CAREER MAN’S BRIDE

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 12825, 21 August 1939, Page 3

CAREER MAN’S BRIDE

CHAFTER V. c.anben, ha™g disembarked at SP t town which served as BohZ! principal port, was now aboard ancient, uarrow-sauge trarn "ucl. was taking him inland toward r uis the country’s capital, Sa itpuffed and rattled through mat- , , Singles, past banana, rubber and „ra plantations, and laboured over sierras- Ut. I" «« * tleraoon ' “ rame to final stop. Ca gteph en climbed out onto the station platform. As he stood there uncertainly, a lean man in a wnnk--IfJfl white liwm suit approached. “Hughes? I’m Bailey,” said the roa u. hodliug out his hand. “Horace Bailey, the American Consul.’ • Stephen grasped the proffered liaiuh “M ce ot you t 0 meet nie ’ Bailey smiled. “Mark it down to curiosity. I couldn’t wait until morning to see what sort of an assistant they had sent me. “Well, I hope you’re not disappointed,” Stephen laughed. Bailey looked him up and down

with an appraising glance, “You look all right,” y he said, with another smile.

Stephen, making an appraisal of his own, saw that the other’s leanness was almost emaciation. The Consul looked ill.

‘‘Bring your bags,” Bailey said. "We’ll get a taxi outside. You can put up to-night at the Hotel Presidio,’’

At the hotel, in Stephen’s room, the Consul became talkative. Ste- . phea soon gathered that he was .disgruntled. The Amer-

lean Minister, it seemed, spent most ‘ of his time at a mountain resort, and Stephen’s predecessor had been inefficient. Thus, Bailey had found himself carrying too many responsibilities for one man and, as he was a victim of recurring malaria, the business of the Consulate had suffered.

“That’s why I wag anxious to know' if they had sent me a good taau,” he ended. Stephen, in the weeks that followed,. did his best to prove that ke was a good man. He took his duties in his stride, and considerably relieved the overworked Bailey. Outside his work, he drifted into the social life of the foreign colony °i San Luis, Life was easy, uneventful.

Only one incident occurred that sturbed. and-perplexed him. That as his first interview with Jason Euv °y' Extraordinary and L niS c , ter Pleni Potentiary of the Uninnhi- tat6S ° f Ameri ca to the RepubllcJ>f Bolivar. a stout » pompous tha Slxty * stU(i ied Stephen over wide top of his desk. “BaiiL 3 ?^ 6 Hughes? ” he said. ( V tells me you are all right.” St ephen P lr y W ° rk is satisfa ctory,” yaen murmured. iteM n r! r7 ~ n ® aiiey sa « s <>” «»t (of W Cleared hls tiroat - "ITo 1 ta T 'f a siecial meat of Pnu . \ The sovemtations to %ar has made represents* thu ’ n° U 1 governm ent concerninto this eg - !d sm “Sg'ins OE arms Ports. CoUll try from American

that thi s d6 aiV Alej * 0 iS of the bel ief in 8 conduct JT d Smugglin S is bea nd that )y cer tain Americans, ‘ the are going t 0 a

tn/ JOSEPH LEWIS CHADWICK

Coyr- 1*33 CaHtd Ttatan ErndloU, to*.

faction of Bolivarians who are plan-

ning an uprising against his administration. Our government has replied that attempts will be made, to intercept such alleged shipments at their source, and has instructed me to look into the matter at this end.” Kirby paused a moment, then went on.

“I am detailing that job to you, Hughes.- You are to look into the matter.”

“Yes, sir,” said Stephen, Kirby looked at him steadily. “Yes, look into it, Hughes —but only, mind you, when your other duties permit. Do you understand?” “Only when my other duties permit,” Stephen repeated. “Exactly!” Kirby hoisted himself from his chair. “I shall now advise President Ale jo that the Consulate is conducting an—er, investigation —of the alleged gun-running. That’s all, Hughes. Good morning!” For a time,' Stephen worried over the assignment. Then, baffled, and unable to make any headway, he

decided to discuss it with the Consul. Horace Bailey listened with a crooked smile. v "Do exactly as you were instructed,” he advised., ‘And nothing more.” "But that’s not getting the job done,” Stephen objected. “Why can’t I let some of my routine work slide and take up this matter?” Bailey’s tone was dry. "Hasn’t it occurred to you that, for some reason of his own, Kirby desn’t want the job done?”

"Yes,” Stephen replied. “But it doesn’t make sense.” Then shrugging, "Still, Kirby is the boss, so I suppose it’s not for me to question his motives.”

"That’s the wise attitude,” Bailey said. "Kirby’s got some private iron in the fire. He's likely to get burned. Let him. You just obey orders.”

Stephen took Bailey's advice, hut every time he thought of the matter it bothered him. Gradually, however, it receded in importance, In the press of other work, it was easiest not to think about it.

Then, about two months after his arrival, he received two items of news from the outside world that gave him a jolt. The first was a cablegram from John Osborne’s butler: Your uncle passed away suddenly of heart attack. ' Gregg. Stephen had long hours of pain after receiving that message. The memory of his last hitter scene with John Osborne was like a wound in his conscience. The second piece of news followed close upon the first. He came upon it while looking through a newspaper from home —a picture of Eleanor above which was the heading, “Betrothed.” The caption beneath read: Miss Eleanor Hayden, whose engagement to Guy Michaels, wellknown artist and sportsman, was announced yesterday. Stephen* crumpled the newspaper, and flung it from him. He rose and left the Consulate, to walk about the sun-scorched streets like a man in a daze. He knew he was still in love with Eleanor. (To be continued).