ng in the morning. There was a
concert and dance at the hotel that night, and I went in to look on for
awhile. I ran across a friend, an engineer who was on the job with me
up in the hills a few months ago. He is also an American, a chap from
Providence, Rhode Island. Connected with the consular service now. He
was with a small party of Americans,--am I boring you?"

"No, no,--get on with it," urged Captain Trigger.

"Several of them were sailing on this ship, and they were having a
little farewell party. That, however, has nothing to do with the case.
I left them at midnight and went up to my room. Now comes the part you
will not believe. During the night,--I sleep very soundly,--some one
entered my room, rifled my pockets, and got away with everything I
possessed, except my clothes and the five-dollar gold piece I have
carried ever since I left home,--as a lucky coin, you know. He--"

"How did he happen to overlook your lucky coin?" inquired the Captain
sarcastically.

"Because it couldn't be a lucky coin if I carried it in my purse. No
coin is ever lucky that gets into my purse, Captain. I always kept it
tightly sewed up in the band of my trousers, safe from the influence of
evil companions. I did not discover the loss until morning. It was then
too late to do anything, as you were sailing at eight. My Providence
friend was not available. I knew no one else. But I was determined to
sail on the Doraine. That's the story, sir, in brief. I leave it to
you if I wasn't justified in doing the best I could under the
circumstances."

Captain Trigger was not as fierce as he looked. He could not keep the
twinkle out of his eye.

"We will see about that," he managed to say with commendable gruffness.
"Assuming that your story is true, why are you in such a tremendous
hurry to reach the United States? Skipping out for some reason, eh?"

"Well," said the young man slowly, "you see, news is a long time getting
out into the wilderness where I've been located for a couple of years.
We knew, of course, that there was a war on, but we didn't know how it
was progressing. Down here in this part of the world we have a war every
two or three months, and we've got so used to having 'em over within a
week or two that we just naturally don't pay much attention to them.
We don't even care who wins. But a couple of months ago we got word
up there that the United States had finally got into it with everybody
under the sun, and that the