Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-04-29

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himself in.
Bonsfeld was annoyed and Lamo-
rock Disguised; but as the intruder
was profuse in his apologies, and it
was too late to mend matters, they
had to accept the situation with the
best grace they could. After the lapse
of quarter OF an hour he had talked
their reserve away, aud proved him
selfso amusing companion that they
all became quite friendly; and then
Lamorock, who had grown suddenly
amiable, pressed the others into
accepting cigar apiece. The jolly
faced intruder was not to be outdone
in hospitality He opened his hand
bag, and with merry wink produced
flask Of curacao, which the intense
cold made particularly acceptable to
them oil. Lamorock, indeed, found
the liquor so delicious that lie took
two glasses. Before they got half
through their cigars he noticed with
suspicion that the conversation began
to slacken, and that his companions
showed disposition to go to sleep.
Bonsheld was the first to succumb
to somnolence, and Lamorock even
began to feel sleepy himself. He
fought against the sensation by get
ting up to admire the colored photo
graphs beneath the hat-rails and by
trying to fix his attention upon the
passing scenery. He opened his cigar
case, counted aud examined the COLI
tents, and looked puzzled. He was
apparently satisfied that he not given
himself one of the drugged cigars, for
he putied vigorously away at his
stump, hoping that it would help to
keep him awake. He once thought
that tho fumes of his companions
cigars might be affecting him, and
opened both windows. But he found
the cold air had no effect. The in
truder also began to look as If he
would soon follow Bonsfeld's example.
He vainly tried to look wide awake,
but his lids would droop heavily, his
head would sink down upon his chin,
and he would then pull himself
together by supreme effort and try
to sit up straight.
Their respective struggles to keep
awake, however, grew more and more
feeble until the pair finally collapsed
in their corners, and slept as If they
would never wake again.
When the train arrived at Swinton
Junction the guard discovered them
all asleep, and after trying in vain to
rouse them up, the conviction dawned
upon him that it was foul play. The
three patients were taken out and re-
moved to the hospital, arrangements
being made by the police that on their
recovery all three should be detained
in custody pending Investigations. So,
when they had been brought round to
consciousness, they were taken to the
police station.
Harry Bonsfield easily established
his identity, and was set at liberty;
but the information that thepolice OBJ
tanned about his companions, the
revovers they found in both their
overcoats, two tell-tale cigars, and two
equally damning cigar stumps, the
remnants Of curacao in the flask and a
very suspicious false beard, all these
incidents led to their arrest, trial, and
subsequent conviction.
Scotland Yard keeps the flask as a
curiosity, for it has two compartments
from which the contents can be drawn
at the will of the owner by a. slight
pressure on secret spring. Both
compartments contained curacoa; but
what was left of one sample was found
to be drugged while the other was
pure.
The jovial gentleman, like Lamorock,
had had his Imagination fired by the
accounts that the newspapers gave of
the great pink diamond He had
wormed it out Of clerk in Messrs.
Bonsfeld's Office that the junior part
ner was taking it up to town, and he
thought the opportunity for which he
had waited so long had at length ar
rived. Tearing away to his lodgings.
he had provided himself with q aask
and revolver, and was just in time
to catch the train. When the whole
facts were revealed in the police court,
the natural establishment of Lamorock
and the jolly gentleman was past de-
scription. 1t beat even that Of Harry
Bonsiield. All the three actors in this
scene are now firmly convinced that
one of the incalculable elements con-
trolling mans destiny is sheer luck
London Sun.