Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-14

II have been there" said he.
VERY well, then, you will go again To-
night you will arrive there about Z, you will
go the rounds of some half-dozen places
whose names l will give you and when you
come across a certain gentleman whom
will describe to you you will give him"
mot a package?" Sweetwater broke out
with a certain sort Of dread of a repetition of
his late experience.
mo- this slip on which three words are
written. He will want one more word, but
before you give 1T to him you must ask for
your $40. You'll get them" he answered in
response to a glance of suspicion from
Sweetwater. Sweetwater was convinced that
he had got hold of another Job. 1t made
him little serious. "Do l look like a go-be-
tween for crooks2' he asked himself I'm
! afraid I'm not so much of a success as |
| thought myself. But he said to the man
before him: Ten dollars is small pay for
such business. Twenty-Five would be nearer
| the mark"
"Very well, he will give you s25. l forgot
that so was but little in advance of your
expenses"
Twenty five II I find him, and he is in
funds What If dont?"
Nothing"
Nothing"
Except your ticket that I'll give you"
Sweetwater did not know what to say.
Like the preceding job it might be inno-
cent and it might not. And then, he did
not like going to Boston, where he was
liable to meet more than one who knew
him
There Is no harm in the business" said
the other. carelessly, pushing a glass OF
whisky which had just been served him
toward Sweetwater. ~ would even be will
ing to do it myself, If could leave New
Bedford tonight but l can't. Come! It's
easy as crooking your elbow"
"Just now you said it wasn't" growled
the other drinking off his glass. But no
matter about that go ahead, I'll do it. Shall
l have to buy other clothes?'
I'D buy a new pair of trousers" sug
gested the other. The rest you can get in
Boston. You don't want to be too much
in evidence, you know"
Sweetwater agreed with him. To attract
attention was what he most dreaded. when
does the train start?" he asked.
The young man told him.
"Well that will give me time to buy what
want. Now, what are your instructions?"
The young man gave him memorandum,
containing four addresses. "You will find
him at one of these places" said he. And
now to know your man when you see him.
He is large handsome fellow, with red
hair and mustache like the devil. He has
been hurt, and wears his left hand in a
sling, but he can play cards, and will be
found playing cards, and in very good COM
pany. too You will have to use your dis
creton in approaching him. When once he
sees this bit of paper all will be easy. He
knows what these two words mean well
enough. and the third one. the one that
is worth $25 to you, is Frederick"
Sweetwater, who had drunk half his glass,
started so at this word, which was always
humming in his brain, that he knocked over
his tumbler and spilled what was left of it.
81 hope I won't forget that word" he re-
marked, in a careless tone, intended to
carry off his momentary show of feeling.
"If you do, then don't expect the S25,'
retorted the other, finishing his own glass,
but not Offering to renew Sweetwater's.
Sweetwater laughed, said ne thought he
could trust his memory. and rose. In a
half-hou he was at the depot. and in an
other fifteen minutes speeding out of New
Bedford on his way to Boston.
He had had but one anxiety-that Mr..
Stone might be going up to Boston, too
But, once relieved of this apprehension, he
settled back and for the first time in twelve
hours had a minute in which to ask him
self who he was and what he was about
Adventure had followed so fast upon ad-
venture that he was in a more or less dazed
condition, and felt as little capable of con-
Meeting event with event as If he had been
asked to recall the changing pictures of a
Kaleidoscope. That affair of the packet,
now, was it or was it not serious, and would
he ever know what it meant or how 1t
turned out?
Like a child who had been given a pebble
and told to throw 1t over the wall he had
thrown and run, giving a shout of warning,
1t is true, but not knowing, nor ever likely
to know where the stone had fallen, or what
it was meant to do. Then this new COM
mission on which he was bent-was it in
any way connected with the other, or merely
the odd result of his being in the right
place at the right moment He was inclined
to think the latter. And yet how odd it was
that one doubtful errand should be followed
by another, in a town no larger than New
Bedford forcing him from scene to scene,
till he found himself speeding toward the
city he least desired to enter, and from
which he had the most to fear.
But brooding over a case like this brings
small comfort. He felt that he had been
jugged with, but he neither knew by whose
hand or in what cause If the hand was
that of Providence why he had only to go on
following the beck of the moment, while if
ii was that Of fate, the very uselessness of
struggling with it was apparent at once,
Poor reasoning perhaps, but no other
offered, and satisfied that whatever came, his
intentions were above question, he settled
himself at last for nap. of which he GER
tainly stood in good need. When he awoke
| he was in Boston.
The fir thing he did was to show his list
| of addresses and inquire into what qu4IJ
| they would lead him. To his surprise he
| found it to be the fashionable quarter, Two
of them were names of well known club
houses, third that OF a frst-class restau-
rant and the fourth that of private house
| on Commonwealth avenue. Hegho, and he
! was dressed like tramp. or nearly soi
| Queer messenger, /, for such kind OF
/ work" thought he, 81 wonder why he
| lighted on such rough-looking customer.
| He must have had his reasons, / wonder II
he wished the errand to fail. He bore him
self very nonehalently at the depot. When
last saw him his face and attitude were
those of totally unconcerned man. Have
| been sent on a fools chase after all ?"
The absurdity of this conclusion struck
him. however, as he reasoned, "Why, then,
should he have paid my fare? Not as a
benefit to me, of course, but for his own
ends wh9tavar thew rnipht ha us 500