A Man and His Money

Heatherbloom. It was born in the darkness of the hour; he could not dispel it. What if the person in whom he had confid

e mendicancy a profession; their jibes and jests on the credulity of the public yet rang in his ears. What if she-his casual acquaintance of

proud mistress and owner was alleged to have refused twenty thousand for him. The perspiration broke out on Mr. Heatherbloom's face. Was Naughty of this category? He

ifferent meetings; details that had not impressed themselves upon him at the time-that had almost escaped his notice, now stood out clearer-too clear, in his mind. He remembered how she had brightened astonishingly after

d him there; only trees confronted him, gaunt, ghostlike in the early morning mists. Even the squirrels were yet abed in their miniature Swiss chalets in the air. The sun rose at last, red and threatening. He now met

en admitted. He himself went in through the area way; from above came joyous barks, a woman's voice; pandemonium. Mr. Heatherbloom li

these recommends av mine-they're from furriners-and if yez be havin' ony friends who be wanting a maid and yez might be so good as to recommind me, I'd be thankin' of yez, for it's wurrk I wants.' Think av that now. Only wu

actually engaged her?" Mr. Hea

now?" Scornfully. "Sure, an' is

n her dire distress, had appealed to him. How he despised now the uncharitable dark thoughts of the night! How he could congratulate himse

to complete as unostentatiously as possible his ter

terviews with Miss Van Rolsen, and returned no more. They were a mournful lot, these would-be, ten-dollar-a-week custodian

tly as he could. Two weeks more, te

metimes he nodded to her in distant fashion, sometimes she got by before he actually realized he had passed her. She seemed to move so quickly and with such little ado; or, it may be, he was not very observant. He didn't

arie, they called

s that it cost you your position to-d

med. "Don't wo

I?" Steady dark

ntrary!" V

understan

oom gestured airily. "I should do much better

e started. "It was easy to see that; when I mentioned regretfully that the good fortune that brought me where there is plenty; to eat should have been the cause of your bei

so," he said jauntily. "Miss Da

ith sudden, very mature gaze.

orth while. Which reminds me"-he rattle

he said

that night after I had consigned him to your ca

?" She ca

onfusion, his endeavor to turn the conversation from himself

ed what?" I

id, coolly enough. "If you had some ulte

tarted back, and her

rior motive? Wh

Miss Dalrymple. She is beginning to be so fond of me." She drawled the last words as if she liked to linger on them. "You see I, too, have a little Russian blood in me." Mr. Heatherbloom looked down. "And I think she loves to hear me tell of that wonderful country-the white nights of St. Petersbu

ures had hardened; he d

about Russia?" he s

s it not to be her

is her country. She is its product; an American to her finger-tips. And all the grand dukes and princes of the Winter Palace can't change her. She b

monsieur can be! Quite an orator! One would say he, t

atherbloom

his casual acquaintance of the park! He gazed at her closer; how quickly the ma

ooking into eyes now full of a

she said an

over him. A premonition of something going to happen; that could not be foreseen, or averted! Something worse than a

n days-six days