The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1900-07-05

.IaEeHEH
~. Evidently Miss Judy had been dis
trustful of the duteous lieutenant, for
the note was written in French.
Translated it ran:
Keep the lieutenant in conversa-
ton for 20 minutes from now. Re-
member that-so far as you know
there issno brandy insthe cask. At the
end of that time there will be none
j.
Dear girl" said Dick to himself.
But what on earth she means I can
not make out. If she were to offer to
converse with Curwen or drug him it
would be a different matter" But
there was the key and Curwen seated.
on it, and Dick failed to see how the
brandy was to evaporate. Still he
would do Judy's bidding.
Sal, watching his face, asked if there
were any answer.
rs Miss Judy still here?" asked
Dick. unwarily, SC that the lieutenant
looked suspiciously toward Sal. But
she behaved with admirable discre-
ton.
For what should Miss Judy be
here!" she said, with an air of sur
prise. 81 mant, eff tn was an answer,
I could take
"Ah. if you would be SO good as to
go after her." said Dick. ''Thank her
for me and say Certainly"
Sal slid from the room, leaving Dick
to maintain his parley. AS she en-
tered the room directly beneath she
was greeted a little %anNiously with
the question: "Well, did you mark
exactly where it stands?" "Iss, Miss
judy" said Sal. "Just here to the
lett" She pushed the table under the
spot, and Miss Judy mounted there
upon. 'Quick, Sal, the men may be
back any moment! Lock the front
door and then come and hold the can.
I'll do this
The room was the bar parlor, with
two doors to it-one for the front and
one for the back. For the rest it was
also usual enough, and thin boarding
only separated it from the room
above. Through the boarding, in 81
lence, with the utmost care, Miss Judy
drove a gimlet. In a very short time
a squirt of brandy followed, and Sal
received it in a can.
"How I shall smell of brandy!" said
Miss Judy, as it trickled over her
fingers.
Il doan't expect MI. Shenston will
maind," said Sal, gleefully.
Misc Indy haoor,a ,-or,, .oro,o cd,
member, Sal, that this is a most dis
graceful affair.""
81 doan't think Mr.. Shenston mant
to do wrong" said Sal.
Sand 1 should not have supposed
your father would have been guilty OF
it. If he is ever caught again."
HE willn't be such a fule."
Miss Judy concealed a smile. "An-
other pail" she said. Sand empty
that into the duck pond"
Sal fastened off with her burden and
another pail received the brandy.
Really, Dick" murmured Miss
judy, apostrophizing the boarding in
a whisper, sit was most naughty OF
you"
Meanwhile Dick was showing his re
pentance by faithfully engaging the
lieutenant in conversations. Tt was
rather a difficult thing to do and an
noying exceedingly to see him sitting
there on the cask. Dick, consulting
his watch, found that IS minutes had
passed, and he made another effort,
for Curwen was getting restless.
"You see," he urged, Gin any case
there is a nice point of law involved.
If I am an ignorant accessory there
cannot,
Squire dew not see nice points of
law" retorted Curwen. "There's
morals and there's sins; there's sheep
and there's goats"
"And asses" Dick suggested.
"There's keeping straight and
there's running contraband."
"And my contention is" repeated
Dick, YEARLY, "that so far as ! know
there is no brandy in that keg."
The lieutenant's retort was inter
rupted by the tramp of his returning
men. They showed empty hands and
said they had had no luck. But the
lieutenant was too c%ontented to be
greatly put out by this.
"Never mind" he said, "there's
enough here. Get the barrow ready
and we'll go up to squire's."
And he turned to the landlord
rancorously. "Prendergast, yew have
made off with the rest o. your sinful
c%ontraband, but yew cannot escape
when yew.have broken the law"
"Stow ut!" said Prendergast, sulk,
lily. "Yew come here to ma house an
call me rascal. Yew've gat no prewf
I ask yew where's yew're prewf?"
Here" said the lieutenant. And
again he kicked his heels on the key
1t gave out a hollow sound. He leaped
off it, as if he had been suddenly
stung. A faint glimmer of the truth
dawned upon Dick.
Remember he said, provokingly.
my contention has been that there is
no brandy in the eask."
The lieutenant turned it over on its
side without answering. 1t was emp,
ty. and though the floor beneath was
damp, the holes had been stopped up
There was brandy in it," he said
rounding on Dick.
"The-soda water seems to have
evaporated." said Dick, innocently.
Some of the revenue men began to
Singer.
search the place!" said Curwen.
crashing his teeth. One of the men
returned presently and announced a
strong smell of brandy in the yard,
particularly in the duck pond.
ct would hardly do to show the
squire water from the duck pond
as contrabandI spirits" said Dick.
"There's sheep and there's goats,'
said the lieutenant, hardly able to con-
tain his wrath, so that Dick came near