John Reed Scott

“ Macloud exclaimed. “Men aren’t equal!—they’re born to different social scales, different intellectualities, different conditions otherwise. For the purpose of suffrage they may, in the theory of our government, be equal—but we haven’t yet demonstrated it. We exclude the Japanese and Chinese. We have included the negro, only within the living generation—and it’s entirely evident, now, we made a monstrous mistake by doing it. Equal! Equal! Never in this world!”
“How about the next world?” asked Croyden.
“I don’t know!” laughed Macloud, as they ascended the steps of the hotel. ”

“ Macloud responded, “with the whole Municipal Government rotten to the core, councilmen falling over one another in their eagerness to plead nolle contendere and escape the penitentiary, bankers in jail for bribery, or fighting extradition; and graft! graft! graft! permeating every department of the civic life—and published by the newspapers’ broadcast, through the land, for all the world to read, while the people, as a body, sit supine, and meekly suffer the robbers to remain. ”

“ Elaine asked.
“I don’t know—sometimes I think he does, and sometimes I think he doesn’t!” she laughed. “He is an accomplished flirt and difficult to gauge.”
“Well, let me tell you one fact, for your information: there isn’t a more indifferent man in Northumberland. He goes everywhere, is in great demand, is enormously popular, yet, I’ve never known him to have even an affair. He is armor-plated—but he is a dear, a perfect dear, Davila!”
“I know it!” she said, with heightening color—and Elaine said no more, then.
“Shall you prefer to meet Mr. Croyden alone, for the first time, or in company?” ”

“ Miss Erskine gave a little shriek of horror.
“I do not believe it, Mr. Croyden!—you’re playing on my credulity. I shall have to give you some instructions. I will lecture on Stuart and Peale, and the painters of their period, for your especial delectation—and soon, very soon!”
“I’m afraid it would all be wasted,” said Croyden. “I’m not fond of art, I confess—except on the commercial side; and if I’ve any pictures, at Clarendon, worth money, I’ll be for selling them.”
“Oh! Mrs. Carrington! Will you listen—did you ever hear such heresy?” she exclaimed. “I can’t believe it of you, Mr. Croyden. ”

“ My whole fortune isn’t over twenty thousand dollars. It I will gladly sacrifice, but more is impossible.”
“You’re not to pay, my old friend,” said Croyden. “Mr. Macloud and I are the ones aimed at and we will pay.”
“I won’t permit it, sir!” the Captain exclaimed. “There is no reason for you——”
“Tut! tut!” said Croyden, “you forget that we are wholly responsible; but for us, Miss Carrington and Miss Cavendish would not have been abducted. The obligation is ours, and we will discharge it. It is our plain, our very plain, duty.” ”

“ What assurance have you that, when I leave here, I won’t go straight to Annapolis and steal your treasure?”
“No assurance, except a lamblike trust in your friendship,” said Croyden, with an amused smile.
“Your recent experience with Royster & Axtell and the Heights should beget confidences of this kind?” he said sarcastically, tapping the letter the while. “You trust too much in friendship, Croyden. Tests of half a million dollars aren’t human!” Then he grinned. “I always thought there was something God-like about me. So, maybe, you’re safe. ”

“ Good day, sir, good day.” And removing his hat with a bow just a little less deferential than the one he had given to Miss Carrington, he proceeded up the street, leisurely and deliberately, as though the world were waiting for him.
“And he is a real estate agent!” reflected Croyden. “The man who, according to our way of thinking, is the acme of hustle and bustle and business, and schemes to trap the unwary. Truly, the Eastern Shore has much to learn—or we have much to unlearn! ”

“ There is one in the Duval lot—the Duvals from whom Mr. Croyden got Clarendon, you know—and I never have been able to understand just what it means. It is erected to the memory of one Robert Parmenter, and has cut in the slab the legend: ‘He feared nor man, nor god, nor devil,’ and below it, a man on his knees making supplication to one standing over him. If he feared nor man, nor god, nor devil, why should he be imploring mercy from any one?”
“Do you know who Parmenter was?” said Macloud. ”

“ Macloud warned.
“Not at all!” said Croyden. “If the guest doesn’t please me, I’m going to talk to Miss Carrington.”
“You’re growing blasé,” she warned.
“Is that an evidence of it?” he asked. “If it is, I know one who must be too blasé even to move,” with a meaning glance at Macloud.
A light foot-fall on the stairs, the soft swish of skirts in the hallway, Croyden turned, expectantly—and Miss Cavendish entered the room.
There was an instant’s silence. Croyden’s from astonishment; the others’ with watching him. ”

“ Meanwhile, the two women had continued on to Ashburton.
“Did he recognize me?” Elaine asked, dropping her muff from before her face, when they were past the two men.
“I think not,” answered Davila.
“Did he give any indication of it?”
“None, whatever.”
“It would make a difference in my—attitude toward him when we met!” she smiled.
“Naturally! a very great difference.” Elaine was nervous, she saw. The fact that Croyden did not come out and stop them, that he let them go on, was sufficient proof that he had not recognized her. ”

“ From the moment you enter the Academy, as a plebe, until you have joined the lost souls on the retired list, you are diligently engaged in greasing every one who ranks you and in being greased by every one whom you rank. And the more assiduous and adroit you are at the greasing business, the more pleasant the life you lead. The man who ranks you can, when placed over you, make life a burden or a pleasure as his fancy and his disposition dictate. ”

“ Oh, on that score, Hampton’s not half bad, my friend!” he laughed.
“You mean there are half a dozen of that sort,” with a slight jerk of his head toward Miss Carrington, “who are unmarried?”
Croyden nodded—then looked across; and both men raised their hats and bowed.
“And how many married?” Macloud queried.
“Several—but you let them alone—it’s not fashionable here, as yet, for a pretty married woman to have an affair. She loves her husband, or acts it, at least. They’re neither prudes nor prigs, but they are not that.” ”

“ Because another mushroom millionaire bought books for his library by the foot, had gold mangers and silver stalls for his horses, and adorned himself with diamonds like an Indian Rajah, were no incentives to the Cavendishes to do likewise. They pursued the even tenor of the well-bred way.
Cavencliffe was a great, roomy country-house, in the Colonial style, furnished in chintz and cretonnes, light and airy, with wicker furniture and bird’s-eye maple throughout, save in the dining-room, where there was the slenderest of old Hepplewhite. ”

“ This is about the prettiest spot I’ve ever seen, the Chesapeake and the broad river—the old town and the Academy buildings—the warships at anchor—the tout ensemble! We may not find the treasure, but, at least, we’ve got a fine camp—though, I reckon, it is a bit breezy when the wind is from the Bay. ”

“ Everywhere was quiet, peace, and discipline—the embodiment of order and law,—the Flag flying over all.
And yet, he was on his way to pay a ransom of very considerable amount, for two women who were held prisoners!
He tied his horse to a limb of a maple, and walked out on the Point. Save for a few trees, uprooted by the gales, it was the same Point they had dug over a few weeks before. A negro, chopping at a log, stopped his work, a moment, to look at him curiously, then resumed his labor.
“The Pinkerton man!” thought Croyden, but he made no effort to speak to him. ”

“ I think you will welcome the change. It will be a new life, and, in a measure, a quiet life, but there are compensations to one to whom life holds more than garish living and ostentatious show.”
“You know the people of the Eastern Shore?” asked Croyden.
“No!—but I know the people of the Western Shore, and they come from the same stock—and it’s good stock, mighty good stock! Moreover, you are not burying yourself so deep—Baltimore is just across the Bay, and Philadelphia and New York are but a few hours distant—less distant than this place is, indeed.” ”

“ Croyden laughed shortly. “It isn’t pleasant to relate how one has been such an addle-pated ass——”
“Then, forgive me.—I didn’t mean to——”
“Nonsense! I understand—moreover, it will ease my mortification to confide in one who won’t attempt to sympathize. I don’t care for sympathy, I don’t deserve it, and what’s more, I won’t have it.”
“Don’t let that worry you,” Macloud answered. “You won’t be oppressed by any rush of sympathy. No one is who gets pinched in the stock market. ”

“ Macloud observed. “If you hadn’t searched, you always would have thought that, maybe, you could have been successful. Now, you’ve had your try—and you’ve failed. It will be easier to reconcile yourself to failure, than not to have tried.”
“In other words, it’s better to have tried and lost, than never to have tried at all,” Croyden answered. “Well! it’s over and there’s no profit in thinking more about it. We have had an enjoyable camp, and the camp is ended. I’ll go home and try to forget Parmenter, and the jewel box he buried down on Greenberry Point.” ”

“ Inheriting a superb machine from a “matchless leader,”—who 144 died in the harness—he had developed it into a well nigh perfect organization for political control. All power was in his hands, from the lowest to the highest, he ruled with a sway as absolute as a despot. His word was the ultimate law—from it an appeal did not lie.
“How are you, old fellow?” he said to Macloud, dropping a hand on his shoulder. “I haven’t seen you for a long time—and, Mr. Croyden, I think I have met you in Northumberland. ”

“ He could hear the Band of the Academy pounding out a quick-step, and catch a glimpse of the long line of midshipmen passing in review, before some notable. The “custard and cream” of the 323 chapel dome obtruded itself in all its hideousness; the long reach of Bancroft Hall glowed white in the sun; the library with its clock—the former, by some peculiar idea, placed at the farthest point from the dormitory, and the latter where the midshipmen cannot see it—dominated the opposite end of the grounds. ”

“ Macloud asked.
“It’s a question of resolution, not of inclination,” Croyden answered. “I don’t know whether I’ve sufficient resolution to go, and sufficient resolution to stay, if I do go. It may be easier not to go, at all—to live here, and wander, elsewhere, when the spirit moves.” ”

“ And Macloud understood. “I’ve been thinking over the proposition you recently advanced of the folly of a relatively poor man marrying a rich girl,” he said, “and you’re all wrong. It’s a question of the respective pair, not a theory that can be generalized over. I admit, the man should not be a pauper, but, if he have enough money to support himself, and the girl love him and he loves the girl, the fact that she has gobs more money, won’t send them on the rocks. It’s up to the pair, I repeat.”
“Meaning, that it would be up to Elaine Cavendish and me?” answered Croyden. ”

“ Carrington—“that is, if you care aught for Davila’s good opinion. If one can’t play Bridge one would better not be born.”
“When you know Mother a little better, Mr. Croyden, you will recognize that she is inclined to exaggerate at times,” said Miss Carrington. “I admit that I am fond of the game, that I like to play with people who know how, and who, at the critical moment, are not always throwing the wrong card—you understand?” ”

“ Northumberland isn’t half so bad as it’s painted. We may make fun of it—but we like it, just the same.”
“Yes, I suppose we do,” said Macloud. “Though we get mighty sick of seeing every scatterbrain who sets fire to the Great White Way branded by the newspapers as a Northumberland millionaire. We’ve got our share of fools, but we haven’t a monopoly of them, by any means.”
“We had a marvelously large crop, however, running loose at one time, recently!” laughed Croyden. ”

“ Macloud remarked. “It’s the old ruse, 245 in a slightly modified form. Instead of a telephone or gas inspector, it was a workman whom the servant knew; a little more trouble in disguising himself, but vastly more satisfactory in results.”
“They are clever rogues,” said Croyden—“and the disguise must have been pretty accurate to deceive Moses.”
“Disguise is their business,” Macloud replied, laconically. “If they’re not proficient in it, they go to prison—sure.” ”

“ Croyden nodded.
“They have been rather persistent,” Macloud replied.
“It’s absurd!” Croyden exclaimed. “We haven’t the jewels. Damn Parmenter and his infernal letter!”
“Parmenter is not to blame,” said Macloud. “Damn the thieves.”
“And damn my carelessness in letting them pick my pocket! there lies the entire difficulty.”
“Well, the thing, now, is to save the women—and how?”
“Pay, if need be!” exclaimed Croyden. “The two hundred thousand I got for the Virginia Development bonds will be just enough.” ”

“ At eleven o’clock the following day, Croyden, mounted on one of “Cheney’s Best,” rode away from the hotel. There had been a sudden change in the weather, during the night; the morning was clear and bright and warm, as happens, sometimes, in Annapolis, in late November. The Severn, blue and placid, flung up an occasional white cap to greet him, as he crossed the bridge. He nodded to the draw-keeper, who recognized him, drew aside for an automobile to pass, and then trotted sedately up the hill, and into the woods beyond. ”

“ Croyden looked at him, doubtfully.
“I’m telling you the truth,” said Macloud. “She tried to get your address, when I was last in Northumberland, and I refused.”
“And then, she stumbles on it through Davila Carrington! The world is small. I reckon, if I went off into some deserted spot in Africa, it wouldn’t be a month until some fellow I knew, or who knows a mutual friend, would come nosing around, and blow on me.” ”

“ Croyden shook his head.
“Go on!” said he. “It’s a very good occupation for you, sitting up to the old gent. I’ll give you a chance by staying away, to-night. Make a hit with grandpa, Colin, make a hit with grandpa!”
“And you make a hit with yourself—get rid of your foolish theory, and come down to simple facts,” Macloud retorted, and he went out.
“Get rid of your foolish theory,” Croyden soliloquized. “Well, maybe—but is it foolish, that’s the question? I’m poor, once more—I’ve not enough even for Elaine Cavendish’s husband—there’s the rub! ”

“ He would that Elaine had stayed away from Hampton. It was putting him to too severe a test—to be with her, to be subject to her alluring loveliness, and, yet, to be unmoved. It is hard to see the luscious fruit within one’s reach and to refrain from even touching it. It grew harder the more he contemplated it....
“It’s no use fighting against it, here!” he exclaimed, going into Macloud’s room, and throwing himself on a chair. ”

“ But, search as they might, no evidence of work was disclosed.
“What does it mean?” said Croyden. “Have they abandoned the quest?”
“Not very likely,” replied Macloud, “with half a million at stake. They probably are seeking information; when they have it, we shall see them back again.”
“Suppose they bring four or five others to help them?”
“They won’t—never fear!—they’re not sharing the treasure with any one else. Rather, they will knife each other for it. Honor among thieves is like the Phœnix—it doesn’t exist.”
“If the knifing business were to occur before the finding, it would help some!” ”

“ You may have slipped up on the Parmenter treasure, but you have struck it here.”
“Too rich,” Croyden answered. “There’s something queer about that letter.”
Macloud smoked his cigar, and smiled.
“There’s nothing queer about the letter!”—he said. “Blaxham’s customer may have the willies—indeed, he as much as intimates that such is the case—but, thank God! we’re not obliged to have a commission-in-lunacy appointed on everybody who makes a silly stock or bond purchase. If we were, we either would have no markets, or the courts would have time for nothing else. No! no! old man! ”

“ I’ve had time for thought and meditation. I’m not sure I should go back to Northumberland, even if the Parmenter jewels are real. Had I stayed there I suppose I should have taken my chance with the rest, but I’m becoming doubtful, recently, of giving such hostages to fortune. It’s all right for a woman to marry a rich man, but it is a totally different proposition for a poor man to marry a rich woman. 103 Even with the Parmenter treasure, I’d be poor in comparison with Elaine Cavendish and her millions—and I’m afraid the sweet bells would soon be jangling out of tune. ”