The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-09-22

wasn't gone minute.
Drink this l heard him say, and,
when the other spoke again, his voice
was stronger.
Now | begin to feel alive
Don't talk. Have another sip.
Thank you. said bushrangers.
OF course, there are no such things
Nowadays
What were they, thenr
Bank thieves. The one that had
the pot shots was the very brute l
drove out of the bank at Coburg with
bullet in himr"
Il knew it,"
"Of course you did Bunny; so did l.
down in that strong room. But old
Ewbank didn't, and thought he was
never going to speak again.
You're delirious,' he says at last.
Who in blazes do you think you are?'
The new manager
THE new managers in bed and
asleep upstairsr
"When did he arriveY
"'This evening"
"'Call himself Raffles?
"'Yes.'
Well, I'm dashedr whispered the
real manager. / thought it was just re-
venge, but now | see what it was. My
dear sir, the man upstairs is an i'm
postor-if he's upstairs STILL He must
no of tbn In'e
the bank-if he hasn't done SO areadyv
If he hasn't done 50 already NUT
tered Ewbank after him; if he's up
stairs still. By heaven, if he is I'm
sorry for him.
Ills tone was quiet enough. but
about the nastieSt l ever heard. | tell
you, Bunny, | was glad I'd brought
that revolver. 1t looked as though it
must be mine against his, muzzle to
muzZle
Better have a look down here first
said the new manager.
While he gets through his window?
Nc, no, he's not down here
It's easy to have look
Bunny, if you ask me what was the
most thrilling moment of my infamous
career | say it was that moment.
There | stood at the bottom of those
narrow stone stairs, inside the strong
room, with the door Il good foot open,
and | didn't know whether it would
creak or not The light was coming
nearer-and | didn't know l had to
chance it. And it didn't creak bit.
1t was far too solid and we'll hung, and
| couldn't have banged it if l tried; it
was too heavy, and it fitted so close
that | felt and heard the air squeeze
out in my face. Every shred of light
went out except the streak underneath,
and it frightened. How | blessed that
door!
"No, he's not down there l heard
as though through cotton wool. Then
the streak went out, too, and in a few
seconds ventured to open the door
once more and was in time to hear
them creeping to my room.
"Well, now there was not fifth of Il
second to be lost. But I'm proud to
btlN NtlillC hlJ lliOSC HLtlllS VII lOCS
and fingers and out of that bank
they'd gone and left the door open
just as gingerly as though my time
had been my own. | didn't even for
get to put on the hat the doctors mare
was eating her oats out of as we'll as
she could with bit or it alone would
have landed me- didn't even gallop
away, but just logged off quietly in
the thick dust at the side of the road,
though l own. my heart was galloping,
and thanked my stars the bank was at
that end of the township in which l
really hadn't set foot. The very last
thing | heard was the two managers
raising Cain and the coachman. And
now, Bunny
But that's not alp cried.
"Tm sorry to say it is" said Raffles
alphabetically The thing should have
ended with an exciting chase, know,
but somehow it didn't. l suppose they
thought l had got no end Of start;
then they had made up their minds
that belonged to the gang, which was
not so many miles away, and one of
them had got as much as he could
carry from that gang as it was. But
/ wasn't to know all that, and Pm
bound to say there was plenty of ex-
element left for me. Lord, how
made that poor brute travel when
got among the trees! Though we must
have made it over fifty miles from
| Melbourne, we had done it at snaips
pace, and those stolen oats had brisked
the old girl up to such a pitch that
she fairly bolted when she felt her
nose turned south. By Jove, it was
no joke, in and out among those trees
and under branches with your face in
the name! | told you about the forest
of dead gums? 1t looked perfectly
ghostly in the moonlight, and found
it as still as had left it, so still that
l pulled up there, my first halt, and
lay my ear to the ground for two or
three minutes, but l heard nothing,
not a thing but the mares below and
my own heart. I'm sorry Bunny, but
if ever you write my memoirs you
won't have any difficulty in working
up that chase. Play those dead gum
| trees for all they're worth, and let the
bullets fly like hail. I'll turn around
in my saddle to see Ewbank coming
up like the wind in his white suit, and
I'll duly paint it red. Do it in the third