Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-03-31
Copyright, 1899, by Herber. S. Stone & Co.
CHAPTER XXI.
THE MAN WHO WAS BLACK
BALLED."

The MAN WHO WAS "BLACk-
BALLED."
Need | say it was | who was answer
able for the failure of Mr.. Hubbocks S
little scheme?
have been member of the Ishmael
club for 10 years, and have twice
served upon the committee When
Number Two informed us that he was
Mr.. RICHARDSON Hall, | knew at once
that | had heard the name before. and
had on one occasion confounded it
with Roland Hill. What that occa-
sion was, however, l could not recall
until Number Two's sneering and lying
allusiOn to the Ishmaelites gave me
the cue. Then | recOlleCted that when
| was on the committee of the club, a
Mr.. Richardson Hall had twice con-
trived to get himself proposed as a
member. The first time he was sum-
marily rejected on the qualification
rule" and so did not even face the pre-
liminary stage of being up" for cleo
ton. Twelve months after he became
a candidate for the second time. and
on this occasion he was apparently de-
termined to succeed, for he made the
support of every member, with whom
he was on speaking terms, a personal
favor, and indeed left no stone un-
turned to attain his end, and so man
aged to squeeze through the prelim-
mary qualification scrutiny When,
however, the committee met for the
final consideration of candidates, Mr.
Richardson Hall was for some reason
which no doubt was good, promptly
blackballed.
This fact, while it accounted for the
sneers with which Hall had alluded
to the club, made me all the more re-
solved to checkmate Mr.. lubbock S
little demonstration.
Rather than that the guest of a
club, of which | am a member, should
come to harm under it's roof, | de-
cided-should every other means fail
to make known to the police the whole
story of my connection with the syn
dicate. But | was reluctant to resort
to so extreme a measure unless COM
PEELED and as | thought | saw my way
to simpler solution of the difficulty
| went to work accordingly. To find
whom the ten-minute gong had been
entrusted, in order that musical box
might be placed inside, was easy
enough. 1t was easy enough, too
thanks TO the thousand pounds which
! had recently pocketed-to persuade
him to supply me with a duplicate
gong. The duplicate was to resemble
the original in every way, and, like
the original, it was to contain a mu-
sical box, which, when wound up.
would, at the expiration of ten min
utes, play God Bless the Prince of
Wales!"
What was not so easy was the sub
stitution OF my musical box for the in
fernal machine with which lubbock
had promised to replace the original
gong. That he would not effect the
change until Immediately before din
ner | knew, so that | had practically
only few minutes in which to ac-
,complish my task.
While the rest of the members were
in the reception chamber waiting the
arrival of the prince, | made my way
to the diningroom, with the gong
which | had procured in Geneva under
my cloak, and under pretense of look
ing where my seat was placed, began
TO examine the tables. But as the
walters were coming and going the
~nole time, no opportunity offered for
1lah.k2 The exchange, finding which.