Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-02-18
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| SCoundrels geo. [
By COULSON KERNAHAN
Author Of Captain Shannon" IA Book Of
Strange Sins. "a Dead Mans Diary" Etc.
Copyright, 1899 by Herbert S. Stone & Co
CHAPTER XII.-CoNTINUED.


There is no pond anywhere near"
said Number Two, with a curiously
hard note in his voice. But I'm an
swerable for the woman's death, and
I'll be answerable for the disposal of
the body. The fact is, my friends,
came here tonight determined that
the person who played us false should
pay the price of his treachery. And
when I've made up my mind to a GER
tain course of action | make my prep
arations beforehand accordingly.
That's the only way to carry crime
through successfully. It's your crimi-
nal who does things in a hurry who
plays into the hands of the police.
Sometimes unforeseen circumstances
compel one to act in hurry, and
rather fatter myself I'm as good as
most people in an emergency. But, as
| say, | prefer to take my time to fix
things up scientifically. l knew that
thered be a body to dispose of to-
night, for | knew that when you had
heard what | had to tell you, you
would decide that the person who
played us false should not leave here
alive. That person didn't come by his,
or rather her, death in the way | had
intended. I'd arranged a much surer
and comparatively safe method of do
ing the painful business. But the thing
has been taken out of my hand, as you
all know, and we needn't discuss it.
Nor need We trouble ourselves about
the body. l came here. as l said,
knowing that there would be a body
to dispose of, and it was my duty,
therefore, to look round the place and
make the necessary arrangements be-
forehand. They are quite simple.
I've been in the cemetery close by to-
day, and | see that they have been
digging grave ready for a funeral to-
morrow. It's deep grave, and if we
lay the body at the bottom and put
enough earth over to cover it, no one
is likely to notice that the grave is
slightly shallower 1t is surprising the
little notice people take of things, un-
less, of course, they have a reason for
being suspicious. You'll find that the
coffin will be let down on the body
there tomorrow, the service read, the
grave filled in without any living soul
suspecting that they have hidden away
our ugly secret for us. If some one
will volunteer to lend me a hand.
We'll have the whole thing done in
quarter of an hour. Who will do so?
There's practically no risk What do
You say, Number Seven? You and
worked all right together in the jubi-
lee business. Do you feel like throw
ing in your lot with me again."
For one moment | hesitated. Not
withstanding his assurance that the
minimum of risk was practically nil,
| foresaw that were anything unfore-
seen to upset his calculation | might
as a result find myself in the dock on
charge of murder AS a matter Of
fact / was beginning to realize the
tremendous responsibility | had taken
upon myself when first embarked on
this venture. What | ought then to
have done was to inform the police
OF the facts which had come to my
knowledge while / was secreted in the
fo'castle of the Sea Swallow, so that
they might have surrounded the meet
ing-place of the conspirators at Leigh
and effected the arrest of the rascally
gang. Were individual members of
the community, to whose cognizance
the actual committal or the proposed
committal of a crime has come, to con-
stitute themselves, as | did, private de-
,tectives, the results would be deplor-
able. My own plea is that | entered
Hpon the business thoughtlessly and
while the itch for adventure was on
me, and that once having become in
solved | saw no way out at present.
Even while Number Two was speall-
ing that adventurous spirit Stirred
again within me. Sooner or later the
psychological moment would come fo"
calling in the police, and bringing the
Suftians, red-handed, to justice. I'm