El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-19

"YotL scoundTeu What the deUtt possessed
yOiI to come here tOnight7'
soap and wears q laundering great
clerical collar! You are a blooming
burglar, you are, if ever there was
onev'
ITO be strictly accurate'- said Mr..
Ledbetter, and suddenly his glasses
slipped off and clattered against his
vest buttons.
The fat man changed countenance, a
fash of savage resolution crossed his
face, and something in the revolver
clicked. He put his other hand to the
weapon, and then he looked at MI. Led
better, and his eye went down to the
dropped pince nez.
"Full cock now, anyhow said the
fat man after pause, and his breath
seemed to catch. But I'll tell you,
you've never been so near death be-
fore. Lord, I'm almost glad! If it
hadn't been that the revolver wasn't
cooked, you'd be lying dead there now"
Mr.. Ledbetter said nothing, but he
felt that the room was swaying.
ga miss is as good as a mile. It's
lucky for both of us it wasn't. Lord"
he blew noisily, there's no need for
you to go pale green for little thing
like that!''
81 can assure you, SIR said Mr.. Led
better, with an effort.
There's only one thing to do. If 1
call in the police, I'm bust. A little
game I've got on Is bust. That won't
do. If 1 tie you up and leave you
again, the thing may be out tomorrow.
Tomorrow's Sunday, and Mondays
bank holiday. I've counted on three
clear days. Shooting you's murder and
hanging, and, besides, it will bust the
whole blooming kernooze. I'm hanged
II can think what to do-I'm hanged
If CAMP
will you permit me-
you gas as much as If you were a
real parson, I'm blessed if you don't!
OF all the burglars you are the We'll,
no; l won't permit you. There isn't
time. If you start off jawing again, I'll
shoot right in your stomach. See? But
l know now-I know now. What we're
going to do first, my man, is an exam
inatiOn for concealed arms-an exam
ination for concealed arms. And look
here! When l tell you to do a thing,
don't start off at a gable; do it brisk"
And, with many elaborate precau-
lions and always pointing the pistol at
MIR. Ledbetter'S head, the stout man
stood him up and searched him for
weapons. why, you are a burglarv'
he said. You're a perfect amateur
You haven't even pistol pocket in the
back of your brooches. No, you don'tI
Shut up now?'
So soon as this issue was decided the
short man made Mr.. Ledbetter take off
his coat and roll up his shirt sleeves
and, with the revolver at one ear, pro-
coed with the packing his appearance
had interrupted. From the short mans
point of view, that was evidently the
only arrangement, for if he had packed
he would have had to put down his re-
volver. So that even the gold on the
table was handled by Mr.. Ledbetter.
This nocturnal packing was peculiar.
The stout mans idea was evidently to
distribute the weight of the gold as I'M
ostentatiously as possible through his
luggage. 1t was by no means an in
considerable weight. There was, Mr..
Ledbetter says, altogether nearly u.s.
600 in gold in the black bag and on the
table. There were also many little
rolls of f5 bank notes. Each rouleau
of f25 was wrapped by Mr.. Ledbetter
in paper. Those rouleaux were then
put neatly in cigar boxes and distrib-
uted between a travelling trunk, Glad
stone bag and hatbox. About 5000
went in a tobacco tin in a dressing bag.