The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-03-24

menced to pace the plaza OF course little
crowd collected at once. Dacre selected
another victim with the same result.
keep it quite taut, if you please" and
he bowed politely. Within five minutes
thirty individuals were holding the tightly
stretched string, an immense crowd had as
sembled and Dacre had finished his pacings
his string and the careful notes he had APP
peared to be making.
BE patient, gentlemen" he said; 81
shall not detain you long, Then he disap-
peared, only to re-enter the Cafe Verdi by
the back door to watch the result, He had
chosen his time with considerable ingenuity,
for he knew that the police patrol always
arrived on the Plaza del Martiri punctually
at noon. 1t wanted but two minutes of the
hour. just at that time the peace of Naples
was much disturbed by political demonstra-
tions, which were severely put down by the
authorities. The hour struck. Twenty po-
licemen, headed by a sergeant, appeared
upon the scene; of course they proceeded at
once to arrest the thirty mysterious con-
spiratOrs who We're still innocently engaged
in holding Dacre's string Dacre and his
friends watching the whole scene from the
windows of the Cafe Verdi with delighted
merriment
But the master stroke of Dacres ingenu-
ity was the artfully arranged plan by which
Do,,oIJ 1To,.,.,lrl,t oitI, Dr,oTac,r,,,+
,,.,s ~, .,,,l,ifio,,s ,,o,,,,, fol1o[,, Of sTou
+,Ior+ who bad ,.,ccn+l,, o,.,.i,,od in NonIos
~ e+,,d, a,.t NfacTaCs[rort ,,,as ,,,olI- do
e,,cesei,,eI,, etingy nrote,ra+,,ra1II I,eI,,
and ,renos+aronsIy short Ne WIS ono If
tbe .suncoguid =, he 1vouldn,t foreoather
with the other students: his WAYS were not
their WAYS and vounu Mr. NacTauuort of
Leith. was Stunned when he was not made
a butt of
MacTaggart had one grievance against
Providence upon which he constantly
harped: it was his want of stature. 1t was
this weakness of the Young Scotchman
that the willy Cecil Dacre determined to
take advantage of. and at the same time
CRAFTY his taste for practical Joking. Cecil
Dacre was in want of e5 very badly-indeed
He was ALWAYS in want Of IS. but the want
at this particular time was more than usually
urgent.
One day the three young men met by ac-
cident in the Cafe Verdi.
THAT American doctors a wonderful fell
low said Dacre, in a loud voice to his
friend, Orlando P. Jones. Il wonder
whether he's a humbug!n
Now MacTaggart was sitting at the next
table consuming a dish of macaroni with
great gustO.
mo, don't think he's a humbug." said
Jones: "thev saw he really does possess the
secret permanently hing or increas-
ing the stature at will I've noticed Deople
who have been to him two or three times.
and there was always an extraordinary diff
ference in their height It's very mar
velOus.o
MacTaggart who had drank in the CONVEX
sation with greedy ear, now joinedi in it with
manifest interest The two young fellows
gave him host of circumstantial evidence.
''Noe ought to try him, McTaggart, at any
rate said the crafty Dacre. ANY change
in your appearance, my Caledonian Apollo,
would be benefit"
81 am thinking it would be very eXpen-
sive, and | object to extravaganza on prin-
ciple,'' said the Scotchman.
"Well, YOU might beat him down; at all
events Won could try.n said Dacre.
"WithOut a doot. III sleep on it." said
MacTaggart. and he paid for his breakfast
and departed.
1t took the Scotchman a whole week TO
make up his frugal mind. and then he
screwed his courage up to the sticking point
and informed Dacre that he should visit the
American physician the next day.
''D'ye ken where he dwells, Mr.. Dacren
''Well, he lives in the same house as l do,
on the first floor. He's a benevolent old
boy: you're sure to like him: the Yankees
are almost as clannish as the Scotch, you
know, You are sure to find him at home at
three" and then they parted.
Nosoonerhad the unfort,,rateN acTaoqart
turned the corner than Cecil Dacre trinm-
phantlv turned acellar fan breakdown to the
astonishment of the little crowd of NeanoI-
itan hvstanders. then he bowed to his an
dience. kissed his finger tins to them and
started off as fast as his legs wouId carry
him tn his lodoinps The next dav cecil
Dacre obtained the loan of his land1ord,e
first floor for the dav and then he hepan IN
busv himself in an ex+raordiporv manner
He secured the services of the norter,s wife
and daughter hlaclx-eved pima. thnv
busted arranoed and re-arranoed the big
dismal racention room ON the first foor
Dacre rushed outa and borrowed a ecreen and
nurcbased n li++la hottie If tn,nantiro. ord
then in tbe bath-room which onanod from =
little MASSAGE which was constructed in
CORNER where he had nlaced the screon he
laid ont at least half a dozen towels Then
be RON over to tho coetumar,s ocross tho
street and came back with a f,lr robe de
chambre, a long gray beard. and a close can