Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-03-16
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Scoundrels eco. [
By CDULSON KERNAHAN
Author Of Captain Shannon "A Book n
Strange Sins. ""A Dead Mans Diary, Etc.
copyright 1899, by Herbert S. Stone 4 Co.
CHAPTER IX,-Coxr,<,vn

oAn pouuu 10 confess that the cOun-
Gil dld not display the interest which
might have been expected. Even 50
ooserVant a member as myself was
conscious of curious Discrimination
70 come to nearer acquaintance with
the contents of the brown bag: and
mere was an unmistakable, if unos-
tentatlous. disposition on the part of
my colleagues to gravitate in the d.
rectlon OF the door. One member had
IN TACT put a hand upon the latch.
when Number Two added, with Just
suspicion of a smile:
And-as l don't want to join Num-
ner Three just yet awhile-quite Sc
c''rely packed, assure you!
Yes, gentlemen.' continued Num-
Ter Two somewhat inflatedly, that
bag contains the larger portion of the
explosive OF which you commissioned
me 10 obtain possession. l now leave
II to you to decide whether l have or
have not failed in accomplishing what
had undertaken'
oh. yes, YOU have scrambled
through the business said a long
laced, rather round sh ouldered man.
who was, | afterwards learned, Coun-
clllor Number Five: you have scram-
hled through it right enough, though
at the cost OF the life OF fellow coun-
cillor.''
That was not my fault" retorted
Number Two angrily. 1T is due to the
TACT that this council is at present
without a head. Number Three was
instructed to assist me, but was not
enjoined to obey me implicitly. Had
II been so he would not have dared to
go beyond his instructions, as he ap-
pears to have done last night; and
then we should not have lost good
dynamite and a valuable life to no
purpose. | pointed out at the last
meeting Of this council how important
1t was that some member be selected
tC take the place OF our late leader;
and just SO long as we remain without
head. just SO long may we expect
nothing but such unhappy fascos as
happened last night
The moral of all of which is put
in Number Five dryly, that you are
tying to force the hand OF the counci.
in order that you yourself may be APP
IOinted to the post about which You
are so eloquent. But there are others
who are quite as fitted to take the
1eins'
yourself, for instance,' sneerel
Number Two angrily. Il had surmised
that You were jealous Of the fact that
l am your senior on the council; but
for
have done are so apparent that the
council will know how to estimate
them at their proper WORTH
NO doubt our fellow councillors are
competent to estimate your motives
and mine correctly" replied Mum Der
Five indifferently. I'm the meantime,
may l inquire how our dead chiefs
lag came into your possession"
The question had the effect of turn
ing all eyes, my own included, upon
the article referred to- l saw, to my
CONSERVATION, that it resembled in
every way the yer! bag which, after
Number Ones fatal fall from the train,
l had taken from the rack where he
Lad placed it, and had hidden in a
l,ayrick before paying my first visit
1o the conspirator's wagon. Before
leaving Leigh, however, had regained
possession of the bag. and had carried
it. with me to my chambers in Buck
ingham street, where had locked it
away, in case I might want it at any
time as evidence. ii Number Five
were right, and the bag which Number
Two was holding were indeed-as ap-
Eeared to be the caSe-the very article
which had belonged to Number One,
it must have been stolen from my
chambers in Buckingham street. But
this implied that one at least of the
conspirators was aware OF the part I
had played in recent events, and was
aware, too, that l was there that even
ing as a spy, in which case terrible
vengeance was in store for me.
Number Two's reply seemed to me
an age in coming, as stood there like
a prisoner waiting for his death SEN
tence, a cold sweat trickling down my
forehead and into my eyes.
YES" he said. and I could have
killed him for the drawl With which
he spoke, YES, you're a keen-eyed
man, my friend, for all your jealousy.
1t is Number Ones bag, isn't it?
You recognize it, don't YOU?
Would you be surprised to hear
that this is the fellow to his-the dupli-
cate, don't you call it? He and +
bought a bag apiece at the same shop
and at the same time, so there's moth
ing very wonderful in the two being
of the same pattern. You were clever
at mares'-nesting, weren't you, when
you we're boy?"
had, been wrought up to such a
pitch of suspense that the relief af-
forded by Number Two's explanation
caused mel am ashamed to say-to
burst out into a silly bleat-like hyster-
ical laugh.
Then suddenly changing his tone to
one of business-like directness, Number
Two went on, in hard, cold voice, in
which l thought I detected an Ameri-
can twang:
"See here, my friends-I happen to
know the address to which our late
chief was having his letters sent. and
have taken the liberty, as the senior
member of this council, of obtaining
them, and bringing them along to-
night. There they are, and you will
see that there is tidy sum, which has
come to hand in the way Of subscrip-
tons, to be shared among us. But I
must point out to you that since our
leaders death this council has, SO to
speak, been living on it's capital. He
was a born organizer; and when he
died he had got the machinery of all