The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-07-02

oe the only outsiders in the room, with
ehe pllllard-marking Johnnie practically
OUT OF earshot at one and the same time
IL was gift from the gods; not to have
taken 1t would have been flying in the
lace of Providence
| But you didn't take it," said L You
went and left It behind"
! l wish | had had a kodak for the little
smile with which Raffles shook has head
for 1t was one that he kept for those
! great moments Of which our vocation is
not devoid. All this time he had bet-a
wearing his hat tilted little over eye
| brows no longer raised. And now at last
l knew where the gold cup was.
1t stood for days upon his chimney
piece. this costly trophy whose ancient
history and final fate filed newspaper
columns even in these days of Jubilee
and for which the flower of Scotland
Yard was said to be seeking high and
low Our constable we learned, had
been stunned only, and from the moment
that | brought him an evenig paper with
, the news Raffles' spirit rose to height
Inconsistent with his equable temper
ament, and as usual in his as the sudden
impulse upon which he had acted with
such effect. The cup itself appealed to
me no more than 1t had done before.
EXQUISITE 1t might be, handsome 1t was,
gold of it would scarcely have poured
three figures out of melting pot. And
what said Raffles but that he would never
melt 1t at all!
Taking 1t was an offense against the
laws of the land, Bunny. That is notH-
ing. But destroying II would be u crime
against God and Art, and may | be spit
ted on the vane Of st. Mary Abbots II 1
commit it,
Talk as this was unaswerable; lndeeu,
the whole affair had passed the pale of
useful comment. and the one course left
to a practical person was to shrug his
shoulders and enjoy the joke. This was
not little enhanced by the newspaper
reports, which described Raffles as
handsome youth and his unwilling accom-
pllce as an older man of black-guardly
appearance and tow type
Tits us both off rather neatly, sunny,
said he But what none OF them 40
Justice to is my dear cup. Look at it,
only at it mani Was ever any,hng
so rich and yet so ehaste? St Agnes
must have had "A pretty bad time but 1t
would be almost worth it to go down 10
posterity in such enamel upon such gola.
And then the history of the thing. DO
YOU realize that it's five hundred years Ola
and has belonged to Henry VIII. and to
Elizabeth among others? Bunny when
YOU have me cremated you can put my
ashes in yonder cup and lay us in the
deep-delved earth togetherF
"And meanwhile?'
III is the 10y Of uay heart, the light of
nv life. the delight Of mine eye
And suppose other eyes catch sight
of it p
..'rhere never must; there never shall.
Raffles would have been too absurd had
he not been thoroughly alive to bis own
absurdity. There was nevertheless an un-
deriving sincerity in his appreciation OF
any and every form of beauty Whlch an
his nonsense could not conceal And MS
infatuation for the cup was, as he de-
clared. very pure passion since the
circumstances debarred him from the
chef joy of the average collector, that OF
showing his treasure to his friends. At
last. however, and at the height of his
craze. Raffles and reason seemed to come
together again as suddenly as they had
parted company In the Room of Gold.
BUNNY" he cried, ninging his news
paper across the room, i've got an idea
otter your own heart know where |
can place 1t after all!'
do YOU mean the cup?
Il do"
,Then I congratulate you"
Thanks"
Upon the recovery of your senses"
''Thanke galore. But you've been con-
foundedly unsympatheiie about this thing,
Bunny. and I don't think | shall tell you
my scheme till I've carried II out.
"Ouite time enough" said l.
ut will mean your letting me loose for
an hour or two under cloud of this very
night Tomorrows Sunday, the jubileee
on Tuesday and old Theobald's comir'g
back for It,
at doesn't much matter whether he's