The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-10

He appeared to be now in a less ag
gressive mood, and. having watche
Mr.. Ledbetter for some time, he Of
fered n few remarks
From your accent, | judge you are
man of some education, he said, lighting
a cigar. No, don't begin that explana-
tion of yours. l know 1t will be long
winded from your face, and I m much
too old a liar to be interested in other
mems lying. You are, | say, a person OF
education. You do wei to dress as
curate. Even among educated people you
might pass as a curate
II am curate,' said Mr.. Ledbetter.
'or, at least"--
You are trying to be. 1 know. But
you didn't ought to burgle- You are not
the man to burgle. You are-if may
say it, the thing will have been pointed
DO you know said Mr. Ledbetter.
trying TO get a fresh opening, 1T was
that very question:
The stout man waved him into silence
2 You waste your education in burglary.
You should do one of two things. Either
you should forge or you should emoez-
ze. For my own part L embezzle- Yes
L enbezzle. All. What do you think a
man could be doing with all this gold
but that? Listen! Midnight!
Ten. Eleven. Twelve. There is some
thing very impressive to me in that slow
beating of the hours. Time-space; what
mysteries they areI What mysteries!
It's time for us to be moving.
And then kindly. but firmly, he induced
Mr.. Ledbetter TO sling the dressing bag
over his back BIZ a string across his
chest. TO shoulder the trunk and, over
ruling a gasDing protest, to take the
Gladstone bag in his disengaged hand. SO
encountered, Mr.. Ledbetter struggled per-
llouSly downstairs. The stout gentleman
followed with an overcoat, the hatboX
and the revolver, making derogatory re-
marks about Mr.. Ledbetter'S strength
and assisting him at the turnings OF the
stairs
The back door," he directed, and Mr..
Ledbetter staggered through conserva-
tory. leaving a wake of smashed flower
pots behind him. Never mind the crock
err. said the stout man; its good for
trade. We wait here until "a quarter
GU haveI' Mr.. Ledbetter collapsed
painting on the trunk. Last night, he
gasoed Il was asleep in my little room.
and no more dreamt"-
There's no need for you to incrim1n-
ate yourself said the stout gentleman,
looking at the lock of the revolver: He
began to hum. Mr.. Ledbetter made TO
speak and thought better of 1t.
There presently came the sound OF a
bell and Mr.. Ledbetter was taken to the
back door and instructed to open it.
fair-haired man in yachting costume en-
tered. At the sight of Mr.. Ledbetter he
started violently and clapped his hand
behind him; Then he saw the stout man.
'Binghamv' he cried; who's this"
Only little Dhilanthropic do of mine
burglar I'm trying to reform. Caught
him under my bed just now. He's all
right. lie a 1rlSntIul ass lie III DC USE
full to carry some of our things.
The newcomer seemed Inclined to re-
sent Mr.. Ledbetter's presence at first, but
the stout man treasured him. Hes quite
would own him. MOI Don't start talk
inG, for goodness sake" They went out
into the darkness of the garden with the
trunk still bowling Mr.. LedbetterS should
ers. The man in yachting costume walked
in front with the Gladstone bag and
pistol; then came Mr.. Ledbetter like At
las; Mr.. Bingham followed with the bat
box. cost and revolver as before. The
house was one of those that have their
gardens right up to the cliff. At the Cliff
was a steep wooden stairway descending
to a bathing tent dimly visible on the
beach. Below was a boat pulled up and
silent little man with black face stood
beside it. "A few moments explanation,
said Mr.. Ledbetter; Il can assure you
Somebody kicked him, and he said no
more.
] They made him wade to the boat. carry
ing the trunk; they pulled him aboard by
the shoulders and hair; they called him
no better name than ''scoundrel' and
burglar all that night. But they spoke
in undertones. so that the general public
was happily unaware of his ignOminy.
They hauled him aboard yacht manned
by strange, unsympathetic orientalS, and
partly they thrust him and partly he fell
down gangway into a noisome, dark
place, where he was to remain many days
how many he does not know, because he
lost count, among other things, when he
and incomprehenSible words; they gave
him water to drink mixed with I'M
wishedfOr rum And there were cock
reaches where they put him, night and
day. and in the night time there were
rats. The Orientals emDtied his pockets
and took his watch; but Mr.. Bingham.
being appealed to. took that himself And
five or six times the five Lascars-if they
were Lascars-and the Chinaman and
the negro who constituted the crew, fished
him out and took him aft to Bingham and
. his friend 10 NAV cTihha and enClTe
and three-handed whist. and to listen to
their stories and boasting in an interested
manner.
Then these principals would talk to him
as men talk to those who have lived a
J life of crime. Explanations they would
never permit. though they made it album
/ dainty clear to him that he was the rum
NEST burglar they had ever set eyes on.
They said as much again and again. The
fair man was of q taciturn disposition
and irascible at play, but Mr.. Bingham,
now that the evident anxiety of his de-
| parture from England was assuaged, dis
played a vein of genial philosophy. He
! enlarged upon the mystery of Space and
Time, and quoted Kant and Hegel-or at
! least he said he did. Several times Mr..
Ledbetter got as far as My position I'M
der your bed. you know but then he al
ways had to cut or pass the whisky or do
some such intervening thing. After his
third failure, the fair man got quite to
/ look for this opening, and whenever Mr..
| Ledbetter began after that he would roar
with laughter and hit him violently on
/ the back. Same old start; same old
story: good old burglar" the fair-haired
man would say.
/ So Mr. Ledbetter Jared for many days.
20 perhaps. and one evening he, together
with some timed provisions. was taken
] over the side and put ashore on a rocky
/ little island with spring. Mr.. Bingham
came in the boat with MIN. giving him
good advice all the way and waving his
| last ATTEMPTS at an explanation aside.
Il am really not a burglar" said Mr..
Ledbetter. You never will be-" said
| Mr. Bingham You'll never make a
| it. In choosing a profession man must
study temperament. If you don't, soon
| er or later you will fail. Compare my
self, for example. All my life 1 have
I been in banks-I have got in banks. |
| have even been bank manager. But was
| l happy? No. Why wasn't | happy? Be
cause 1t did not suit my temperament. l
am too adventurous, too versatile. Prac-
! suppose | shall ever manage a bank
again. They would be glad to get me- no
doubt, but 1 have learnt the lesson of my
! temperament-at last. . Mol shall
never manage a bank again.
Now, your temperament units you for
crime-just mine units me for resDec-
| liability. | know you better than 1 did.
| and now do not even recommend forg
man. Your lay is the pllilanthropic lay
that IS your lay. With that voice-the
association for the Promotion of Sniveling
among the Young something in that line.
| You thing it over.
1.-The island we are approaching has no
name aDparently-at least there is none
on the chart You might think ont a
name for it while you are there-wh;le
you are thinking about all these things.
1t has quite drinkable water, 1 under
stand. 1t is one of tho GrenadineS-one of
the Windward islands. Yonder-dim and
! biue-are other of the Grenadines. I have
/ nff tuba 81 dc ff-