The San Francisco call., 1905-08-13
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Vet the room was very lightly furnlsned. .
and nothing was locked. We looked
eyerywhere but We looked In vaInr Ine nc
wsrdr-nbe was filled with hanging coats
and trousers in press, the drawers win
the softest silk and finest linen. IL was q
camp-bedstead that would not nave un-
settled an anchorite; there was no place
forE treasure there / looked up the
chimney. but Raffies told me not 10 De
a fool and asked If 1 ever listened 10
what he said There was no questlon
about his temper now. l never knew MIN
in a worse.
"Then he has got it in the bank, ne
growted. ''Ill swear I'm not mistaken IN
my man" - h,r,
there. But 1 could not help suggesting
that now was our time TO remedy any
mistake we might have made; We were
on the right side OF midnight still
.rThen we stultify ourselves down
stairs" said Rafhes. mo. III be snot
if 7 10, lie may have come in with the
KirkIeatham diamonds. You do wnat you
like. Bunny. but | don't bulge.
ssisI certainly. shant leave you, L re-
torted. ito be knocked down into the
middle of next week by better man
than yourself.
II had borrowed his own tone. and he
did not like it, They never do thought
for a moment that Rafhes was going 70
strike fne-for the first and last time IN
his life. He could If he liked. MY oiooq
,,astup. I was ready to send him to the
dsviI And I emphasized my offense by
nodding and Struggling toward a pair
Of very large Indian clubs that stood IN
the fender, on either side of the chimney
nm which had presumed to glance.
In. an instant Rafiies. had seized the
clubs and was whirling them about his
gray head in mixture OF .childlsn plque
and pserile bravado which should nave
thought him altogether ABOVE ana SUI
denly as watched him his face changed
softened. lit up, and he swung the cluos
gently down upon the bed
..Thcy're not heavy enough for their
size" said he rapidly: land I'll take my
oath they're not the same weight!
He shook one club after the other, with
botb hands, close to his ears; then he ex-
arrined their butt-ends under the electric
light. saw what he suspected now. and
caught the contagion of his suppressed
excitement Neither of us spoke. But
Raffles had taken out the portable tool
box that he called knife. and always
carried. and as he opeaed the gtrnlet he
BANDED me the club he held Instinctively
/ tucked the small end under my arm and
presented tho other to Raffes.
.sIIold on tight" he whispered. smiling.
..4s,s not only a better man than I
Thought him. Bunny; he's hit upon bet
ter dodge than ever l did. of its kind
Onlv I should have weighed them evenly
to a hair"
He had screwed the glmIet into the cir
cular butt, close to the edge. and now
we were wrenching in opposite directions
For moment or more nothing happened
Then all at once something gave. and
Raffes swore an oath as soft as any
prayer And for a minute after that his
hand went round and found with the
einlet,. as though he were grinding a
piano-organ, while the end wormed slow
iy ont on its delicate thread OF fine, hard
wood.
The clubs were as hollow as driHking-
horns-- the pair of them, ror we went
from one to the other without passing
to undo the padded packets that poured