The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-07-23

1 Now, an hour or two ago. when the ex- act opposite"-
 The remainder of Rallies speech was
 drowned from my ears by the belated | crash of thunder which the lightning had | foretold. So loud, however was the crash
 when 1t came, that the storm was evident l ly approacing us at high velocity; yet. as the last echo rtimblod away I heard Rallies talking as though he had never | stopped. ~
 You offered us share he was say | ing; unless you mean to murder us both i, in cold blood. 1t will be worth your while ,, to repeat the offer. We should be danger ous enemies; you had far better make the best of us as friends"
 Lead the way down to your flat" said 1 Lord Ernest. with a flourish Of hls ser vice revolver, "and perhaps we may talk about it. It Is for me to make the terms imagine and in the first place l am not going to get wet to the skin up here" The rain was begir ming m great drops, even as he spoke and by a second flash of lightning l saw Rallies pointing 10 me. But what about my friend?1 said he. And then came the second peal. sOh he's all right the great brute re- piled; "do him good. You don't catch mo | letting myself in for two to one.
 .You will find 1t equally difficult" re- | joined Rallies. to induce me to leave my | friends 10 the mercy Ol II 1lBnt liht lills ] He has not recovered from the blow you struck him in your own roms. I am not such a fool as to blame you for that, | but you are worse sportsman than I 1 take you for if you think of leaving him
 where he Is. If he stays, however. so | do l."
 | And just as 1t ceased, Rallies voice seemed distinctly nearer to me but in l the darkness and the rain, which was | l,. hntl hi 1er
 clearly. The rain had already extinguish-
 ed the candle. I heard an oath from Bell vile, laugh from Rallies, and for a
 second that was all. Rallies was coming I to me, and the other could not even see l To fire that was all I knew In the pitchy interval of invisible rain before the next crash and the next flash.
 And then!
 This time they came together. and not till my dying hour shall l forget the sight that the lightning let and the thun- der applauded. Rallies was on one of the parapets of the gulf that my foot bridge spanned and In the sudden illumination he stepped across 1t as one might across a garden path. The width was scarcely greater. but the deapth! In the sudden flare l saw to the concrete bottom of the
 we'll and it looked no larger than the hollow of my hand. Rallies was laughing
 in my ear; he had the iron railing fast
 1t was between us, but his foothold was
 as secure as mine. Lord Ernest Belyille. on the contrary. was fifth of second
 late for the light. and half foot short in his spring. Something struck our bridge plank so hard as to set 1t quivering like
 a harp-string; there was half gasp and half a sob in midair beneath our feet: and then a sound far below that l prefer not
 to describe. l am not sure that l could hit upon the perfect simile; 1t Is more than enough for me that l can hear 1t
 still. And with that sickening sound came the loudest clap of thunder yet, and a
 great white glare that showed us our enemys body far below, with one white hand spread like a starflsh, but the head of him mercifully twisted underneath. "It was hs own fault. Bunny. Poor deyill May he and all of us be forgiven; but pull yourself together for your own sake Well, you can't fall; stay where you are minute"
 I remember the uproar of the elements while Rallies was gone; no other sound mingled with it; not the opening or a single window, not the uplifting or sin- gle voice Then came Rallies with soap and water and the gyve was wheedled 1 from one wrist, as you withdraw ring | for which the finger has grown too large, ! Of the rest, l only remember shivering till l morning in pitch-dark flat. whose h. valid occupied was for once the nurse, and | his patient.
 l And that Is the true ending Of the cpl | sode in which we two set ourselves to catch one of our own kidney, albeit in an- other place have shriked the whole | truth. It is not a grateful task to show Rallies as completely at fault as he really was on that occasion: nor do derive any 1 substle satisfaction from recounting my own twofold humiliation. or from hav- l ing assisted never so indirectly in the death of a not uncongenial sinner The truth, however has after all merit or it's town. and the great kinsfolk of poor Lord Ernest have but little to lose by Its Idivulgence. It would seem that they knew more of the real character of the apostle | of Rational Drink than was known af | Exeter Hall The tragedy was indeed hushed up, az tragedies onry are when l they occur in such circles. But the rumoi