Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-11-10

IL, ',.y wh,n Putty had business affairs
Ia talk al",I, wiki his customers across the
bar Of the Joy. and never troubled my
self even To wonder what hi, secret deal
ings were, but that kindly look i'll he face
of Tara> excited Il strange feeling Of inter
est III my mind, which made me curious To
know what cuisines, lac Lad To transact
with eGch rascal rs the hl0kc.
/ Slipped down Frrryboat ALLEY 10 the
shore. climbed up the rotten tinlber> on to
tin, halc",4y and edged myself into the bar
par.or, where could hear pretty distinctly
all that WAS said in the tnr.
Dri4o va, speaking, but his broken Eng
li>h and the low, crafty tone of his voice
ma!c what he said uuiutellisiblr to me 1t
seemed L. pcrplcX Putty also, for presently
intcrrupting him he said with irritation:
Here. It's no manner Of use your being
So ctisscd sly over this here business. |
must know all the particlers straightforward
aforc 20 into it. Here, likes your looks
better an what do your pariner's. mate.
Lemme hear what you've got to say"
The matters simple enough" replied
Taras. Three friends have left their coun-
try for certain reasons. To do 81 they Ell
gagged themselves is sailors on board II yes
SCI bound for London. Their contract binds
them to return with the ship to their coun-
try, and they cannot openly break the con-
tract without rendering themselves liable
to be taken back by force. But they intend
to desert, and our object is to provide Il
place of refuge to which We may convey
them by night from their ship as soon as it
arrives, and where they may change their
seagoing clothes for the dress we shall have
in readiness for them. We chose this inn
for that purpose because it is conveniently
near the dock and is not open to observa-
ton. Ify'sd do not choose to let us use your
house, we must find another. That is the
whole matter"
Now / tumble to it right enough" said
Putty. Il see you're gentleman, sir, and
/ alters likes to deal with gentlemen. But
you will understand, sir, that all this here
Is agen the law, and / lay myself open to
lose my license and get n month or two Of
hard even for lettin Of parties into the house
after closin hours"
Il will pay you for your risk. How much
do you WANT"
Its more risky than what you think. 1t
looks a dead and alive hole, AS no one comes
anigh once in blue moon, but the coppers
keep bloomin sharp eye on us all the
same When do you expect this here YES
SELF"
Tomorrow. But it might DO delayed
till Saturday."
That means a sittin up on the lookout
two or three nights. OF course the Job
would be pulled Off when nobody much
| amt aboutf"
between 2 and in the morning, If posi-
ble."
"That'd do" Then after q little consid-
Grafton Putty said: "Here, I'll tell you
what I'll do with you. You shall have the
use of my room for dollar a night while
you're on the lookout, and you shall hand
over five quid the night the Job Is pulled of
and your mates get clear, Now can't say
fairer than that, can II"
Taras accepted these terms, and after
some further discussion he and Drigo left
the Joy, saying they would return the fol-
| lowing afternoon.
| slipped out Of the Joy by the way had
entered it and hurried round to the front,
| impelled, l think, by some unrecognized
hope that Taras would nod to me again. |
know that l sank down ON the steps OF
Baxter's wharf disconsolate when l saw
him in the distance turn the corner Of Fer
| ryboat alley and disappear without looking
back.
l had been sitting there in dull apathy,
my elbows on my knees and my chin in
my palms, quarter of an hour or 20 min
utes. when l heard a step in the alley and
turning my eyes saw Drigo coming back.
Just before he reached the Mariners Joy
he stopped and facing about waited couple
of minutes or so, looking up the alley as II
to make sure that he was not followed.
Then he dived quickly down the two steps
and entered the house. had taken dis
like to the man from the fist. There was
an evil, wicked look in his face. There was
treachery In his furtive glances. in the very
stoOp Of his shoulders. Why had he come
back alone, What further business had
be with the bloke which he could not have
done when Taras was with himl These
questions aroused my faculties into I'M
wonted energy. Once more slipped round
to the back of the house and up the balcony
Into the room behind the bar
Drigo was talking to Putty, but in such
Q low key that could make nothing of the
sounds that reached me. l caught a
glimpse Of them through the crack Of the
aOor-their two villainous heads close to
eether over the bar-and drew as near as
| uhEcu, YET BILL ! COuiu ulStlukuiSu uo
words.
But what are you going to do with him
then" Putty asked. and his voice. though
low. was distinct enough-perhaps because
was more used to 1t.
II could not gather the reply; but. raising
bis voice to give emphasis to the offer. ]
heard this clearly:
He offered you 25; I'll give you double
and you can betray us to the police II We
don't pay up"
And a tenner won't pay me to be hac
eessefy to murder,.-
Drigo silenced him with a long "hist, N
and stepping sideways to cast glance into
the parlor he caught sight of me. He gave
the alarm to Putty in q hurried tone Of
terror. and the next moment a pewter poi
few at my head. l was quick enough t.
duck and avoid the missile. but only es
capped falling into the savage hands Of thu
bloke by flinging myself over the balcony
and falling into the mud below.
Don't let me get nigh you this side Of
next month. you or I'll pull the wea
zand out of yOu," he cried. shaking his fist
down at me as skunk of around strand
ed barge.