Hemming, the adventurerRoberts, Theodore Goodridge
General
Hemming, the adventurer
Roberts, Theodore Goodridge
Canadian fiction -- 20th century
"Then Captain Hemming shall start day after to-morrow," he said, in a
soothing voice. Wells paid no attention to this remark.
"I want you to send in more copy. You might let us have extra
stories from each place, under another name. We could use them," he
said to Hemming. The monocle held him in its unwinking regard for
several seconds. Then the Englishman spoke:
"I wish you to understand me from the start," he said. "When I was
in the service of my country, I was perfectly willing to do one man's
work, or three men's work, for the pay that I got, because it was a
matter of sentiment with me, and because I could afford to do it.
But now, if I do two men's work, as you suggest, I draw double pay.
Another thing, I shall take my orders from one man, or I shall take
no orders at all. Mr. Dodder is my man for choice."
It was evident that this speech of the new correspondent's threw
Dodder into a flurry, and left Wells aghast. Hemming sat in his
comfortable chair, and calmly smoked his excellent cigar. At last
Wells found his voice.
"I think the less I have to do with this man, the better," he said,
and left the room. When the door shut behind him, Dodder sighed with
relief.
"Thank God that's over," he said, and immediately expanded to his
former genial self.
"What is the matter with him?" asked Hemming, mildly.
"Guess he was born that way," replied the manager, "and he really
doesn't know what an impression he gives. He has a great head for
business."
"I should judge so," said Hemming.
Dodder laughed. "Now pull up your chair and we'll make your plans,"
he said, straightening his bulky legs under the table. They worked
busily with maps and note-books for over an hour. At the end of that
time a clerk entered with a bunch of letters and manuscripts. One of
the letters was for Hemming. It had been readdressed and forwarded
half a dozen times; and after all it proved to be nothing more
important than a meandering scrawl from Major O'Grady. "We keep your
memory green, dear boy," wrote the major, and much more in the same
vein. But a crooked postscript proved of interest. It said that
Penthouse was back in Dublin, and was going to the bow-wows at a
fearful pace.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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