Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-09-25

and to deceive even burglar is to bring yourself down to his level"
 Bless your dear soul!" chuckled Henry. "I should like to be the one ras- cal in a world made up of people like you! But you needn't be anxious, moth CT. We are going to camp out, sure enough, as soon as we have provided our burglars with a safe lodging. There may creep in some trifiing ambiguity about the date, but 'tis not in mortal man to avoid all error, even in a burglar huntT
 We chatted over the matter till late in the evening, examining it from all points of view and perfecting the details of the scheme. Mother dropped asleep after awhile in the midst of formulating some moral criticism, but Sinfre was as wide awake as an angel, and her eyes had gleam in them which if not angelic was at least demonic, and she was more fertile in ideas than any of us. She seem ed to hold the whole scene in all its com plexities before her, noting any imper- fections in the plan and immediately pro viding remedies for them. My expert ence, certainly, has never brought me in contact with a woman's mind so bril- liant, original and replete with resources. It was strange to think of us three sitting there with her, each of us regarding her so differently and yet all united in one thing.
 Only she and I, however, commanded the entire simultaneously we knew the inner secrets-but the talk never touched on or turned toward the hidden things. We spoke on the surface and of it. confess, too, that do not altogether xr-hx- ho1 int Sy, affair should be so intense What bear ing can she suppose it to have on her fate? Probably it merely relieves the strain of other thoughts. Indeed can not otherwise account fC- my own ab- sorption in it. As for Henry, it amuses him, and he may have other motives; there is no telling. He may intend to captivate Sinfre by some deed of valor John is the only unimpeachably sincere one among us. He wants to capture the burglars, and that is all. It will be a clever thing to do, and he has the tenn perament to enjoy it.
 The next day we began to put our scheme i'll operation. Tom drove John and Henry in the farm wagon. had intended going with them, but some singular twinges in my right leg from the knee to the foot prevented me l thought 1 must have rheumatism and deemed it best, in view of the coming adventure, to run no risks. Tom has not yet been admitted to a knowledge of the whole of the mystery. He believes that we are actually going to the lake on Friday evening, and this persuasion of his wiii greatly increase the spread of the delusion among those whom we wish to reach and will also obviate any pos sible indiscretion on Toms part, for there is no telling but the one particular and confidential Crony to whom alone he would venture to confide the great secret might turn out to be the very individual to whom it would be of the utmost DOS sible use. In times like these your near est friend may be your deadliest enemy. So it behooves to keep your eyes open.
 Off they went and in due time came back, having fully succeeded in their ob- ject, at least so far as filling the neigh borhood with news of our proposed ex- petition was concerned. They had also loaded themselves down with sardines, bologna sausage, smoked beef. canned soup, hardtack and all other such mis- cellany as amateur pioneers are supposed to want. We could have fared sumptu- ously in the wilderness for month on the supplies laid in for a single 24 hours. To be sure, most of the things would be as good next year as they were now, and this was probably not their first year either.
 "The army's sores are ample" said Henry at last after we had all been talk ing and laughing together for awhile, but how about the armory and the drill? Which of the warriors here present can perforate green turtle soup can at 20 paces?"
 The challenge was received with ac- clamations. We all went out on the grass plot at the side of the house toward the knoll, and Henry drove two forled stakes into the ground at the foot of the acclivity and close together, laid the soup can in their crotch in such a way that it's circular end was presented toward us at a height of feet above the ground, then measured off 20 paces, and we all took our places, Sinfire standing by to ad- judge and award the prize-an oriental dagger, with jeweled hilt, which Hen " had brought from Damascus. Then John shot first and nicked one of the stakes just below the crotch. It was a good liner, but miss all the same. Henry came next, and his bullet grazed the top of the can, cutting a swath ir the paper label posted upon it and scratching the surface of the tn. The | dagger was his unless 1 could get into | the soup" as he expressed it. I aimed carefully, but 1 must have been in bad i form. My shot flew wide by several inches. We had all used 32-caiber re- volvers of the best make.
 Well, Harry, you're the lucky man, said John. And if my honest brother were capable of a double meaning should have looked for it in that speech.
 But Sinfire said: "I am the judge. say none of you can have the prize, fol none of you have hit the mark. I could shoot better than that myself"
 of it were human heart, could be ieve you, but a soup can-no!" said Henry, glancing at her, with laugh.
 She met his look, and a retort seemed on her lips, but she closed them and drew from the pocket of her dress hel little derringer. Extending her arm and scarcely seeming to take aim, she pulled the trigger. The small weapon went of with loud bang, the soup can vibratet as with a mortal blow, and, beholdI there was a round hole in the center of the tiI disk, out of which welled the essence o the green turtle. The dagger was Sin fires.
 But she waywardly refused to take it T was not in the match" she said.
 But you drew the first soup," argued Henry.
 q don't care for daggers- I prefe derringers," she returned.
 'iSo suppose. But have you no re gard for your friends?"
 'Wen, I'll compromise with you" sh