The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-19
Fergus had never heard; it's philosophic

udIhneSS Will consuming nreS OF shame.
A fine haul of registered letters''-
among others his own last letter to his
sister! So it was he who had done it
all; and he had perjured himself to his
benefactor, beside betraying him. He
sat in the dark between fire and ice,
chiefly wondering how he could soonest
win thru the trap door and earn a
bullet in his brain.
''The spree tonight,'' concluded Mac
bean, whose fall completely sobered
him, "was for the express purpose Of
expounding the trap to you, and I
asked you airly to take your advice.
| was no so sure about young Fowler,
whether we need tell him or no. He
has an awful long tongue; but I I'M
thinkin' there's longer if I knew
where to look for it.
~ could tell you where,' rasped
Donkin. "But 60 on.'
~ was watching old Hannah putting
her feenishing touches to the table, and
waiting for Fergus Carrick to come
back, when I thought I heard him be-
hind me and you with him. But it was
Stingaree and his mate, and the two of
us were covered with revolvers like
young rifles. Hannah they told to go
on with what she was doing, as they
were mighty hungry, and advised her
to do as she was bid. The brute with
the beard has charge Of her. Stingaree
himself drove me into the middle Of my
own trap door, made me give up my
keys, and then went behind the counter
and did the trick. He ID got it all down
on paper, the Lord alone knows how.'
"Oh, you Scotchmen!' cried the
pleasant cashier. 'Talk Of your land
Of cakes! You take every cake in the
land between you!'
It seemed he had been filling his pipe
while he listened and prepared this
pretty speech. Now he struck a match,
and with the fame to the bowl saw
Fergus for the first time. The cashier
held the match on high.
"You here all the while9' he cried.
emo wonder you lay low, Carrick; no
wonder didn't hear your voice.
"What do you mean by that?'
growled Fergus, in fierce heat and fierce
satisfaction.
"surely, Mr.. Macbean, you aren It
wondering who wagged the long tongue
now9'
"You mean that I wagged mine?
And it IS lie!' said Fergus, hoarsely;
he was sitting up on his heels, poised
to spring.
"I mean that if Mr.. Macbean had
listened to me two months ago we
should none Of us be in this hole now. -
"Then, my faith, you're in a worse
one than you think!' cried Fergus
, and fell upon his traducer as the match
went out. "Take that, and that, and
, that!' he ground out thru his teeth
as he sent the cashier over on his back
, and pounded the earth with his skull
Luckily the first was soft and the sec
ond hard, SO that the man was more
outraged than hurt when circumstance.
, which they might have followed created
diversion.
In his turn the lively Fowler hac
marched whistling into the bank, hae
ceased whistling to swear down tht
barrel Of cooked revolver, and met
;; quicker fate than his comrades by i'm
pressing the bushranger as the mos
! dangerous man of the quartet. Un
= fortunately for him, his fate was still
further differentiated from theirs
: Fowler's feet glanced off Carrick'
back, and he plunged into the vel
,head-frst, rolling over like stone a
the wooden jaws above closed greedll.
: upon the light Of day.
Fergus at once struck matches, an
in their light the cashier took the IN
s sensible head upon his knees and glare
d at his enemy as if from sanctuary o
3 the Red Cross. But Fergus returped t
8 Macbean' 8 side. -,
|; uI never said word to living SOUL
u he muttered. cit has come out som
J other way!"
"Of course it has, said the OIL
o manager. with the same tell-tale inhala
q tion thru the teeth. Fergus felt wors
a than ever He groped for the bal
y head and found it cold and dank. L
" an instant he was clamoring under tn
u trap door, leaping up and striking
L with his fist.
- "What do you want9'
u "Whisky. Some of us are hurt
'e t "God help you if it's any hanky
- - panky!'
n "It's none. Something to drink, an
D. something to drink it in, or there
10 blood upon your head!"
Clanking steps departed and returned
d "Stand by to catch, below there!''
h And Fergus stood by, expecting t
I'd see long barrel with the bottle an
le glass that broke their fall on him; br
Stingaree had crept away unheard, an
1T he pressed the lever just enough t
as let glass and bottle tumble thru.
At Time passed; it might have been a
III hour. The huddled heap that was Ma
bean breathed forth relief. The .hea
d. ON Donkin's knees moved from sic
re to side with groans. Donkin himse
Of thanked Fergus for his ration; ne WI
l served it out alone Went thirst
L "Wait till I earn some," he said bi
r. terly to himself. "I could finish the II
l if I started now'' But the othe
+, never dreamt that he was waiting, an
ed he lied about it to Macbean.
Now that they sat in silence 7
ct sound escaped them overhead. The
heard Stingaree and his mate sit dow
n to feast which Macbean describe
OF with groaning modesty as the best th
10 he could do.
On "There's no soup,' he whispere
|'but there's barr'l Of oysters fetcht
- up on purpose by the coach: | hol
in they havena missed the Chabl1s The
u. may as we'll do the thing complete.
h; In little the champagne poppe
ss- 'Dry Monopole!" moaned the ma
in, ager, near to tears. It came up alo1
RS, with the oyesters. o sirs, o sirs, b
re this is hard on us all! Now they,
II 1l,1 11I