The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1904-02-27
Copyright, 1899, by Herbert S. Stone a Co.
CHAPTER NVI.-CoxrINrEp.

$50 80
OF that money / was determined by
some means TO possess myself, II only
to prevent it from falling into the
hands of either the syndicate or OF the
strikers. That the former would put
it to no good use. needs no demon
strating. Nor-conservatiye and I'M
perialist as | am-did | feel that 1t
would be much better employed In the
hands of the strikers. Number TWO
had s~tated-and | saw no reason I
disbelieve him-that the money nae
been sent TO England by Germany, and
for so sinister a purpose as to prolong
a strike, and so to cause English trade
to drift irrevocably into the hands OF
the Germans. In that case, by pre-
venting the money from coming into
the possession of the strikers, ! should
be serving the cause of my country,
| had often enough had TO make eX-
cuse to myself for the means by winch
| obtained money. For once in my
life | was in the position of being able
to steal, not only with a clear con-
science, but with a glow OF yirtuous
self-righteousness. The only question
that troubled me was how | was to
go to work. | was at first strongly
tempted to take some one-say my
brother-into my confidence, and to
get him to undertake to switch on the
electric light at the critical moment,
SO that | myself might be on the spot
when the bag was thrown out, n
make off with it before lubbock Il
Law hands on it. 1t would, of course,
be necessary to disguise myself, so
that my fellow conspirator should not
recognize me, but that need not be
very difficult. The meeting was pur-
posely arranged to commence at nine
O'Clock, in order that working men OF
all sorts might have a chance to be
present; and as there was no lamp IN
the yard behind the hall, and night
would by that time have fallen, |
might easily escape identification.
Thrash my brain as | would, however,
| could hit on no plan for so conceal
ing myself in the yard as to escape
Hubbock's notice. The place was MOTH
ing more than a bare, gravelled patch,
some few feet square and surrounded
by four high walls SO that 1t would
have been next to impossible to n
a shelter in which to conceal SO much
as a cat, Besides this, | was disin-
clined to breach even to a brother the
business on which | was engaged.
Half-confidences would be no use In
such a case, and unless one were pre-
pared to make a clean breast of 1t, the
thing had best not be spoken about
at all.
Not often have | been SO hard put
to it for a way out of a difficulty, put
in the end | decided that the following
was the only feasible plan. If imme-
diately after turning off the light |
slipped round to the side door that led
to the yard. should be in ample time
to cut off Hubbock's retreat. His only
way out from the back would be along
the side passage, and as the bag could
not be thrown out of the window I'M
til the light had been turned off and
the bomb exploded, the chances were
that | should be able to be on the spot
in time to get first snatch at the bag.
And even should find it in Hubbocks
possession, my superior height,
strength and weight would give him
no chance in a tussle. To have that
bag | was determined, and If Hub
book showed fight, so much the worse
for him.
Now thai | had decided upon my line
of action-unsatisfactory though that
line OF action was in many respects
| began to feel easier in my mind, and
after switching the light on and off
several times, to make sure that every
thing was in working order, ! locked
up the hall, and went in search OF
lunch. Number Two had told me that
the key he was lending to me was only
a duplicate, and that, as the care-taker
had one of his own, | need not con-
Germ myself about returning 1t; so |
had the whole afternoon in which to
arrange about a disguise and to at
tend to the batch of letters which |
found awaiting me at my chambers.
Evening was creeping on when |
sailed forth again to make my way to
the hall, which | reached some half
hour before the advertised time OF the
meeting. Number Two had omitted
one detail. Admission to the meeting
was only 10 be had by ticket, and as
he had forgotten to supply me with the
necessary ~pasteboard, | was at first
refused admittance. 1t was fortunate
that | happened to have in my pocket
the proof of an article had been writ
ing, which | produced in evidence of
my. claim to be a representative of the
press. Otherwise, SO inexorable were
the guardians of the gate in their re-
fusal to admit any n without a tick
ct, that | might have been left outside
altogether; in which case the lights
would not have been extinguished and
the G5, 900 might by this time, like the
proverbial bread which is east upon
the waters" have found its way back
again to the German pockets whence
it emanated.
rrHn vIyTr