The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-19

and down goes every blessed bucket!'
10 and fro, over the lip Of the clos
ing well, back into the throat of the
deepening hole, went the buckets for
many night; and by day Fergus Car
rick employed his best wits to make an
intrinsically anomalous position appear
natural to the world. It was a position
which he himself could thoroly enjoy;
he was largely his own master. He
had daily opportunities of picking up
the ways and customs Of the bush, and
nightly excitement which did not pail
as the secret task approached conclu
sion; but he was subjected to much
chaff and questioning from the other
young bloods Of Glenranald. He felt
from the first that it was what he must
expect. He was groom with place
at his masters table; he was jackeroo
who introduced station life into town.
And the element of underlying mys-
terry, really existing as it did, was de-
tected soon enough by other young
heads, led by that of Fowler, the keen
bank clerk.
81 was looking at you both together,
and you do favor the old man, and no
error!'' he would say; or else, "What
is it you could hang the boss for,
Ferby, old toucher?'
These delicate but cryptic sallies
being ignored or parried, the heavy
swamp of inuendo was invariably de-
serted for the breezy hilltop of plain
speech, and Fergus had often work
enough to put guard upon hand and
tongue. But his temperament was emf
nently self-contained, and on the whole
he was an elusive target for the wit
ticisms of his friends. There was no
wit, however, and no attempt at it on
the part Of Donkin, the cantankerous
cashier. He seldom addressed word
to Carrick, never civil word, but more
than once he treated his chief to a
sarcastic remonstrance on his degrading
familiarity with an underling. In such
encounters the imperturbable graybeard
was we'll able to take care Of himself,
albeit he expressed to Fergus a regret
that he had not exercised little more
ingenuity in the beginning.
"You should have come to me with
letter of introduction, said he.
"But who would have given me
one9'
81 would, yon first night, and you d
have presented it next day in office
nOurS, replled Cne manager, But
it's too late to think about it now
and in a few days Donkin may know
the TRUTH
He might have known it already, but
for one difficulty. They had digge6
their pit to the generous depth Of eight
. feet, so that tall prisoner coulc
, barely touch the trap-door with ex
tended fngertips; and Stingaree (whose
! latest performance was no longer thu
Yallarook affair) was Of MEDIUM heigh
according to his police description. The
trap door was a double one, which
r parted in the center with the deadly
precision of the gallows floor. Th'
difficulty was to make the flaps clos'
7 automatically, with the mouse-tra]
r effect of Macbean g ambition. It wa
q managed eventually by boring separat
wells for weight behind the hinges OF
Q either side. Copper wire running Of
minute pulleys let into grooves sus
: pended these weights and connecte,
them with the flaps and powerful
Q doorsprings supplemented the NOR
elaborate contrivance. The lever con
e trolling the whole was concealed unde
the counter, and reached by thrustin
foot thru a panel, which also opene
t inward on spring.
It may be conceived that all thi
represented the midnight labors and tn
T constant thought Of many weeks. ]
was now the beginning of the cool bu
brilliant Riverina winter, and, despit
I the disparity in their years, the tw