Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1903-12-03

AS the cabin was lighted by a swing
ing oil lamp, and the fo'castle. where
| was concealed, was entirely in dark
ness, ran very little risk of discovery;
but all the same-when | heard the
first step upon the companion ladder
which led from the deck-I instructive
ly drew back my head under the tar
paulins, where | could neither see nor
be seen.
After about half a minute | made
Lold to advance my head again, so as
to get sight of what was going on.
And such sight!
For the first moment | could not be-
lieve my eyes, but was persuaded that
| was still sleeping. How else was I
to account for the sight | saw, except
by supposing that the whole business
of the seven boats, each carrying a
mysterious passenger, was a dream of
which the present scene was a con-
tinuation.
Standing around the table were seven
men, all so exactly alike that | should
not have been surprised had been told
that | was looking at one man sur
rounded by six facsimiles of himself.
No one who had seen that sight,
under such circumstances as | saw it,
would have wondered that | could not
believe the evidence of my senses, but
lay there Open-mouthed and scarce
daring to breathe, my eyes journey
ing in circle from face to face and
from figure to figure, till | was dazed
and drunken with imbecile astonish-
ment.
All the seven were of swarthy COM
plexion. All had bushy brown hair,
with brown boards, trimmed in the
same manner. All wore glasses, and
all were dressed exactly alike in blue
serge suits, with turn-down collars
blue and white spotted sailor scarfs.
and black bowler hats of similar shape.
While l was gaping a. this singular
spectacle. one of the seven took the
seat at the head of the table with his
back to me. motioning to the 9th ers
to seat themselves, which they did,
three on each side, leaving the space
at the foot of the table unoccupied.
Then the chairman struck the table
sharply with his open hand.
Let the candidate for the seventh
place on the council stand forward" >"
he said.
For the space of three of four sec
| onds nobody stirred. Then a man.
who was sitting near the entrance to
the cabin, shot to his feet as if taken
by surprise, squared his shoulders, with
his arms lying stiff at his side, and
stood in the attitude which in the
drillyard is known as lat attention >
| could not see the face of the man
at the head of the table, but | knew
instinctively that the two eyes of him
were covering the candidate, like twin
guns in a battery screwed up TO cover
target. Though his back was to me,
| seemed in some way to feel the pene-
| trating intentness of his eyes, and to
share the discomposure which the OBJ
ject of his scrutiny was evidently ex-
periencing. The military stiffness of
the upstander's hearing seemed to ooze
| out of his fingertips. His shoulders
contracted, and his head, which at
first was we'll thrown back, came for
ward, and into his eyes stole a sheep
ish, furtive look which but i'll became
him.
All this was not lost upon the man
at the head of the table. 1t seemed to
me that his voice took on an added
sharpness as, with the single word
There" he pointed with his pen to
the foot of the table where the candi-
date would be facing the company. The
man moved to the position indicated,
| and then the chairman addressed him
in hard. cold voice
You have come here as a candidate
| for the seventh place on the council?
| Is that SOP"
That is So" replied the other sui
| lenly.
Il need not tell you that you have
| not been invited here tonight without
| due consideration as to your ability for
| the post you seek to fill. | may tell
| you too that you have been marked
man for some months past. If /
mistake not, you have suspected the
position of affairs in regard to this
council for long time, and we decided
that one of two things must happen
either that your undoubted ability must
| be enlisted on the side of the council
or else-well-tha the council must
| be protected from any injury you
have it in your power to do us. What
the latter alternative would necessitate
need not now, fortunately, be dwelt
| upon. You have, l believe, been
T sounded-carefully, of course-in re-
| gard to your readiness to undertake
the responsibilities of the post. Am
| | right in supposing that you do not
come here altogether ignorant of what
these responsibilities mean?"
81 do not" said the candidate.
you are aware that once having
| joined us there is no going back, and
that for the man who plays us false
there is only one penalty?"
The fellow nodded.
Very good. And, on the other hand,
you are probably not unaware that
there are certain advantages accruing
to a seat on the council which are
not altogether to be despised?"
'T had surmised as much" said the