined ;
then to the street when the friends parted. But
the countryman was not in the least obtrusive,
Stephen never once dreaming of the shadowing
process.

Mr. Wamphrey, intending to resign his presi-
dency of the Gotham at the next directors' meet-
ing, had eveiything so well in hand that he knew
the exact amount of money which should be in
the safe. He waited, therefore, for the day's re-
turns, allowing every one, even Mr. Strathford,
to leave the bank before making an examination
of the cash. Taking the statements, for com-
parison when he went to the safe, he discovered
that five packages of a thousand dollars each were
missing. For several days he had spent consider-
able time signing bills, mostly "tens" and "twen-
ties," just received from the treasury, an('. these
were the bills which had gone.

• liodell, then, was right." he said, his face
hardening into iron. "Derwent has stolen the
money, taking a package as opportunity offered."

Calling the bank detective, he sent him to meet
Wilkins, and then arrest Stephen.

That night at perhaps ten o'clock, tlie servant

36o a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

came up to Stephen's room with the message that
two men in the parlor desired to see him. He
went down at once, wondering who his callers
were. On entering the parlor he was met by a
man whose appearance was so farmer-like that
Stephen instantly thought of Ridgeburg and im-
agfined some of his country friends had called to
see him. The light being dim he could not dis-
tinguish the faces of either of his visitors, so he
said:

"Excuse me, but I do n't recognize you at this
moment. Do you come from Ridgeburg?''

The countryman gave him a grim, hard smile.

"No; we are not from Ridgeburg, Mr. Der-
went," he answered. "Can we have a few minutes
conversation with you ?"

"Certainly. Here or in my own room?"

"Your own room will be better."

Much perphxed, Stephen took the men to his
room. The light here being good, he immediately
recognized Harris, the Gotham detective.

"Why, Harris!" he exclaimed, "what is
wrong?"

"Better ask me, Mr. Derwent," said Wilkins.
"Five packages of bills are missing from the
Gotham safe. You were seen putting a package
of bills in your pocket to-day. What have you
to say, or do you care to say anything?"

"Certainly I tool; a package of bills and put
tiiem in my overcoat pocket." Stephen answered,
with a frank smile. ' Hut that package T brought
with m? from Ridgeburg. Mr. Strathfoni knows

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE t 361

all about it. It i . my father's money, and is made

up of country bills mostly. I was to buy him a

bond, but h changed his mind and bought some

little property in Ridgeburg. This morning I had

a letter from him saying he wanted the money,

and I took it from my desk to send by express."

"Did you send the money?" Wilkins asked.

"No ; I have n't had time."

"Have you it here?"

"Yes," at the same moment drawing the
package from his coat-pocket.

But the moment Stephen saw the package his
face turned deathly pa1o. He knew a terrible mis-
take had occurred. Wilkins saw the change on
Stephen's face, and gave another grim, hard smile.
"Please open the package," he said, in cold
police tones.

"I needn't. This is not my father's package.
I must have paid the other out by mistake."

"Mr. Wamphrey says the missing packages
are new bills mostly tens and twenties," Harris,
the bank detective, said. "Please open the
package, Mr. Derwent. '

Harris liked Stephen, and believed his story;
and he hoped that the package, even though not
the one mentioned by Stephen, might tail to meet
the description of Mr, Wamphrey. P.ut when the
package was opened, it contained only new, cris])
notes, cot.forming in every way to the missing
money.

"T shall have to arrest y..n. Mr. Derwent."
Wilkins said, in a inatur-of-fait way.

362 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"But I tell you it is all a mistake," Stephen
said, earnestly,

"That may be, but I have no option in the
matter. You will have to come with us."

"What ! at this hour of the night ?" Stephen
said, the horror of the situation beginning to
break upon him.

"Yes, now; the law does not provide for special
hours of arrest. When we get our man. we take
him."

The police instincts of Wilkins were now thor-
oughly aroused.

"Let me speak to Mrs. Brown, my landlady,
and tell her I am going out for the night."

Stephen's face was now almost bloodless, and
his lips had a suspicious quiver.

"That's all right," Wilkins dryly remarked,
"only I will be with you when vou do the speak-
ing."

There was nothing of the rubber-tire or air-
cushion in the outfit of Mr. Wilkins. His arrests
were made with no more consciousness of nerves
or sympathies than an iron lamp-post. They saw
Mrs. Brown, after which the three men went out
together. Wilkins having a firm hold on Stephen's
arm.

That night in her Ridgeburg home, all uncon-
scious of danger, Mrs. Derwent asked (k)d to
watch over and bless her absent boy. That night
in her own room, Geneva Aylesbury found that
Stephen Derwent had become a part of her soul-
life, and for the first time breathed his name in

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a ^

36:

prayer. That night James Bodell boasted at the
Old King Cole how he had entrapped one of
Tremaine's disciples. That night Mr. Strathford
sat with pale, anxious face, looking out upon the
angry sky, his soul filled with remorse and shame.
That night Stephen Derwent lay on a hard bench
in a New York police station, a prisoner charged
with a serious crime.

wmm

COXSCIOUS in liis iniu)cencc. and certain that
the facts would come out at the examination,
Stephen Derwent had no misgivings vvliatever. It
never occurred to him that there was any serious-
ness in the charge made by Wilkins. He con-
sidered it a stupid pohce blunder, one for which
the bank would make prompt reparation.

On entering the court-room next morning he
glanced quickly around, expecting to see Mr.
Wamphrey and Mr. Strathford, but, to his amaze-
ment, there was no representative of the bank
except Harris, the detective, and a lawyer. l>eing
wholly unfamiliar with the usage of New York
police courts. Stephen liardly knew what was go-
ing on until he saw the case was assuming serious
form.

Wilkins described his visit to the bank, re-
peated the instructions given him by Mr. Wam-
phrey, showing that the prisoner was then under
suspicion. Harris testified concerning the warrant
of arrest ; the package of bills was produced, and

364

THE 1 ^DDLE OF LIFE a a

365

the examination was practically concluded before
Stephen realized what it meant.

So far he had kept his temper admirably, but
his honest Derwent blood began to bestir itself.

"I told these men last night there was a mis-
take," he said, speaking with .-.ome indignation
when the opportunity was given him. '"Mr.
Wamphrey should not have ordered my arrest
without knowing the circumstances of the case.
Mr. Strathford knows all about this business. May
I ask you to read this k-ller?"

Here Stephen produced his father's letter, re-
ceived '.lie day before.

"\\'hat has this to do with the case?" the judge
asked, looking sharply at Stephen.

"It has everything to do with it, — this letter
and another which can be produced in an hour. "

The judge read the letter, and after another
searching look at Stephen, he said :

"There is more in this case than appears from
the evidence just given. Let me hear vour version
of it."

Stephen then gave him an account of the whide
proceedings, beginning with his receiving the
money from his father, up to his mistaking the
package the day before at the bank. He spoke
in a frank, unassuming way, and the judge was
decidedly impressed. Still he could not dismiss so
serious a charge without thorough investigation.
The letter might be a forgery. Perhaps the
prisoner had an accomplice.

"Your stdry ami \our letter mav both be true."

366 * * THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

he said. "I incline to think they are ; nevertheless
I must hold you for further examination. The
captain of the police station connected with this
court will give you facilities for communicating
with your friends so that you may arrange for
bail. The amount of bail will be determined later."

That afternoon Tremaine was startled at re-
ceiving a message from Stephen, asking him to
come immediately to the Gotham Square Police
Station. When he heard Stephen's story he was
thoroughly indignant, which increased to red-hot
anger when he learned that neither Wamphrey
nor Strathford had appeared at the examination.
But his anger reached white heat when Mr. Ayles-
bury refused to become one of Stephen's bond-
men. By this time the afternoon was well spent,
and unless the necessary bail was secured, Stephen
would be held for another night. Tremaine there-
fore started uptown where his friends resided.

It was almost nine when he came back, ac-
companied by two gentlemen whose names were
familiar to the police captain, and the formalities
of bail were only concluded when Miss Aylesbury,
with Mr. Carlisle and Mr. Craig, entered the sta-
tion. Here Geneva did a very daring and utterlv
unconventional thing, and one which most people
will condemn unsparingly: when she saw Stephen
she almost ran towards him, and clasping his hand
lovingly in hers, she said, "My poor Stephen I"
Then lifting up her face to his with a movement
inimitably sweet, yet strangely pathetic, she kissed
him. Love-making and police stations are not

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

367

always associated with each other. The average
Romeo and Juhet prefer a balcony, with a proper
allowance of moonlight. But in this case there
was no balcony at hand, and the moon would be
late in rising, so Stephen, with his soul in his
eyes and on his face, and with all a lover's rap-
ture, said ecstatically, "My darling Geneva!"

It may have been this performance in the po-
lice station which so outraged their sense of pro-
priety that they could no longer sanction such
proceedings ; but for some reason to Stephen
was committed the responsibility of seeing Geneva
home, the others parting with them at the car-
riage door.

Concerning that home-going nothing needs to
be said. Words, at best, are but pebbles cast up
by the heavings of the soul. And few of them
express the emotions out of which they come.

The directors' meeting to which Mr. Aylesbury
had gone when he left home, after telling Geneva
of Stephen's arrest, proved less unpleasant than
was feared. Mr. Wamphrey alluded, of course, to
the disappearance --f the money, and the fact of
Stephen's being held for examination. As the
bank was fully protected by Stephen's sureties,
the affair was of minor importance. Two of the
directors expressed regret at Stephen's manifest
betrayal of trust. Thanks to certain insinuations
of Bodell, Mr. Wamphrey was able to hint in such
a suggestive way regarding Stephen that they be-
gan yo congratulate themselves on the bank es-
c.i iig so lightly.

—mm-mmtma^^^

368

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

'For some time," Mr. VVamphrey said, "Der-
went has been living extravagantly, but covering
"P with psalm-singing and all that sort of thing."
_ And IS n't it singular," one of the directors
interposed, "how often that psalm-singing dodge
IS tried, and how well it works ?"

"The closer the imitation, the more dangerous
the counterfeit," another director remarked "The
trouble IS not with the real psalm-singers, but
with those who pretend to be."

After certain routine matters had taken their
course. Mr. Wan.phrey. in a few well-choscn
words, resigned his position as president \s Mr
VVamphrey's speed, was type-written-oopies of
.t also bemg sent to the daily papers-and a.s all
of the directors were infonnc.l of his purpose, the
element cf surprise was not specially prominent
in this part of the proceedings.

Then another director irroduccd a series of
type-written resolutions-copies of which had also
been sent to the newspapers-in which Mr.
Wamphrey was commended as an able Imancier
a judicious counselor, un.Ier whose management
the bank had attained its enviable p.^sition

\fter tHs various speeches were made, all of
them eulogistic- of Mr. Wamphrev and of his great
service to the Gothan. One director dccfare.i
enthus.astical y that tiie Gotham was now the
Gibraltar m the world of finance. Another spoke
of it as the sun in the center of New York's mone-
tary system, while another boldly affirmed that no
pamc, however serious, could affect its strength

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

369

or resources. And all agreed that Mr. Wamphrey
was the chief cause of this splendid achievement.

Mr. Strathford was not present at this meet-
ing. The directors, therefore, were free in dis-
cussing the matter of a new presitlent.

"Strathford 's the man for the place."
"Couldn't find a better in New York." "Thor-
oughly capable in every way." "And he de-
serves it."

It was thought best to postpone the election
for a week, but all understood that no other name
but that of Mr. Strathford would be proposed.

Before retiring that night, Mrs. Strathford ad-
dressed her husband as "Mr. President,'" an<l in
her own room planned half a dozen functions.

When Stephen Derwent returned to his lodg-
ings that evening he found Tremaine there. He
expected this, Tremaine having said as nuich when
Stephen was leaving the police station with Miss
Aylesbury. Naturally their conversation turned
upon the missing money, and the steps necessary
to establish Stephen's innocence.

"Do you suspect any one?" Tremaine asked.

"I did n't at first, but I do now."

"Give me your reasons. This thing must be
probed to the bottom. Some one has taken the
money, anu your ristaking the package has di-
verted suspicion from the real thief."

"My reasons may not impress you a.'^ they ^.o
me. Indeed, I hardly know hov to give them
shape, they are so vague."
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37 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

" Then all the more reason that we talk them
over."

Stephen then spoke of the Hogans, more par-
ticularly of the blind boy, and his mysterious gift
of mental or spiritual vision. He described the
two evenings when Ted declared Mr. Strathford
was at the safe, the second time taking out five
packages of money.

For some time after Stephen had ended his
story, Tremaine sat with his eyes closed, lost,
seemingly, in deep thought. Finally he said :

"As generally understood, I am not a Spiritual-
ist. In its common, ordinary form, Spiritualism
is either a tawdry fraud or a senseless delusion.
Since the days of Mesmer this whole realm has
been crowded with impostors and charlatans. Just
as material things require material handling, so
spiritual things must have spiritual discernment.
You can't take ideas out of a book with a pair
of tongs, nor catch emotions in a mouse-trap.
Eyes of clay and hands of flesh can neither see
nor feel that which is spiritual. Hence the
'seance,' with its darkened room and its pretended
communication with departed spirits, is such an
utter swindle that no person of either common
honesty or intelligence can have any part in it.
Nevertheless, we are living in a spirit realm. How
far that influences us I can not say. That we are
influenced at times, and powerfully too, I sincerely
beHeve. In this case, therefore, I see no reason
why a keenly sensitive boy, pure, spiritual, with
no sordid motive to becloud his mind, should not

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

2>1^

have such visions as you describe. Could I see
him some time with you?"

"Suppose we go down to the Hogans to-
morrow evening. They will be glad to see us."

Witl this understanding they parted, having
previously arranged that Carlisle should conduct
Stephen's case when it came up for trial.

While Stephen and Tremaine were discoursing
of spirit forces, Miss Aylesbury was in her room
thinking over the day's events. And what a day
it had been ! But a few hours before her father
had spoken sneeringly of Stephen Derwent, and
yet she had gone to the police station, and in the
presence of Stephen's friends openly avowed her
love for him. How angry her father would be
when he heard of this ! But the matter which
concerned her was the surest way to establish
Stephen's innocence. This led her to examine the
package of bills she had received from him the
day before. Removing the band, she found the
slip which Stephen had inserted, on which was
written his father's name, and the purpose for
which the money was intended. Examining the
bills, she saw they were all of up-country banks,
and had no relation whatever with the Gotham.
In a moment she saw how the mistake had oc-
curred. Connecting one circumstance with an-
other, the whole matter became clear to her mind.
Next morning, soon after breakfast, she was on
her way to Carlisle's office ; nor did she breathe
easily until the package was in his care. On re-
turning home she wrote to Eleanor Warriston,

372 a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

stating the main facts in the case, suggesting, also,
that Mr. Derwent come to New York at once.
Geneva's letter found Eleanor in deep distress.
Only a few days before, Nat Sykes had come with
an urgent message from Squire Bodell.

"He's powerful bad," Nat said, his rugged,
homely face stricken with grief.

"All last night he kept mutterin' an' talkin' an'
calHn' for his wife. We tried our best to (juiet
him, but it war n't any good. He said we was
keepin' his wife from him. Then he went back
to the time little Jack was drowned, an' it was
heartbreakin' how he cried."

Leaving a note for her father, who had gone
out for a short drive with Abram Derwent,
Eleanor, accompanied by Nat Sykes, started for
Squire Bodell's.

A sweet smile lit up the Squire's wasted fea-
tures when he saw Eleanor enter the room ; for the
fever had gone, and he was conscious agai Go-
ing over to the bed, Eleanor laid her soft, cool
hand upon his forehead, then, stooping down,
kissed him tenderly.

"I am going — home," he whispered. To this
Eleanor had no reply but tears, and another lov-
ing kiss upon his pallid cheek. "Yes, I am going
home. She has been waiting for me a long time,
but she came early this morning with Uttle Jack."
The sobs gathered in Eleanor's throat, and she
could not speak. "Tell J' les," the Squire con-
tinued, but in so faint a whisper Eleanor could
barely catch his meaning, "that I— I forgive him."

MR. FISH was unsparing in his devotion to the
affairs of Stennett & Bodell. Never did a
firm enjoy more eager service from a clerk. He
was the first one at the office in the morning, and
the last one to leave, nor was h«; ever absent ex-
cept when out on some errand. Of guileless air,
v.'ith seemingly just enough intelligence for his
present position, the partners often spoke freely
in his presence, though using terms and phrases
peculiar to themselves. On the morning follow-
ing the directors' meeting at the Gotham, they
had a lively conversation.

"Warn booted the pail last night," Rodell said,
looking at jVIr. Fish as he spoke ; but that indus-
trious individual was busy filling in stock cenifi-
cates, and evidently did not hear Mr. Bodell's re-
mark,

"Which means tha: Strathie gets the goods,"
Stennett repHed, following the direction of Bo-
dell's eyes, and observing Mr. Fish.

At that moment Mr. Fish dipped his pe^ into

373

374

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

the red ink, the proper thing to do ; for figures on
certificates are more imposing in red ink than
when commor writing-fluid is used. Stennett &
Bodell were very particular in these matters.
Certificates coming from their office never lacked
the imposing quality.

"Yes, but the goods are covered with a Hen.
Strathie will have a lively time one of these days."
"W as Musty Ale there, or the Ancient Lager,
as you prefer?"

"In force. The dad of Genevieve is great."
Not once did the pen of Mr. Fish stop its mo-
notonous scratching; neither did he manifest the
slightest interest in what was being said.

"You remember what Hooker said about the
Argentines ?" Bodell asked.
"Rather."

"He is going, according to agreement."
"Great country, the Argentines."
"Hooker thinks so."
"When does he sail?"
"Next week."

"I must go and see him off."
"So will I."

Having completed their business in the outer
office, the partners retired to a more befitting se-
clusion, leaving Mr. Fish to continue his work in
peace. But from the inner office there came the
hum of voices mingled with shouts of laughter.
At times a word was dropped which Mr. Fish
might have heard, had he cared to listen. And
evidently he cared, judging by his attitude at the

-I

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

;75

desk; for his pen ceased scratching, he sat per-
fectly still, and his head was so poised as to catch
every sound possible.

Then, after a time he wrote ^ -^hort note, plac-
ing it in an envelope, which he a« ^ssed :

«' Innxirtant."

Dropping this epistle into his pocket, he re-
sumed work on the certificates. When the part-
ners went to lunch, Mr. Fish left the office for a
few minutes, returning with a smile which re-
vealed inward satisfaction. Just what Mr. Fish's
note had to do with it may not seem clear, but
within an hour Mr. Craig had discovered that a
state-room had been enf '~ ' a tramp steamer

leaving the following week for South America.

At Mr. Craig's suggestion, Westerhall met the
Hank Dobbins contingent at the Jersey City Sta-
tion, taking them to a quiet hotel uptown.

It was deemed advisable for Hank and his
daughter to remain secluded at least for a few
days, ip't r.odell in some way might learn of their
presence in the city. Mr. Craig visited them fre-
quently, coming to the hotel with various legal
documents which were signed and attested in due-
form. In the case of Zona no precautions were
necessary, and as Robert Warriston purposely
aflfected the Western costume and bearing th^-e
was little chance of discovery.

Tht tumulti'ous life of the streets, the crowds

376

a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

of people, the big stores, the shop-windows, the
ceaseless traffic, set Zona fairly wild with delight.
The transition from Cutty Hunk to New York
fairly overwhelmed her, and her eager, restless
tongue plied Robert with unnumbered questions.

These were joyous days for Robert. His fa-
ther and Eleanor had returned from Ridgeburg,
going to their home in Brooklyn, where the Der-
wents shared their grateful hospitality. What a
meeting that was at the Grand Central Station
when Stephen and Tremaine stood on the plat-
form waiting for the train! They all crowded
into one carriage which followed Miss Aylesbury's
natty little coupe she had sent to meet the War-
ristons.

Considering that Stephen was under bonds to
appear in a few days at an adjourned examination,
and that his people had come all the way from
Ridgeburg to attend the trial, they were rather a
merry party. Stephen sat opposite his mother,
holding her hand in his most of the way. Tremaine
sat opposite Ruth, not holding her hand in his,
but much desiring to do so. Abram sat on the
back seat between "his women folk," as he called
them, looking first out of one window and then
another, making such remarks as might be ex-
pected from a Ridgeburgian who had never been
in New York before.

On arriving at the Warriston home, Mrs. Der-
went was gratefully surprised at s^'eing T.Iiss Ayles-
bury and being greeted with such varmth that the
dear woman almost forgot the long journey.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE ^ a

01 I

How Ruth came to make certain discoveries,
perhaps Tremaine could tell, as he was present
when Miss Aylesbury came to the police station,
but when Ruth greeted Geneva she whispered,
eagerly :

"O, I am so glad!"

Whether she meant that she was glad to be
in Brooklyn, or to see Geneva, or that the jou -ley
was over, are matters not yet fully explained, ind
the reply of Geneva was equally mysterious ; for
it consisted of a dainty Httle blush, and a dainty
little smile', either one pretty enough in itself,
but when united they made her face exceedingly

winsome.

Later in the evening, Robert Warriston came
over with Mr. Carlisle, Robert having arrived from
Montana only a couple of hours before.

"My poor boy," said Mr. Warriston, in tones
of rare tenderness, as he took Robert to his arms.
Then he kissed him, not only for himself, but for
the loving mother who, some years before, in al-
most her last words, had placed Robert in his care.
That kiss reopened the gates of Eden to Robert.
Once more he could possess himself of his real
manhood. No terrible angel with sword of fire,
the symbol of implacable memory and pitiless re-
morse, barred his passage at the gate which opened
into the paradise of honesty and p "ace.

"Robert!" Eleanor said, impetuously fhnging
her arms around his neck, her tears shot through
with arrows of light, like dewdrops in the morning
sun.

378 a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

r'-; :'

So Robert came bai v, and though the marks
of the serpent's fangs would ever remain in his
heel, yet with that heel he had cruihed the ser-
pent's head.

It now lacked but a few days of the time when
the Gotham directors would elect a president. The
result was a foregone conclusion. No name
but that of Mr. Strathford would be presented.
Upon this all were agreed. Several of the di •
papers, in their financial columns, had referred to
the wisdom of the directors in selecting a man
of Mr. Strathford's ability. Two or three promi-
nent bank presidents had written to Mr. Strath-
ford, giving him welcome to their fellowship.
Mrs. Strathford came in for licr share of atten-
tions ; for though the difference in income was
not considered as of the least moment to her, still,
as the wife of a bank president, her rank would be
more definite. So the Marchioness of lloboken
gave her a lunch party. Lady Castleton arranged
an afternoon tea in her honor. Mrs. Grammercy
invited Mr. and Mrs. Strathford to dinner, when
a large company, including delegations from the
Murray Hill and Tuxedo sets, were presented.

But all this time Mr. Strathford had done noth-
ing in Stephen's case. Not a word had he spoken :
not a line had he written. Several times Stephen
spoke to Tremaine of this, and wondered if he
ought not to write reminding him of the circum-
stances connected with the package of bills.

"Do n't write him a line," Tremaine said. "A

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a 379

man who knowingly allows another man to rest
under false charges is either acting from some foul
motive, or has a heart utterly void of justice. In
this case I think it is the motive. I also believe
he has fallen into the toils of Bodell."

"How could llodell aflfect Mr. Strathford?"'
"Just as he does every one who listens to him.
Mr. Craig, knowing of my relations to this case,
has let me into some of Mr. Strathford's doings.
That Mr. Fish, now in the office of Stennett &
Bodcll, is finding out all sorts of things. His last
discovery was a note for eight thousand dollars
made by Bodell and indorsed by Strathford. '. hat
note matured a few days ago, Sirathford paying
his half in bills, sending the money by a district
messenger. Later Mr. Fish found that this note
was made to secure a lot of Cutty Hunk stuff."

"Four thousand dollars in bills, and paid a few
days ago !" Stephen said, incredulously.

"I d(. n't wonder at your surprise; but Mr. Fish
has both date and figures."

"Do you remember th«i date?"

"I think it was the twenty-first."

"Then I was at the Hogans the night before
that note was paid."

"The night the boy had the vision you
spoke of?"

"Yes."

"When he described Mr. Strathford as takmg

money out of the safe?"
"Yes."

3«o

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"I think now you can understand Mr. Strath-
ford's course in your case,"

"But with my father here and the original pack-
age in Carlisle's possession, the facts are certain to
come out."

"True ; but he does not know of these things.
Besides, time with him is everything. If he can
ward off discovery for i f.w days and is made
president of tiie Gotham, the way out will be
simple."

"You think that Bodell suspects Mr. Strath-
ford?"
"I do."

"And that Strathford, to save himself, is
using me ?"

"Th^t .. .jst what I think."

"Then he is a cold-blooded villain."

"Put it that way, if you please."

"How do you put it ?"

"Simply that he has eaten the forbidden apple,
and is dead."

"Dead?"

"Yes. The good which was in him is dead. As
an upright, honest mar., Mr. Strathtord has ceased
to exist. Men who listen to the serpent become
serpents themselves. Hence the world is cursed
with men whose original nature is changed into
that of the snake. But let Mr. Strathford alone.
His punishment, when it comes, will be fearful.
Carlisle is about ready to spring his mine."

Tremaine made a mistake in speaking of Mr.
i-athford's punishment as something which was

THi RIDDLE OF UFIi a a

3«'

to come. Tt had come! Sleepless nights, anxious
days, torturing hours, ghastly fears, horrors un-
quenchable, were already his. At times he talked
and smiled like other men ; but the poison of the
serpent was his. Not once did he enter the com
partment lately occupied by Stephen. Every
shadow that passed his window seemed as the ac-
cusing form of the >---mg teller ^very voice that
fell upon his ear had in it Hode' mocking tones:
"Crisp new bills, i\Tr. .^trahfurd," accompanied
by a laugh which seemeci "^x an echo from hell.

How the \\\' >!tunat'j t.i -iiicr cursed his wicked-
ness and bemoaned his co.vardiie ! And what vows
he made of reparation and atonement ' lUit. unUlce
Robert Warriston, he could not retrace his steps.
The terrible angel, with the still more terrible
sword — the sword that flamed and turned every
way — flashed its divine fire before his startled
eyes, blinding him in its awful radiance.

Tremaine was not able to go with Stephen to
the Hogans, and, as Te ' was asleep when Stephen
called interview was limited to Mr. Hogan,

who diu nost of the talking.

"An' it 's themselves that will be mightily
ashamed One of these days, Misthcr Derwent.
That 's all I have to say."

Then he went on to speak of Mr. Strathford:
"Shure an' he 's not himself at all. His own
mother would n't know him. Since you wint away
he 's been actin' as if he a seen a ghost. An' the
bank is n't the same. It 's a warm welcome you '11
git, Misther Derwent, when ye come back."

382

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

On the day set for the directors' meeting, al-
most every newspaper in the city came out that
morning with startling head-lines, setting forth
the Cutty Hunk swindle, coupling with it several
well-known financiers, among others both the
president and cashier of the Gotham Bank. Never
was a shell aimed with more terrible effect, or ex-
ploded with more fearful results. Full particulars
of the swindle were given, and the magnitude of
the intended robbery was set forth in appalling
figures.

Within an hour the Gotham Bank was a scene
of wild excitement. Men came rushing in from all
parts of the city. Mr. Wamphrey, as president of
the Cutty Hunk Company, was openly denounced.
Mr. Strathford, it had been stated in the papers,
had used the Gotham Bank to assist the Cutty
Hunk promoters. This, of course, started a run
on the Gotham. The tellers worked as never be-
fore, but the lines at each window only grew longer,
each depositor drawing out the last penny of his
account. To meet this unexpected demand, calls
were made on the other banks, some of which re-
sponded as freely as they dared. But a run on one
bank nearly always means a run on others, and
the Gotham had difficulty in obtaining the neces-
sary supplies. Again and again Mr. Strathford
sent out for help, using such securities as were
available, pledging some for less than half their
value. Still the lines only increased in length, and
the street became blocked with a surging, shout-
ing mob. Every director of the Gotham Bank had

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

383

been summoned, and every resource open to them
was utilized. With a face set like iron, Mr. Strath-
ford met the men who forced their way through
the Gotham doors, the tellers meanwhile straining
every nerve as they cashed the checks so eagerly
thrust in at the open window. More securities
were sent out, more money was brought in, and
the battle raged with undiminished power. At
two o'clock a notice was put up on the window,
saying the bank would be open for two hours after
the usual time. Cheers greeted this announce-
ment, and for the first time since morning the line
wavered. Mr. Strathford's iron lips shaped them-
selves into a smile as he saw the solid lines break,
and a glint of triumph shot into his steely eyes.
The tellers now began to draw deep breaths.

But just then the afternoon papers made their
appearance on the street, scores of boys coming
into the crowd, shouting: "Extra! Big Failure on
Wall vStreet !" "Cutty Hunk Swindle !" These pa-
I)ers were eagerly bought, men paying almost any
price the boys demanded. The immense type, the
striking head-lines, the glaring colors, the sensa-
tional rumors to which startling prominence was
given, had an immediate eflfect. The wavering
line once more became solid. The struggle for en-
trance to the bank-doors grew more fierce every
* moment. Men pushed each other, and even fought
for a place in the line. The police were powerless.
In vain the crowd was pushed back and attempts
at order made, for the crowd had now grown des-
perate, and would not be restrained

384

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

i 1

: 1

Inside the bank the strain was even more in-
tense. The tellers, almost fainting with exhaustion,
remained at their posts. Eager messengers were
sent here and there, coming back with all haste.
Mr. Strathford still stood like an iron man near
the door, never leaving his post except to go to
the safe or vault to procure securities. But the
tones of clamoring depositors steadily lengthened,
some of the checks being even larger than at any
time during the day. A call from the clerk who
wa.; serving at Stephen's window compelled Mr.
Strathford to enter that compartment. A shudder
passed through him as he did so, to be followed
by another when the clerk whispered hoarsely :
"My cash is almost gone."
Mr strathford knew then he C( uld hold out
no longer. Another half hour woukl have saved
him ; for then the bank could have closed and, dur-
ing the night, prepared for the morrow. But it
was hopeless now; and the Gotham, which only
the week before had been spoken of as the Gi-
braltar of New York, had to shut its doors.

The street was instantly filled with raging de-
mons. Men forgot that they were human. The
wild beast that is in every one, waiting for its op-
portunity, at once leaped from its lair. Cries of
derision, of hatred, of despair, of fierce wrath,
came from h-mdreds of throats. The names of
Wamphrey, of Strathford, of Aylesbury, were
taken up with hissings and hootings and yells.
Then darkness set it, but the mob stubbornly re-
fused to leave; nor was anything like peace re-

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

385

stored until squads of policemen took possession
of the street.

It was almost midnight when Mr. Strathford
left the bank, Mr. Hogan letting him out by a side
door.

On returning home he went to his desk, where
he wrote a note, addressing it to Stephen Derwent.

Some time during the night a shot was heard ;
and when Mrs. Strathford came rushing terror-
stricken into her husband's room, she found him
dead, with a revolver in his hand.

^il^.

THE day after the Gotham failure, Mr. Bodell
went to an uptown bank, a quiet, aristocratic
institution, which was frequented mostly by ladies
and retired gentlemen of independent means. Mr.
Bodell was well-known in this bank, making large
deposits almost every week ; and as there was
never any rush of business, he often chatted a mo-
ment or two with the clerk who waited on him.
For some time his account had been steadily
growing, for he used this bank only as a depository,
his other business being done through the Gotham.
Of late his deposits had been larger, and the
amount now to his credit was more than the entire
capital of the bank itself.

Stepping from a carriage in which were various
articles of baggage, having also two large trunks
strapped on behind, he entered the bank, and pre-
sented a check which practically covered his entire
deposit.

"I don't want all of it in currency," he said,
pleasantly, to the cleru, "though I wish some gold,

386

THE RIDDLE 0, LIFE a a

387

as I am going to Mexico, where our eapies are
at a premium. If I should call at noon, Twoniler
if you could have me some Bank of England notes.
Get me as many large ones as you can. You have
a telephone, and can call up the Chemical. It al-
ways has a lot of English money. Of course, any
expense you will charge to me."

The clerk was evidently troubled in some way.
Usually I:e was pr.impt when waiting on Bodell,
but he stood as if nervous and embarrassed.

"You understand my wishes, Mr Brown?"
Bodell questioned, impatiently.

"Excuse me, Mr. Bodell," the clerk said, speak-
ing slowly, "but an attachment has been placed on
your deposits here. I am enjomed from paying
out any of this money."

"An attachment ! No one in New York knew
of this account here except myself. Who has se-
cured this attachment ?"

Bodell was laboring hard to appear calm. As
there were no other customers in the bank, he
could speak freely with Mr. Brown. There were
two men sitting on a bench near the door, .vho
told Mr. Brown when they went in that they had
an appointment with one of hi customers, and
would wait until he c-i.vnc:. When Bodell went in
they were engaged with the morning papers, which
had long accounts of the Gotham failure, and were
so interested that they did not even raise their
heads from the papers. One of these men was Mr..
Dolphin, the other was Hank Dobbins.

"One attachment is in the name of Emma Bo-

388

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

dell, who claims to be your wife, and another is in
the name of Hank Dobbins, who demands compen-
sation for the support of Zona, Emma Boddl's
daughter."

Mr. Brown spoke courteously, but also as one
well informed of the reasons for the attachments.
And as they had been made some days before, he
had taken time to inquire about them.

"Who is back of this outrageous swindle and
blackmail ?" Bodell asked, his face now livid with
passion.

"Mr. Ethan Carlisle has the matter in charge.
I ?m at a loss to know, Mr. Bodell, how the knowl-
edge of your account here got out beyond your-
self. But I am powerless, as you know. Could
you not stop at Mr. Carlisle's office on your way

downtown?"

As Mr. Brown was speaking, Bodell's anger be-
came something fearful. His eyes blazed when
Carlisle's name was mentioned. His nostrils quiv-
ered with intensity of rage. His breath came and
went iti gusts of passion. From head to foot he
seemed as if in a paroxysm of ungovernable fury.
He saw instantly how Carlisle had circumvented
him at every point. At Cutty Hunk, Carlisle had
defeated his schemes for obtaining possession of
the property. Through his interest in the War-
ristons, Carlisle had obtained control of the orig-
inal mines. Carlisle undoubtedly had furnished
.the newspapers with their information, holding it
back until, like an avalanche, everything was swept
before it. But how did he know of the money in

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

3«o

this bank ? Not even Stennett knew of this. And
how had he found ;.ut that he was married and had
a daughter living?

Bodell had always snapped his fingers at law-
yers. The iaw, he said, was nade for fools, and
only fools employed lawyers. When he was ready,
he boasted, he would leave New York, taking a
full bag of plunder with him. And now he finds
that Carlisle has foiled him, outwitted him, utterly
defeated him, so that on the morrcw, when he
would sail for South America, he will hardly have
sufficient funds to pay the balance of his passage
money. With a mighty effort he so far controlled
himself as to say :

"I will see this blackmaiHng lawyer, and have
the whole crowd of them in State 's-prison, where
they belong."

Then he walked slowly out of the bank, not even
glancing at the men so absorbed in their news-
papers. He stood at the door, undecided as to
what he had better do. He could not go to the
office ; it was closed, Stennett having gone to pre-
pare for sailing the next day. Neither could he
return to his lodgings, as he had given them up,
and his goods were in the trunks now on the hack
waiting for him. The King Cole was out of the
question; for he had not spared the members of
that noble company in selling Cutty Hunk sliaies.
A houseless, homeless man James Bodell was,
standing there on the bank steps, poorer even than
the hackman who was waiting to drive him to
the wharf.

390

a a

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

At that moment, when feeling so reckless and
desperate, he heard a voice :

"Good morning, Mr. Bodelll How is Cutty
Hunk?"

The tone was insulting, and on looking to see
who had spoken to him, Bodell recognized Mr.
Carter.

In som. way Carter had eluded the vigilance of
Mr. Craig, and for several days had crooked his
finger in great form. His money was gone, his
clothes were shabby, his face was unkempt, and
altogether he looked thoroughly disreputable. His
spree having been unduly prolonged, Mr. Carter
had passed through the various stages of such a
proceeding, and was now in a condition bordering
upon frenzy. The effects of his week's debauch
were visible in a fierce yet cunning look upon his
face and a wild, almost insane glare in his blood-
shot eyes. Sufficiently sober to know what he was
saying, but drunk enough to be both taunting and
reckless, he sidled up to Bodell, a. 1 said:

"Great scheme, that Cutty Hunk ! Big money
in it. Hope you like Mr. Fish. Rather think,
though, he was too smart for you."

Then it dawned upon Bodell that he had been
tricked, Carter being a party to it. And Fish was
the spy! And this drunken, miserable lout, who
stood there grinning like an idiot, holding out his
hand so mockingly, was the cause of his ruin !

Bodell looked at Carter in speechless rage. He
would have struck him to the ground, had he dared.
But such a thing would cause a commotion, and

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

39 »

lead to unpleasant publiciiy, the thing he was most
anxious to avoid. He therefore turned away con-
temptuously, refusing Carter's outstretched hand.
Carter then staggered after him, placing his hand
on Bodell's shoulder. This was too much ^or Ho-
dell. So he shook Carter's hand angrily from his
shoulder, at the same moment giving him a fierce
push, and was just about stepping into the carriage
when Carter, with frenzied cunning, quickly re-
covered himself and flung his arms around Bodell's
neck. Another instant, and they were both under
the horses, Bodell fightmg for his life, Carter hold-
ing him in the grasp of a madman. The horses gave
a frightened plunge, one of them striking IJodell a
blow so fierce as to batter his face into a shape-
less mass of flesh and blood. Then, despite the
hackman's grasp of the reins and his strenuous
efforts to back them away, the horses bolted, drag-
ging the heavy carriage over liodell, though he
was now unconscious.

Mr. Dolphin and Hank Dobbins were soon on
the spot, and succeeded in releasing Bodell from
Carter's terrible embrace. Then came the police,
who speedily summoned an ambulance, and the
two men were taken to the City Hospital, Mr. Dol-
phin and Hank going with them, as they told the
police they were acquainted with the wounded
men. After reaching the hospital, Bodell remained
unconscious for some time, but when finally some-
thing of Hght and reason returned, he saw Hank
Dobbins and Mr. Fish standing beside his cot !

The next time he opened his eves — which was

392 THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

not for some hours — neither Hank Dobbins nor
Mr. Dolphin was at his bedside. A policeman was
there, and Bodell knew he was under arrest.

The next day, Stennett, carefully disguised,
went aboard the steamer, which was to sail at noon
for South America. He retired at once to his state-
room, remaining there in strict seclusion. His bag-
gage had been sent down the day before, so he car-
ried only a small handbag. On entering the room,
he placed this bag under his berth, covering it with
a traveling rug. He waited here for Bodell, often
looking at his watch and wondering why his part-
ner did not come at the time agreed upon.

At almost the last moment there was a knock
on the stateroom door. With a smile he unlocked
the door, confident that Bodell was there ; but his
smile died away when he saw two men in the pas-
sage-way, while behind them, near the saloon en-
trance, was Mr. Fish.

Without waste of either words or time, one of
these men — it was Mr. Wilkins — said :

"I have a warrant for your arrest, Mr. Sten-
nett."

Stennett protested vigorously, saying he was
not the person referred to, that his name was
Hooker, of the firm of Hooker Brothers, mer-
chants in the Argentines, and was now returning
home from a business trip to New York. Mr. Wil-
kins listened with the serenity of an Alaskan totem.
Stennett then produced letters and business docu-
ments, at which Mr. Wilkins looked with beautiful
composure.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

393

"You have a bag in which I am interested. Mr.
Stennett, or Hooker, if you prefer it," Wilkins said.
This Stennett denied, but Wilkins reached his hand
under the berth and brought the bag uut.

"You will please open it." he said, in the same
tone with which he had arrested Stephen Derwent.

"I won't," Stennett shouted, now white with
anger and fear.

"Try this key," said iMr. Fish, reaching one in
from the doorway where he kept guard.

Stennett, seeing that denial was useless, sud-
denly changed his tactics, and made a sudden rush
for the door. But Wi'.kins caught him with a hand
of iron, then snapped a handcuff on his wrist, and,
before the ship's bell had nuig its final warning,
Stennett was being marched along the pier, an of-
ficer on either side of him, Mr. Fish carrying the
bag. In this order they reached the Gotham
Square Police Station, where Wilkins had taken
Stephen Derwent a short time before.

At Stephen Derwent's postponed examination,
the letter of Mr. Stratbford and the production of
his father's packc ills resulted not onl\ in

an honorable disc. ,,, init caused the judgi to
make some remarks highly complimcntar\ o
Stephen, and some just the opposite rc^nrding Air.
Wamphrey and Mr. Stratbford.

Neither Mrs. Derwent nor Eleanor Warriston
attended court that morning, Mr. Carlisle having
assured them that the proceedings would be mere
matters of form.

But Geneva Aylesbury was there, not only as a

■MLiumumvr-a

394 ^ ^ THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

witness in case of necessity, but to be the first to
»uke Stephen's hand after his discharge, and witik
proudly at his side as he left the court. Ruth aKo
was there, and that dainty little maiden never telt
prouder of Stephen than she did that morning.
The fact of Tremaine's sitting beside her when the
judge said such nice things about her brother took
nothing from Ruth's joy.

"An' shure an' this is what I said all along,"
was Mr. Hogan's greeting, who, with Ted, had
been in the court-room all the morning.

But Ted only smiled when Stephen put his hand
on the little fellow's head. Geneva saw that smile,
and, stooping: down, gave the blind boy a grate-
ful kiss.

Abram Derwent accepted the proceedings in a
quaint, humorous way, scratching his chin and
twinkling his eye as he sometimes did when listen-
ing to Tom Lang or Mr. Droner at Simon Tib-
betts's store. Fred Westerhall was also present,
giving up the whole day to the Derwent party.
Abram was greatly taken with Fred, as Fred was
with him, so they hobnobbed like schoolboys, and
haa what Abram afterwards declared to be "the
greatest kind of a time."

The Derwents remained several days in the
city, going on Sunday to Tremaine's church,
though Mr. Derwent was a little disappointed at
not hearing another "Adam-and-Eve" sermon.

The official examination of the Gotham Bank
was more satisfactory than was expected. Its
credit was not seriously impaired, and almost every

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE M

395

one spoke kindly of Mr. Strathford, and deplored
his rash act on that night of the failure.

But Mrs. Strathford retired permanently from
social life. Never pgain did the Marchioness of
Hoboken or Lady Castleton invite her to their
homes. Not even a card of condolence was left at
her door by scores of those -vho, but a few days
before, had reckoned her as an^ ong their dearest
friends.

When the bank reopened, which it did in a short
time, Stephen was given a regular ovation, and,
as a further compensation, was advanced in both
rank and salary. Mr. Wamphrey and Mr. Ayles-
bury having signed certificates in blank at the in-
stigation of Stennett and Bodell, were so seriously
involved that they both becaine bankrupt. From
this Mr. Aylesbury never recovered. Thanks to
her mother's fortune, Geneva was able to provide
for him, but he was so discontented and embit-
tered that life to him was only a burden. Mr.
Wamphrey went West, and did not return again
to the city.

Maimed and disfigured, Bodell v.as arraigned
with Stennett, and, with the help of Mr. Fish's
testimony, supported by the evidence of many vic-
tims, notably Mrs. Deveral, who was most bitter
in her accusations, the swindling promoters were
sent to prison on a fifteen-year sentence.

The last face Bodell saw as he left the court-
room was that of Hank Dobbins.

Hank never said anything to either his daugh-
ter or Zona of having met Bodell. But when ne

396

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

saw Bodell drag himself painfully away, for the
heavy carriage-wheels at the time of his encounter
with Carter had almost paralyzed both limbs, he
could not refrain from muttering under his breath :

"The foul serpent ! Now he will have to crawl
like a snake as long as he lives."

And now, what of Eleanor Warriston? The
opening chapter of our story found her in unutter-
able dismay as she heard the mocking words of
Bodell: "Eleanor Warriston is the apple on your
tree. I understand your parable now."

Back of those cruel words a sad story was hid-
den. How Bodell ever reached into that mystery
of sorrow Carlisle never discovered. No one, not
even Mr. Craig, had heard a word from Carlisle.
But in some way Bodell penetrated the secret ;
hence his words, Hke poisoned arrows, entered
Carlisle's heart, and carried horror to Eleanor
Warriston's soul.

Years before our story opened, by the drown-
ing of both her parents, Lily Scott became an in-
mate of the Carlisle household. As she was the
only child of one of his boyhood friends, the friend-
ship continuing and deepening with the years, and
having no near relatives to provide for her, Samuel
Carlisle, Ethan's father, assumed her guardianship
as a sacred obligation. She was a sensitive, deli-
cate little thing, dreamy and imaginative far be-
yond her years. Having no desire for the society
of other girls, she grew up without such compan-
ionships as enter so largely into the life of young
people. Of pale face, fragile figure, with soft,

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a

397

kindly eyes, Lily moved through the Carlisle home
as a sweet, gentle spirit, to whom they all became
deeply attached.

She was singularly fortunate in her guardian;
for, having no daughters of his own, and tenderly
cherishing his wife's memory, he gave to Lily the
love of a father. He well knew that a girl so frail
and sensitive was ill fitted to cope with this coarse,
brawling world. A nature so fine as hers, so ex-
quisitely adjusted, and so responsive to every in-
fluence, could no more stand the rough, blustering
winds of common life than a piece of delicate lace
could resist the winter gales of the Atlantic Coast.
His hope was that Ethan, during his college vaca-
tions, when Lily gave him so much of her com-
panionship, would be attracted to her. And Ethan
was, though not in the way his father desired.
Ethan's ideal of womanhood was not realized in
Lily Scott. He admired her, and had for her a deep
affection, but it was not the love a young man
gives when he presents his heart as a supreme of-
fering. But when old :\Ir. Carlisle lay at the point
of death and Lily's future so deeply distressed him,
Ethan yielded to his father's dying request, and
Lily became his wife.

In less than a year her health utterly gave way.
Then melancholia set in. At first she was sus-
ceptible to home restraints ; but in time her condi-
tion involved removal to a private asylum, where
she could have constant guardianship as well as
special treatment. Here she remained for years.
But her secret Carlisle guarded with superb chiv-

398

a a THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

airy. No word of regret ever passed his lips. At
tirries he would disappear from his office, but only
that he might come to this quiet retreat and min-
ister as best he could to the poor, afflicted one.

During these years he became acquainted with
the Warristons, first meeting Mr. Warriston in
business relations; then later he met Robert, and
afterwards Eleanor. But never once, by word or
sign, did he fail of loyalty to the stricken girl who
bore his name. With magnificent courage he ac-
cepted his burden, asking neither favor nor sym-
pathy from any one.

Through a brutal remark of Bodell, which
Eleanor chanced to everhear, she learned the se-
cret which Carlisle was hiding so royally in his
own breast. VV' omanlike she deeply pitied CarUsle,
and with a pity as pure as an angel's song. How
terrible, then, to hear the taunt of Bodell that
night on the steamer! And had she known that
poor Lily, only a few weeks before, had breathed
away her life in Carlisle's arms, her sweet face
looking up gratefully into his, Eleanor's indigna-
tion against Bodell would have been even more
intense.

In the early summer of the following year, Tre-
maine went to Ridgeburg, and when he returned,
Ruth was with him ; for in the little meeting-house
she had vowed to remain with him "till death us
do part," the same vow he had made to her.

About a month later, Stephen Derwent went
home to spend his vacation, bringing Geneva with
him, but Aylesbury no longer, for one of the first

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE a a

399

services Tremaine performed when he came back
from his honeymoon was the marriage ceremony of
Stephen and Geneva. At that delightful service
Zona was maid of honor, and Robert Warriston
acted efficiently as best man.

Mr. and Mrs. Hogan had seats among the fa-
vored guests, where Ted could hear every word of
the service. When the Hank Dobbins party re-
turned to Cutty Hunk. Robert Warriston went
with them. Fred Westerhal! "^aid Robert Wards-
ton's interests in Cutty Hunk would yet make him
a rich man. At this Zona smiled, and said Robert
was rich enough now.

Eleanor and Mr. Warriston spen<^ all of that
summer in Ridgeburg, not however in the Libby
cottage — Stephen and Geneva had that — but in the
Bodell homestead, the Squire having willed it to
Eleanor. Nat Sykes remained with her, this being
a request of Squire Bodell.

Late in the season, Mr. Carlisle came to Ridge-
burg as the guest of Abram Dervvent and his good
wife Sarah. But he did not neglect the Warris-
ton's, going there almost every evening. One
night he came away with a glad light on his face,
nor was it any wonder, for Eleai.or Warriston had
promised to become his wife.