The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-06-27
THE EXPLOSIVE BOMB,

II
admirably chosen, from the fact that the
seats in the immediate neighborhood are
often thronged by children, errand boys,
unfortunate young ladies of the poorer
class, and intirm old men-all CLASSES
making direct appeal to public pity, and
therefore suitable with our designs,
MGuire, with radiant provision of the
event, drew merrily nearer. Suddenly his
eye alighted on the burly form Of po-
liceman, standing hard by the eil1gy Id
an attitude of watch NV bold compan>
ion paused; he looked about HIM closely;
here and there. at different points OF the
Enclosure, other men stood or loitered, afN
fecting an abstraction. feigning to gaze
upon the shrubs. feigning to talk, feign,
ing to be weary and TO rest upon the
benches M'Guire was no child in these
affairs, he instantly OWNED one of the
plots of the Machiavellian Gladstone.
Plainly our Leicester Square design
had been divulged; the government had
craftily filled the place with minions; and
our emissary, without other aid or pros
lection than the simple apparatus in his
bag, found himself confronted by force;
brutal force; that strong hand which was
a character of the ages of oppression.
Should he venture to deposit the mas
chine, it was almost certain that he would
be observed and arrested; a cry would
arise; and there was just fear that the
police might not be present in sufficient
force to protect him from the savagery
of the mob The scheme must be de-
layed. He stood with his bag on his arm,
pretending to survey the front of the Al
hambra when there flashed into his mind
a thought to appeal the bravest. The
machine was set; at the appointed hour
il must explode; and how, in the interval,
was he TO be rid of 1t?
Put yourself, | besceech you, into the
body of that patriot. There he was,
friendless and helpless, man in the very
flower of life. for he is not forty; with
long years Of happiness before him; and
now condemned, in one moment, to u
cruel and revolving death by dynamite
The square, he said, went round him like
thumathrope; he saw the Alhambra leap
into the air like balloon, and reelet
against the railing. 1t is probable he
tainted.
When he came to himself, a constable
had him by the arm.
my God" he cried
"You seem to be unwell, sir, said the
hireling. k..-..t
Il feel better now" cried poor M CURE
A thought struck him in Green street
like dart through his liver; suppose il
were the hour already He stopped as
though he had been shot, and pluckeC
his watch ont. There was Il bowling il
his ears, as loud as a winter tempest; hi.
sight was now obscured as if by a cloud
now, as by lightning flash, would show
him the very dust upon the street Bu
so brief were these intervals of vision, AMI
so violently did the watch vibrate in hi
hands, that it vas impossible TO distin
guish the numbers on the dial. He GOV
cred his eyes for few seconds; and il
that space, it seemed to him that he hat
fallen to be man of ninety. When Ia
looked again the watch plate had grow
legible; he had twenty minutes Twent
minutes, and no planl
Green street at that time was empty
and he now observed little girl of abou
six drawing near to him, aud, as sh
came, kicking in front OF her, as Childrc
will, piece of wood. She sang, too; an
something in her accent recalling him I
the past, produced a sudden clearaess i
his mind. Here was Gods oppoi
tunityl
My dear" said he, would you like
w. present of pretty bag?'
The child cried aloud with JOY and pl
out her hands to take it, She had locke
first at the bag, like true child; but mo
unfortunately. before she had yet r,
ceived the fatal gift, her eyes fell direct
on Mcguire, and no sooner had she see
the poor gentleman's face, than 81
screamed out and leaped backward
though she had seen the devil. Almost
the same moment, a woman appeart
upon the threshold of neighbour
shop, and called upon the child in anger
Come here, colleen she said, 'ar
don't be plaguing the poor old gentle
man. With that she reentered the hons
and the child followed her, sobbing alon
With the loss of this hope MGuirC
reason swooned within him. When ne
he awoke to consciousness, he was stant
ing before st. Martins in the Fields, wa
ering like drunken man; the passers
regarding Ap with eyes in which
read, as in aElass, an image of the terri
and horror that dwelt within his own.
"Homep thought M'Guire, what
derisionr What home was there for hiI
the victim of philanthrophy2 He thong
of his old mother, of his happy youth
the hideous, rending pang of the expl
sion. of the possibility that he might Ii
be killed, that he might be cruelty maj
gled, crippled for life. condemned to lif
long pains, blinded perhaps, and almo
su rely deafened.
From his dread glance into The futu
his thoughts returned at bound upt
the present. How had he wandered ther
and how long-O heavensl how long b
he been about it? He pulled out |
watch; and found that but three minut
had elapsed. 1t seemed to bright thi
to be believed. He glanced at the chur
clock; and sure enough, it marked TO
minutes faster than the watch
vi du buuL uc cuuulcu, VI bulIt U
clares that pang was the most desolat
Til then he had had one friend, o
counsellor, in whom he plenarily truste
by whose advertisement, he number
the minutes that remained to him of Iii
on whose sure testimony he could :
when the time was come to risk the Ii
adventure, to cast the bag away from hi
and take no flight. And now in what W
he to place relianee2 His watch W
slow; it might be losing time, if so,
what degree? What limit could he set
its arrangement and how much was
possible for watch to lose in thirty mi
utes? FiveY ten? fifteen? 1t might be
already it seemed years since he had /
st. James's hall on this so promising c
terprise; at any moment, then, the bl,
was to be looked for.
AS he was moving forward past I
National Gallery, in medium, it seem
of greater rarity than an ordinary q
there slipped into his mind the recollf
ton of a certain entry in Whitcomb str,
hard by, where he might perhaps
down his tragic cargo unremarke
Thither, then, he bent his. steps. seemir