The Ne'er-Do-Well

  XXV

  CHECKMATE!

  Anthony had no partner for the eighth dance, and was very glad of it,for he could not have carried off the necessary small talk. As it was,he felt that his excitement must be patent to those around him. Hismind was filled with tormenting doubts, his chance for success seemedso infinitely small, his plan so extravagantly impracticable, now thatthe time had come!

  As the music ceased and the dancers came pouring out into the coolnight air, Runnels approached with his wife.

  "Well, are you equal to it?" he asked.

  Kirk nodded; he could not speak.

  "Why, you look as cold as ice," exclaimed the woman, half-resentfully."I'm the only one who seems to feel it. I--I'm positively delirious. Mypartners look at me in the strangest way, as if they thought I wereliable to become dangerous at any moment."

  "Not too loud!" her husband cautioned, then to Kirk: "Good-luck, oldman. Lord! I need a bracer." His words stuck in his throat, and Kirkrealized that he was himself the calmest of the three. Together,Runnels and his wife strolled off through the crowd, disappearing inthe direction of the north wing of the hotel.

  It seemed ages before the orchestra struck up; Kirk began to fear thatsomething had happened to the musicians. He edged closer to the doorand searched out Chiquita with his eyes. There she was, seated with herfather, Colonel Bland from Gatun, and some high officer orother--probably an admiral. Ramon Alfarez was draped artistically overthe back of her chair, curling his mustache tenderly and smilingvacantly at the conversation.

  Kirk ground his teeth together and set his feet as if for the sound ofthe referee's whistle. He heard the orchestra leader tap hismusic-stand; then, as the first strains of the waltz floated forth, hestepped into the ballroom and made toward his sweetheart. All at oncehe found that his brain was clear, his heart-beats measured.

  Of course she saw him coming; she had waited all the long evening forthis moment. He saw her hand flutter uncertainly to her throat; then,as he paused before her, she rose without a word. His arm encircled herwaist, her little, cold palm dropped into his as lightly as asnowflake, and they glided away together. He found himself whisperingher name over and over again passionately.

  "Why--why did you do this, senor?" she protested, faintly. "It is veryhard for me."

  "It is the last time I shall ever hold you--this way."

  She faltered, her breath caught. "Please! My father is looking. Ramon--"

  "Have you agreed to marry him?"

  "Yes! No no! Oh, I have prayed to the Virgin every hour. I cannot, andyet I must. See! I cannot waltz, senor, I have s-stepped upon you. Takeme back to my seat."

  For answer he pressed her closer to his breast, holding her up withouteffort. The incense from her hair was robbing him of his wits, his oldwild desire to pick her up and carry her away swept over him.

  "Don't--esqueeze--me--so!" she exclaimed. "I cannot hold back--thetears. I am so unhappy. If I could die quickly--now."

  "Let us go out on the porch."

  "No, no! We must remain in my father's sight. Will you take me to myseat?"

  "No, I want you to listen carefully to what I'm going to say." He spokelow and earnestly. "Try to show nothing in your face, for they arewatching us." Seeing her more composed and attentive, he went on:

  "Don't stop dancing now, when I tell you. Chiquita dear, you must marryme, to-night, right away! I have arranged everything. No, don't look upat me until I have finished. Try to smile. I've planned it all out andeverything is in readiness. I have a room just around the corner of theveranda; there's a judge waiting for us, and Runnels and his wife--"

  "You are mad!" she gasped.

  "No, no. We'll slip through one of the French windows, and we'll beback again before they miss us. Nobody will know. I tell you they'rewaiting. If we are missed they'll think--it doesn't matter what theythink, you'll be my wife, and Ramon can't marry you then. We'll saynothing about it until your father is elected President."

  "Senor, one cannot be married in a moment. I am Catholic--the banns--"

  "I've thought of all that, but a civil marriage is binding. We'll havethe religious ceremony afterward; meanwhile this will stop Ramon, atleast. I promise not to see you again until you send for me, until yourfather's hopes are realized. You may wait as long as you wish, andnobody will know. They tricked you, Chiquita dear; I can't explain, butit wasn't all politics, by any means. Oh, girl! Don't you understand, Ilove you--love you? It's our only chance." The words were tumbling fromhis lips incoherently; he was pleading as if for his life, while sheclung to him to support herself. Through it all their feet movedrhythmically, their bodies swayed to the cadences of the waltz as theycircled the ballroom. He guided her among the other whirling figures,under the very eyes of her father and her fiance, while more than oneof the onlookers commented upon the handsome appearance of these youngpeople, the one so stalwart and blond and Northern, the other so chicand dark and tropical.

  He knew it was her lifelong loyalty, her traditional sense ofobedience, that made her hesitate.

  "It was treachery to both of us," he urged; "they imposed upon yourfather, but when he has won he'll forgive us. I know what I'm saying;Mrs. Cortlandt told me to-night."

  "Mother of God!" she exclaimed, faintly. "Is it that I am dreaming?"

  "They are waiting for us; the dance is half over already. I loveyou--better than all the world. Do you remember two nights ago? Youkissed me then, and--I--I can't live without you. We'll go awaytogether, you and I, through all the world--just we two." She trembledagainst him. "Quick!" he cried in her ear. "We're coming to the spot.They can't see us now. If you feel weak, hold to my arm until we areoutside."

  She gave a hysterical, choking sob that was half a sigh; then her eyesflashed upward to his--they were wide and bright and shining--her lipswere parted, her body was lithe and full of life. She slipped from hisembrace, whispering:

  "Yes, yes! Quickly, senor!" And the next instant they were out upon thewide gallery with the dance behind them. "Hurree, hurree! Or they willfollow."

  Together they fled along the north wing of the hotel; the girl waspanting, with one hand held to her bare throat; but there was no needfor him to help her, for she ran like a fawn.

  "Here!" He swung her around the corner and rapped sharply at a door.

  "Quickly! Quickly!" she moaned. "For the love of--"

  With terrific force the door was fairly jerked from its hinges andslammed to behind them. The next moment Allan's big body was leaningagainst it, as if the wall were about to fall inward upon him. Runnelsleaped forward with an exclamation, his wife stood staring, her face aswhite as snow. With them was the genial gray-haired judge from Colon,whom Kirk had met at the Wayfarers Club on the night of his arrival.

  "You made it!" Runnels cried, triumphantly.

  "Miss Garavel!" his wife echoed. "Thank Heaven you came!"

  "Quick, the music will stop! Judge, this is Miss Garavel--you mustmarry us just as fast as you can."

  "I presume you consent?" the judge asked, with a smile at the girl.

  "I--I want to be happy," she said, simply. Her bosom was heaving, herpansy eyes were fastened upon the magistrate with a look of pleadingthat drove the smile from his lips. She clung to Anthony's arm as ifshe feared these strangers might tear him away.

  "You understand, Judge, she's of age; so am I. They want to force herto marry a man she doesn't--"

  The muffled strains of music ceased. There came the faint clapping ofhands.

  "Madre de Dios!" Miss Garavel cried. "We are too late." She beat herlittle palms together in desperation.

  There was a breathless interval. Then the music began again, and to itsthrobbing measures the marriage ceremony was performed. As the lastword was pronounced, Mrs. Runnels burst into tears and hid her faceagainst her husband's breast. Runnels himself held forth a shaking handto Kirk, then patted the bride clumsily upon her shoulder.

  "I know you will be happy now, Mrs. Anthony," he said.

&n
bsp; With an incoherent cry of delight, Kirk folded his wife in his arms,and she kissed him before them all.

  "Senor, I will love you always," she said, shyly.

  During the progress of this scene, Allan Allan of Jamaica had stoodfrozen with amazement, a door-knob wedged firmly into the small of hisback, his eyes distended and rolling; but when Mrs. Runnels collapsed,as at a signal he too dissolved in tears.

  "Oh, glory to God, boss," he sobbed, "you is a beautiful bridegroom!"

  "Come, we must get back, the music has stopped again." Kirk turned tothe judge. "Nothing is to be said until Miss Gar--Mrs. Anthony givesthe word; you understand? I can't thank you all half enough. Now,Allan, see if the coast is clear, quickly!" He was still in a panic,for there yet remained a chance of discovery and ruin. One more instantof suspense, then the two stepped out; the door closed softly behindthem and they strolled around the corner of the north wing and into thecrowd. It had all happened so quickly that even yet they were dazed anddisbelieving.

  "My wife!" Kirk whispered, while a tremendous rush of emotion sweptover him. She trembled in answer like a wind-shaken leaf. "You're mine,Chiquita! They can't take you away." His voice broke.

  "I am still dreaming. What have I done? Oh-h--they will know; in myface they will read the truth. But I do not care. Is--it indeed true?"

  They were at the entrance to the ballroom now, through which they hadcome a few minutes before, and, pausing, she gave him a half-serious,half-timid glance.

  "Senor, I do not know if some time you will be sorry for this action,but I shall never cease loving you. I prayed hourly to the BlessedVirgin, and she heard. Now, I shall perish until you come."

  "When you give me leave; through steel and stone, through fire andwater."

  "Quick, for the one more time, call me--that--" She hesitated, blushingvividly. "I will hear it in my dreams."

  "My wife!" he whispered, tenderly.

  "Ho! Chiquita mia!" her father cried, as they came to him. "There youare then. I have missed you." His eyes smouldered as he gazedsuspiciously at Kirk.

  "Ah, but I was too warm," she said, easily. "Yonder by the door we havebeen standing in the night breeze. And where is Ramon?"

  "He is looking for you."

  "One would think him a jealous husband already," she exclaimed,lightly. Then, extending her hand coolly to Kirk, "I thank you, senor,for the--dance."

  Her husband bowed. "I shall not soon forget it." To the father headded, in a low voice: "I thank you, also, for your courtesy. We havebeen discussing your daughter's marriage during the dance, and it is myone greatest hope that she will never regret it."

  The banker acknowledged the words ceremoniously. "Love is a thing thatcomes and goes; marriage alone can bind it. Some day you will thank me,and then perhaps you will honor our house again, eh?"

  "I shall be happy to come whenever you wish." As he walked away, thebanker said, with relief:

  "He takes it well; he is proud--almost like a Spaniard."

  Kirk moved through the crowd as if in a trance, but he was beginning torealize the truth now; it surged over him in great waves of gladness.He longed to shout his news aloud. What luck was his! The world wasmade for him; there was no such thing as adversity or failure--Chiquitawas his wife! All Christendom might go to pot for all he cared; thatmarvellous fact was unalterable. Yes, and he could speak his mind toMrs. Cortlandt. His tentative acceptance of the terms she made sickenedhim. He wanted to rid himself of this false position as soon aspossible. What mattered her threats? What did he care for the thingsshe could give or withhold when all the glad open world was beckoningto him and to his bride? Success! Riches! He could win them forhimself. Chiquita was all and more than they, and he was a god!

  In the midst of his rhapsody he heard a bell-boy speaking his name, andsmiled at him vacantly as he turned away. But the negro followed himpersistently, saying something about a letter.

  "Letter? I have no time to write letters. Oh, I beg pardon, letter forME?" He took the missive from the silver tray and stuffed itabsent-mindedly into a pocket, fumbling meanwhile for a tip. "I don'tseem to have any money, my boy, but money, after all, means nothing."

  "It is h'impartant, sar."

  "Oh yes, the letter. Very well." He opened the envelope and pretendedto read, but in reality the sheet held nothing for him but a ravishing,mischievous face, with pansy eyes. He must have stood staringunseeingly at it for several seconds. Then the dancing visions fadedand the scrawl stood out plainly:

  Williams, detective, St. Louis, arrived at Colon this evening on thePrince Joachim. You'd better take it on the run.

  It was written upon Tivoli paper, but the hand was strange and it wasnot signed.

  "Well!" Kirk came suddenly to himself, and a spasm of disgust seizedhim. "What a rotten inconvenience!" he said aloud. But before he hadtime to measure the effect of this new complication the swelling musicreminded him that this dance belonged to Mrs. Cortlandt and that heranswer was due.

  She was waiting for him in the gallery, and motioned him to the chairadjoining hers.

  "I can't two-step and talk at the same time," she said, "and here we'llbe quite private."

  Kirk remained standing. "What I have to say won't take long. I've madeup my mind, and I--"

  Edith interrupted him with a lightness that her look belied:

  "Oh, let's not discuss it. I don't want you to answer. I don't want tothink of it. I just want to forget--and to plan. You understand how Ifeel?" She faced him with eyes bright and lustrous, her red lips partedin a smile. She was a very beautiful woman, Kirk realized--a verycompelling, unusual woman, and one whose capabilities seemed unbounded.He began dimly to perceive that all women have great capabilities forgood or evil, depending largely upon the accident of their environment,and with this thought came the feeling that he must speak frankly nowor prove himself worse than base. If only she were of the weaklyfeminine type his task would be far easier. But it was hard to strikeher, for the very reason that he knew she would take the blow bravelyand meet its full force.

  "I must answer," he said. "I don't want to pretend; I'm not good atlying. I can't go through with any such arrangement as you suggested.Why, the very idea is positively--fierce. You've been awfully nice tome, but I had no idea of--this. Besides, Cortlandt's an awfully decentchap, and--and, well," he concluded, lamely, "there are lots ofreasons."

  "Oh no! There is only one reason; all the others count for nothing."She spoke in a voice that he could scarcely hear.

  "Perhaps! But it's--just impossible."

  "You know what it means?" She stared at him with hard, level eyes. "I'mnot a moderate person--I can't do things by halves. No! I see you don'tthink of that, you are mad over this Garavel girl. But you can't gether." Something in his dazzled, love-foolish smile enraged her. "So!You are planning even now. Well, then, understand there are practicalreasons, political reasons, why you can't have her. If Garavel wereinsane enough to consent, others would not. She is part of--themachine, and there are those who will not consent to see all their workspoiled. That is altogether apart from me, you understand. I can build,and I can destroy--"

  "There's nothing more to say," he interrupted her, quietly, "so I'dbetter excuse myself."

  "Yes! I would prefer to be alone."

  When he had bowed himself away she crushed the fan in her hand, staringout across the lights of the city below, and it was thus that Cortlandtfound her a few moments later, as he idled along the veranda, his handsin his pockets, a cigarette between his lips. He dropped into the emptychair beside her, saying:

  "Hello! Thought you had this with Anthony?"

  "I had."

  "What's the trouble?"

  "There is no trouble." She began to rock, while he studied her profile;then, conscious of his look, she inquired, "Aren't you dancing?"

  "No, just looking on, as usual. I prefer to watch. You have broken yourfan, it seems." He flung his cigarette into the darkness and, reachingout, took the fan from her hand. She saw
that his lips were drawn backin a peculiar smile.

  "Well! Is that so strange?" she answered, sharply. "You seem--" Shebroke off and looked deliberately away from him.

  "Row, eh?" he inquired, softly.

  She could barely hold back her hatred of the man. He had workedpowerfully upon her nerves of late, and she was half hysterical.

  "Why do you take pleasure in annoying me?" she cried. "What ails youthese last few weeks? I can't stand it--I won't--"

  "Oh! Pardon! One quarrel an evening is enough. I should have knownbetter."

  She turned upon him at this, but once more checked the words thatclamored for utterance. Her look, however, was a warning. She bit herlip and said nothing.

  "Too bad you and he don't hit it off better; he likes me."

  There was no answer.

  "He's giving me a party after the dance, sort of a gratitude affair. Adelicate way to acknowledge a debt, eh?"

  She saw that his hand shook as he lit a fresh cigarettes, and thestrangeness of his tone made her wonder. "You know very well it isRunnels' doing," she said.

  "Oh, there are six of them in it altogether, but Anthony originated thelittle surprise. It's intended for you, of course."

  "I don't see it. Are you going?"

  "I accepted."

  "What do you mean by that?"

  "Bah! They won't give it," he said, harshly.

  "And why not? I think it is rather nice of those chaps. Of course,Runnels would like to ingratiate himself with you--"

  "Funny spectacle, eh? Me the guest of--Anthony!"

  There was a trace of anxiety in her voice as she answered, and, thoughshe spoke carelessly, she did not meet his eyes.

  "I--I'd rather you'd make an excuse. I'll have to go home alone, youknow."

  He raised his brows mockingly. "My DEAR! I'm to be the honored guest."

  "Suit yourself, of course."

  A marine officer approached, mopping his face, and engaged her inconversation, whereupon Cortlandt rose languidly and strolled awaythrough the crowd that came eddying forth from the ballroom.

  Meanwhile, Kirk had found Runnels, who was looking for him, eager toexpress his congratulations and to discuss their exploit in detail.

  "I've just taken the wife home," he explained. "I never saw anybody soexcited. If she'd stayed here she'd have given the whole thing away,sure. Why, she wasn't half so much affected by her own marriage."

  "I--I haven't pulled myself together yet. Funny thing--I've just beenwatching my wife dancing with the man she is engaged to. Gee! It'sgreat to be married."

  "She's the dearest thing I ever saw; and wasn't she game? Alice willcry for weeks over this. Why, it's the sob-fest of her lifetime. She'sbursting with grief and rapture. I hope your wife can keep a secretbetter than mine, otherwise there will be a tremendous commotion beforeto-morrow's sun sets. I suppose now I'll have to hang around home withmy finger on my lip, saying 'Hist!' until the news comes out. Whew! Iam thirsty."

  Anthony did not tell his friend about the detective in Colon and hismysterious warning, partly because he was not greatly disturbed by itand trusted to meeting the difficulty in proper time, and partlybecause his mind was once more too full of his great good-fortune topermit of any other interest. Now that he had some one to whom he couldtalk freely, he let himself go, and he was deep in conversation whenStephen Cortlandt strolled up and stopped for an instant to say:

  "Quite a lively party, isn't it?"

  Kirk noticed how sallow he had grown in the past few months, and how hehad fallen off in weight. He looked older, too; his cheeks had sunkenin until they outlined his jaws sharply. He seemed far from well; anervous twitching of his fingers betokened the strain he had beenunder. He was quite as immaculate as usual, however, quite as polishedand collected.

  "How is our little 'stag' coming on?" he asked.

  "Fine! Everything is ready," said Runnels. "You won't expect anelaborate layout; it's mostly cold storage, you know, but we'll atleast be able to quench our thirst at the Central."

  "Then it's really coming off? I was--afraid you'd forgotten it."Cortlandt cast a curious glance at Kirk, who exclaimed, heartily:

  "Well, hardly!" Then, as their prospective guest moved off, "What astrange remark!"

  "Yes," said Runnels, "he's a queer fellow; but then, you know, he'sabout as emotional as a toad."