Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-09-30


generally lend me the moral support
you've made me require. It's a luxury.
Bunny. but / found it deyilish difficult
TO do without 1t after you turned pi."
He said that Won Heumann was Ger
tain to sleep with bolted door. which
he. of course, would leave unbolted.
and spoke Of other ways of laying a
false scent while rifing the cabin Not
that Raffies anticipated n tiresome
search. The pearl would be about Won
Heumann's person-in fact, Rallies
knew exactly where and in what me
kept 1t. Naturally / asked how ne
could have come by such knowledge.
and his answer led up to "a momentary
unpleasantness.
Its very old story, Bunny. /
really forget In what book il comes:
I'm only sure OF the Testament. But
Samson was the unlucky hero and one
Delilah the heroine"
And he looked so knowing that /
could not be in moments doubt az
TO his meaning.
$50 the fair Australian has been play
ing Delil.h:'' said /.
I'm very harmless. innocent sort G,
way"
"She got his mission out OF him?"
Eyes, I've forced him TO score all the
points he could. ana that was his great
stroke. IA / hoped it would Ice. He has
even shown Amy the pearl"
Amy, eli, And she promptly told
you;"
Nothing OF the kind. What makes
you think so? | had the greatest
&.
His tone should have been "a SUI
ficient warning to me. / had not the
tact to take it as such. At hast knew
the meaning OF his furious Irritation
and stood waggins my head and shak-
ing my finger. blinded TO his frowns
10y my own enlightenment.
"Wily worm" said I. Now | see
through it all. How dense I've BEEN
Sure you're not stillE'
NO: now / understand what has
beaten me all the week. / simply
couldn't fathom what you saw In that
little girl never dreamed il was
part OF the game
$50 you think II was that and moth
ing more?"
you deep old doG-of course l do
"You didn't know she was the daugh-
ter OF "A wealthy squatter?
There are wealthy women by the
dozen who would marry you tomor-
row"
at doesn't occur 10 you that | might
like TO draw stumps. start clean and
i've happily ever after-in the bush?"
with that voice? 1t certainly does
notr'
Bunny he cried so fiercely that
braced myself for blow.
But no more followed.
.'Do you think you would live hap
PLY | made bold TO ask him.
God knows. he answered. And |
with that he left me to marvel at his
look and tone and more than ever at
the lnsufficlently exciting cause.
or all the mere feats of cracksman-
ship which have seen Rallies perform
at once the most delicate and most
difficult was that which he accom-
pllshed between l and o'clock on the
Tuesday morning aboard the North
German steamer Uhlan. lying at an
Choir in Genoa harbor
Not hitch occurred Everything
had been foreseen: everything hap
thing must Nobody was about be-
low. only the ships boys on deck and
nobody on the bridge II was twenty
five minutes past when Raffies. with
out II stitch of clothing on his body,
but with "A glass vial. corked with
cottonwood. between his teeth. and II
tiny screwdriver behind his ear,
squirmed feet first through the ven
teen minutes to when he returned.
head first, with the vial still be-
tween his teeth and the cottonwood
rammed home to still the rattling Of
that which lay like great gray bean
within. He had taken screws out and
put them in again; he had unfastened
Won Heumann's ventilator and bad left
II fast as he had found it-fast as he
instantly proceeded TO make his own.
As for Won Heumann. il had been
enough TO place the drenched wad first
on his mustache and then To hold X
between his gaping lips; thereafter The
intruder had climbed both ways across
his shins without eliciting Il groan.
And here was the priZe-this pearl AZ
large as a filbert. with a pale pink
tinge like a lady's finger nail; this |
spoil Of filibustering age: this gift
from a European emperor to south !
sea chief. We gloated over il when all
was snug. We toasted IL in whisky |
and soda water laid In overnight in |
view OF the great moment. but the |
moment was greater, more triumphant !
than our most sanguine dreams All |
we had now to do was to secrete the |
gem (Which Raffies had pried from its |
setting. replacing the latter, so that |
we could stand the strictest SEARCH |
and yet take il ashore With Us ut Ma
pies. and this Ra flies was doing whs n |
l turned in. | myself would have !
landed incontinently that night at \
Gnunl and hnlf.l with The snNil- he |