CHAPTER XIX.
AN INTRUDER.
Turned from his socialistic theories and arguments into a differentchannel, Carker proved to be a most delightful conversationalist andcompanion. He was educated, cultured, and witty, although evidentlylacking in humor. Possibly this came from the fact that he had so longand so earnestly regarded and meditated on the somber side of life. Heseemed to fascinate Juanita, who listened intently whenever he spoke.
"What you do, senyor, when you travel so much?" inquired Teresa. "Youleave Senyora Carkaire at home?"
Carker smiled sadly.
"There is no Senyora Carker," he answered.
"Oo!" cried Teresa. "You are not marreed?"
"No," replied Greg, "I'm not married."
"That ees so singulaire!"
"Veree, veree," murmured Juanita.
"It may seem singular," admitted Carker, "but a man like me, who haspledged his life to humanity, has little right to get married."
"I do not see why you say that," said Juanita.
"Perhaps I cannot make my reason plain to you, but there is an excellentreason. A man who marries should have a home. And a man who has a homeshould live in it. If I had such a home and was bound to it, I could nottravel and carry on my life-work. I could not drag my wife around overthe country, and it is not right for a married man to leave his wifealone a great deal."
"Gol rap it, Greg," exclaimed Ephraim, "I don't believe that's your realreason for not gittin' married! I'll bet some gal throwed you down!"
"Well, perhaps you're right," admitted the young socialist. "You can'tblame her if she did."
"Why not can we blame her?" questioned Juanita. "Deed she have the otherlovaire? Oh, ha! ha! Senyor Carkaire! Maybe eet ees not nice to laugh, tojoke, to speak of eet. I beg the pardon, senyor."
She had seen a shadow flit across his face and vanish.
He forced a laugh.
"If there was another man," he said, "I'm conceited enough to think Imight have captured the prize in spite of him had I been willing tosacrifice my principles and renounce my socialistic beliefs."
"Oh, the girl she not have you because of that?" breathed Juanita. "Eetees veree strange."
"Not so very strange," he asserted. "We'll say that she was a lady. Nowit is a fact that nearly all ladies are extremely conventional ineverything. They have a horror for the bizarre and the unconventional.They are shocked by the man who declines to be hampered with the fashionin clothes and in similar things. I could not fall in love with a girlwho was not a lady."
"Begorra, you're an aristocrat at heart!" cried Mulloy. "Ye can't gitaway from it, me bhoy, no mather how much ye prate about socialism andth' brotherhood av mon."
"Still I protest you do not understand me."
"By gum!" muttered Gallup; "it don't seem to me that yeou are right'bout the gals. Yeou kinder stick for the sort that's been born in thehigher strata of life, as yeou call it. Ain't thar a hull lot of mightysmart ones that come out of the lower strata somewhere?"
"Oh, I admit that most of the brainy women and most of the brainy mencome from the lower strata. Nevertheless, such women are not ladies."
"Begobs, ye make me tired!" cried Mulloy. "What you nade, Greg, is adhoctor to look afther your liver."
"Mebbe the best doctor," grinned Gallup, "would be a girl he'd fall inlove with and who'd fall in love with him. I guess she could cure him.If he happened to run across the right one and she axed him to give uphis career and stop rampin' round over the country, I'll bet a good bigpunkin he'd cave in right on the spot."
"You're wrong," denied Carker. "No matter how much I cared for a girl,I could not give up my career. There was one once who asked me to giveit up. She married another man."
He smiled as he made the confession, but in his eyes there was a lookwhich told of the great sacrifice he had made.
"Mebbe you think you're doing a great work for humanity," observedEphraim; "but, by ginger! I kinder think that Frank Merriwell is doing agreater work."
"What is he doing?"
"Haven't you heard 'bout it?"
"No. I haven't heard from Merriwell in the last year or more. The last Iknew of him he was accumulating a fortune in mining. Like other men inthese degenerate times, he had turned his great abilities to themercenary task of amassing wealth. I was sorry when I heard this, for Ihad expected other things of him."
"Sorry, was ye?" snapped Ephraim.
"Sorry and disappointed," said Greg, shaking his head.
"Waal, now, you want to come right along with us to Bloomfield. We'llshow you what Frank Merriwell's doing with that money he's accumulated.Ain't you ever heard 'bout his School of Athletic Development?"
"No."
"Waal, I guess that'll interest ye some, by jinks!"
"Tell me about it."
As clearly as he could, Ephraim explained the plan of Merry's newschool. Carker listened with a show of interest until the Vermonter hadfinished.
"Well, I'm glad he's doing some good," said Greg. "Still, this is ofminor importance compared with the great work in which I'm engaged."
"You go to grass!" almost snarled Ephraim. "Great fiddlesticks! Why,Frank is making real men of growing boys. He's making good, strong,healthy men that kin go out and successfully fight their way throughlife."
"Life should not be a battle," asserted the socialist. "Every man's handshould be outstretched to help a needy fellow man. This old-fashionedtheory that human life is bound to be a battle is all wrong. We are onegreat body of brothers, bound together by a universal tie."
"Choke off roight where ye are," commanded Barney. "Oi'm yer fri'nd,Greg Carker, but Oi'll hit ye av ye sling any of that socialist talk atus! Ye've r'iled me now. Oi must have a shmoke to soothe me narves."
"Me, too," grinned Ephraim, as they both rose. "You'll 'scuse us for alittle while, won't ye, girls? We'll jest step into the smokin'compartment."
"You may have the excuse if you weel leave Senyor Carkaire to entertainus," murmured Juanita.
"I'll remain here," nodded Greg. "I don't smoke."
"Gol ding him!" growled Ephraim, as he followed Barney into the smokingcompartment. "He's a bigger crank than ever! He's gittin' wuss andwuss!"
"What he nades is a girrul to marry him and straighten him out,"declared the Irish youth.
Five minutes after the departure of Eph and Barney a slender, black-eyedman, with a small dark mustache, came sauntering through the car. As hereached the spot where Carker was talking to Teresa and Juanita hestopped short, uttered an exclamation of satisfaction, and lifted hishat, bowing with a triumphant smile.
"Ah, Senyorita Garcia," he jubilantly said, "you take the flight from me,but I have found you."
"Jose Murillo!" exclaimed Juanita. And there was dismay and fear in hervoice.