The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-07-24

that little rag few hours later. Con-
stltutfonai never used plain chloro-
form-there was too much tendency
IN the victim to gag and strange. He
mad little recipe of his own which
made the dose an easier one. and
which for his own delectation he was
wont 10 call by the name of "Consti-
tutlonafs dope. Lorimer little knew
TO what task his chemicals were to be
devoted. If he had, it is question
as subsequent events will show.
whether he would have been glad or
sorry.
Lorimer possessed one quality that
few men today possess He had a
beautiful baritone voice-not the
church or concert voice, but a voice
which was unframed and had IN it all
the tones of the free air and the hills
And he had an old-fashioned habit
when he was alone he sang at his
WORK And he sang old-fashioned
songs; and they were mostly songs
OF sentiment. And there was a rea-
son for all this. For within small
box within his room in the rear of the
little shop, John Lorimer kept his pri-
Vate correspondence. And if the cas-
ual observer had had an opportunity
10 examine this correspondence he
would have found that much of it was
signed with the name of girl who
wrote in large feminine hand. And
the name was Margaret Robson"
forsooth. And by that token the song
that he most often sang was an old
song that ran about like this:
When first saw sweet Peggy
Twas on a market day
"A loW-paeked car she drove.
ana sat upon truss OF hay:
And when that hay was blooming grass.
M O. -, <ar,~rr .rr
NO flowers were there that could COM
With the charming lass / sing.
As she sat in the low backed car,
The man at the turnpike bar
Never asked for his TOLL
But just rubbed his poll.
ana looked after the low-backed car.
I'd rather own that car. sir.
With Peggy by my side,
And a lady for my bride;
For the lady would sit fornfnst me,
On cushion made with taste,
But Peggy would sit beside me-
With my arm around her waist.
As she sat in the backed car.
The man at the turnpike bar
Never asked for his toll
But just rubbed his poll
And looked after the backed car.
1t was a song that mothers sang to
their sleepy children; that nurses
warbled over a bit of mending or q
pot of tea.
But John Lorimer sang it when he
was alone and it became his song.
And he was singing it on certain
day when his back was to the door, and
for an instant he had forgotten his sur
roundings. Unknown to him. a. man
had entered and stood silently waiting,
nodding his head to the tune as Lori
mer sang 1t.
Il don't know began this individ-
ual Lorimer swung about in aston
ishment, and then flushed to the roots
OF his hair, half in anger and half in
embarrassment.
Il don't know" went on the visitor,
exactly who Sweet Peggy is, but I'll
bet dollars to doughnuts that she's
sweet enough to be sung about in that
way"
Lorimer saw that the man was Bill
ington O'Keefe-Billington O'Keefe,
but without the golden chain.
Lorimer assumed a short, sharp man.
ner. What can l do for you?" he asked
shortly.
The visitor plunged Immediately into
the present business. He had a small
list OF things that he wanted Lerimer
lifted his eyebrows as he looked them
over. He had half a notion to ask this
man for what purpose he wanted these
He knew O'keefe was constantly en-
gagged in experiments, and he knew
further that O'Keefe would consider
1t a bit OF impertinence for him to ask.
So he made them up in the shortest
possible time and handed them over.
as he thought. to Ellington O'Keefe.s
Much obliged said Ellington
O'Keefe, 'for these and for the-the
song about Sweet Peggy"
His visitor retired and sfrode dau,,
the street. He was not Ellington
Okeefe. He was Constitutional Smith.
And he left the shop with enough
dope" to stupefy a half dozen men,
and enough Of his own particular ex-
plosive to blow up half a dozen safes.
1t is always safer, so Constitutional
thought to himself. to have too much
than too little. This was the day, as
has been said, prior to the evening
upon which Ellington O'Keefe, in q
supine condition, boarded the Sarah
Margaret for parts unknown. ,s.,
This was the first time that Consti-
tutIonaf Smith ever came into contact
with John Lorimer, the chemist
Smith was not an unappreciativc
man, and his success in life had been
largely due TO his rarely falling judg-
ment OF men in general, from their
manner and appearance at first blush;
and he appreciated John Lorimer, the
chemist, as young man at once busi-
ness-like and correct, and artistic and
unusual in the bargain.
AT the corner he stopped for mo-
ment and looked back at the quaint
little shop and nodded his head ap-
provingly.
AN all right sort of shop it IS" he
remarked to himself, and an all right
sort of fellow in it, too" Then the
man Smith turned the corner and, as
Smith, disappeared completely from tho
face of the earth.
(To be continued.)