The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1897-09-23

| OF tone:
"Ah, good evening, Mr.. Salter;
was just talking about you. n,
thanks. the department is not buying
any doghesh just now, not even skins
As to your kind invitation. we'll as
say, | was talking about you just nov
when you came in. and perhaps"
If ever man uttered fighting word
coolly, and as if he meant them, In
spsdtor Llpinsky did just then. Setl
Salter had never been known to takt
anything like that from any man with
out prompt and usually fatal repri
sails. The crowd waited breathlessly
and silently scattered a little more
But no, the Yankees hand did moi
even move toward his pistol pocket
There was just a little krinkling oi
the outer corners of his eyes. noticed
only by the inspector and one or two
others, but it vanished Immediately
and there was no trace Of anger IN his
| voice, in fact, it seemed even more
good humored than usual, as he re
piled:
Don't take the trouble to say it
again, boss. I've known your opinion
of me for long ti,ue, and now I've
heard it. If you'd backed down you
might have heard something drop,
but as yon didn't, I'm free to say that
I've too much respect for your honor
able department to think of removing
its respected chief to another, and
may be, less congenial sphere on &C
count CT an honestly expressed opin-
ion-not me, sir! SO now, N. G. and
name the poison. Will you join us,
gentlemen"
The crowd joined as one man, and
under the circumstances the inspector
could do nothing less than come in
with them. But for all that he felt a
trhe puzzled, though he took care not
to show it.
After that the conversation became
general and perfectly amicable, albeit
dwelling mainly on the somewhat
ticklish subject which possessed the
chief interest for every one present.
But as drinks multiplied and lies
got more complicated, the inspector
began to grow taciturn. Liquor has
that affect on some natures, and his
was possibly one of them.
At last the Yankee rallied him,
quite good humoredly, on his lack of
festivity, but rather unfortunately, as
it seemed to the company, dragged in
something about shortage on mine re-
turns. That was too much for the in
spector, and his long bottled up wrath
suddenly fared out:
Shortage, confound it! You're a
nice one to talk about shortage, Mr..
Salter You know as we'll as do
that there's about fl5,000 short of the
months average on De Beers and
Kimberly returns, and you know
better than l do where the stones have
gone to, that's sure. Bot we'll have
you yet. You're wide and you're
deep, but you're not quite the clever
est man on earth, and when we do get
yOu-"
"Well, why'n thunder don't you
boss?" the Yankee laughed, with still
undistprbed good humor "Say now,
I'll give you a pointer,as them sneaks
of yours don't seem to have got onto
it yet I'm going across to Freetown
some time between now and Sunday
on little private business of my own.
S'pose, now, was taking that bit of
shortage with me-what'll you lay
against me getting through?'
Ten years on the breakwater,"
snapped the inspector as he emptied
his glass and set it down with bang
on the counter.
No you DON'T" laughed Salter;
"that's for me to lay. Now, look here,
I'll lay you ten years on the break
water to thousand pounds-that's
only hundred year, and l think
my times a darned sight more valu
able than that, so I'm giving you big
odds-that I'll take that little lot
through for all you can do to stop
me.'
AS he spoke he suddenly pulled his
left hand oUt of his trousers pocket
and he!d It out to the inspector with
the palm full of rough diamonds.
Lipinzky fairly gaped at the heap
of glittering stones, but he lost neither
his presence of mind nor his profes
sional promptitude Like lightning
revolver jumped out of his coat
pocket, and as he covered the Van
ken's heart with the muZzle, he said
sharply:
THAT bluff won't work, Mr.. Salter,
I'll see your hand for thousand now
and if you don't want sudden death
in your family, come along to the of
flee. and account for the possession OF
those diamonds"
To the added amazement of every
one in the room Seth Salter burst III
to a loud laugh, and said, without
moving ont of the line of fire:
"Waal, boss, l did think you had a
better eye Tor klips than that. D'you
fancy I'd be'such an almighty sucker
as to-good Lord, can't you see they're
all schlenters? There's no law agin
carrying them round, 1 reckon. Here
take 'em and see for yourself. There
are plenty of good judges in the room
to help you"
A very brief examination satisfied
the disguised inspector that the
astute Yankee had once more turned
the laugh against him. The things
were ''schlenters," ''snide diamonds
limitations made of glass treated
with fuoric acid to give the peculiar
frosted appearance of the real rougf
stones-which were used chiefly fol
the purpose of swindling the new
chums and greenhorns who were
making their first essays in l. d. B.
Lipinzky saw that he had "don'
him shot in the eye" as the camp
yernacular had it, and put up bis re
volver with what grace he could. The
Yankee took his little triumph very
quietly, and asked the you 1g lady be
hind the bar to otlige him with {
sheet of note paper and an enve
lope. Then he wrapped up the fals'
stones, put them into the envelope
stuck it down, and asked the inspec
tor to write his name across the flap
| which hn did with macmillan smil