The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1904-01-02

myself and wanted to buy a business
How much1l yer sell this yer show
stand and all-for, ,eh?'
To my surprise he leapt TO his feet
excitedly. and grasped the lapel of my
coat, he peered into my face as if he
expected to recognize me. Then he eX-
claimed in a voice hoarse with pas
sion:
Come, drop it! None of your tricks
with me; | was prepared for some
thing Of this sort! Who are you? A
detective, Ell? Speak up! for I'll stand
none of your NONSENSE"
II was getting dark, but not so dark
that | did not see a peculiar twitching
OF the eyebrows, which | had noticed
as the only sign of excitement that
Number Three had betrayed when. al
the drawing Of lots in the gypsy wagon,
he discovered that ii had fallen to his
share to assist NumbeC Two in obtain
ing possession of the concealed dyna-
mite. Yes, it was Number Three IN
questionably. and had indeed made as
pretty a mess of the business as was
possible.
Staggered as | was, however, | did
rot lose my presence of mind. NO!
not" | made haste to protest with ear
H~estness, which was not all assumed,
for his hand vas at his side-pocket, as
if in search of a weapon. 81 amt no
sneakin' tee. Strike me dead if | am,
I'm a pore man like yourself, mate,
and | don't like the tees no better nor
wot you do, for if they knew what lay
| was on, they'd nab me apd no mis-
take, they would, rot 'em!"
whats your game, them he said
Rshortly, but less aggressively.
We'll, it's like this" | answered;
there's a man w0t lives in this Square
as I'm goin' to put a knife into.
You're a pore man and I'm a pore man
See! So you won't peach on me, I
know. This mana lord he calls his
self-he's took the bread out o my
mouth and out O. my kiddies' mouths,
and out o. the mouths O. my mates
and their Riddles. That's wot he's
done, the -. Lord Cranthorpe's
his name, and some Of ls-them as is
men and not chiclSns-ave met on the
quiet and talked over 'ow we could
get even with i'm. We're men, we are,
not dogs to be kicked and starved an
robbed, and our missises and Riddles
starved. by the likes Of i'm. And we've
drawn lots which of us was to knife
i'm. and | drawn the billet and got to
do it.. Well, my mates they sem the
at round, and got a bit o money to-
gether to 'elp me in doin' the job. So
as your lays just a-nigh is 'ouse, !
want to buy out the business. so as |
can 'ang around without 'aving no per-
ishin' p'liceman harsking questions.
Then | waits for my man when 'es
comm in or goin' out when there amt
nobody by, and then | spikes i'm.
See? You're a gore man and som |.
Eth? That's right, amt 1t? sOn the
sduar too. Well, 'ow much do yer
want for it?"
81 don't want anything" he said
az shall go straight away and put his
lordship on his guard, and then set the
police on you. That's what | shall do"
That's what you'll do, Ell, is it, yer
hIoomin' monkey?" | said, with 2
great assumption of fury. "You give
Information to the p'lice, yer perishin
pavement spiler! No, yer won't, not
much; not il | as to swing for yer!"
There! there, my friend! That's
all right" he said. 4 only wanted to
see If you were made Of the right stuff
or not. How was | to Know that you
weren't a detective in disguise, and that
all this talk of~yours wasn't a plant TO
take me il? Now look here. If you