Davidson! Of all men I had counted him my friend. And now here was he,

reputed to be about to marry the girl who, as he knew, must have

known, ought to have known, was all the world to me! Even if she would

have none of me, and even though I had no shadow of claim on her--even

though we had parted not once but a dozen times, and at last in a

final parting--Davidson ought to have known, must have known! And my

own yacht! Why, no man may know what may go forward in a yachting

party. And, if perchance that fall he could persuade to accompany him

Helena and her chaperon (I made no doubt that would be her Aunt

Lucinda; for Helena's mother died when she was a child, and she was

somewhat alone, although in rather comfortable circumstances) what

could not so clever a man as Davidson, I repeat, one with so much of a

way with women, accomplish in a journey so long as that, with no other

man as his rival? It would be just like Cal Davidson to go ashore at

St. Louis long enough to find a chaplain, and then go on ahead for a

honeymoon around the world--on my boat, with my.... No, she was not

mine ... but then....

All my life I have tried to be fair, even with my own interests at

stake. I tried now to be fair; and I failed! I could see but one side

to this case. Davidson must be found at once, must be halted in

mid-career.

It was about this time that Hiroshimi came in with the morning's mail

and telegrams, all of which at my place come in from the railway, ten

miles or so, by rural free delivery. I paid small attention to him,

most of my mail, these days, having to do with gasoline pumps or

patent hay rakes and lists from my gun and tackle dealers and such

like.

Hiroshimi coughed. "Supposing Honorable like to see these yellow wire

envelopings."

I glanced down and idly opened the telegram. It was from Cal Davidson

himself, and read: "Name best price outright sale bill Helen to me answer

Chicago."

So then, the scoundrel actually was on his way down the lakes, headed

for the South, even thus early in the season! I knew, of course, that

Bill Helen meant Belle Helène. As though I would sell my boat to

him, of all men! It might almost as well have been a sale of Helena

herself outright, as this cursed telegram stated. I crumpled the sheet

in my hand.

"If Honorable contemplates some answering of mail this morning, it

will be one ow-wore till the miserable pony mail carry all man comes,"

ventured Hiroshimi.

"Nothing this morning, Hiro," I managed to choke out, "and, Hiro, make

ready my bag, the small one, for a journey."




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