HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Fordwich Record, 1901-09-05, Page 3A YARN FROM
THE YARD.
the old detective, sat back with the
pregnant chuckle that always riveted
attention—your public knew about as
much of that affair as the Rajah
himself; and he went away blissfully
unconscious that Scotland Yardi had
been holding its breath for a solid
month. No, I shall give no name to
the obscure restaurant, run by for-
Here was a staggerer! What could
I answer offhand. 'Beyond the estab-
lishment of his own identity I had
ferreted out absolutely nothing of
value. Where was he staying, and
with whom? A minute to think! I
'got it by calling for the bills—settled
both, and led the way outside. I
could simply risk another throw of
the bait.
"It must not fail," I whispered.
"Suppose I come back with you and
talk it over with the, others?" •
"The others?" he stared, vaguely.
"No, each may work for himself. I
shall spend my night preparing the
bombs, and—and"—with something
near a choke— "writing to all those
I left over there—little Nina and the
others. I want to be alone. At
eight o'clock I shall meet you just
here,- and you will have the cab
ready."
He put a hand to his forehead and
fairly walked away from me. Hurry
back - to the Yard with my report—
or follow him on the chance of learn-
ing what we wanted before daylight?
Follow him! He had struck along a
quiet street leading farther west. Off
I went. He was turning a corner. I
hung back a second or so, took a
run, peered round—and almost dash-
ed My- face into the wax-white one
with the black beard. Something or
other in his brain had made him
halt and look back. Before he
could properly realize, or shape any
suspicion, I had spun him around,
with an excited whisper:— •
"That way—quick! We are seen.
To-morrow night!"
And off I sprang in another direm
tion. Phew! Another blunder like
that, and. I might scare him into pre-
maturely attempting what he was
here to carry out.
No, there was no real danger!
When I. left the Yard late that night
every possible strand of the web had
been drawn in, and His Highness was
as safe here as he had over been at
home—and, perhaps, more so. It
now only remained to arrest the
plotters with all the proof possible,
communicate with the Continental
police, and deal with the organiza-
tion in such a manner as—well, as
would effectually turn the eyes of the
extreme section away from Britain
for many a year to come.
with teeth savagely bared. I reeled
back against the wall. Heavens!
was I dreaming? They were all three
foreigners, and I had been gently
walked into this incredible trap by
the simplest— Abe yes! The door
half °period, and there stood our
Mareschi, a sneer on his wax-white
face that I could never describe.
"Out of your own mouth! I
thought it—I knew, when you tried
to follow me. You, Arboretti—youl
you meant to die with the Rajah—
with me.- You shall! You shall live
just long enough to know that we
have a way of our own."
That was it. I'll own that the bare
shock of the thing left me as nearly
paralyzed as makes no difference. In
a breath I had given the whole thing
away, and Mareschi was gone—in all
probability by a rear exit. I heard
no door close; my man would hang
outside in perplexed ignorance and—
saints alive! it looked as if these
determined scoundrels, in their ex-
tremity, had stumbled on a plan so
subtle as to balk all the Yard's man-
oeuvres! More than that; did I man
age to get away, 1 stood -to risk be-
coming the laughing stock for life
among those who knew of the plot.
Thinking of that, and realizing what
might be involved, I set my teeth
and made a sudden rush for that
door, only to stumble back before
the steady barrel of a six-chambered
Colt. My own—it had been whipped
from my pocket in the struggle. I
faced round—two pointed knives were
between me and the window,
"You must stand there," said the
door-man, deliberately; "you are
minutes too late, he is well on. his
way. Failure or success tonight,
you, at least, will never go as you
came. We are sure of . one blow—if
not two."
They meant it! Hard as my brain
worked in those first few minutes I
could' see no alternative for myself
whatever might happen outside. Did
my man suspect something and force
the door down there, it was still one
blow and a kick against two knives
and a revolver.
It seemed we were simply waiting
for a distant explosion and shouting
that should tell—what it told.
was feeling faint under the awful
strain By now Mareschi would
have reached the hotel. That candle
over there! It was burned half
down. If—if it would only go out of
a sudden! If only—
The inspiration came without my
knowing it. My slouch bat lay near
my feet; in a flash I had picked it up
and flung it. Bash:, The candle was
knocked, no one knew where. Sud-
den darkness! Now for life—dear
life!
A jabbered curse—a simultaneous
rush. I recollect how every hair on
my head sprang up like a red-hot wire
as I took two stealthy strides to the
right. A hand -blundered out and
gripped me; I struck back convulsive-
ly, and met a bristly chin. One man
crashed down. They had no matebeti
—or feared to leave the door. One,
more desperate side swoop I made''
collided with a body, staggered away
struck at the wall, and crippled my
hand—and suddenly remembered
something just as death seemed
clutching me by the throat. My
whistle! I always carried one.
It was out. One deafening, piercing
signal thrilled through the house. I
made a huge bound' just avoiding
their arms. I sprang from side to
side, kicking, shouting, blowing the
whistle, until the place seemed a very
pandemonium. Now—now there was
a thudding at the door below—nod,
a crash, and shouts. One minute
more could keep up that mad
maze, and I was safe, and had turn-
ed the trap for one into a trap for
three.
The door—the door; I heard it op-
en. Another frantic rush, and I was
struggling with 'the man who had
held it, The pistol went off once,
twice; flaring in the darkness, and
then, with my very last effort, I
dashed him sideways, and was out
on the landing. A glare of lanterns;
my man, with two constables, sprang
past me. One of the scoundrels lay
unconscious, another took flight, and
the third was seized as he swung up
the revolver again. Safe! I just
waited to make sure, got my nerve,
and went off like a man possessed.
I reached the Strand—that I had
never thought to see again. Noth-
ing had happened; people were bust-
ling along as unconsciously as ever.
A cab—the Cosmopolitan Hotel! Five
minutes later, as it swung around
the Piccadilly bend, I caught sight of
my chief, just about to cross the
road. I shouted to the driver, and
leaned out to whisper one word.
"Haltom where have you been?" he
asked. "You're white enough! Got
him? Yes, to be sure, twenty min-
utes ago, bomb and all, with. just
the papers on him we wanted. The
man's mad; he made a clean rush for
the front entrance. It was all over
quietly in one minute. Meanwhile,"
with a chuckle, "the Rajah is not
due in London for another two hours
—change in the programme that was
not announced to the papers! There
were only five in it, it seems. Arbor-
etti and himself we've got, and the
other three--
"Are safe in the cells," I said.
And then, for the first time in My
life,I dropped back into the cab and
quietly fainted.
4
EVOLUTION OF•111AN.
Mrs. Grout:Husbands ripe so differ-
ent from other men !
Mrs. Snapper: I know it. I paid
to John last evening, How the wind
blows! and he grunted and said: Did
you ever know the wind to do any-
thing else ?
Mre. Grout: That's just it. Before
you' were married to him he prob-
ably would have had no end of nice
things to say in reply.
LUMINOUS POTATOES.
The common potato, when decom-
posing, gives light enough to read
by—a light so vivid that once a cel-
lar at Strasburg was thought to be
on fire when shining with the phos-
phorescence of decomposing pota-
toes.
CARE OF SHEEP
Rainy seasons are very unfavorable
for sheep. It is the very general be-
lief thgt it is on account of the ex-
cessive number of stomach and intes-
tinal worms that invade the flocks in
such seasons. I am convinced this is
not the explanation, writes Dr. H.
P; Miller. The internal parasites
are no more numerods in wet years
than dry. Sheep suffer 'worse from
them because there are other unfa-
vorable conditions. The frequent
wetting and the less nutritious grass
lowers the vitality of the animals so
they are not able to withstand the
ravages of the parasites so well.
Sheltering from rains in well
ventilated stables and grain feeding
will be found an almost sure preven-
tative of loss. But these will not
prevent an invasion of parasites that
interfere with the thrift of the flock
whenever they are present in large
numbers. Keeping sheep in small
-flocks, and in large fields, so that
they are not compelled to graze over
the same ground frequently lessens
the danger of a destructive invasion.
It has been very widely taught that
old pastures become such hotbeds of
these parasites that it is unsafe to
graze them with sheep. I do not
think this is true. Some of the par-
asites may lie carried through the
winter in earth worms, but far great-
er numbers are carried in old sheep,
and in this way spread over the pas-
tures in the spring. It makes no
difference whether they aro newly
seeded fields or native sods. • The
best safeguard against, invasion in
the lambs is to keep them from fol-
lowing their mothers upon the pas-
tures. This may be done by having
the lambs born early enough so they
may weaned before 'turning out to
graze in the spring; or with later
born lambs by separating them from
their mothers each day as they go
out to the pastures. This can easily
be done by feeding the lambs in an
apartment separated from the old
sheep by a creep, and turning the old
sheep out while the lambs are eat-
ing.
Where none of these precautions
can be taken it will be necessary to
give some worm medicines to pre-
vent losses. Pour turpentine upon
salt in the proportion of one pint tp
a galloit Keep this before the sheep
for a week. The next week substi-
tute gentian. for the turpentine and
the following week a pound of dried
sulphate of iron mixed with a gallon
of bran and a quart of this mixture
given daily to 100 head for a Week.
'17-hp turpentine should then be re-
peated. Tartar emetic and seater,
ins are each effective vermifuges and
should be given daily in doses of 15
grams for a week when one of them
is employed. Remember that one
treatment is pet proof against an-
other invasion. But if the flock is
once entirely freed from them and
placed upon a fresh pasture where
no sheep have been the present sea-
son, there will be no further. trouble.
DAIRY AND STOCK.
It takes a riches man than most of
us to stand the loss- coming from
scolding or talking loud while milk-
ing. , The tone of the voice affects
the milk pail.
A horse that is frightened by trol-
ley or other cars should be consIder-
ed unsafe and unsalable. The man
who buys such an animal runs great
risk. The rule should apply also to
automobiles.
Some corn can be advantageously
fed now to pigs that are ultimately
to be fattened. A ration of one-
third corn and two thirds middlings
with a tenth part of oil meal added
is very satisfactory in connection
with pasture. If skim-milk can be
had, feed one pound of skim-milk for
every two to three pounds of the mix.
tore, and increase the proportion of
corn to one half of the grain fed. •
Every farmer's wife ought to teach
her daughters to make good butter.
No matter' what the girls intend to
do for . a. living, it is- an honor for
them to be able to say that they
know just how butter is made; and
the time will surely come when they
will flee up and call their mothers
blessed if they have taught them the
noble art of snaking butter. Espe-
cially will this be true if by chance
they should become the wives of far-
mers.
CROPS FOR THE ORCHARD.
Nothing should be grown in the or-
chard which will prevent the cultiA.-
don of the trees. On steep hillsides
clover is especially desirable to pre-
vent washing. It should be sbwn in
strips running across the hillside be-
tween the rows, and the trees given
clean cultivation until they are well
established.
FEED CROPS FOR POULTRY.
Every -poultry breeder understands
the value of having a variety of
food; and that Wis essential for the
health of the fowls and the produc-
tion of fertile eggs. Yet probably
nine-tenths of poultry raisers think
their duty done when they have scat-
tered before the hens some corn' and
gathered the eggs. This treatment
may appear to fulfill all
necessary , obligations when fowls
can have unrestricted -range through
the summer season. The necessity of
providing corn, sometimes with
wheat and oats, for winter
food, is generally understood; but
if to these were added a supply of
the -other grgras and vegetables we
would not herdi so much complaint
as now of stock "running out."
As to the special grains buckwheat
is one of the most VaJuable.for the
production of eggs.Suid(ower seeds
should also be included in tile bill of
fare. The large amount of oil they
contain seems to be especially valu-
able for young. growing chickens.
They also give a gloss and brilliancy
to the feathers probably unequalled
by any other food. Even when fed
large quantities no bad effects fol-
ow. Well-cured green corn stalks
and young tender grass and clover
should be provided for poultry as
regularly as hay for other stock.
The soft or poor heads of cabbage,
stored by themselves, are probably
the cheapest and most easily obtain-
ed green food during winter.
If one is extensively raising early
thickens it will pay you to sow let-
tuce seed in a box and place it In a
warm, sunny window. The young
and tender leaves are easily grown,
and will add greatly to the health
and growth of the chickens. Onions
should also be grown and kept for
feeding. If chopped moderately fine,
they will be eagerly consumed by
fowls. Tobacco should also be
grown and used to keep the stock.
free from lice. Pull the plants be-
fore frost and hang them in the barn
or shed to dry. A handful of the
leaves in the nests of sitting hens
will add a great deal to their com-
fort and more to that of the young.
Hemp seed is useful for young and
valuable chickens, but the sunflower
is a good substitute and much more
cheaply raised. Peppers are a most
useful condiment during the winter
months, helping greatly in the pro-
duction of eggs through the cold
weather. A small number of plants
of the long red variety will produce
a plentiful supply, much cheaper and
purer than the .ordinary ground cay-
enne of the stores.
Beans, well cooked, either whole or
ground, will help fill op the list, of
foods. Rape seed is easily raised,
and would be useful for choice young
chickens. Seeds of the common mil-
let, golden millet, sorghum and
broom corn will make a variety in
the list of good, cheap foods. Egyp-
tian corn, a kind of sorghum, is val-
uable for young or old fowls. Bar-
ley, rye and oats are all acceptable
to poultry,
1
CURTAINS OF GOLD COINS,
Some El Dorados far the Enter-
prising Burglars.
Collectors of coins sometimes dis-
pose of their treasures in peculiar
ways, but the young American lady
who recently appeared at a fancy
dress ball as "Money" surely hit on
a novel manlier in which to show the
gold and silver pieces that had taken
her father years to accumulate. Her
helmet was possibly the best part of
her get-up. Golden dollars, scores
of them, connected by cha'ns of gos-
samer fineness, with here and there a
diamond or pearl, formed this unique
headdress, which5 despite its worth
and beauty, must have proved rather
weighty.
Foreign bank-notes of old date
made a frill round the neck more in-
teresting to prosaic people than the
historic ruffles affected by Queen Eliz-
abeth, and the silvery satin skirt
was festooned with long strings of
spade guineas and foreign silver pie-
ces. The lady danced but little; she
was literally weighted down with
money. She obtained and deserved
the first prize at the exhibition. of
fanciful dress.
A curtain in the window of an an-
tique residence near Leeds, England,
attracts the attention of all behold-
ers. Few, . however, recognize its
value. Long strings of seed pearls
and oriental beads form the founda-
tion, hundreds of rare old coins and
silver pieces give to the ornament an
air of pantomimic extravagance, and
tassels composed _entirely of fourpea-
ny bits impart finish to the unique
creation. The many who pause to
admire turn away with the idea that
the coins am mere things of tinsel
admirably manufactured to deceive
the eye.
On account of its weight and ma-
terial the ,curtain does not draw up
on rollers. When circumstances ne-
cessitate its removal, it ascends stiff
as a sheet of zinc into an upper
room, where a strong fire-proof sale
receives it.
By touching a secret button the
curtain slowly descends to the re-
quired depth, a similar button rais-
ing it out of sight as the owner may
desire. ThiS marvellous curtain is
valued by its owner at considerably
over. one thousand guineas, many of
the coins thereon fastened being of
exceptional value.
A London lady, who may be said
to possess ono of the finest collec-
tions of fourpenny pieces- and foreign
coins of similar size, has completely
covered the top of an ordinary sized
reading table with the tiny coins.
The work was done under her own
supervision, a strong mixture being
employed to securely fasten the pie-
ces. The spaces between the silver
pieces. are enamelled male blue and
cardinal, the whole forming a design
of rare beauty, such as may not be
seen elsewhere. It is almost impos-
sible to disconnect the silver discs
unless foul play be employed;
therefore the lady's eeuanimity is not
disturbed when she observes her
guests lounging over the valuable
table.
In the roof plate of an upper set
of false teeth, worn by a well-known
actress, is a golden coin, which on
account of its value and for super-
stitious reasons the lady wishes to
always have about her—hence its pe-
culiar abiding place.
HYPNOTISED THE HORSE.
Buyer : Look here, you ! You said
this horse was sound, and kind and
free from tricks. The first day I
drove him he fell down a dozen
times, and he's as bad to-day.
Dealer: Um—you've been wondering
if I cheated you, maybe ?
Yes, I have.
And the first time you drove the
ltbss yeti wondered if he hadn't some
tricks, didn't you ?
Of course.
And you kept saying to yourself,
I wonder if that there hose will tum-
ble down, eh ?
And-you had your mind. omit
.good deal, 1,uoii, like
That's true.
That's wot's the matter. You've
hypnotised him. See?
.
100,000 bides of cotton fed the
Lancashire mills for ° a year a cen-
tury ago. A similar amount now
lasts them a day and a quarter.
NEARLY ANNIHILATED.
HOW AN AUSTRALIAN FORCE
WAS CUT UP.
They Were Completely Surprised
And Sixty Killed or
Woutcled.
Bennet Burleigh, writing from
Bloemfontein to the London Daily
Telegraph, gives details of the disas-
ter to part of the Australiansthe'
Victorians, to the south of Bing-
spruit, last month. The men had bi-I
vouacked for the night, having' •
stacked arms according to regula-
tions, and picketed their horses.'
About 8:20 pf m. there burst over r.
the still camp a wild roar of Boer
musketry, fired from a range of fifty
yards. It instantly swelled into ,i,
diabolical tornado, with a savage
accompaniment of human cries, and:
the ear-piercing and heart-racking,
shrieks of the maddened, *wounded
horses. Without pause, the Boers
rushed in, firing their Mousers the
while, and yelling, "Now, you khaki;
you English—" "Hands up, —"
but never ceasing to shoot and slay.
The groans of mangled men now
rose and mingled with the screams
of the struggling, plunging steeds.
Over 180 of the poor animals were
slain upon the lines. Half awake
and dazed, soldiers scrambled out of l
their wrappings and ran to grab)
their rifles. But the Boors coveredl
the stacks and shot the troopers
flown. The officer in command of the
pom-poms ram to cast one of them
loose and use it. He was riddled'
with bullets in an instant. And
still the shouting and slaying went.
forward, the enemy rushing wildly,
about the camp.
In the first rush around the horse-
lines .a Boer yelled at an unarmed
soldier who had sprung to his feet.;
"HANDS UP!"
The trooper complied, whereupon
the Boer pulled the trigger of his
Hauser, which was planted against(
the Victorian's breast, and murdered'
him. "Oh, you coward!" roared
wounded officer stretched upon the
ground, and, frenziedly pulling out
his revolver, he fired, and stretched .„
the Boer, mortally wounded, beside
his victim. And still the bullets
snapped and burst, for the enemy
were using both expansive and ex-
plosive missiles. "Never have I
seen anything like it," said an officer
to me. -"The enemy's bullets flicked
everywhere, and many of theln burst
into flame, flashing about like very
brilliant fire-flies or lively will-o'ethe
wisps." Some of our men escaped
by getting among the dead horses
and under the over-turned baggage
and saddlery. One or two bushmen
caught loose horses, mounted, and
rode for life towards Middleburg, and
General Reatson's camp. Others
broke away on foot, and, as best
they could, struck north to reach the
railway. Viljoen, within ten-minutes
from the commencement of his at-
tack, brought up six harnessed hor-
ses and took off the first of the pom-
poms. The second, which was under
a - tarpaulin was removed later, tm
gether -with about 1,000 rounds of
ammunition and much small-arm am-
munition. All the rifles and stores
also fell into the enemy's hands,
most of the latter were burned. They
got very few horses, however, so
many having been killed or wounded.
In the morning they released Major,
Morris, R. A., and all their prison-
ers. Our casualties—Victorians—
were 19 or 20 killed and 10 wounded.
The Boers were seen to remove at
least eight of their dead in a cart.
They confessed to having sustained
considerable loss, despite the attack
having been a complete surprise.
WHAT CAUSED THE ROW.
Hoot, hoot, hoot I rang through
the house at 2 a.m.
Great Scott ! What is that? and
the head of the house sat up in bed
and blinked at a gas lamp shining
through the window.
John, stay where you are. I'll
not let you go downstairs to bp
killed. Did you ever hear such a
noise ?
Mamma, what is it ? came in an
agitated whisper from the next room
and then the daughter rushed wildly
into the parental bedchamber.
Keep cool, now. Don't go into
highstrikes, I'm going down to see
what that is, and he unearthed an
old muzzle-loading gun which had
belonged to his grandfather and had
been loaded for thirty years. I'll
show 'em. Every man's house is his
own castle—"
Hoot, hoot, hoot !
The father dropped the gun and it
blew a whole corner off the chest of
drawers. The daughter dived Muter
the bed and the mother cried mur-
der at the top of her voice.
Be quiet ! ordered the veteran, as
he reached for -rtillerY. Stay
where you are. I'll fight my way to
the front door mai cot the police.
If they start .shooting down there
don't show a light. I know the
house and they don't.
Hoot, hoot, hoot ! just as the old
gentleman reached the top of the
stairs. - He went down like a cart-
wheel, and made a hole in the floor
as big as the bottom of a tub.
Did you hear my owl ? shouted
Willie, as ho came running down
from the third storey. Cot him in
the country yesterday:. and hung him
in the dining-room when I got home
last night. Ain't he a beauty ?
Poor Willie ! Ile walks like a boy
with inflammatory rheumatism, and
the last he saw of his owl it was
flying over the barn towards the
next village. •
AS TO HUMAN HAIR.
The ordinary length of the hair on
the head ranges between 20 inches-
and'about a yard and a quarter
When, however, hair is kept closely
shaved it _conies persistent, an, at,
the Mine time grows In strength and
bulk. It has been calculated that
the hair of the beard grows at the
rate of 61 inches in the course of the
year. Thuo, in the case of a man
shaving for sixty years, over 30 feel
of beard must have fallen before the
edge of the razor,
the real Arboretti's scheme; but he
only hung on my words with that
mad, puzzling intentness. I was
treading the edge of a deep pit. "It
is not to be Thursday, and so my
best and safest plan falls to the
ground. On that day he attends a
reception at an Embassy, and re-
turns to the hotel in time for—"
....”:"...-olo:••:-1":":":••:••:"Xol”...,,1"l'eledel-l• Another pause. No; it seemed fairly
clear that the final arrangements had
Just so! Your public—Monkhouee. been entrusted to that deep Arboret-
ti. Well, here is our. second and
only alternative idea. Provided that
the Rajah sleeps at his hotel to-mor-
row night, it cannot fail. To-mor-
row there will be cases of game,
wine and other things carried in at
the rear of the building. Diareschi,
bend your head!' =and I whispered
a clever notion that had been agreed
eigners, where the beautiful scheme upon days before, so designed that he
was brought to a head. Enough and his confederates could be arrest-
that one evening I was supposed to ed quietly on the very scene of the be dozing over my paper at one of contemplated crime.
the tables there. Yes; I was staring
might and main at the gentleman Yes, yes!" He simply no cam dded,
a for whose appearance I had waited a and was on his feet again: "I not so long as I succeed. Top have week—the man launched upon
where?" its
London by a set of tenet- this ready? Then I meet you— suspecting London
who hoped to send a thrill shud-
dering from here right away to In-
dia.
I had ne tangible proof yet. All
the same I. was ready to stake my
hard-won reputation on the instinct
that tingled thrOugh me at first
sight of that wax-white, black-beard-
ed face flashed on to a mirror 'from
the doorway opposite. Entering, he
sat down near the door, whispered
for macaroni and coffee, and began
rolling a cigarette with thin, nervous
fingers, vehileI knew— he was ment--
ally photographing every detail in
the room. And—er—yes, the furtive
glance,„ paused at myself. Good—
splendid! He was fresh from the
Continent, beyond a doubt; and I—
well, it had taken me just one hour
each day to "make up" as the for-
eigner who should have been there to
meet him, but whom we had thought-
fully prevented from doing so.
The macaroni came. He just tast-
ed it, shuddered, sipped at the coffee
and began smoking hard. No at-
tempt at a signal. The situation
was exquisitely delicate. We didn't
want Londoft to send up a roar. The
plot,' and everyone concerned in it
had to be traced - home in strictest
secrecy; a false move now, and the
vile tentacle thrown out over sea by
the Anarchist octopus might be in-
stantly withdrawn. Luckily, the
newspaper could tell nothing about
the intercepted letter in cipher to
Luigi Arboretti, the clever scoundrel
who, hafided across his own border a
year ago, had found a refuge in Lon-
don; the ferret-eyed correspondents
could not—and never really did—dis-
cover that this latest plot of all aim-
ed at stirring up a rebellion and hat-
red in India by murdering, on Eag-
'llsh soil, one of the most powerful
provincial rulers—our distinguished
visitor, His Highness, the Rajah Dhu
Djaleem
Minute after minute went by. I
watched him breathlessly in the mir-
ror there: he-stared as steadily back.
No life in his eyes yet; but—what
was he up to?' Twice he had held his
'Cigarette at arm's length, stared fix-
edly at it, put the lighted end in his
mouth, and blown a whiff of smoke
In three directions. A sign? The
letter had mentioned none. I had
cigarettes—but I might make a fear-
ful blunder that way. At my wit's
end, I looked down at my newspaper
again. Something like this stared
up at me:—
"The Rajah Dhu Djaleen reached
London late last night-after his visit
to Scotland. His Highness was said
to be in the best health and spirits,
and proceeded straight to his suite
at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. It is
understood that, although the Rajah
has been received in conference in the
highest quarters, his visit will re-
main a strictly informal one." Etc.,
etc.
In two seconds I snipped out the
item with my thumbnail, held it up
as if in a yawn, and then rolled it
into b. pellet. A backward flip, and
the pellet lay near his feet. Would
he bite? For- another minute I held
my breath; then—his cigarette drop-
ped. When .he picked it up the pel-
let was gone. Yes; it. was a big
bound my heart gave at the certain-
ty that there sat the mail seleeted to
set an Indian province ablaze and
put a big blot on Britain. For a
time be never moved;., then, almost
before I knew it, he was seated op-
posite me, and had clutched and
pocketed that paper with the danger-
ous elimination.
"Vous etes—" he breathed.
"Arboretti!" I gave him back,with
an accent. "Keep to English here. I
have been shadowed by Naples and
Paris detectives—dared not give you
the sign openly. Why so late?"
"Ah! I wee followed; I know it.
It took me the week to turn and
twist and get to—where I am. I
have carried twenty, of the capsules,
filled with nitro-glycerine, in the
false crown of this .hat the whole
way You are not speaking. Is it
for to-morrow?"
"No; er—say Thursday." It
wanted a bit of saying, as his hot
breath puffed on, my face. I was
bound to risk a feeler on my own ac-
' count. "Why was it to be the rajah?
They could not have chosen' a worse
place than England—London. If
these people had but an idea,they
would—"
"Then let it be to-morrow?" he
caught my hand tightly. "But I say
yes!—let it be over. It might mean
madness for me; I have had the great
struggle not to drown my senses in
cognac. I am quite ready—I wait
for nothing save your plan. There i.e
. the hotel: show me a way into it and
it is done. For myself, I care noth-
ing. To-morrow, yes! It is perhaps
the last good blow we shall strike.
Mareschi, one man, will blow up
their Rajah—I alone!"
"Hush—keep mini," I whispered.
"You are mistaken; I shall be with
you; I am no more afraid than you.
Then—to-morrow!" I had to say it,
his eyes had flamed up so dangerous-
ly—and, of course, all our hopes were
based mien what we might glean
-from this Mareschi. So far, we
were all in the dark as to the names
and. number of the plotters on this
side. "It is just the plan we must
consider now—to get a way in, and
keep it " I waited, on the chance
that he might know something of
The memorable day daWned; seven•
o'clock came round at last. By half-
past, still as Arboretti, I had reach-
ed the rendezvous and stood waiting
for Maresehi. A four-wheeler hover-
ed dose at hand. The driver was a
detective, a plain-clothes inspector
was boxed in under the seat in case
of emergency, and two men were
watching in readiness—one, to carry
the.word,and one to follow wherever
we went. The mine was undermined
in every direction.
Eight o'clock! There was Mares-
chi, rounding the corner. Puffing at
his eternal cigarette, he walked firm-
ly up, deadly calm—almost smiling.
"Good! But where is—it?" I
whispered.. "It" was always their
word.
"Close by," he said, staring round.
"Don't think I was afraid—I was on-
careful. We .will step back for it,
and return here for the cab. This
way!"
That was unexpected, but It mat-
tered nothing—might lead to some
thing good. We should be closely
followed in any case. Not another
wthel passed between us, but as we
went I managed to scribble on my
linen cuff: "Have house-searched mo-
nient we leave it." We were going
towards Soho, as I expected; and
barely ten minutes had elapsed when
our man Stopped, looked up and
down and whispered: "Here it is!"
I just had time to flick away the cuff
as he turned his key. Next minute
I was following him up a dark, nar-
row staircase.
How did it happen? He has push-
ed open some door; simultaneously
he turned back, with a husky cry:
"The police! Run—run!" There was
no time to think; he was dashing for
the staircase, he might get away even
now. 1 just grasped the possibility
in time to grip the man by the
shoulder, and then—
A rush and a scuffle. I heard some
one say, "Got them both," and
found myself dragged bodily through
the 'doorway. Kicking, shouting, I
tried to keep my hold on Mareschi
No use; in less than a minute I was
overpowered. Two constables had
my arms, and a third stood holding
the door. A candle burned on the
mantel-shelf; I could make out noth-
ing else.
"You—you raw fools!" I gasped,'
ready to dance. "What are you do-.
ing? You've let him go. Mareschi!
That's Mareschi, our man!"
"He's safe. We've got Arboretti,
at any rate," the door-man says,
coolly as you please. I never felt
nearer choking. For the Yard to
put these clumsy idiots on such a
ticklish job, and without my know-
ing!
"Arborettil" I got out. "Who
posted you here? Let go, will you!
I'm not Arboretti! I'm So-and-So,
of the Yard, in charge of this busi-
ness. You madmen!"
I burst away—to start back in cold
horror, I admit. The man at the
door dashed off his helmet, dragged
. •
The extra, stationery used by the
away his tunic, and I saw—no po- War Oftlee for war purposes since
liceman, but a swarthy foreigner, 1199 has cost £105;000 up to date.
"4