Soldiers of Fortune | Page 7

are greatest. He has
the fun of overcoming them.''
``You see nothing in it then,'' she asked, ``but a source of amusement?''
``Oh, yes, a good deal more,'' he replied. ``A livelihood, for one thing.
I--I have been an engineer all my life. I built that road Mr. King is
talking about.''
An hour later, when Mrs. Porter made the move to go, Miss Langham
rose with a protesting sigh. ``I am so sorry,'' she said, ``it has been most
interesting. I never met two men who had visited so many inaccessible
places and come out whole. You have quite inspired Mr. King, he was
never so amusing. But I should like to hear the end of that adventure;
won't you tell it to me in the other room?''
Clay bowed. ``If I haven't thought of something more interesting in the
meantime,'' he said.
``What I can't understand,'' said King, as he moved up into Miss
Langham's place, ``is how you had time to learn so much of the rest of

the world. You don't act like a man who had spent his life in the brush.''
``How do you mean?'' asked Clay, smiling--``that I don't use the wrong
forks?''
``No,'' laughed King, ``but you told us that this was your first visit East,
and yet you're talking about England and Vienna and Voisin's. How is
it you've been there, while you have never been in New York?''
``Well, that's partly due to accident and partly to design,'' Clay
answered. ``You see I've worked for English and German and French
companies, as well as for those in the States, and I go abroad to make
reports and to receive instructions. And then I'm what you call a
self-made man; that is, I've never been to college. I've always had to
educate myself, and whenever I did get a holiday it seemed to me that I
ought to put it to the best advantage, and to spend it where civilization
was the furthest advanced--advanced, at least, in years. When I settle
down and become an expert, and demand large sums for just looking at
the work other fellows have done, then I hope to live in New York, but
until then I go where the art galleries are biggest and where they have
got the science of enjoying themselves down to the very finest point. I
have enough rough work eight months of the year to make me
appreciate that. So whenever I get a few months to myself I take the
Royal Mail to London, and from there to Paris or Vienna. I think I like
Vienna the best. The directors are generally important people in their
own cities, and they ask one about, and so, though I hope I am a good
American, it happens that I've more friends on the Continent than in the
United States.''
``And how does this strike you?'' asked King, with a movement of his
shoulder toward the men about the dismantled table.
``Oh, I don't know,'' laughed Clay. ``You've lived abroad yourself; how
does it strike you?''
Clay was the first man to enter the drawing-room. He walked directly
away from the others and over to Miss Langham, and, taking her fan
out of her hands as though to assure himself of some hold upon her,

seated himself with his back to every one else.
``You have come to finish that story?'' she said, smiling.
Miss Langham was a careful young person, and would not have
encouraged a man she knew even as well as she knew King, to talk to
her through dinner, and after it as well. She fully recognized that
because she was conspicuous certain innocent pleasures were denied
her which other girls could enjoy without attracting attention or
comment. But Clay interested her beyond her usual self, and the look in
his eyes was a tribute which she had no wish to put away from her.
``I've thought of something more interesting to talk about,'' said Clay.
``I'm going to talk about you. You see I've known you a long time.''
``Since eight o'clock?'' asked Miss Langham.
``Oh, no, since your coming out, four years ago.''
``It's not polite to remember so far back,'' she said. ``Were you one of
those who assisted at that important function? There were so many
there I don't remember.''
``No, I only read about it. I remember it very well; I had ridden over
twelve miles for the mail that day, and I stopped half-way back to the
ranch and camped out in the shade of a rock and read all the papers and
magazines through at one sitting, until the sun went down and I
couldn't see the print. One of the papers had an account of your coming
out in it, and a