Omaha daily bee., 1905-07-16

gray head upon the table another liquer
glass stood, unbroken. and still full of some
white and stinking liquid, and near that
tiny silver flask, which made me recoil
from Raffies as had not from the dead, for
1 knew 1t to be his.
Come out of this poisonous air." he said
sternly, "and 1 will tell you how it has
happened"
So we all three gathered together in the
hall But It was Raffles who stood nearest
the street door, his back to it, his eyes
upon us two. And though 1t was to me
only that he spoke at first he would pause
from point to point and translate into ltal-
ian for the benefit of the one-eyed alien TO
whom he owed his life.
you probably don't even know the name,
Bunny" he began. "of the deadliest poison
vet known TO science. II is cyanide OF
cacodyI. and 1 have carried that small
flask OF It about with me for months.
Where I got 1t matters nothing; the whole
point is that a mere snin reduces flesh TO
clay have never had any opinion of sui
eide, as you know but l always felt II
worth while to be forearmed against the
very worst. Well, a bottle of this stun is
calculated 10 stiffen an ordinary roomful
of ordinary people within five minutesi
and remembered my flask when they had
me as good as orucihed in the small hours
OF this morning. asked them to take 1t
out OF my pocket. ! begged them to give
me a drink before they left me. And what
do you suppose they didr'
I thought OF many things, but suggested
none, while Rafies turned this much OF
his statement into sufficiently fluent Italian.
But when he faced me again his face was
still flaming
''That beast Corbuccil" said he; how can
pity him? He took the flask; he would
give me none; he ficked me in the face
instead Ny idea was that he at least
should go with me-to sell my life as dearly
as that and sniff would have settled us
both But no. he must tantalize and tor
ment me. He thought It brandy; he must
take II downstairs to drink to my destrue-
tionl Can you have any pity for hound
like that?"
Let us 60" I at last said hoarsely, as
Raffies finished speaking in Italian, and his
second listener stood open-mouthed.
eve will 60" said Rafiies. "and we will
chance being seen. II the worst comes TO
the worst this good chap will prove that
1 have been tied up since ! o'clock this
morning and the medical evidence will de-
eide how long those dogs have been dead"
But the worst did not come TO the worst,
more power to my unforgotten friend, the
cabman who never came forward to say
what manner OF men he had driven 10
Bloomsbury square at top speed on the
very day upon which the tragedy was dis
covered there or whence he had driven
them. TO be sure they had not behaved
like murderers. whereas the evidence at
the inquest all went to show that the de-
funct Corbucci was little better. His repu-
tation, which transpired with his identity,
was that OF a libertine and a renegade,
while the Internal apparatus upstairs re-
vealed the fendish arts OF the anarchist 20
boot. The inquiry resulted eventually IN
an open verdict and was chiefly instru-
mental in killing such compassion as is
usually felt for the dead who die In their
sins.
But Rafiies would not have passed this
title for this tale.
End Of Tenth stOrT)