Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-12-29

manC SURPRISE, SuSPaS4S-'
greed-au fitted across it.. but ne ga
not for a moment lose his colossal SELL
assurance.
"Mr. 'Utchison, sir" he cried, grasp
ing me warmly with one of his repul-
siye clammy hands, Il could see from
the moment you hentered this all as
Won was a perfic' genlm'n: From no one
helse but a English genim'n such as you
could I accept your hotter; but from
Won. sir-well-and TO think, too, as
NAV be worth thousands of pounds at
this very moment that I'm talkin' to
ye."
NO, thanks, please, Mr.. Winch" l
said. Come along, come in to din
ner."
He Invested himself of his damp look
ing overcoat and revealed a thread
bare musty black coat now turning
green, and very greasy at the collar and
cuffs; a frayed, black made UP scarf did
not hide much of his red and black
checked flannel shirt; his paper collar
had been soaked by last nights rain.
The poor devil was certainly half fam
ished. He Tapped UP his soup like
dog, bOlted his food with the most dis
gushing vOracity, and swallowed tum-
bier after tumbler Of my good red Po-
m:no. I was heartily sick and tired of
him before dinner was over. The dig
nified elderly Concetta, herself the soul
of politeness, visibly shrunk from him,
and WINGED under his loud, familiar de-
mands for food and drink.
well, Mr. hutchinson, sir" he kept
interfering, with his mouth full, cit
is-a-reel pleasure TO be in company
Of perfc' English genlm'n again"
Concetta had to ask me for ten francs
during dinner to pay the duty on par
Gel which had arrived by post. l pro-
duced my pocketboOk. 1t was stuffed
with 1900 francs in notes. l noticed
my guest greedily cycling its contents
across the leg Of a chicken which he
was gnawing.
"Plenty Of money, Mr. hutchinson.
P'raps I'll have a book like that myself
tomorrow. Only reel English notes,
sir-f1, 900 notes, sir; not them bits O
dirty forrin' paper"
/ have never met any human being
AuDlt L4OlOWEu4N " NIA 4cOI4E anu ~ NNA4 ,
ing than the Hon. Patrick Kilfnane
Winch, 'tgenlm'n," English genlm'n,"
'perfc' English genlm'n," rent roll"
thousands Of pounds" his lordship,"
''heir to the barony Of Kildyke," these
words and phrases reiterated unto DIS
traction and mingled with fulsome adu-
lation of myself, seemed to make up
the whole conversation. His talk be-
came kind of loud. rasping incoherent
buzz. I could not follow him, and ON,
how gladly would have dispensed with
any further study CT him. The man
was a low cad and a supreme bore. pos
s.bly too, a dangerous scOundrel, and
surely a species Of lunatic. He was
getting powerfully on my nerves. But
what was he? What had he ever been?
I was tired of studying him, but ] had
not made him out.
DO you smoke, Mr.. Winch?" l ask
ed, after dinner was over.
''Hevery English genlm'n smokes, I
'ope, Mr.. hutchinson" ne replied loftily.
Then let us adjourn to my study and
have a cigar"
In the study I pulled up two arm
chairs to the open wood fire, and pro-
duced cigars. The same insufferable
droning chatter recommended in his
thick. soapy, cockney voice. "Genlm' n, ="
''perfic' genlm'n," come into my thous-
ands," fine stud of 'orses, - ''sure as I'm
a honorable" "all that 'orrid gamIblin','
never touch a card again" My pa
thence was exhausted, my temper rous-
ed. I could bear it no longer.
"Mr. Winch" I said coldly, looking
straight into the fire, "as Lord Kildyke
is so seriously i'll 1 think you had bet
ter take the night train TO Rome. l
knocked the ash off my cigar and turned
toward him to see the effect of my sug-
gestion.
The Hon. Patrick Kilfnane Winch
was sitting bolt upright in his arm
chair not two yards distant from me,
pointing a revolver full in my face.
l do not deny that real and ago
nized fear took possession Of me. 1t is
curious how madly swift thoughts trav-
ell in such a situation, how keenly
sharp every faculty of the mind be-
comes. I found myself rejecting with
lightning speed as to what l ought to
do. Should I remain sitting? Should
| rise? Should l fling myself upon
him? If l did so, should 1 receive a
bullet in the brain, the breast, the
heart? Or only a flesh wound in the
arm? Could | knock up the revolver?
If did what would become of the first
charge? the second? the third? What
would man of nerve, resource, daunt-
less pluck-a Selous or Lugard, what
would they do under the circumstances?
All this and much more sped through
my brain in less than three seconds.
The Hon. Patrick Kilfinane Winch
rose from his chair, took two steps to-
ward me and held his revolver within
two feet of my face. Now what shall
do? Shall l rise? Shall l remain sit
ting? Shall fling? Precisely the
same thoughts tore through my brain
with ever maddening swifness. l no.
ticed every trife, too. | noticed that
my cigar was still in my mouth, thai
my teeth were tightly clinched upon 1t,
that my mouth was full Of smoke, that
the smoke was lazily oozing out ca my
mouth, and that yet it did not choke
me.
Mr.. hutchinson, sir" he said, keeping
the revolver pointed full in my face.
cts most repugnant to my feelin's as
an Henglish genlm'n to another Heng-
lish genlm'n, I'm sure, but must trou-