The Fortune Hunter.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 279, 23 November 1921, Page 13

The Fortune Hunter.

By RUBY AYRES Author of "The Dancing Master," "Tli* Story of Ninette" etc

CHATTER NX IT. FOETUXE HUNTER DISCOVERS A PORTRAIT. The Fortune Hunter met, Anno's eyes stendilr. "I havp been lv San Francisco half a' <10/.en times." lie answprpd her, "but I ' iavi ' nf}yn ' ,ai ' t' ,o honour of running a gamblinj? saloon there I—or1—or of being warned off by the police." ITc looked at Feraie with a challenging smile- "You'd h(, surprised if you knew all the romantic stories that have followed mc to Somsrton, Mr. Fcrnie," he said ooniidingly. •'The latest of tliom Is that 1 once made a fortune, or tried to, by running a gambling hell, in the company of some dark-eyed honri. who. I suppose, is credited with having acted as decoy for mc." He laughed and looked down at Anne, iut she had turned her iace away and fiacs atarißg steadily into the fire. "Humph! It's queer liow tales get about,' , Fernie said in his slow way. "I've heard a few myself, Mr. vSmith." "And circulated a few, T dare say!" the Fortune Hunter answered good tern* nered'ly. "I don't blame you! Any of voir! "After all, a strantier must be very welcome in a sleepy village like, this! ]t gives people something fresh to talk about." "A nine-days' wonder, in fact, eh?" Femil' said dryly. "Well, you're right there, Mt. Smith: it isn't often, anything excitin" happens in Somerton. The finding of that man in the woods six weeks ago is still something we're all interested in."' Anne shivered. "We shall never know who he was now," she said. Old Fernie rubbed his chin and looked up sideways at the Fortune Hunter. "Well, I'm not sn sure about that, Miss Harding," he Faid. "I've known mysteries solved years and years after most people have thought them all done with and" forgotten." He strolled over to the window and looked out at the pouring rain. "I'm afraid you'll have to stay for a. hit," he said again. Tt's going to rain for an hour or more yet." Anne turned. ''Oh. biri \.ve must get home! Uncle will wonder where we are: he knows we went an the river." "Mr. Harding will know you're sheltering soniewheTe," Fernie answered casually. He came hack lo where she at and' stirred the fire into a brighter blazed "That's the worst of our English weather, you know. Mt. Smith," he went on. "You can never depend on it! Fine one minute. And like this the next! A hit different from what you've been used to. now, I'll be Bound." "A 1 good deal better than some," the Fortune , Hunter answered dryly. '"I once spent a winter up in Alaska." The Fortune Hunter was wandering round' the room restlessly. "I think it's clearing up a bit,!' he arid; and stopped abrubtly. Anne , turr.pd her head, and saw tlrat is was staring at something on the fflmtelslielf above her head with a look ofblttnk amaopmpnt and incredulity in *«■ eyes. She followed his gaze apprehensively. lr Wliat arc you looking at?" blip asked. Hp didrnirt answer, seemed not to have heartl, hut li? put up his hand niirt took down the framed portrait n\ /i. woman which. Lad bwn puehp.d. rathov to> the back- of, tlio' Elielr and hidden; by one- of t he pevter pote. Tr was an olrlfasioned photograph of a. , woman, who was youi!«= —not morn than five, and twenty—wore- lier lvair ilressea. in. the styln of thiCTjt years, ago. I J er dress was old fashioned too. witll n tiglitly-fittins bodico, many buttons-, and a high, frilled collar. The Fortune Hunter stood staring .at it. the colour draining- slowly from his faco; hp seemed to have, forgotten everything hut rim portrait hn held' in his hand, till Feu .c- moved up and stood beside him. "You seem interested, >Ir. 'Smitlir lie said in his dry. slow tone?. "Yes—" the Fortune Hunter started! looked up dazedly at the old man and bade once more tcr thp portmitr. "A pretty face, eh?" Fernie said ironically. "Is that what attracts- your notice, Mr. Smith?"" "Yes—no." the Fortune Hunter answered' incoherently. And then "Wlio is it r Who is she?" "he naked' jerkily. Old Fernie laughed dryly; then he pointed, to thn pictured face with tlie stem of his pipe. "She was my wifn!" Tie said. '"T say was, because slic left mc thirty years am>, and I reckon T vras more pleased to gat rid of her than sue was of mc." He replaced his pipe in his mouth and sucked at it reflectively, and for a moment nobody spoke. Then the Korfcnnq Hunter- put the portrait back on the mantelshelf and walked over to the window again. Anne pulled back bei chair, and ro?a ruddeniy. "tt"s not raining any more; I think., Shn walked to tJio doer and stood in the tosh,-damp air. She: heaTd. the Fortune Hunter tfiankinjj Eernic for the shelter, a.nd then ho joined her outside. Slie looked up a-t tim. . "You had better put your coat on tow. I am quite warm and dry." "I shouldn't think of it. 11l change re-hen we got back." He answered ifeeirtly, as if his thoughts were still far away. They went down to th-e punt, but in spite of the tarpaulin cover which they had pulled over it the rain liad; penetrateu, leaving little wet pools and drenching the cushions. -i We shall have to walk," tlie Fortune Hunter said decidedly. '7t*s too wet for you. ni come b at; i- iater an(l f etcQ tho boat." They set off tojrother alon<r the tow- "]? path and crossed by the bridge. Tho i ortune Himter'« (μ-v. "was a. little pale a nn preoccupied, and he hardly spoke at JUI. It was only just as they reaahed Vjerry that Anne said constrainedly : _ "I tt-onder if you quite realise how muon Fernie hates yon." ■jlfates mo!" lie echoed fclie words Jltn faint amusement. "Does lie? Pernaps h e has n j s own reasons for doing '"Hie own reasons! What do v°u mean 1" .."^tWng—l don't know why I said i"; He opened the garden sate to «t *or. pass through. -'And please your clothes at once." he axJded peremptorily. "And you—you are wetter than I am." i ani jroing to change now." but. though lie wont straight to his r opm, the Fortune 'Hunter made no wort to take off hi* wet clothes. ? Inne took a bunch of keys from his IWct and unlocked the small drawer

in the dressing table. A small packet of letters —the only 'belongings he had •brought to Somerton—were tu'eked away under sonic collars and handkerchiefs, and he took them out with hands that were not quite eteady, .-sorting them through till he found a faded photograph of a woman in the style of dress worn 30 years before. For a long time he stood looking down )nt it, a heavy frown between his eyes. "1 can't have been mistaken. It's imTOssi'ble" be told hinise-lf over and over again. The gong for lunch rang through the house and he hurriedly put the ]jJiotograph and the bundle of papers back in the do-awer and cha-nged iris clothes. The- rain had cleared off and a watery gun wae enining across the river as he went downstairs. "1 wonder if you' quite realise how much Fernie hates you?" Anne's words came ■ba'dk to him significantly. Why had &he said that? Was it something she ha<l seen in th» cottage? Something-she had heard in the tone of the old , man's voice ? He knew that iher instinct was womterfill; at any rate where he was concerned, and yet it had not "been sufficiently strong to penetcasbe- the disguise of his own fraud. He tried hard to disguise his restlessness during the afternoon. But he knew Anne was quite well aware of it; knew that Iher brown eyes followed his every movement. Once or twice h<? made fl half-hearted excuse to get away from her —he would go and fetch, the punt they had left at Lopg End. he suggested, but she said at once that she wou-ld come with him. For the iirst time in his life he wanted to be by himself —to go 'bock to Fernie's <-ottage and find out the truth of thia sudden new suspicion that had been bom in his mind that morning. If it was true . . . well, Garry Cannon's optimistic words might yet be realised and his luck held! They found that Femie had. dried the punt and' the cushions for them and left it all ready. "That uvas decent of him," the Fortune- Hunter said*. "I'll just go and thank li-ian?' But the cottage door was ibeked, and nolbody answered lids repeated knocking. Anne watched him silently; she saw the look of strained excitement in his face, an-d her heart sanSc. "I wish the old chap had been in, v the Portuner HTunter said, with a last backward glance at the cottage as he stopped into the punt. '"It looks ungracious not to thank 'him." "Y«i thanked him. this morning,' 1 Anne said, sharply. "If there was anything to thank him for!" The Fortune' Hiiniter made no answer .as- he pushed' the punt out into tlio stream, his eyes were very bright, and there was a. sort of suppressed excitement about liim of which Anne was painfully conscious. He hardly spoke all the way home; he seemed ,to be lost in thought, but jnst as they neared the moorings at Cferry he drew tb» punt pole in. and came to sit down 'beside Anne 1 . He took her left ha-nd, which was lying on her la-p, and. held it for a moment, looking at her ringless fingers with little sorry, -expression in his eyes. "I should like to give you a. ring to wear in place of the one you—yot; threw away- this- morning," "he said abruptly. "May v \ t v , as my mothers—" H o waited, 'but she did not spealv and. he added, with a mirthless sort of laugh, "You. need not wear It on—the third linger unless you wish." He saw the painful colour creep .slowly int o her face and felt her hand trcnrble as she drew it a-wa-y j "You seem to forget tW I still have one nn ff of yonirs that I hare never dlared to weaoy , she said almost in a> whisper. ™ ring "~ of mm* -" he echoed stifllv. Tee-yott-ali, !ook:-' she broke off Po.nhnfr. upwards- and slirinkin- away trom him as if in sudden fear. ° A' ragged-looking black crow was hovenng just above their heads, and as the- Fortune Hunter glanced upwards thn bird circled round so low that they could almost feel tho-rush a f wind made l>v liia wings. Then' he- cawed twice—three .times—as if in- hoarse mockery, and llas-hed away down the river. ''Good lord! What an extraordinary thing! the Fortune Hunter said blankly Then he looked- at Anne. -'Why what is it.?■' he asked quickly. "Don't you know what it means?" she asked faintly. "Don't you know that there's an old'superstition that if a crow circles over anyone's and caws three times something dreadful is going to liappen? Oh. I've felt it all along—l've known it.' . He tried to laugh at her. "Wh;y; what rronßenßo! What can happen? Aβ if it could make any difference! I never thought rou were so foolishi Anne!" Her lips trembled. "Don't laiigii at me —please!" she said faintly. Phe sprang ashore as- soon as the DOiifc touched'the bank and rana-way to the house, the tears running down her cheeks; (To be- continued diuTy.)