During my visit, I related as briefly as possible my experience from the time of last seeing Horace in Chicago when 1 attended their wedding; how I spent the intervening time between that date and the time of my meeting with Marie and her mother-in-law, Horace's mother, in Minneapolis; what had taken place after that date, including my escape from Burns in Boston, and why I had determined, as a fitting climax to my exciting adventures, to return to the Pacific Coast.
My readers will readily understand the object I had in view in relating at this time, the incidents of the past six months to my old partner's wife, which was, of course, to prepare her for what was to come—the object of my visit—to solicit her aid in gaining an interview with Mr. Heney.
Nor could I question her sincerity as a true friend and one worthy of the confidence I was now about to repose in her, as I was fully convinced she would perform the duty in a most conscientious and faithful manner, with credit alike to herself and those interested, and would, in my opinion, succeed in bringing Mr. Heney to her home, where I could meet him in person and learn my fate.
I could not, however, bring myself to the point where I felt entirely safe in unfolding my plan at that time and in the presence of Allie McKinley, who remained in the room, never leaving it for a single moment, from the time of Marie's entrance. I had no right, it would appear, to question this man's stability as a friend and the sincerity of his expressions of solicitude for my welfare, for was it not he, to whom my old friend and partner referred, in speaking of how I could best reach him by letter in his first communication to me from China, when he wrote: "My cousin, Allie McKinley, whose address is 222 McAllister street, San Francisco, is thoroughly reliable and trustworthy, and a person in whom youPage 275
