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


HE7yNMl5Nt idcs of March. when he
tSSNkI had just mentioned il as
an unreported incident of
a certain cricket tour. had / succeeded
in getting a word out Of Rafiles on the
subject 1t was not for want of try
ing. lie would shake his head and
watch his cigarette smoke thoughtfully.
subtle look in his eyes. half cynical,
half wistful as though the decent hon
est days that were no more had had
their merits after all Rallies would
plan fresh enormity or glory in the
last with the uumitigated enthusiasm
of the artist. 1t was impossible to
imagine one throb or twitter Of com
junction beneath those frankly ego.
tistic and infectious transports. And
yet the ghost of dead remorse seemed
still to visit him with the memory of
his first felony, so that | had given the
story up long before the night of our
return from Winchester Cricket, how
ever, was in the air and Ratlles'
cricket bag was back where he some
times kept it, in the fender, with the re-
mains of an orient label still adhering
to the leather. My eyes had been on
this label for some time and | suppose
his eyes had been on mine, for all at
once he asked me if still burned to
hear that yarn.
ITS no use" | replied. You won't
spin it. must imagine it for my
self"
How can you?"
ooh, begin to know your methods"
You take it l went in with my eyes
open, as do now, eh?"
Il can't imagine your doing other
wise"
MY dear Bunny, it was the most un-
premeditated thing l ever did in my
life"
His chair wheeled back into the
books as he sprang up with sudden
energy. There was quite an indignant
glitter in his eyes
Il can't believe that" said | crafti-
ly. 81 can't pay you such a poor COM
pliment."
"Then you must be fool
He broke off, stared hard at me and
in trice stood smiling in his own
despite.
-"or better knave than thought
you, Bunny. and, by love, it's the
knave! Well, | suppose I'm fairly
drawn. l give you best, as they say
out there. As matter of fact, I've
been thinking of the thing myself.
Last nights racket reminds me of it
In one or two respects. tell you what,
though, this is an occasion in any case,
and I'm going to celebrate it by break
ing the one good rule of my life. I'm
going to have second drink
The whisky tinkled, the siphon
fixed, the ice plopped home. and seat
ed there in his pajamas, with the in
evitable cigarette, Raffles told me the
story that | had given up hoping TO
hear. The windows were wide open.
The sounds of Piccadilly floated in at
first. Long before he finished the last
wheels had ratified, the last brawler
was removed: we alone broke the quiet
of the summer night
"No, they do you very well. indeed.
You pay for nothing but drinks, so
TO speak, but I'm afraid mine We're
of a comprehensive character l had
started in a hole. | ought really to
have refused the invitation. Then we
all went to the Melbourne cup, and |
had the certain winner that didn't win,
and that's not the only way you can
play the fool in Melbourne. l wasn't
the steady old stager | am now, Bun
ny. My analysis was a confession In
itself But the others didn't know how
hard up ! was. and | swore they
shouldn't. l tried the Jews, but they're
extra fly out there. Then ! thought of
kinsman of sorts, a second cousin of
my fathers whom none of us knew
anything about except that he was sup
posed to be in one or other of the
colonies. If he was a rich man, well
and good, / would work him; If not,
there would be no harm done tried
10 get on his tracks. and, as luck would
have it, ! succeeded Tor thought l had
at the very moment when | happened
TO have few days to myself l was
cut over on the hand. just before the
big Christmas match, and couldn't
have bowled ball if they had played
me.
''The surgeon who fixed me up hap
pened to ask me if was any relation
of Ratfles of the National bank. and
the pure luck Of it almost took my
breath away. A relation who was a
high official in one Of the banks, who
would finance me on my mere name
could anything be better? l made up
my mind that this Rallies was the
man / wanted and was awfully sold
to find next morning that he wasn't
a high official at all, nor had the doc
tor so much as met him, but had mere
ly read of him in connection with a
small sensation at the suburban branch
which my namesake managed An
armed robber had been rather pluck
lily beaten off, with a bullet in him,
by this Rafiies, and the sort of thing
was so common out there that this
was the first ! heard of it! sub
urban branch My fnancier had
faded into some excellent fellow with
a billet to lose If be called his soul
his own. Still, manager was a man
ager, and / said would soon see
whether this was the relative / was
looking for if he would be good enough
to give nae the name of that branch.
"Tll do more, says the doctor. I'll
get you the name of the branch he's