For Gold or Soul?

by Lurana Sheldon

  CHAPTER VIII.

  A FIENDISH PROPOSITION.

  When Faith left the car Bob Hardy followed her. He made no attempt toconceal the fact that he was watching her, and when Faith had reachedthe middle of a block of vacant lots he quickened his steps and was soonbeside her.

  "Just a minute, miss," he said, tapping her lightly on the shoulder.

  Faith wheeled around and confronted him with cold dignity.

  "Well, what do you wish with me, sir?" she asked quietly. "I noticedthat you were following me. Have you had orders to do so?"

  "Not exactly, miss," said the detective, a little disconcertedly, "butyou are in a pretty bad fix over that money affair, and I just thoughtI'd put you on your guard as a sort of favor."

  "What?"

  Faith's voice fairly vibrated with indignation. "Explain yourself, sir.I do not understand you?"

  "Oh, if you insist," said the detective with a disagreeable leer, "Iwon't be so unkind as to disappoint a lady."

  He stepped a little to one side as he spoke, and his eyes wanderedscrutinizingly over Faith's lovely face and figure.

  "You see," he continued, "you are badly tangled up in that affair at theoffice; in fact, to be plain, Mr. Forbes thinks that you stole the fivehundred dollars, and it will go hard with you when he gets back to biz;that's why I wanted to warn you."

  "Indeed!"

  Faith's head towered above the detective's as she spoke.

  "You are very kind, Mr. Detective; but, as I have stolen no money, noranything else, I have no fear of Mr. Forbes, or any need of your mostextraordinary warning. You will please allow me to pass and not followme any farther. It is no sign because I am working in a store that I amnot a lady and entitled to courtesy."

  She started to pass him, but with a stride the fellow was before her.

  "Not so fast, my fine lady," he cried with a sneer. "You don't know me,I guess. I don't let thieves escape me so easily."

  "How dare you?" cried Faith, her face flaming with anger.

  "Oh, I dare anything," retorted the detective, "especially where myreputation is at stake! I've got orders from Forbes to catch that thief,and, as you are the easiest bird to catch, I'm just going to bagyou--that's all there is about it. I'll swear that I found this wad ofbills in your pocket, see!"

  He drew a roll of money from his pocket and flourished it before her ashe spoke.

  "Oh, you would never be so wicked, so dastardly, as that!" cried Faith."Have you no sense of honor, no manliness about you?"

  Her words were so appealing that the detective winced a little. His keeneyes shifted uneasily. He could not face her.

  "I offered to warn you," he muttered at last. "There's a way out of thefix if you are a mind to take it."

  "But I am in no fix!" protested Faith. "I have done no wrong! How dareyou accuse me!"

  The detective went on as though she had not spoken.

  "There's a way out of it, miss; you have only to say the word. I know agent that's in love with you this very minute. He'll fix things with oldForbes--he's got lots of dough. Just you promise to be agreeable andI'll hush the whole thing up to-morrow."

  As he made this fiendish suggestion he eyed the girl sharply.

  Each change in her expression seemed to render her more beautiful. For amoment she was dazed and almost powerless to speak, then, as a greatwave of color swept up to her very brow, she fairly hissed her answerin a scorching whisper.

  "You coward! You cur! Go at once and leave me! Make what accusations youlike--I am afraid of you no longer! In God will I place my trust, and Hewill not forsake me! Go, I say, and think well over what you are doing.Remember that there is One above you who is watching your evil deeds andas surely as He will punish the wicked so will He protect the innocent!"

  As she spoke the last words she walked hastily away.

  Bob Hardy stared after her stupidly, but did not attempt to follow her.

  "Well, what did she say?" asked a voice at his elbow.

  A well-dressed man of middle age had walked slowly across the street andstood waiting impatiently for Hardy's answer.

  The detective drew a long breath and shrugged his shoulders a little.

  "Oh, she's a high flyer," he answered, cautiously. "It will take time toclip her wings and tame her, captain, but don't you worry a bit. I'llearn your fifty dollars."

  "As you have earned several other fifties," said the "captain," smiling."Oh, well, you are in the right place for just such work. It's dead easyfor you, Hardy. Why, those girls would all of them jump at the chance ofgetting out from behind those counters, but the deuce of it is that it'sonly the new ones who are pretty."

  "Well, you've picked out the prettiest now, all right," laughed Hardy."But I expect I shall have to scare her a little. She's not only proudas Lucifer, but she's chock full of religion. Says God will protect herand all that sort of thing."

  The well-dressed "captain" threw back his head and roared.

  "God will trouble Himself a lot about her, I'm thinking," he said,chuckling. "He is so given to looking after those half-starvedcreatures! Why, the Devil is the shop girls' best friend, if they onlyknew it."

  "He stands by us pretty well, too, eh! captain?" said Hardy. "But I mustbe getting home, as I live way over in Jersey. I'll report to-morrownight at your place downtown. She'll be less religious by that time ifshe sees that God has gone back on her, I guess."

  "You mean that you will press the charge against her and have them sendher to jail? That's going pretty far, Hardy; but I'll leave it to yourjudgment."

  "Oh, pshaw! She'll be tractable before it comes to that pass, captain.I've seen girls before. I know how to handle 'em."

  The two men parted, Hardy going to his home in Jersey, while the manwhom he had called "captain" went in the direction of Fifth avenue.

  When he arrived at his magnificent bachelor apartments he let himself inwith a latch-key. His colored valet was busy in one of the rooms packinghis master's clothing into two traveling bags.

  "Well, Dave," said the captain, gayly, "we will have a fine trip South,I fancy; but don't hurry with that packing. Let it go for a day. I'vedecided not to start as soon as I intended."

  "All right, sah; I'll drop it right quick, sah," said the negro. "Yere'sa letter, sah, dat was brung 'bout an hour ago. I dun tole de boy datyou would anser it at your leesyur, sah."

  Captain Paul Deering laughed at his servant's language. Dave always usedbig words and the most extravagant manners when he came in contact withother people's servants.

  "By Jove!" exclaimed the captain, as he opened the letter. "It's from mylawyer, Dave, telling me that my sister has been found. She is livinghere in the city, and is a widow with one daughter."

  "Yo' doan' say so, sah!"

  Dave was standing with his mouth wide open to indicate his interest inthe news. He had been with the captain so long that he was very deep inhis confidences.

  "Yes, she's here in town, and has been for years, and to think I've beenhere, too, and didn't know it! You see, Dave, I ran away from home whenshe was only a young girl. When the home was broken up I lost track ofher completely. Now there's a snug little fortune waiting for her thatshe should have had five years ago, but perhaps it's just as well it'sbeen accumulating interest all the time."

  "An' yourn has bin a losin' interes'," replied the negro, grinning. "Ineber see money slip troo' a man's fingers so fas' as it do troo' yourn,capting, dat's a fac'."

  "Oh, I get the worth of it as I go along, Dave," laughed the captain,"but I suppose I've got to go out again now and call on my new-foundsister."

  He glanced at the address which the lawyer had given him.

  "Pshaw! That's too bad," he said, impatiently. "If I had only known thistwo hours sooner! Why, I've just come from that very locality, and it'sway up in Harlem."

  As he reached for his hat there was a sharp ring at his door-bell.

  "Dat's Dr. Graham, sah; I knows dat ring ob his," said the valetquickly. "Dat mean, sah,
you doan' call on no sister dis ebenin'."