Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1888-06-09

sharply at me- "Then how comes it in this
room? But to work. Search"
In five minutes their skillful fingers had
oyerhauled the luggage which was lying
about. They found nothing to the purpose.
1.-THE bed, was the next command.
| do not know what seized upon me then:
whether it was sheer longing to give vent to
my excitement that carried me away, or the
memory of Clients words "And mems lives
they will cost, that inspired me with some
! spirit that certainly was not my own. l can
not say Only know that when the order
''Now the bed" was given sprang between it
and the searchers.
"No" 1 shouted, waving them back.
"Waitl'
If had dim notion of delaying them and
gaining time the attempt was as vain as it
was foolish.
"Madmanl" cried the leader, dropping the
mask, and suddenly beside himself with
rage; "stand back. Juan, Felipe, do your
dutyw
l flung one from mel anotherl l had mo-
ments awful consciousness of a carbine
leveled at my chest, of finger pressing on
the trigger, of q sheathed sword that struck
up the weapon a second before it exploded, of
the officer shouting i'll a voice of thunder
above the tumult, "No aqui! Despuesl" and
then strong arm flung me forcibly against
the wall. | saw Jock leap forward, his teeth
bared-saw some one fire hastily-saw the dog
fall bleeding by the bed. The room grew
| thick with smoke.
"Oh my GodrI cried, and covered my
face. l was tremblinI IN every limb Some
one not urgently dreN, the dog aside. In
stinctively knelt down and tried to stanch
the blood. Poor Jock!
Presently-in the meantime l was taking
no heed of their doings-I heard cry OF SAT-
isfaction and looked up. They had discov-
cred the two rolls and bending over them as
they lay on the bed were unfastening the
wrappers went and looked on alphabetically.
l waited no longer with any feeling that it
concerned me to see the muster rolls, and
loyal autographs, and promises that were to
cost so dearly, of which Client had spoken.
But what was this? The Spagnolettol Oh,
yes! | understood how that came to be here.
But these-these pictures which followed! !
Could it be that all the subscriptions took
the form of paintingss Or what was this
delicate Moro, fit for royal gallery, doing
heres And that possible Murillos That
portrait which might have been by Velas-
ouez? That San Sebastian that was at least
| by pupil of Caravaggiol My head reeled.
l passed my hand over my eyes and looked
again. 1t was not a delusion. There, the
canvases lay one on the other, their edges
strangely rough, their corners frayed-can-
vases worth a kings ransom.
The other roll was full Of odds and ends,
valueless, but equally strange; picture backs
and rough pieces of cloth and opened letters
Among these last I saw, with scarcely any
added wonder, envelopes and letters directed
to myself.
81 do not understand" said feebly, look
ing from one guard to another They had all
turned to me to see how l took their dis
coveries "He told me that he was Carlist
"a spy sent here to bribe the troops But
what are these doing here? do not under
stand"
"Wbo told you-and whats" cried the
leader.
"Clentl Client told me-" and then stop
ped dazed and bewildered. Two or three
laughed; the officer, gazing fixedly al me,
did not ! saet his gaze vacantly; then my
eyes wandered to the corner and fell upon
poor Jock A mist passed from my mind
my brain cleared; spoke aloud and sharply,
''He has fooled us ALP l said, "you as well
as me! l am not Client. l am Rouse Lynton,
the artist He told me"-
fierce impatier ,e.
"Clent, the man whom you want-the man
in No. l. He told me that he was Carlst
in danger of arrest. gave him my passport;
l took his room and he mine. What is it he
has done?"
"Done9" cried the man, stamping about the
room in furious rage, Can you not see!
He is a robber of museums-the captain of a
gang! Done, blockhead of an Englishmanl
Madre de Diosl did he not kill civil guard
at ValIadolid ten months agoa He is now a
| German, now an Englishman. He is the
devil himself, whom, for all that, we had net
ted finely but for you Yet fool that was,
l feared something when the dog obeyed
you"
remembered that had read in the Eng
lish newspapers of picture robberies in vari-
Gus parts of Spain, in which it was supposed
that German was engaged. By this light l
understood it all. The mans terror when I
discovered him gloating over the Spagno-
| letto which had been stolen from monastery
at Seville; his letters from distant dealers;
his studied appeal to my sympathies; his
| greedy reluctance, which had thought pure
unselfishness, to part with his spoils; even the
casual 'joh" which had made him master of
my ESQ! understood them now. Yes, had
this been all-had Jock not been lying bleed
ing in q corner-I would have let the man go.
As it was, l cried out to them, "Quick will
tell you where you will find HIM He will
make for Almonacid. You know the placer
"Did he tell you that also!" asked the officer
scornfully.
"No," exclaimed, II had it from one OF
his gang in the street-one who took me for
him as you did. Almonacid is their rendez-
vous. You are watching the railway station
herel Yes. Then be sure he will make across
country for Almonacid, which is only mile
from Torrijos station on the other railway"
There was sense in my words, and the
police saw it. The ring of scowling faces
round me frightened. A few hasty sentences
were exchanged, and an order was curtly
given, and in two minutes the officer and his
following trooped down stairs, no doubt to
get to horse and start after the fugitives
leaving me in charge of couple of town
police, who good naturedly helped me to do
what could for Jock. Jock was not dead
.1,1 - 80 = Al,S