El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-14

er in GOODBYE street, Wot got hve
years stretch for passin flash coin.
'E's out on ticket now and is up to
maxim a fancy pillar box as soon as
wink at yer"
Having hidden them hold themselves
at my disposal for final instructions, l
went straight to Goodge street, where
1 found the worthy Bennett in n surly
mood owing to Slackness of trade. He
smiled when / asked him if he could
build for me pillar box to the govern
ment pattern in the time at our dis
posal.
On reaching home l wrote briefly to
Herr MoSkoVitz informing him of my
scheme and adding that l hoped to
have the pillar box and letter safely at
my house between 4 and 3 on the fol-
lowing Friday morning. 1 asked him
to be waiting at my residence to re-
ceive the document and to bring the
promised reward with him, as 1 would
only part with the letter in exchange
for the same.
All went well, and on the following
Friday morning the van with the pillar
box, my assistants and myself set out
for Percy street, where we arrived at
$40. 1 noticed with satisfaction that
the night was very dark, which fact
was of course advantageous. L at once
dispatched Thursday and East to do
their "quarreling act" the other two
men taking up their places at the cor
ners Of the street.
At 3 o'clock / heard loud shouts and
curses proceeding from our two
friends, and a moment later two police
men were fastening in the direction of
the noise. The coast thus clear, we
drove up to the ambassadors house
and in a twinkling deposited the dunn
my box, which was an exact duplicate
of the genuine article on the opposite
side of the street.
''Now for the notice of temporary
disuse,'' said with a laugh, and in an
instant afterward the mouth of the
gummed paper and the following no
tice posted in front of the time table OF
postal deliveries:
Notice.-This pillar box being in temporary
disuse, the public will obige by posting COM
munications at the temporary box the
road. By order.
This work completed to our SatiSfac-
ton, my pal and l climbed back into
our van and drove noiselessly down q
side street, from which we could watch
all that happened outside of Count
RodeholtZ'S mansion.
l confess that. hardened and expert
enced as l was, a terrible thrill of nerv-
BUSINESS went through me as 1 stood
in that van with my companion wait
ing. The return of the policemen from
the station before the conclusion of the
business would ruin all; nay, if a
chance youth on the way home from a
dance were attracted by the notice on
the box and fingered to look at it, we
might be equally overthrown.
1t was therefore with a feeling of re-
lief that amounted to positive joy that
1 beheld at about 3:15 the door Of the
house open and young man, evidently
the ambassadors secretary, glide into
the street. He held in his hand the let
ter, and l saw him run up to the genu
inc box and peer at it for n moment in
surprise.
Then. with some expression which
of course we could not catch at that
distance, he crossed the road and, hav-
ing deposited the letter in our box, re-
turned with all speed to the house.
Not a soul was in sight-the street
was silent as the grave. We quickly
tore down the notice which had done
US such good service and removed the
paper from the mouth of the box.
Three minutes later we were driving
away quickly in the direction of my
house. We arrived at a. m. and found
Herr Moskovitz awaiting us in intense
excitement.
well" he cried, gesticulating with
hof
ed?"
Perfectly" 1 replied. "Here is the
box and here is the key. We have not
touched or looked at the letter, believ-
ing it to be private"
"You have acted WELL" he returned
quickly. "And now to obtain the let
ter"
With hands that trembled so violent
ly that he could scarce insert and turn
the key the excited man knelt down
and drew forth the envelope. AS he
looked at the superscription a cry of
disgust escaped his lips, and he tore
it open. One glance at the letter
seemed to suffice, and it transformed
him utterly. He strobe across the
room and shook his great fist in my
face.
"Fool! Simpleton! Imbecilew he
yelled, each word having the malignity
of a blow. you have failed after all
and made a fool of yourself and me-"
He flung the letter at me and darted
from the house, uttering curses as be
rolled. down the stairs.
1 took up the letter and read these
words:
Dere Mary Anne-Master sittin up late tonight,
as per usual, with his blessed letter ritin and
sich like. 1 ave few minits to rite to say as
low 'opes this finds you it leaves me, in
'ealth spirits, tho dog tired, and please to
meet me at the Marble arch at sharp next Sun
day, from your luvyin GEORGE.
saw through the whole business at