Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-01-28
NBNANA;NA NAN1ASh,xSA
CAS 90 Go 90 ChS CWS GIS 90
| Scoundrels $Co. /
) By COULSON KERNAHAN 4
{ Author Of Captain Shannon.""A Book Of
Il Strange Sins, "A Dead Mans Diary" Etc. y
Copyright, 1899, by Herbert S. Stone Co.
CHAPTER IX.-CoNTINuED.

/ am bound to confess that the coun-
Gil did not display the interest which
might have been expected. Even sc
obServant a member as myself was
conscious of a curious disinclination
to come to nearer acquaintance with
the contents of the brown bag; and
there was an unmistakable, if unos-
Sentatious, disposition on the part OF
my colleagues to gravitate in the di-
Tection of the door. One member had
in fact put a hand upon the latch
when Number Two added, with just n
suspicion of a smile:
"And-as l don't want to join Num-
ber Three just yet awhile-quite Sc
Curely packed, assure you!"
The man who had put his hand up
on the latch, being thus relieved of his
anxiety for the safety of an honored
colleague, took occasion to rebuke any
tendency towards timorousness on the
E,aTt of his fellow-conspirators, by re-
marking witheringly that he'd be glad
If the members would leave him room
To stand up in, and would not push
him against the door. And when the
councillor who, upon the production OF
the brown bag, had displayed most
easerness to edge towards the exit
had relieved his feelings by expressing
wish that the next time ANY one
had anything to be afraid about he
hoped they wouldn't compel him to
move by treading upon his toes" and
2 third councillor had conceded jocose-
ly that he was bound to say he'd had
n bit of start" the meeting resumed
its normal aspect.
Eyes, gentlemen" continued Num-
Cer Two somewhat infiatedly, that
bag contains the larger portion of the
explosive of which you commissioned
me to obtain possession. now leave
il to you to decide whether | have or
have not failed in accomplishing what
I had undertaken"
ooh, yes, you have scrambled
Through the business" said a long
faced, rather round-shouldered man,
who was, | afterwards learned, Coun-
cillor Number Five; you have scram-
bled through it right enough, though
at the cost of the life of fellow coun-
Cjllor."
THAT was not my fault" retorted
Number Two angrily. ut is due to the
Sact 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
it 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 valuable life to no
purpose. l pointed out at the last
meeting of this council how important
1T was that some member be selected
to take the place of our late leader;
and just so long as we remain without
Il head, just so long may we expect
nothing but such unhappy fiascos as
happened last night"
The moral of all of which is" put
in Number Five dryly, that you are
trying to force the hand of the council
in order that you yourself may be ap-
pointed to the post about which you
gre so eloquent. But there are others
who are quite as fitted to take the
xeins."
Yourself, for instance" sneered
Number Two angrily. q had surmised
fEat you were jealous of the fact that
l. am your senior on the council; but
your motives for trying to belittle what
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 Number
Five indifferently. 'In the meantime
may / inquire how our dead chiefs
bag came into your possession?"
Ihe question had the effect of turn
5ng all eyes, my own included, upon
the article referred to. | saw, to my
CONSERVATION, that it resembled in
every way the very bag which, after
Number Ones fatal fall from the train,
had taken from the rack where he
Rad placed it, and had hidden in a
nayrick before paying my first visit
To the conspirators wagon. Before
leaving Leigh, however | had regained
possession of the bag, and had carried
at with me to my chambers in Buck
ungham street, where | had locked 1t
away, in case | might want it at any
time as evidence. If Number Five
we're right, and the bag which Number
Two vas holding were indeed-as ap-
iDeared to be the case-the very article
which had belonged to Number One,
If must have been stolen from my
chambers in Buckingham street But
this implied that one at least of the
toonspirators was aware OF the part !