The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1904-01-30
cOpyrisht 1879, by Herbert Stone q Co,


had been so blind as not to know that
in coming there that night he was de-
liberately putting his head into a
moose OF his own making? But if
was TO die ! would at least sell my life
dearly. Even while Number Two had
Lcen speaking. | had sought the pocket
where lay my revolver. The next in
slant would have seen me whip the
weapon out, and indeed my finger vas
already on the trigger, when a deris-
i've laugh from one of the party stayed
my hand.
The laugh came from Number Five
the mar who, either from jealousy
or because he was himself ambitious OF
being elected to Ill the post OF the dead
leader, had all along endeayOred to
throw cold water upon Number Two's
projects.
The old story" ne said contemptu-
ouSly. Every clumsy buneIer, who
makes n mess of what he has under
taken. tries to excuse himself 10y put
ting the blame on somebody else. You
remind me of a schuOIb0y, who when
he Is fairly beaten in a game calls out
Cheat! Cheat Why don't you ADM,
that you've failed, and have done with
IT,"
| waS thankful for any diversion
which turned to another quarter the
attention which | had anticipated was
soon to be conferred upon myself. and
| took the opportunity which the re-
spite afforded OF edging cautiously
towards the door, While was doing
SO Number Two's reply came cold and
dear
Fellow councillors. the traitor
among us stands self-reyealcd. When
the bomb which ought to have de.
stroyed the royal family fell harmless
ly in the roadway. and while / was
standing there crashing my teeth with
rage, | felt instinctiyely that some one
person was watching me when every
other eye in the assembly was fixed
if ! am watched, even when the watch
er Is behind me, and my eyes went
straight to the watching person on this
occasion. He was sitting on "A stand
had chosen the place, no doubt, that
he might crafty his jealous hate by
being a witness of my discontinue
exactly opposite. When he saw that ]
had discovered him he drew back out
OF sight 2mong the crowd. but not be"
fore | had seen that he was long-faced
and high -sh ouldered. Look Of the mar
who has just spoken, the man who Is
trying to belittle me in your eyes be-
cause he fears that you will elect me
to the post that he bankers for himself,
Look at him. ! say. and see whether he
Is the man | have described or not.
He thinks, no doubt, that he is safe be-
cause he is wearing the beard which
we all wear, and had none when |
caught sight of him on Jubilee day.
But he has shown his hand too plainly
on this occasion. ! told you that there
sas a traitor in u midst and he
stands lhere,'
Here was a curious throw Of Fate's
dice indeed! Little did ! think on Ju-
hiIee day, when some instinct Of self
preservation caused me to seek to
disguise my identity from Number
Two by humping my shoulders and
dropping my jaw, that | vas nncon-
~sciously mimicking n Of the syndi-
cate Of scoundrels and 50 probably
saving my W life.
Before / could ask whether 1t would
not be a cowardly thing to shelter my
self under so curious an accident and
to let another man be made answer
able for my action, Number Five had
leapt forward and confronted his &C.
cuser.
"Liar!" he screamed. almost hys-
tcricaily. Coward and liar take
hat
As he spoke his hand dartcd to-
wards the lnite in the wall, which was
doing duty as q candlestick. ! saw
him clutch the handle and wrench the
weapon from its place. and then as the
candle fell and we we're plunged in
total darkness, he sr.ang upon Number
TWO with appraised blade,
In the second before the candle went
out | had seen the other CO~ngpirators
start forward ~instinctively with out
stretched hands to stay the descending
knife; and for the next few seconds
the picture so formed remained on my
retina like a tableau vivant, in which,
as if Times pendulum had suddenly
STOPPED, we see action frozen in a mo
meni's space into iI1Ction, life caught
Then, as the picture thus imprinted on
the rctina lifted rigidly and edged
anglewise away until it swan and dis
solved ont Of kea in an upper corner
Of the shed, | seemed to see the sue
ceeding and inclosing darkness with
inG around me like the coils Of two
huge wrestling and INTERVENING black
snakes: heard the sCuffie Of feet as
the two combatants swayed backward
and forward on the floor, there was a
cry. the thud Of a falling body; and
the next instant some one struck a
match,
The picture that presented Itself was
exactly like that ! have seen In melo-
dramas, when the curtain, which has
fallen upon some tragic situation. HITS
for a moment to allow the spectators
another glimpse of the CHASTITY sight.
Number TwO-his tie and collar torn
open and hanging loOse-was leaning
back whita-faced and painting against
the door. looking almost stupidity al a
gaping cut across The palm Of his right
hand. The others were bending over
Number Five. who lay on his back
upon the floor. his features twitching
and working horribly, while his nerve
less hands fumbled at the handle OF a
knife which was buried up TO the hilt