HIDDEN GOLD

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20284, 28 August 1937, Page 12

HIDDEN GOLD

SERIAL STORY.

BYNOPBIB. 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 beTore he sets out. There seems to be some mystery about Williamson, 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.” Senhorlta Eunice Louvela, daughter of the Commandant of Machado, Is all powerful In the district. Her actions suggest that she Is In league with Parker. Seton soon discovers the mine to be worthless, and sends a cablegram to this effect to England. A favourable message, luwever, is substituted In Its stead, as Seton learns some months later when hs returns to Machado to find a letter rrom Mrs Drake. She has speculated with her daughter’s money, and’ lost It all In Mammoth shares. As there Is no letter from Jocelyn, Seton thinks she has believed the fraudulent messages to have been his own. He meets Daddy White j again who gives him Information about the Mammoth mine which he says will make him rich. CHAPTER X.— (Continued.) Why should he not tell her? Why not let her know the full extent of the injury which had been done to him ? He did not waste words, hut in a few bitter sentences he told her all —of the loss of Jocelyn, of the ruin of his prospeots. She stared out the waste whilst he was speaking, and when she looked round he noticed with a kind of grim satisfaction that her face was very pale. “Are you fond of her?” she asked. “I was very fond of her,” he corrected her. “But things like these are apt to change one's point of view. She never even wrote me a line." The senhorlta looked away again. "Was there another man?” she asked; then when he nodded: “A richer man, a better match?"

By STANLEY PORTAL HYATT .

I were fencing for pleasure, but at any | moment the buttons might come off the foils, and the game become a real duel.

This was brought home to the man with grim Intensity the night they reached Zanzibar. The heat was stifling—lt seempd too hot for him even to smoke—and he had drawn a chair Into the shadow of the deckhouse, where he could look across at the lights of the squalid Arab city. Suddenly, two people, a man and a woman, came round the corner of the house. They were talking earnestly —so earnestly that they never noticed him.

He laughed bitterly. “Yes, a peer of the realm, Lord Whyman." This time there was no mistaking her surprise and interest. “Lord Whyman I" she repeated. “Why he—. I've heard of him somewhere.’

“Doubtless," he answered drily. "He Is a director of the Mammoth. Perhaps your friend, Mr Parker, lias spoken of him to you?" “My friend Mr Parker, my dear friend." Suddenly the southern part of her nature had come uppermost. She was not acting now, as the man saw at once. There was a fierce Intensity In her voice which Seton had never heard in it before. Evidently Parker would do well to look out for himself. A moment later, she had regained her self-control.

. “To-night. You rqust do It toj night, I insist on it." I*t was Eunice Louvela who spoke. I “Very well. I don’t see why, ; though." The voice that replied and ' then died away as they passed on was that of the American, Curtis. A couple of hours later Seton awoke with a start. He had fallen asleep whilst trying, onoe more, to get a clue to the senhorita’s motives. He got up, yawned, then went down to his cabin, Intending to turn In. As he switched on the electric light he glanced up at the rack. Then his face grew very dark. The little tin box had disappeared. CHAPTER XI. Lord Whyman Pays a Visit. The grimy little servant girl brought in the breakfast tray and set it down on the table with a jar, which made the coffee spurt out of the battered tin pot, though that was no great matter in view’ of the state of the table doth. “There’s two letters for you, ma’m,” she said to Mrs Drake. “One of them’s registered. I had to sign for it." Jocelyn, vOho was gazing out of the window, took no notice. She wanted no breakfast that morning. The rough-ly-cooked food and coarse table service would, In themselves, have been enough to ruin her appetite had she not already been too miserable to eat. A sharp exclamation from her mother made her look round quickly. Mrs Drake had opened the registered letter, and was staring at it with mingled dismay and wrath.

ls “The villains I Oh, the villains 1" she cried. ‘‘As if they hadn’t had enough ir already 1" Jocelyn walled for her to explain, then as the other did not speak, “What n I trouble Is there now?” she asked e coldly. d For a moment, Mrs Drake hesitated, y “They are pressing me for more ,r money,” she answered, reluctantly. 4 "This Is from the solicitors to the company. They demand payment of n the balance on the shares, twelve 0 hundred and fifty pounds, within seven n days," and she gave a hysterical little i d laugh. h The girl did not ask to see the letter. The very name of the Mammoth | 0 was so utterly hateful to her that she I would not touch even a piece of paper y j connected with it. ••I “if you can’t pay, and of course you n ! can’t-—what will they do?" d ! “They threaten to make me banks' rupt," Mrs Drake answered dramatically. “But you don’t mind that, you have no sympathy with my sorrows and trials." Jocelyn did not trust herself to answer. Bitter words rose to her lips, but she forced them hack, and waited whilst her mother opened the other letter, which was from Gerald Parker, confirming his offer for the shares. She noted a change come over Mrs Drake as she read the note. The fear went out of the older woman’s eyes, and was replaced by a look of malicious cunning. “So you are trying to force my hand, Mr Parker, you and Mr Lawson together," Mrs Drake muttered. “I’ll be even with all of you yet." “What are you saying?" the girl asked. Mrs Drake did not look up. “Nothing,” she snapped back. “This is of no Importance, as least not to you." The girl said no more. She was absolutely without hope so far as the future was oonoerned, and she felt that any advice she might give would be disregarded. After a while. “I am going to work now. 1 suppose there Is nothing speoial you want?" Mrs Drake nodded In an absent sort of way. She was still staring at the two letters in front of her when Jocelyn left a few minutes later. "1 notice you are slow about your work to-day. Miss Drake." Lady ! Grigges’ tone was as usual very severe. | “You have made two errors in these letters, most serious errors." Jocelyn gave a little gasp. She had been utterly miserable all day, and, ( perhaps, her mind had not really been ! on her work. She knew Lady Grigges’ reputation, knew how it was said that she never forgave anything in the nature of slackness amongst her cm- 1 ployees, and she went cold at the idea of losing her post, the sole means of support for her mother and herself." ' “I am very sorry Lady Grigges," . she answered. “1 will try and do , better, only—” 1 Her ladyship cut her short. “Only J you look very tired and worried, child.” she answered, in what was sincerely Intended to be a kind voice. “Per- 8 haps I understand. Tt is half-past three now. You had better go home r for the day and rest." f She went to her desk and proceeded to fill in a cheque. “It’s not due for a few days," she went on in her ordinary tone, “but it 0 may help you to have it a little earlier. Don’t thank me. You’ve earned It, 1 11 and, possibly, to-morrow you may like, 6 to tell me about things. That’s Just n as you like. Now run off, and don’t! worry, child, don’t worry. It's ai * mistake to break your heart for IJj others," then deliberately she turned j d her back on her secretary, and be- . a came busy with a pile of papers. Jocelyn went out very quietly. Somehow she felt, she could not speak c Just, then. She had disliked, the l woman from their first, meeting, and | ' now she frit, humbled, almost ashamed of herself, to think that she should 11 not have divined that there was a n heart of gold hidden underneath that ai gruff exterior. She went straight back to the dreary lodgings. The cheque was more " than welcome; those few days in ad'to hrr. The unexpected payment, to c [ landlady and potty tradesmen would save her several painful interviews, I" for though no one could have been 01 kinder than the landlady, the grocer, ni . (Continued In next column.)

"I think Mr Parker has forgotten all his old friends since he went to London and became a rich man.” Then she got up abruptly. “I must go and tidy myself before lunoh," and with that she left him.

Each succeeding day found the. senhorlta a greater puzzle to Seton. They drifted quickly into an easy friendship of the mail steamer kind, and yet, behind it all, there was an armed neutrality, Each watched and suspected the other. Apparently they

>aker, and butcher Invariably grew nsuiting towards the end of the nonih. They look a positive delight n being able to be rude to one who vas immeasurably their social uperlor. On her way she stopped at tlle lilkman s—be was always ready to ash Lady Grigges’ cheques—but men she came to endorse the cheque, he had a distinct shock. Her emloyer had added five pounds to the rdinary monthly amount. “There's a gentleman upstairs, uss,” the little servant said as Jocelvn ntered. “Quite a toff. . . . y o ur lother Is out, but he said he’d wait." For a moment Jocelyn hesitated, robably it was merely one of her tother’s mysterious callers; then she eelded to go Into the sitting-room, ad mako sure. As she entered a man, who had een standing in front of the fireplace, imp forward hurriedly. Jocelyn gave a little gasp. "Lord ’hymani" she exclaimed. . . . 'Hie first Lord W hyman had received is peerage mainly because he had ado a huge fortune as a shipowner, id had been a loyal parly man; Hie ■cond peer had done his very best to d, through that fortune on the Turf, : ith the result that his son. the pre-! nt holder of the title, had inherited! ,lle beyond some mortgaged estates; : msequently lie had turned to the I ly for a living, and. having a fine i esence, and being ready to lake her men’s words for things, he had! ade an ideal company director. (To be continued.)