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."