FERDINAND MORRIS.
When Ferdinand Morris left the train after robbing Joshua Bascom, as
described in the first chapter, he was in excellent spirits. He had
effected his purpose, and got off scot free. He walked briskly away
from the station at which he got out, and didn't stop to examine the
wallet till he had got half a mile away.
When he discovered that it contained only ten dollars, he was filled
with disgust.
"What could the fellow mean by coming to the city with only ten dollars
in his pocketbook?" he muttered. "It's a regular imposition. It wasn't
worth taking. Here I am, stranded in the country, and my ticket of no
value, for only ten dollars! I should like to see my rural friend's
wo-begone look when he discovers the loss of his wallet, though."
This thought helped to reconcile Morris to the situation. The picture
which he had conjured up tickled his fancy, and he laughed heartily.
But his merriment was short-lived. Incidentally he noticed the loss of
the ring, and his countenance changed.
"My ring gone!" he exclaimed. "What can have become of it? It was worth
fifty dollars at least. I must have dropped it into that fellow's
pocket when I took his wallet. That's a pretty bad exchange. What an
unlucky chap I am! I am about forty dollars out of pocket."
The satisfaction of Mr. Morris was quite destroyed. There seemed little
hope of his recovering the ring, for he could not make known its loss
without betraying himself.
"I may as well be going back to New York," he said moodily. "If I meet
that fellow again, I must get up some scheme for recovering the ring
from him. He is a countryman and I can frighten him into giving it to
me. The worst of it is, the ring is not mine, and the owner will make a
fuss about it. She is inclined to be suspicious, and I shall find it
hard work to explain."
In a house on Lexington Avenue lived a maiden lady, close upon forty
years of age, though she called herself thirty-one. Miss Josephine
Harden had been left independent through the will of an aunt who had
left her the sum of thirty-five thousand dollars. She had been for
eight years an humble attendant, subject to the numerous whims and
caprices of her relative, but two years since had been repaid by a
legacy. Ever since Miss Marden had been looking about for a suitable
matrimonial partner. There were some difficulties in the way, for she
was thin, long-nosed, and with a yellow complexion. Three impecunious
bachelors, lured by her money, had paid her some attentions, but their
courage failed at last, and they silently slunk away. At length,
however, Ferdinand Morris met Miss Harden, and conceived the idea of
marrying her for her money. When he had once got possession of her
fortune, he proposed to leave her in the lurch.
Morris was a stylish-looking man, and the spinster received his
attentions very favorably. She knew very little about him except that
he was in some mysterious business about which he did not speak
definitely, except that it required him to travel constantly. Matters
progressed until they became engaged. At this point, rather reversing
the usual order of things, Miss Marden gave her suitor the ring which
he had now lost.
"If we don't marry," she said cautiously, "I shall expect you to give
it back."
"Certainly, my dear Josephine," said Morris, "but I shall hold you to
your promise."
"You might see some girl younger and fair," said Hiss Marden coyly.
"How could that be?" said Morris with mock ardor, as he bent over her
hand and kissed it with secret facial contortions. "Do you doubt my
love?"
"I try not to, Ferdinand, but I am no longer in my first youth. I
shudder to say it I am twenty nine."
"You were two years older last week," thought Morris.
"I--I don't feel so old," said the spinster, "but I am afraid it is a
fact."
"I don't believe you will ever be forty again," thought Morris. "By the
way, Josephine, have you thought of that investment I spoke to you
about? I can get a hundred shares of mining stock for you, at five
dollars a share--the inside price--while to the general public it is
only sold at ten."
"It may be as you say, Ferdinand, but my aunt lost money in mining
stocks, and I shall hardly dare to venture."
"Confound your aunt!" said Morris to himself. "I assure you, Josephine,
this is a chance to double your money in three months."
"Have you invested in it yourself, Ferdinand?"
"Oh, yes," answered Morris, glibly, "I have a hundred and fifty
shares."
Suspicious as she was, Miss Morris believed her suitor to be a man of
means, and did not doubt his statement.
"Then I hope for your sake it will prove a good investment."
"Confound her!" thought Morris, "there seems no chance to make her open
her purse strings. She has got to come down liberally, or I won't marry
her."
It was at Miss Marden's door that Ferdinand Morris rang on the evening
after the loss of the ring. He would have kept away, but he had
promised to call, and Miss Morris was very strict in requiring him to
keep his engagements.
He had hardly entered the room when she discovered the loss of the
ring.
"What has become of the ring, Ferdinand?" she asked quickly.
"I thought you would miss it," he replied in some confusion.
"Where is it?" I asked Miss Harden peremptorily.
"Plague take the old cat," thought Morris. "I suppose I may as well
tell the truth."
"The fact is," he stammered, "it was stolen from me on an Erie train
to-day by a pickpocket."
"And you let him do it? What could you be thinking of, Ferdinand?"
"You have no idea how expert these fellows are, Josephine," said
Morris, who certainly ought to know.
"I think a man must be inexcusably careless or simple," returned the
spinster, "to allow a man to steal a ring from his finger. Do you
suspect anybody?"
"Yes; I sat beside a young man dressed up as a countryman. He was such
a good imitation, that I was positively taken in. He looked as if he
had been driving the plow all his life."
"And he stole the ring?"
"He must have done it. There was no one else near who had the chance."
"But how could he slip it off your finger without your knowing it?"
"The fact is, I fell into a doze, and when I was half asleep the ring
was taken. After he had got it he got out at some station, and I am
afraid I never shall see him again."
"I am not satisfied with your explanation, Ferdinand."
"You don't mean to say you doubt my word, Josephine?"
"I paid fifty dollars for that ring at a jeweler's on Sixth Avenue, and
I don't feel like losing so much money."
"But it is my loss, as you gave it to me."
"You forget that in case our engagement was broken, it was to be
returned."
"But you really don't think of breaking the engagement? You don't want
to drive me to despair?"
"Do you really love me so much, Ferdinand?" said the spinster, smiling
complacently.
"Can you doubt it? It makes me very unhappy to have you find fault with
me."
"But you must admit that you were very careless."
"I confess it, but the man looked so innocent."
"Do you think you shall ever meet him again?"
"I think so. He may be in another disguise."
"I will give you four weeks to do so, Ferdinand. If you don't succeed I
shall require you to buy another in its place."
"I will do my best," said Morris.
"I really thought you were sharper, Ferdinand. No pickpocket could rob
me."
"I may try it some time," thought Morris. "It would be rather a
satisfaction to do it too."
"I wonder if I shall meet that country fellow again," thought Morris as
he left the house. "If I do I'll see if I can't frighten him into
returning my ring."
The very next evening, in passing the Standard Theater, near the corner
of Thirty-Third Street Morris saw and instantly recognized the tall,
rustic figure and slouching walk of Joshua Bascom. He paused a moment
in indecision, then summoning up all his native bravado, he stepped
forward, and laid his hand on Joshua's shoulder.
"Look here, my friend," he said in tone of authority, "I have some
business with you."