Jane Cable

by George Barr McCutcheon

  Produced by Charles Franks, Charles Aldarondo and theOnline Distributed Proofreading Team.

  "HIS FEEBLE GLANCE TOOK IN HER FACE WITH LIFELESSINTEREST"]

  Jane Cable

  By George Barr McCutcheon

  CONTENTS

  I When Jane Goes Driving II The Cables III James Bansemer IV The Foundling V The Bansemer Crash VI In Sight of the Fangs VII Mrs. Cable Entertains VIII The Telegram IX The Proposal X The Four Initials XI An Evening with Droom XII James Bansemer Calls XIII Jane Sees with New Eyes XIV The Canker XV The Tragedy of the Sea Wall XVI Hours of Terror XVII David Cable's Debts XVIII The Visit of Harbert XIX The Crash XX Father and Son XXI In the Philippines XXII The Chase of Pilar XXIII The Fight in the Convent XXIV Teresa Velasquez XXV The Beautiful Nurse XXVI The Separation of Hearts XXVII "If They Don't Kill You" XXVIII Homeward Bound XXIX The Wreckage XXX The Drink of Gall XXXI The Transforming of Droom XXXII Elias Droom's Dinner Party XXXIII Droom Triumphs over Death XXXIV To-morrow

  CHAPTER I

  WHEN JANE GOES DRIVING

  It was a bright, clear afternoon in the late fall that pretty MissCable drove up in her trap and waited at the curb for her father tocome forth from his office in one of Chicago's tallest buildings.The crisp, caressing wind that came up the street from the lake putthe pink into her smooth cheeks, but it did not disturb the brownhair that crowned her head. Well-groomed and graceful, she satstraight and sure upon the box, her gloved hand grasping the yellowreins firmly and confidently. Miss Cable looked neither to rightnor to left, but at the tips of her thoroughbred's ears. Slenderand tall and very aristocratic she appeared, her profile alonevisible to the passers-by.

  After a very few moments, waiting in her trap, the smart youngwoman became impatient. A severe, little pucker settled upon herbrow, and not once, but many times her eyes turned to the broadentrance across the sidewalk. She had telephoned to her fatherearlier in the afternoon; and he had promised faithfully to beready at four o'clock for a spin up the drive behind Spartan. Atthree minutes past four the pucker made its first appearance; andnow, several minutes later, it was quite distressing. Never beforehad he kept her waiting like this. She was conscious of the factthat at least a hundred men had stared at her in the longest tenminutes she had ever known. From the bottom of a very hot heartshe was beginning to resent this scrutiny, when a tall young fellowswung around a near-by corner, and came up with a smile so full ofdelight, that the dainty pucker left her brow, as the shadow fleesfrom the sunshine. His hat was off and poised gallantly above hishead, his right hand reaching up to clasp the warm, little tan oneoutstretched to meet it.

  "I knew it was you long before I saw you," said he warmly.

  "Truly? How interesting!" she responded, with equal warmth."Something psychic in the atmosphere today?"

  "Oh, no," he said, reluctantly releasing her hand. "I can't seethrough these huge buildings, you know---it's impossible to lookover their tops--I simply knew you were here, that's all."

  "You're romantic, even though you are a bit silly," she cried gaily."Pray, how could you know?"

  "Simplest thing in the world. Rigby told me he had seen you, andthat you seemed to be in a great rage. He dared me to venture intoyour presence, and--that's why I'm here."

  "What a hopelessly, commonplace explanation! Why did you not leaveme to think that there was really something psychic about it? Logicis so discouraging to one's conceit. I'm in a very disagreeablehumour to-day," she said, in fine despair.

  "I don't believe it," he disputed graciously.

  "But I am," she insisted, smiling brightly. His heart was leapinghigh--so high, that it filled his eyes. "Everything has gone wrongwith me to-day. It's pretty trying to have to wait in front of abig office building for fifteen minutes. Every instant, I expecta policeman to come up and order me to move on. Don't they arrestpeople for blocking the street?"

  "Yes, and put them in awful, rat-swarming dungeons over in DearbornAvenue. Poor Mr. Cable, he should be made to suffer severely forhis wretched conduct. The idea of--"

  "Don't you dare to say anything mean about dad," she warned.

  "But he's the cause of all the trouble--he's never done anythingto make you happy, or--"

  "Stop!--I take it all back--I'm in a perfectly adorable humour.It was dreadfully mean of me to be half-angry with him, wasn't it?He's in there, now, working his dear old brain to pieces, and I'mout here with no brain at all," she said ruefully.

  To the ingenuous youth, such an appeal to his gallantry was well-nighirresistible, and for a moment it seemed as if he would yield tothe temptation to essay a brilliant contradiction; but his witscame to his rescue, for quickly realising that not only were thefrowning rocks of offence to be avoided, but likewise the danger offloundering helplessly about in the inviting quicksands of inanity, hepreserved silence--wise young man that he was, and trusted to hiseyes to express an eloquent refutation. At last, however, somethingseemed to occur to him. A smile broke on his face.

  "You had a stupid time last night?" he hazarded.

  "What makes you think so?"

  "I know who took you in to dinner."

  The eyes of the girl narrowed slightly at the corners.

  "Did he tell you?"

  "No, I have neither seen nor heard from anyone present." She openedher eyes wide, now.

  "Well, Mr. S. Holmes, who was it?"

  "That imbecile, Medford."

  Miss Cable sat up very straight in the trap; her little chin wentup in the air; she even went so far as to make a pretence of curbingthe impatience of her horse.

  "Mr. Medford was most entertaining--he was the life of the dinner,"she returned somewhat severely.

  "He's a professional!"

  "An actor!" she cried incredulously.

  "No, a professional diner-out. Wasn't that rich young Jacksonthere?"

  "Why, yes; but do tell me how you knew?" The girl was softening alittle, her curiosity aroused.

  "Of course I will," he said boyishly, at once pleased with himselfand his sympathetic audience. "About five-thirty I happened to bein the club. Medford was there, and as usual catering to Jackson,when the latter was called to the 'phone. Naturally, I put twoand two together." He paused to more thoroughly enjoy the look ofutter mystification that hovered on the girl's countenance. It wasvery apparent that this method of deduction through addition wasunsatisfying. "What Jackson said to Medford, on his return," theyoung man continued, "I did not hear; but from the expression onthe listener's face I could have wagered that an invitation had beenextended and accepted. Oh, we boys have got it down fine! Garrisonis---"

  "And who is Garrison?"

  "Garrison is the head door man at the club. It's positively amazingthe number of telephone calls he receives every afternoon fromwell-known society women!"

  "What about? And what's that got to do with Mr. Medford taking mein to dinner?"

  "Just this: Suppose Mrs. Rowden..."

  "Mrs. Rowden!" The girl was nonplussed.

  "Yes--wants to find out who's in the club? She 'phones Garrison.Instantly, after ascertaining which set--younger or older is wanted,from a small card upon which he has written a few but choice namesof club members, he submits a name to her."

  "Really, you don't mean to tell me that such a thing is actuallydone?" exclaimed Miss Cable, who as yet was socially so unsophisticatedas to be horrified; "you're joking, of course!"

  "But nine time out of ten," ignoring the interruption; "it is metwith: 'Don't want him!' Another: 'Makes a bad combination!' A third:'Oh, no, my dear, not a dollar to his name--hopelessly ineligible!'This last exclamation though intended solely for the visitor ather home, elicits from Garrison a low chuckle of approval of thespeaker's discrimination; and presently, he hears: 'Goodness me,Garr
ison, there must be someone else!' Then, to her delights sheis informed that Mr. Jackson has just come in; and he is requestedto come to the 'phone, Garrison being dismissed with thanks andthe expectation of seeing her butler in the morning."

  "How perfectly delicious!" came from the girl. "I can almost hearMrs. Rowden telling Jackson that he will be the dearest boy in theworld if he will dine with her."

  "And bring someone with him, as she is one man short," laughedGraydon, as he wound up lightly; "and here is where the professionalcomes in. We're all onto Medford! Why, Garrison has half a dozenrequests a night--six times five--thirty dollars. Not bad--butthen the man's a 'who's who' that never makes mistakes. I won't bepositive that he does not draw pay from both ends. For, men likeMedford, outside of the club, probably tip him to give them thepreference. It would be good business."

  There was so much self-satisfaction in the speaker's mannerof uttering these last words, that it would not have required thewisdom of one older than Miss Cable to detect that he was thoroughlyenjoying his pose of man of the world. He was indeed young! For, hehad yet to learn that not to disillusion the girl, but to conformas much as possible to her ideals, was the surest way to win herfavour; and his vanity surely would have received a blow had not DavidCable at that moment come out of the doorway across the sidewalk,pausing for a moment to converse with the man who accompanied him.The girl's face lighted with pleasure and relief; but the youngman regarding uneasily the countenance of the General Manager ofthe Pacific, Lakes & Atlantic R.R. Company, saw that he was white,tired and drawn. It was not the keen, alert expression that had beenthe admiration of everyone; something vital seemed to be missing,although he could not have told what it was. A flame seemed to havedied somewhere in his face, leaving behind a faint suggestion ofashes; and through the young man's brain there flashed the remarkof his fair companion: 'He's in there now, working his dear, oldbrain to pieces.'

  "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Jane," said Cable, crossingto the curb. "Hello, Graydon; how are you?" His voice was sharp,crisp, and louder than the occasion seemed to demand, but it wasnatural with him. Years of life in an engine cab do not serve tomellow the tone of the human voice, and the habit is too strong tobe overcome. There was no polish to the tones as they issued fromDavid Cable's lips. He spoke with more than ordinary regard for theQueen's English, but it was because he never had neglected it. Itwas characteristic of the man to do a thing as nearly right as heknew how in the beginning, and to do it the same way until a bettermethod presented itself.

  "Very well, thank you, Mr. Cable, except that Jane has been abusingme because you were not here to---"

  "Don't you believe a word he says, dad," she cried.

  "Oh, if the truth isn't in me, I'll subside," laughed Graydon."Nevertheless, you've kept her waiting, and it's only reasonablethat she should abuse somebody."

  "I am glad you were here to receive it; it saves my grey hairs."

  "Rubbish!" was Miss Cable's simple comment, as her father took hisplace beside her.

  "Oh, please drive on, Jane," said the young man, his admiring eyeson the girl who grasped the reins afresh and straightened like asoldier for inspection. "I must run around to the University Cluband watch the score of the Yale-Harvard game at Cambridge. It lookslike Harvard, hang it all! Great game, they say---"

  "There he goes on football. We must be off, or it will be darkbefore we get away from him. Good-bye!" cried Miss Cable.

  "How's your father, Gray? He wasn't feeling the best in the world,yesterday," said Cable, tucking in the robe.

  "A case of liver, Mr. Cable; he's all right to-day. Good-bye!"

  As Jane and her father whirled away, the latter gave utteranceto a remark that brought a new brightness to her eyes and a proudthrobbing to her heart; but he did not observe the effect.

  "Bright, clever chap--that Graydon Bansemer," he said comfortably.