Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1900-12-28
CHAPTER XNN.-(con,inuca.)

isN'i tiiii7 wen, Itlll'N ,NlIuGs,
slaueins al hi, companions.
Go on and tell me
Chcatham claspcd his hands prayer
chin an his breast: so looking. very wise
and thoushrul while he listened
''Nou know" began Smugg. "that the
main thing is to cut off the stairs in the
upper ilo"rs. and to see that the ire cs
capc won't work.
EheaIham nodded.
We'll. the boys have operated on the
fire escape with aqua forti>. and the iron
supports are. in consequence. so catcn
out and roitci that it's the biggest kind
pf wonder that it don't fall down of its
own weight in them two upper stories.
A. it is, il you was to let II child step
on the top part OF that escape. crash it
wcnld tumble, ,hild and all. down TO the
pavement sixty feet below. So yon see
tbat part is fixed.
Smugg S companions shuiiled their feet
and coughed. and Chcathum nodded APP
provinyly.
Now as to Shooin the gun off. You
sec. the boys have filled their rooms with
cotton and coal oil. besides powder. \
match thrown into one of them rooms nj
this mint. and whizz. ont would flash The
fire and bang would 20 the powder tear
in out lin" wallis. Then, as 10 under the
stairs. We have that fixed in the same
way -
Smnsg hcsiatch and looked al the men,
Yes. said one of the men. "undcr the
'.alrs is n magazine. and ii has a engine
sci for the same hour as i'll the rooms
An nngine:' repeated Chcatham.
''Ycs." explained Smugg. "Yon SEQ.
.h> is how she works.
He iurned up the palm of his huge
black hand and went on, as if he were
yrading thcrcfrom.
I'VE nave Il dynamite clock ,Nder the
stairs. and another. set To the same scc-
ond, in the rooms just above
"A dynamiic clock? You said ,iothins
so me ahou! that
Yes. did: them's the machines told
sou about. Yon see it wouldn't nigh do
lor amy OF us to be found near the place
@hcn the explosion comes off and the fire
follows. We want to he safe. and bcin'
safe. We want 10 he so fixed that suspi-
ion won't point To u.s.
Alone again and Chcatham purscd his
ips. intcrlockcd his fingers. and drew
n his chin till tho folds in his checks
.,ecamc more conspicuonsly baggy.
1t is said that AN idle brain is the
ievis workshops" but like many other
popular sayings. there is neither truth
nor sense in it. Neither in sleeping nor
waking was this mans brain idle; yet it
N;s workshop that had turned out plots
and plan, which, for ingenuity and wick
sdneSs of design. must have excited the
admiration, II not the envy. of the Prince
of Darkness. An idle brain may be con
temptiblc. but it cannot, for its very idle
ness. be wicked unless idlencss is itself
Nickedncss. So absorbed was Chcatham
n his thoughts that he did not hear the
door open and partly close. nor the step
% the man approaching him.
What are you asleep. uncc?" called
oui Sim, drawing up chair and sitting
down before him.
why! why didn't You knock?' asked
Chcatham. starting up and manifestine
much lineasiness and alarm. II don't
want people TO come into my presence in
that way. Did you come alone:"
All alone.' replied Sim.
In this belief Sim Chcatham was mis-
taken. he had been Shadowcd from the
city by Charles Carpenter. and that per
SON was now outside the open window
listening.
'fIavc You seen anything of Carpenter
down town.
II think ! saw him. hut | am not ccr-
tain. III soon have him out of my way
That's what sou have been telling me
Ior monihs,' snecrcd Clcatham.
But | have it fixed now. Wait till
the fire tonight is over
What do you know about the firc:'
About the plan to burn down the Pu-
ella street house. and all the people on
the two top floors. know everything
I would give a great deal to have Car.
oentcr on top of that house.
'Of course you would.
..Yes; and it would be so like n drama
to have him disposed of in that way. You
deserve credit. uncle: there aim, another
man in the world could do what YOU have
and be successful
What do you mcan?" asked Cheat
ham. quite willing to pass the time in
hearing himself Haltcrcd.
Why, mean this. Ii was YOU started
this fellow in crime: and when he left
prison you knew it. and could have puI
him on the track Of his wife and child
for you knew where they were: but yot
gave out that they were dead. Whc1
Carpenter tried 10 get down to sauar.
work. it was through yon the story go
out that he'd been i'll the penitentiary
aud Of course lie lost his place. Thcl
yon kept his wifc-who'd changed hc
name to Mrs. Hope and became Her
mann's honsekecpcrunder your thumb
And when again and again She wanted
to tell Mr.. Hermann that Miriam wa
her daughter, you wouldn't let her. All
that was far-sightcd. l can see through
it all now
"You are getting sharp. Sim
Il ought to be. with such an example
But when Hermann died. and you ha,
the German will translated into Englisl,
names and all, YOU showed your geniu
and your knowledge of law. Who'd eve
think that the Charles Carpenter yo,
advertised for and didn't want was Kar
Zimmerman? Karl Zimmerman ncve
would recognize himself as Charles Car
penter. But when Charles Carpcnte
Bolton turned up, with the last nam,
dropped. and scared you out of you
boots, Yea showed that he didn't scar,