Bones in London

he shipping market, an

for one hour of gloriou

88 1/2, and even so

ets Line had been

heir hands thrust into their trousers pockets,

ercial Trust Building, together they left-turned into the elevator, and simultaneously raised their heads to examine its roof,

lipped forth and walked in single file to a suite of offices inscribed "Pole Brothers, Brokers," and, beneath, "The United Me

er. Still with their hands pushed deep into their pockets, they sank, almost as at a wo

Joe had occupied some mysterious office which permitted and, indeed, enjoined upon him the wearing of the insignia of captain, but had forbidden him to leave his native land. The other had earned a little deco

statements of excess profits, was past. The present held its tragedy so poignant as to overshadow that breathless terrifying moment when peace had come and found the firm with the sal

have been purchased for two hundred thousand pounds, and nearly was. To-day it

ice that came from his varnished boots,

iser! A weak-kneed devil who might at least have stuck to it for ano

, "it is no use cursing, Joe. We knew that they were building ships, but the business

t calmness. "Curse the Sultan and Enver a

tly, "and I reckon that gets the lot in trouble. Don't start

his lips, and looked at

s kindness of heart, their willingness to do their worst enemies a good turn, and the like. They had o

d never rested until he had balanced things against the beneficiary. If Fred in a weak moment paid a higher price to the vendor of a property than he, as promoter, could afford, it w

ar from the silver box which stood on the table midway between the two, "I suppo

r nodded

ips, and meant to buy them, undoubtedly; but Cole says that if you

was that he took things literally. "But perh

f. No, we've got to find a sucker, Joe. I can sell the Fairy May and the Fairy Belle: they're little

goodwill w

reaking my heart. And yet, Joe, there ain't two ships of their tonnage to be bought on the market. If you wanted two ship

lready gu

o the Coastal Cargo Line-the very ships for the Newcastle and Thames river trade-and he said he couldn't think of it now that the submarine season was over. Then

was si

Mary and Fairy Tilda?

longer with us, Joe. They say that joy doesn't kill, but that's a lie, Joe. He died

that," said J

I took the deed of sale down to Cole to see if the

o-C

nephew. If we

here was a common emotion and understan

ybody?" asked

the ash of his

s in the Army. He's out of it now, running a business in the City-'Schemes, Ltd.,' he cal

s that

sepulchral to be appropriate, "and, Joe,

firm of furnishers and decorators, whose advertisements in the more exclusive publications consisted of a set of royal arms, a photograph of a Queen Anne chair, and th

n harmony with the panelled walls, the gentlemanly clock which ticked sedately on the Adam mantelpiece, the Sherat

he eminent firm of Messrs. Worrows, By Appointment to the King of Smyrna, His Majesty the Emperor -- (the blank stan

n familiar with the magnificence in which he moved and had his being. He sat chewing an expensive paper-knife of ivory, not because he was hungry, but because he wa

k, stoutly covered and brassily locked, o

ivate kind and of a frenzied calculation which

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . .

nd Flats . . . . .

dows, etc. . . .

-

. . . . . . .

80 pounds per an

. . . . . . . . .

ns means doing good turn to working classes solving houseing problem

vere looking young man, who wore a gold-rimmed monocle on his grey check waistcoat and occasionally in his left eye. His face was of tha

ugh aloud-that is to say, he read certain words, skipped others, and substi

we are taking the first opportunity of making widdly widdly wee.... Our Mr. Fred Pole

t breeches and green zouave jacket. On his head was a dull red tarbosh, on his feet scarlet slippers, and about his waist a sash of Ori

he Wistaria Restaurant. It may be said that there was no special reason why an ordinary business man should possess a bodyguard at all, and less

out protest in the limited circles o

ed, "have you po

copious for insertion in aperture of collection box, so it was

apt up,

ive, you silly old ass-you-you

in exact formula. Therefore I engulfed it in wrappings and lig

k back in

te down all the money you've spent on cabs in the stamp book. Goodness gracious alive! You can't run a business without system, Ali! Don't you know that, my dear old image? How the dooce do you

nation of posted volume is your

sh scientist in Sierra Leone, and long association with that learned m

e a resig

he began, when a s

pulled down his waistcoat, smoothed back his hair, fixed his eye

in," he s

silk hat, who, when admitted to the inner sanctum

d with the scowl which he adopted for business hours. "Yes

r. Pole. He had been weaving dreams from

house-flags ... bras

with the arrival of a visitor. It was, I think, partly due to nervousness and partly to his dislike of strangers. Presently

ole?"

repeated tha

sked Bones, with a

," admitted th

to the visitor as though he

you somewhere," he sa

was, in fact, the only

sure. I'm very

Then he took up the ivory paper-knife to chew, coughed ag

Mr. Tibbetts," said Fred in his gentle voice;

said Bones

mile, "your lamented uncle, before he went out of b

and Bone

s," he said, "one of the greatest busine

s, shaking his

such violence that the infant Augustus was invariably hurried to the nursery on such rare occasions as old Saul paid

n the point of coming round to see you several times. This morning I said to my brother, 'Joe,' I said, 'I'm going round t

ly, naturally," mur

t the price we paid for them, or even less, he shall have them.' 'Fred,' he said, 'you're

n Bones and he b

r old uncle-bless his heart-out of money, and you want to pay it back. Fred"-Bones rose

o say--" began Fred

ottle on this. What will yo

ssed a shudder

"I think I ought to explain. We did not

rtion which passed for a wink. "Certainly not. We bu

inued Mr. Fred desperately, "but what

ughty!" said Bones. "Out with the corkscrew, Ali.

ong and earnestly

y-I like people or I dislike them. Now that I've told you that we bought two ships from your uncle for one hundred and forty thousand

nd pounds more?" sai

rking overtime fo

y brother, who, I suppose, is the greatest shipping authority in the world, or-what's the use of asking 'em?-ask yourself. If you're not Saul T

re pressed tight-a gesture and a gri

h to-day?" asked Bo

at the ceiling. "Now, what are they worth to-day? I f

tened his

he said. He scratched h

re a jolly old soul.

ul' rhyme-did

ad not

rum how things get about. How did you know, old f

that Bones was going in f

ppen in the City that I don't

green diagonally-that is, from corner to corner. There will be a yellow ancho

original," said Fred i

id you get

gustus, the Sanders-a dear old friend of mine living at Hindhead-the Patricia-another dear old friend of mine living at Hindhead, too-in fact, in the same house. To tell you the truth,

d an early luncheon appointment. "Would you care to buy th

rang h

id he soberly. "There's no time like th

hich was intended to emphasize his h

fter lunch that day, and there was in his face a g

s the countenance of the waiting Joe. He lay bac

here was an ant

Fred hung up his u

ld the F

. There was the same lilt of triumph in each voice,

the Fairies

sing this scene for months,

's get the hang of this. I underst

a I had that I had to nip in before you. Of

im?" asked Fred

s-his-nam

handkerchief from his po

oe," he s

e he went out to lunc

d-it's our company, an

& P

course not

cribed the fact with gusto-"not a word about the names of the ships. I j

how m

which led a certain political prisoner to fe

's starting a fleet, he says. He's calling it the Tibbet

ceiling carefull

it a firm deal? Did y

rnful at the suggestion that he had omitted s

d. "Those two ships he bo

s a dead

y, after a while, "we ca

terday there weren't two boat

long s

for the be

d n

we haven't got. Joe, couldn't you go and play go

s umbrella from the peg and his shiny silk ha

n thought, and at last, with a big, heavy sigh, he unlo

e, after a most satisfactory day's

the hand at the very entrance and, still holding him

ou, old fellow-really good of you! Business, my jolly

ged Fred. "You don't mind my calling you by t

ooked d

prefer Tibbet

old Fred, so do

s errand," said Fred i

"The fact is,

Bones laid a sympathet

he said. "Speakin' for myself, drink has no effect upon me-du

d of myself

r old toper," said Bones honestly

betts," said Fred bravely,

iment, dear old thing! Why, I simply cry myself to

y. "I just can't-I simply can't par

said

for me and my brother which it would be-er-profane t

ed and rubb

man, as dear old Francis Drake said when they stopped him playi

his hea

nd laid it on the desk with the sigh of on

in his voice, for he was genuinely grieved. "I mus

id Bones. "Gracious goodness, I shall be awfully disa

fty?" asked Fred, wit

r old Fred," said Bones;

"of the sum of one thousand pounds (say ￡1,000), the contract as between &

frankness is a vice with me-that I don't understand much about the shippin' business. But tell me, m

s," said Fred, smiling

ked an in

got a thousand from you an' a thousand from the other

aid Fred faintly-"a f

nt Shi

e dear lad,"

ried off his

, very nice, fellow. He told me I

ally, as he left the office, and all th