The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-02-19
| the service revolver steaully leveI1ed at

him.
"Trapped!" he calculated savagely
glaring at the officer. And in TIL
tom-fool fashion, too. But there
1reachery here" he added fercely, land
if l."
"Michael, Michael" interposed wo.
mans voice, in pleading tones, "you're
forgetting poor little Jess. You know
the doctor said she must be kept per-
fectly quiet"
"Ah, Jess, poor mite," said coiner
"No wonder l forgot everything when
Bond himself jumped up before me
like magic! Well. Pm fairly .nabbed;
but if it wasn't for her." be added, with
bitter emphasis, pointing to bed in
a corner Of the room, you'd never
take me in this squeamish fashion"
Agreeably disappointed in the expec-
tation that the desperate criminal be-
fore him would offer resistance, but
never for moment relaxing his vigil
ance, Bond glanced quic-.y about the
room.
The bed was occupied by little girl
OF about six years Of age, who, it need
no second glance to perceive, was very
near to death indeed. She was wide
awake, staring in mute terror from the
detective to her father and back again.
Nor did the white face of the coiner' 5
wife, who stood trembling by the bed
side, express much less alarm than the
child's.
1t was scene which Arnold Bond
had not expected, but it explained
without words how it was that his task
had been so easily accomplished.
"Let's clear out before you frighten
my young 'un to DEATH" said the coiner,
in Quieter voice. "Never mind, Jess"
he went on, turning to the child and
speaking in such tender and sooth-
ing tone that Bond stared with aston
ishment "perhaps, soon, shall come
back, and then you'll be better, and
we will"
Vaughas's voice faltered, and he
paused.
"Ah, take him away, sir, but don't
hurry him over what he very well knows
must be the last good-by he'll ever say
TO this child! What hope there may
have been you'll take with you; but to
take it at this moment"
| The WretcheG mother, unable to
articulate another word, sank into a
chair, hid her face in her hands, and
gave way to sudden outburst of
grief.
"Is the gentleman going to take you
away, then, daddy?" the child said,
feebly. "Oh, don't gol I do so want
you tonight" Then, looking at the
detective with great, earnest eyes, little
Jess continued, half-indignantly, half
pathetically: "How would your little
girl like you to be taken away if she
was i'll, and wanted you to stop with
her dreadfully bad|"
An involuntary smile gathered for
J one brief instant on the stern counte-
nance Of Bond.
'It's true, worse luck" whispered
the coiner, stepping near his captor.
"Poor little beggar, she's mighty bad,
and the doctor says the next few hours
mean life or death. More'n anything
she's got to be kept particular quiet, SO
let's clear out and leave 'em; and,
please God, I'll see her againyet. Yes,
my prince of traps, you can see what
makes me such miserable coward
eh?"
! AS if ashamed of the tremor in his
speech, the coiner turned, and taking
down his hat, crushed it upon his head,
and approached the door with a rigid
countenance and twitching lips. Ap-
parently, be dared not trust himself to
take even farewell look at his child.
But as Arnold Bond moved toward the
door also, his glance fell for an instant
upon the thin, white face of little Jess,
who had already fallen back exhausted.
She was gazing steadily at her father,
who, however, kept his face carefully
averted. The pitiful, pleading express
sion in the sick child's eyes struck the
detective to the heart; for it was look
which expressed more eloquently than
any words the bitter disappointment
she felt at seeing one she evidently
dearly loved about to be taken from
her this night Of all nights.
The detective paused abruptly, hesl-
tated a moment, and then the resolute
expression on his features softened
suddenly, and he said, in half-jocular
tone, to hide the emotion he could not
entirely conceal:
"Stay, Vaughan, l can't do it, after
all. I can't take such a cruel advan-
tage of even you at time like this!
That's all, and goodnight"
"Bond, Bond" cried the king of the
coiners, springing forward as he recov-
cred from his momentry stupefaction,
"Heaven prosper you for this! Bad
as am, hope I'll be able to give you
your reward for this, if it's years to
come"
A moment later the detective had
gone. He had sacrificed an oppoltu-
nifty of adding enormously to his repu-
tation.
1t was year later before the au-
thorities succeeding in discovering the
"factory" where Vaughan and his con-
federates turned out the cleverly made
counterfeit coins which had, for so
long, been passed with apparent impu-
nifty in most quarters of the Metropo-
| lis.
Arnold Bond had never seen the
"King of the Coiners" since that night
when the mere look Of sick child had
been sufficient to make him turn from
the stern path of duty-an advantage