Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-01-23

congratulations. I am here feeling like
and looking like fool. And only be-
cause of treachery, black, bell-damned
treacbery!"
He stopped speeches. with passion.
and glared around the assembly like a
mailman. AS for myself, the very
heart of me went down into my boots.
No doubt his next words would be to
denounce me. If. as he said, and said
! rightly, he had been fooled, and the
ball had been tempered with, by whom
could it have been done but by the
councillor who had volunteered to as
sist him-myself. the so-called and sup
posed Number Seven?
IL was true that they had been
fooled, but who was so great a fool as
the man who had Rugged himself for
his own cleverness and had laughed at
the conspirators as his dupes, and vet
had been so blind as not to know that
in coming there that night he was de-
liberately putting his head into a
moose of his own making? But If |
was to die | would at least sell nv life
dearly. Even while Number Two had
been speaking, had sought the pocket
| where lay my revolver. The next in
slant would have seen me whip the
weapon out, and indeed my finger was
already on the trigger, when a deris-
Ave laugh from one of the party STAYED
M hand.
Inc laugh came from Number Five
the man who, either from jealousy
or because he was himself ambitious Of
being elected to fill the post of the dead
leader, had all along endeavored to
throw cold water upon Number Two's
projects.
The old story!" he said contemptu-
ously. Every clumsy bungler, who
makes mess of what he has under
taken, tries to excuse himself by put
ting the blame on somebody else. You
remind me of a schoolboy, who when
he is fairly beaten in a game calls ont
Cheat, Cheati' Why don't you admit
that you've failed, and have done with
| it"
was thankful for any diversion
which turned to another quarter the
attention which l had anticipated was
soon to be centered upon myself, and
TOOK the opportunity which the re-
spite afforded of edging cautiously
towards the door. While 1 was doing
Sc Number Two's reply came cold and
clear
Fellow councillors, the traitor
among us stands self-revealed. When
the bomb which ought to have de-
stroyed the royal family fell harmless
~ In the roadway, and while was
standing there gnashing my teeth with
rage, felt instinctively that some one
person was watching me when every
other eye IN the assembly was fixed
upon the show. / know instinctivelv
IL am watched, even when the watch
er is behind ne, and ms eyes went
straight to the watching person on this
occasion. He was sitting on n stand
had chosen the place, no doubt, that
he might crafty his jealous hate by
being witness of my discontinue
exactly opposite. When he saw that I
had discovered him he drew back out
OF sight among the crowd. but not be-
fore L had seen that he was long-faced
and high-sh ouldered. Look at the man
who has just spoken, the man who is
trying TO belittle me in your eyes be-
cause ne fears that you will elect mo
to the post that he bankers for himself
Lock n him. ! say, and see whether he
the man I have described or not
He thinks, no doubt, that he Is safe be-
cause he is wearing the beard which
we all wear. and had none when I
caught sight OF him on Jubilee day.
But he has shown his hand too plainly
on this occasion. told you that there
was traitor in our midst and he
stands there."
Here was a curious throw OF Fate's
dice indeed! Little did think on Ju-
bilee day, when some instinct of self
preservation caused me to seek to
disguise my identity from Number
Two by humping my shoulders and
dropping my jaw, that | was uncon-
sciously mimicking one of the syndi-
cate of scoundrels and so probably
saving my own life.
Before I could ask whether Il would
not be cowardly thing TO shelter my
self under so curious an accident and
to let another man be made answer
able for my action, Number Five had
leapt forward and confronted his ac-
cuser.
"Liar!" he screamed, almost hys-
terically. Coward and liar! take
that!"
AS he spoke his hand darted to-
wards the knife in the wall, which was
doing duty as candlestick saw
him clutch the handle and wrench the
weapon from its place, and then as the
candle fell and we were plunged in
total darkness, he sprang upon Number
Two with appraised blade
In the second before the candle went
out | had seen the other conspirators
start forward instinctively with out
stretched hands TO stay the descending
knife; and for the next few seconds
the picture so formed remained on my
rehna like tableau vivant, in which,
as If Times pendulum had suddenly
stopped, We see action frozen in a mo-
ment's space into inaction, life caught
and fixed in an instant to still life.
Then, AS the picture thus imprinted on