Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-01-14

for his hand was at his side-pocket. as
if in search of a weapon. Il amt no
sneakin' tee Strike me dead if am!
I'm pore man like yourself. mate,
and | don't like the tees no better nor
wot you do, for if they knew what lay
| was on, they'd nab me and no mis-
take, they would rot 'em!'
whats your game, then?" he said
shortly. but less aggressively.
well, it's like this" | answered;
there's a man wot lives in this Square
as I'm goin' to put a knife into.
You're pore man and I'm pore man
Sect SO you won't peach on me, /
know. This mana lord he calls his
self-he's took the bread out o. my
mouth and out o my kiddies' mouths.
and out O the mouths o. my mates
and their lliddies. That's wot he's
done, the . Lord Cranthorpes
his name, and some of us-them as is
men and not chickens-'ave met on the
quiet and talked over 'ow we could
get even with i'm. We're men, we are,
not dogs to be kicked and starved an
| robbed, and our missises and kddies
| starved. by the likes of i'm. And we've
drawn lots which of us was to knife
| i'm, and | drawn the billet and got to
do it. Well, my mates they sent the
at round, and got a bit o money to-
| gether to 'elp me in doin' the job. So
as your lays just a-nigh is 'ouse,
want to buy out the business, SO as |
can 'ang around without 'aving no per-
| ishin' p'liceman harsking questions.
| Then | waits for my man when 'e's
comm in or gOin' out when there amt
nobody by, and then l spikes i'm.
See? You're a pore man and som |.
Eth? That's right, amt it? On the
square, too. Well, 'ow much do yer
want for it?"
Il don't want anything" he said
| Il shall go straight away and put his
lordship on his guard, and then set the
| police on you. That's what | shall do"
That's what you'll do, eh, is it, yer
hloomin' monkey" | said, with a
great assumption of fury. "You give
Einformaticn to the p'lice, yer perishin
pavement spiler! No. yer won't, not
| much; not if | as to swing for yer!"
There! there! my friend! That's
all right" he said. Il only wanted to
see if you were made of the right stuff
or not. How was | to know that you
weren't a detective in disguise, and that
all this talk of yours wasn't a plant to
| take me in? Now look here! If you
are III earnest in all this, so am |.
| have a bone of my own to pick with
Lord Cranthorpe, and that's why I'm
| hnra (tnr't
| heads are better than one, and | can
| put you up to better way and a big
| ger way-a laundering sight bigger
| way-Of sending Lord Cranthorpe to
bla2es than by putting a knife into
| him"
The words were hardly out of his
mouth before | had jumped to the
scoundrel's scheming. Number Two
| under whose direction Number Three
was acting, had shifted the most
| dangerous part of his mission-the
actual conveyance of the bomb to Lord
| Cranthorpe's residence = upon the
shoulders of his subordinate, who, in
his turn, thought to make use of me
as his catspaw in the same manner.
To affect to fall in with his BASTARD
ly plan would be the surest way to in
duce the plotter to show me his hand;
so, protesting with q pTofusion of oaths
that | was ready to listen to anything
that promised to make more terrible
ahe vengeance that was to be meted
Uut to Lord Cranthorpe, | invited him,
n suitable language, to tell me what
he wanted me to do. Evidently graft
fed, and perhaps not a little relieved
by the success of the stratagem by
which the decree which he dared not
disobey could be carried out without
risk to his own precious person, he
took my arm, and leading me towards
the shadow of some trees at the cor
ner of the square, began to unburden
his mind of the business. Scarcely had
we got our heads we'll together, how
| ever, when suddenly, silently, and
without moments warning, some
thing whiZZed between us. Though |
was not conscious of any direct blow,
found myself flung forward as
forcibly as if | had just been dis
charged from an enormous catapult,
and after whirling, a confused tangle
of arms and limbs, in sort of human
| catherine wheel, and executing couple
of somersaults, | landed finally on the
pavement, where | lay listening to the
music of the stars that were singing
in my ears as well as staggering away
before my eyes. A bicycle, going at
racing pace, had run into us, and had
knocked the conspiring pair of us apart
| as neatly as a couple of kissing" bill
lizard balls are knocked spinning in op-
posite directions by the impact from
ball which comes piping hot from
the stroke of the cue. | grieve to say
that when | began to get some breath
back in my body the first mouthful
was put to no better use than the ut
terance-the emphatic utterance-of
the single and sinful word. Damn
Il quite agree with you,' said a
voice, the owner of which | was still
too daZed TO see. "A most sensible
remark, I'm sure, and my own senti-