Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-02-04
Copyright, 1899, by Herbert s. Stone & Co.
CHAPTER X.-CoNrIyUED.


The reader may be inclined to ask
IF it is not curious that success SO
often attended my little stratagems for
the spelling of the conspirators' plans,
ut | can assure him that it is sur
prisingly easy to fool fnave. No one
is so capable Of being tricked as you:
trickster, for he is so accustomed to
suspecting everybody that he has long
ago lost the GOd-given instinct which
warns an honest man when to be On
HIS guard. | would rather any day
set my wits against a Enaves than
against an honest mans. Your knave
S SO busy in fooling you that he has
eyes only for his own plans; whereas
the honest mans eyes are upon you
all the time, and you get no chance to
spy out the weak places in his armor.
All the same, l fully realized that it
was more than possible | might find
no opportunity of effecting the change
of balls-my sand and sawdust-stuffcd
plaything for Number Two's deadly
bomb-in which case | had made up
my mind to inform the police of the
devilry which was Matching, and to
have the villainous thing removed
without an hours delay.
But being by no means desirous of
making a police commissioner my
father confessor, | was determined to
do my best to Illustrate unaded the
proposed assassination; and so long
as one can keep ones nerve and ones
presence of mind, It is surprisingly
easy, as | have said, to induce rogue
to tumble into the trap which one
has laid for him.
The sound of my three raps had
scarcely died away before the door
was opened by Number Two, who
looked at my eXpanse of shirt-front
and carefully tied white bow with an
unconcealed sneer.
That's a nice costume to come
through these crowded streets in" he
said. Been dining with your relative,
the king of Ireland? You Irishmen
are all related to kings, aren't you?"
No" | replied, wondering how he
had discovered my nationality, for,
having been educated in England, |
haven't the least suspicion of a brOgue;
1T was one of your royal relatives
the king of Darkness. He sent his re-
membranes, and hopes soon to see
you settled for good in his establish
ment."
He laughed, and when the door was
closed said: That's not half so press
ing an invitation as you and | are go
ing to send to the royal family of En-
gland. Come along up on the roof,
and let's get to business"
Up on the roof we went accordingly,
and looked upon the parapet and saw
below me, in the garish glare of the
IlluminatiOnS, the vast and packed null
utudes, that, with elbows and shoul-
ders at work wedged their way along,
grinning, gaping, singing, and cheering
Sood-naturedly, in spite of their per-
spring bodies and dust-choked throats.
Then | lifted my head and looked up
to the vaster and voiceless multitude
OF stars above, and as | did so the
whole scene seemed to me like part of
some strange dream-drama
''Now, my friend we must be very
careful said Number Two for if by
any chance you stumbled and kicked
oSalllSL lHIS tulHS, OF should let II
drop, there wouldn't be enough of
either of us left for our own mothers
to identify us by at the inquest"
AS he spoke he put down the bag
which he had been carrying, and open
ing it carefully took out with both
hands the red celluloid ball which he
had exhibited to us in the wagon.
"The end of the wire rope SUPPORT
ing the festoons is fastened to the We
netian masts-not to the house, after
all" he said. But | watched my time
couple of nights ago when no one
was passing, and tossed a ball of stout
black thread-the end of which | Sc
cured here-Over the middle of that
farther festoon. Then | went out in
TO the road and tossed the ball round
and round the festoons several times,
till it was firmly caught in the deco
Tations, and then | chucked the ball
UP on this roof again. 1t took me
long time to arrange it, for people
were constantly passing, but by watch