The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1900-02-02
CHAPTER XIV.
THE IMPOSTOR'S THREAT.

-.. laN ANIoSlon > lI1AtEAA.
When the silence was broken at
length. it was poor old Percy who
broke 1t.
"This is a pretty business he said.
"And what a blithering, laundering
pedigree ass l have made Of myself 1t
is all my fault, old man, and feel
really do-that to chuck myself into
the Neva il the only and certainly tho
most appropriate ano endurable thing
left for P. J. M. to do"
"Nonsense!" I said. 1T WIN ali come
right. We shall never find the right
track until we have tried and rejected
each wrong n th"t crosses it and leads
us astray. Don't look so glum, Percy,
nor you Borofsky either. 1t isn't your
fault. You did your best, and did it
well. How could you tell he was not
father, when even mother and 1 passed
the photo as authentic?'
"Still one feels what a mess one has
made Of the thing" said Borofsky.
"But look here-Count Boris, and You,
too, MI. Percy, You may both be wit
nesses---I hereby swear that I haven't
done with this sham count yet, not by
a long wayl He has got the better OF
as this time, but one day ! shall turn
the tables on himl'
Don't brighten him, Borofsky," I
said. "We shall be more likely to make
him Of use to MS If we let him be
awhile"
"All right, all right. said Borofsky.
II shall do nothing foolish. I intend
to win next time, my friend; my repu.
tation has leeway to make up. If you
are kind enough to forget it, I cannot"
$50 has mine, said Percy, land I'm
with you in this. Borofsky. IF we can
score off the ,r~ascals. we will. Is 1t n
leagueY' ,.
"League or no league growled Bo-
rofsky, who was respondent and not
very genial. 'I'm not going to rest un-
til I'm quits with the fellow. We
ought, Of course, to inform the police
that he is here-whoever he may be-
and let them take this matter over. He
10 sure to be up to no good. But the
countess wishes him left to himself,
and ! would prefer 1t that way, because
If the police get a finger in the pie the
fellow Is as good as delivered out Of our
hands, and I, for one, have not done
with him."
"Only don't forget, Borofsky,' I
said. "that the main idea Ia to find ia
ther. II there were not the hope Of get
ting this rascal to disgorge some i'm
portant information about the count,
which mother seems to think he may
possess, I should be in favor Of letting
the police have him."
"And remember, you," said Borof.
sky, ''that he will not stick at a lie,
nor at a hundred lies, in order to be left
in the house u~ndisturbedl Why do
you suppose he has come here?'
ITO live well and luxuriously on
nothing a year, I should think"
laughed.
"Not a bit Of it, said Borofsky, who
was not overpolite tonight. I forgave
him his discourtesy because he was sore
after his defeat and disappointment.
"Not a bit of 1t. He would not risk 50
much for the sake of comfortable quar-
ters. He has a game On, a deep and
probably a most Internal and murderous
game, of some sort, and he Is going to
play it from the safe and convenient
sanctuary of Count Landrinof's town
mansion and to pass having found
that he can do so with impunity-as
the COZ Mt himself. There, mark my
words, and ! will remind you Of them
presently. This nan is going to play a
deep game. He is a revolutionist, prob
ably a nihiliist. and he Is taking the
advantage of his unexpected likeness to
the CONT, your father, in order to
carry on his Vaccinations without sus-
picion. Do yon follow me?'
"Gad, Borofsky - exclaimed Percy,
with admiration. "It's a jolly good
ideal'
co~ncurred.
"But," ! said, show Is fathers dis.
covery to be advanced by allowing this
fellow, or seeming to allow him, to do
az he likes and hatch all manner Of
deviltry from the shelter Of u house'"
eve mustn't hurry said Borofsky,
"We shall watch him. He may have
the mystery of your fathers absence In
the hollow of his hand. We must catch
the rascal In ONE plotting and get him
into our power and force his secrets
out of him by threatening him with
the police and Siberia"
"Wha II he IL my fathers brotherY ="
! said.
"Well, but 10 no IN, In all probable.
ity. asked him, but no denied II.
which. Of conrse, means nothing, ~
way or the other, There could scarcely
ba another 10 like the count"
.'Hut, for heavens sake, Borofsky.
Lat m ha careful what We do, What IL