HIDDEN GOLD

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20282, 26 August 1937, Page 4

HIDDEN GOLD

SYNOPSIS. John Seton says good-bye to Jocelyn Drake prior to his embarkation for Africa, where he, as an engineer, is to report on the prospects of the Mammoth copper mine. Various cryptic warnings are given to him before he sets out. There seems to be some mystery about William- ; son, the man who should have reported on the mine. At Machado, a village near the mine, Seton meets a stranger named Parker, who, it appears, is fully acquainted with the nature of Seton’s business. ; Eventually there is a scene in a saloon bar, where Seton thrashes Parker for assaulting an old man called “ Mad Daddy White.” Senhorita Eunice Louvela, daughter of the Commandant of Machado, \ is all powerful in the district. Her ac- j tlons suggest that she is in league with : Parker. Seton soon discovers the mine to 1 be worthless, and sends a cablegram to , this eliect to England. A favourable message. however, is substituted in its stead, j as Seton learns some months later when hs returns to Machado to find a letter i from Mrs Drake. She has speculated with her daughter’s money, and’ lost it all in Mammoth shares. As there is no letter rrom Jocelyn, Seton thinks she has believed the fraudulent messages to have been his own. He meets Daddy White again who gives him information about the Mammoth mine which he says will make him rich.

CHAPTER VIII. Mother and Daughter. The scene between her mother and herself on the night of Gerald Parker’s first visit was one of those memories which, in after years, Jocelyn strove in vain to efface. There had been quarrels before, bitter quarrels, but they had not been like this one. The question, ‘‘What have you done with the capital, the trust funds?” had aroused Mrs Drake to fury. For a full half-hour she had raged at her daughter, raking up every grievance, real or imaginary, of the past, abusing Jocelyn, abusing Jocelyn’s father, railing at 'Colonel Drake’s relations who had refused to help her out of her former difficulties.

Jocelyn listened in silence until her mother began to speak of John Seton, accusing him of being the cause of all their misfortunes. Then suddenly the girl’s pent-up wrath had burst out, and Mrs Drake had quailed before the storm. She had grown so accustomed to bullying and insulting her daughter that she had ceased to expect anything in the nature of a reply, but now sh« found that she had strained that daughter’s patience beyond the breaking point.

“Never dare to mention .Mr Seton ! to me again.” Jocelyn cried. “I won’t : have his name on your lips. You have ■ ruined my life, and perhaps his as ‘ well. All this misery for both of us , has come through you and through i you alone. Why do you think I con- j sented to allow you to break off our i engagement. Do you think It was be- j cause of what he did over the Mam- j moth. No, you know as well as I j do why I consented, why I had to ! consent. Do you think I am blind, that I don't know what has happened, what you have done? Could I marry any man now?” Mrs Drake changed her tactics, and began to dab her eyes with a tiny j lace handkerchief. “I don’t understand you at all,” she wailed. “I don’tj know what you are hinting at. I* have acted for the best all along, and be- ' cause I’ve been so unlucky lately—” f Jocelyn cut her short. “You do understand, perfectly well, Still, we have the future to think of as well as ' the past. ‘How are we going to live? j My work may stop any time.” “Your work may stop!” Mrs Drake’s tears dried up sudden- ! ly. She had a new grievance now, ami she prepared to make the most of it. \ "I suppose you mean you have quar- j relied with Lady Grigges because you don’t like her. How anyone can be so utterly selfish— ’’ “We won’t discuss that please,” I Jocelyn cut in. “I want to know | what we are going to do for money when our present stock is finished. Gan you sell those wretched shares? , What did that man Dawson want I hero?” A cunning look came Into the elder woman’s eyes. “The price he offered would only just pay what is still due on them. They are worse than valueless. I see no chance of getting any money, unless when Lord Why- ! man—” Jocelyn’s anger had blazed out again. “If you do anything of the j kind we shall part for ever, and you , will hear of me. only through Mr Pirns. ! who used to be father’s solicitor,” then she had quitted the room, leaving her mother livid with fear and anger. By the time Gerald Parker paid his second visit, and made the unsuccessful hid for tlie shares. Mrs Drake had , complciciy recovered her self-control. \ From behind the curtain she saw the ’ meeting between her late visitor and j the man who called himself Dawson, 1 and gave a little nod of satisfaction. I “It will make him all the more j anxious to buy," she murmured. The interview with Mr Dawson, however, led to no definite result. Perhaps the meeting with Parker had upset him; at any rate the man was obviously nervous and worried, and allowed his anxiety to obtain the shares to become apparent. He increased his offer considerably, but Mrs Drake shook her head. “If they’re worth that to you, they’re worth it to me.” she answered. He took out a pocket-book and pencil. made a rapid calculation with a trembling hand, then looked up. more sallow-faced flian ever. “I 11 make it. another two hundred and fifty pounds," he said in a voice which he tried hard to control. “It is absolutely mv limit.” But she shook her head. “I prefer to keep them a lillle longer," she answered. j He got up abruptly. “Very well. 1 can offer no more; slill. in case you change your mind. I'll look in again.” “Why not give me your address, so that I could write to you?” For a moment he hesitated, then *Td sooner rail.” he muttered, and turned towards the door. Meanwhile. Parker made, his way down to the office, ami interviewed Mr Lawson. ~ ' “i saw that old woman again, no *jid. “She's utterly unreasonable ( row. and intends to make trouble. Ton had better take steps against her at once to recover the money due. Kind- j ness is wasted. You must frighten i her into silence.” I Mr Lawson nodded. ‘ Phe s had her chance. 1 ''ill pul the. mailer into the solicitor's hands at once. Things are going from had to worse with Hie Mammoth. Bui I thought %oU liape started already frii:

SERIAL STORY.

By STANLEY PORTAL HYATT,

Port Said,” he added, querulously.

“Starting to-night,” Parker drawled, then lounged out to the office, where he stayed for a few minutes to write a note to Mrs Drake, giving her the name of a broker who would be ready to buy her shares on his behalf during his brief absence on the jGontinent.

The mail train, with Gerald Parker Ojn board, was steaming out of Charing Cross* Station when a telegram was delivered at his chambers. The caretaker shook his head as he glanced at the envelope.

“■He didn’t leave no address,” he remarked to his wife. “So this’ll have to wait,” and he put it on the rack. The telegram had been handed in at Machado but a couple of hours after that which Parker had received the evening before. During those two hours, however, there had been a breakdown on the line, which had taken some time to repair.

The message ran, “She left for London to-night.”

CHAPTER IX. The Last Passenger. Travelling In East Africa in a goods van is never a pleasant experience, but John Seton thought little of the discomforts of the journey down to Belra. He had too many things on his mind. The guard, who was inclined to be talkative at first, found him dull company, and soon gave him up as a had job, greatly to the relief of Seton, who wanted to have a chance to examine anew the contents of the tin box.

j They reached Beira just before sun- [ down—gDods trains do not hurry in Afrioa—and, to his surprise, Seton I found a small crowd of native hotel j porters on the platform under the j command of a Greek hotel tout. They made a combined rush for his baggage, ; and, finding his voice insufficient, he 1 had to use his boots before they would understand that he was going straight to the Austrian steamer at anchor in the bay. Even after he had explained this elaborately, and emphasi ised his arguments with a dozen well- | placed kicks, the Greek tried to take i the tin box from him. as half a dozen of his black assistants had already j tried to do.

Seton glanced round, and his eye lighted on a station official whom he happened to know.

“Come here, Coleman,” he shouted. Then as the man hurried up, “Will you explain to this Dago that unless he and his savages leave my kit alone you will call your railway police?”

l’he official laughed, but he did not comply literally with the request. Instead, he caught the Greek by the ; scruff of the neck and flung him bodily j over the edge of the platform on to | the line, while with a few curt words he sent the gang of natives scampering out of the station.

“It’s the only way,” he said, as the Greek limped off with a badly sprained ankle. “It’s no use playing with the swine. I'll send your stuff down by some of our own savages. . . . Come

aboard with you, and have a drink? Sorry I can’t, old man: but. we’ve got a special due down shortly; quite a rare event for us.”

Seton heaved a sigh of relief as he stepped aboard the Austrian steamer. All the way down country he had been haunted by the fear that she might have left by the tide. For a time he was busy in his cabin, of which he was the sole occupant, then he went on deck again, and, leaning over the rail, looked towards the township, which appeared almost picturesque in the brilliant moonlight., After a while a launch put. out from the Custom quay, and headed towards the vessel. “Some belated passenger, T suppose. ; We are going to sail in a couple of hqurs." It was an Englishman standing near who made the remark to his wife. Seton watched the oncoming craft without much interest, though he pictured what his own feelings would have been had be been forced to run tilings so fine. But as the launch drew alongside, and her one passenger came up the companion ladder, the mining engineer grew rigid wilh interest. For that passenger was none other than Eunice Louvela. Seton drew back quickly as soon as he caught sight of the senhorlta. A meeting at that moment would have been distinctly awkward. He would have had the worst of It. for she would he prepared, while he had been taken entirely by surprise. He knew now for whom that special train, of which the railway official had spoken, had been ordered. The senhorita must have been warned at once of his departure, and must have determined at, all costs not to let him get ahead !of her. I But why? That was the question l which puzzled John Seton. So far, | though he had as he thought, the best !of grounds for assuming that she was I in league with his enemies, he had not I the slightest idea what, part she could | be playing, or what interest she could have in the affair. William Lawson, ' Parker, Lord Whyman—it was per- ! fectly easy to guess at the motives which inspired each of these, but why should the daughter of the com- ! mandante of Machado league licrsclf i with them, why should she go to the 1 length of chartering special trains In order to keep in touch with, or rather ; watch, the discredited expert who had I reported on the Mammoth mine?” j “I heard the swish of a skirt.” old 1 Paddy While’s words came hack lo him suddenly. Instantly lie decided that if must have been Eunice who j was listening outside that room at tlie* hack of the hotel. He had no ! doubt on that point when lie came to I think over the matter, hut Ihen. after ! all. lie got hack to the old question. ‘•Why should she have hurried after him ?” ! At Hie utmost, she roiild have ! caught a mere hint of the nature of . the secret which was to he imparled all. the key word to the cipher, without which‘the res! was of little or no immediate value, had been whispered to him after the listener had fled. Yet she had followed him. and, probably, intended to be bis fellow-passenger the whole way lo Europe. Why? (To he continued.)