Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-03-26

tate
Yes" said Patrick Cambel quietly,
You hesitate because you've got some
thing ten times more profitable up your
sleeve"
Shelf started and shivered slightly.
You may as well be candid and open
with mel Cambel continued, land tell
me what you are driving at. If it suits
me. I'll say so, ard If it doesn't IN let
you know with surprising prompt aess.
And, again, If we don't trade, you rns y re-
ly on me not to gossip about what you
suggest. I'm not the stone throwing va
riety of animal. You see, l live In i sort
Of semigreenhouse myself"
There was a minutes pause, eES.ng
which Theodore Shelf shifted alb, Sus as
though his chair was uneven rock eneath
him. Then he jcrked out his tale stmrence
by sentence, squirting sideways at his
Companion between each period.
You know, I'm shipowncr ina large
way Of business
Cambcl nodded
''Ships are occasionally lost at sea
steamers, even new steamers, str aight of
the builders slip and well found. in every
particular. o..
so I've read in the newspalx rs.'
sells to the full of their value."i
Except when he has q fore ooding that
they will come to grief Oh u VOYAGE. Then,
SO rumor says, he usually his the fore
thought to ovcrinsure.'
Mr.. Theodore Shelf passed handler
chief over his forehead and started ushns
was apparently u new topic: There Is .
silver crisis on just now in the limited
States, and by this mornings papo,. the
dollar is down at GO cents. Amcricsn gold
Is not to 10 had. English gold is always
worth its face value. What more natural
financial operation could there be than to
ship out sovereigns and profit by the dis.
crcpancy?"
THE new and valuable steamer which
though overinsured, is likely to be report
ed lost is evidently to have consignment
of specie on board. Five hundr ed thou.
sand pounds fancy you mentioned as the
figure in the billiard room this morning.
Well, If enc is going in for roboery-or
piracy, suppose it would turn out to be
in this instance-there's nothing like a
large coup. It's your niggler who usually
fails and gets laid by the heels. Drive on,
and be . little more explicit
Couldn't the steamer be lost somehow
in the gulf Of Mexico and boat contain
ing the boxes of specie find its way through
this channel of yours into tho interior of
Floridai''
How lostf'
Mr.. Shelf mopped his forehead again.
Don't steamers" he asked, don't they
sometimes have sad accidents which,
which cause them to blow up.''
"Such things have been known. Bat
it's rather rough on the crew, don't you
think"
'Oh, poor fellows, yes. But a sailor
life is always hazardous. Indeed, what can
no expect with wages at their present
ruinous rate' Shipowners must live
"Oh, you beauty" said Patrick Cambel
Il must ask you to refrain from these
comments, sir. But, tell me, before &c
| any further in this confidence am I to
count upon your assistance"
THAT depends upon many things. To
begin with, there'll have to be modifica
tions before dabble. I'm not obtrusively
| squeamish about human lifc-my own OF
other peoples. On occasion / bagged my
man because he had twice shot ut me.
Still piracy, complicated with what prac.
tically amounts to murder, is an art which
haven't traffickcd in rs yet. and, curious
to relate, don't intend to begin. Your
| scheme Is delicious in its cold bloodedness,
but 1t would look better il il were toned
down n triilc. By the way, better help
yourself to u drink. Your nerves are in
such joggle that fancy you'll faint II
| you don't. 1 notice there's no blue ribbon
on your evening dress. Humph. That's
n second mates nip-four fingers IL it's a
drop. Apparently you're used to this. BY
the way, what honorarium do you propose
/ should take for engineering this piece Of
rascality in your favor"
| Il will give you G500.''
Now, would you really' Not even
| guincas;''
Mr.. Cambel, III make it a thousand.
| THERE
Mr.. Theodore Shelf, when a monkey
wants n cat 20 pull chestnuts for him out
of the fire. he first has to be stronger than
tho cat. You don't occupy that cnviablc
position. In fact, have the whiphand OF
you In every way. We need not particu.
larizc, but you can sum tho items fol-
yourself. Now, III make you an offer
half Of all the plumber and entire control
OF everything"
| MY God, do you want to ruin me:''
II don't care in the least IL do You,
| welfare doesn't interest me. Ny services
are on the market win prix fxc. You
can take 'em or leave 'em. That's final -
Shelf burst into torrent of expostula
lions, exciting himself more and more as
lac went on, til! n. last he stood before the
other, with gripped fists and the vein:
ridgcd down his neck, inarticulate with
fury.
Cambcl heard him out with a contcmp
| tous smile, hut when the man had stormeG
himself into silence then he spoke.
| when one trades in life and death. the
brokerage is ieavy. You have heard m,
offer. II you don't like ii, say so without
further palaver. and I'll leave you now
with your conscience, If you have rag o.
such n commodity left.
| "You mag sit where you are" replied
Shelf sullcnly.
| "well and good. That means to say ms
terms are accepted. I'll pin you TO then
later But for the present let me observ,
to you something else, so that there ma!
be no misunderstanding between US. Nv,
been rambling up and down the worlt
half my life. and I've met blackguards o.
most desert ,tions in every iniquitou
place from Callao to Port Said-foreers
thieves. murderrrs of nearly every grad,
OF proficiency - but they Say that thu
prime Of everything gets to London, and