The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-08-23

thought OF the FISK ne ram, or OF the
audacious subtlety of such an cx-
pedient at such critical moment,
he went in, sat down at one of the
small tables and calmly ordered
breakfast.
Now, hunger is a lusty special
pleader, and it will make itself heard
above any pulpit drum of the higher
faculties; hence Griswold thought
less of what he had done than of
what he was about to eat, until the
hue and cry reminded him that the
chase had begun. Whereupon, not
to be suspiciously injurious, he put
on the mask of innocence and asked
the waiter concerning the uproar.
The man did not know what had
happened. but he would go and find
out if M'sieu' so desired "M'sieu' I"
said breakfast first and Informal
ton afterward, by all means. Both
came in due season, and Griswold ate
while he listened.
Transmitted into the Creole-Eng-
fish of the serving-man, the story
of the robbery lost nothing in it's
sensational features.
"Ha! Wat you t'ink, M'sieu'?'
De bank mex do is been rob!" and
upon this theme excited volubility
descants at large. The bank was
surrounded by a gang of desperate
men and every exit guarded while the
leader, a masked giant, armed to the
teeth, had compelled the president
at the muzzle of a pistol to pay a
ransom of fifty-one hundred-five
hundred thousand dollars. With the
money the gang had vanished, the
masked giant firing the pistol at
M'sieu' the president as he went.
Cross-eNamined, the waiter could not
affirm positively as to the shot. But
as for the rest there could be no
doubt.
Griswold ordered second cup of
coffee, and while the waiter tarried,
conscience-not the enlightened con-
science, but the conventional-bent
it's bow and sped it's final arrow. 1t
was suddenly brought home to the
enthusiast with sharp emphasis that
to all civilized mankind, save and ex-
cepting only those few chosen ones
who shared his peculiar convictions,
he was common thief, robber, an
outlaw.
Public opinion, potential or ex-
pressed, is at best but an intangible
thing; but for few seconds Girls
void writhed under the ban of it
as if it had been a whip of scorpions.
Then he smiled to think how strong
are the bonds of custom, and con-
science flung away it's empty CULVER.
None the less, the enthusiast was
rather thankful for the Christening.
1t served to remind him afresh oil
his mission. This money which he
had just wrested from the pluto
cratic dragon should be held as a
sacred trust; it should be devoted
scrupulously to the cause of the OPP
pressed. just how it was to be ap-
piled he had not yet determined, but
that could be decided later.
Meanwhile it was very evident that
the dragon did not intend to accept
defeat without struggle, and Girls.
void set his wits at work upon the
problem of escape.
Its little queer that I hadn't
thought of that part of it," he
unused. II suppose the other fellow
the real robber, would have figured
himself safely out of it-or would
have thought he had-before he
made a move. AS 1 didn't, I've got
to do it now, and there isn't much
time to throw away. Let me see
he shut his eyes and went into the
inventive trance beloved of the lit
erary craftsman-"the keynote must
be originality. / must do something
that the other fellow wouldn't think
of doing
He dallied with the second cup Of
coffee and outlined a plan, basine
it upon further cross-questionine
| Of the waiter. The man had been to
the door again, and by this time the
street excitement had subsidized sui
ticiently to approach the truth. The
rumor of an armed gang guarding
the bank doors had been canard
There had been but one man, ant
the street gossips were beginning tt
describe him with discomforting &C
c,racy. ........
Griswold paid his score and went
out with studied nonchalence. HI
reasoned that, notwithstanding the
growing accuracy of the street re
port, he was in no immediate dan
ger so long as he remained in the
immediate vicinity of the bank. L
was safe to assume that this wa:
one of the things that the journey
man bank robber would not do. Blu
it was also evident that he must
speedily lose his identity if he hoped
to escape; and that the lost identity
must leave no trace behind it.
ITO Be Continued
NOT A DISAPPOINTMENT.