The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-02-08

vH0HNNEaENv lueS OF MarCn, Wnen ne |
ySESIS had just mentioned it as
an unreported incident Of
q certain cricket tour, had l succeeded
in getting word out of Raffles on the
subject. 1t was not for want Of try
ing. He would shake his head and
watch his cigarette smoke thoughtfully,
subtle look in his eyes, half cynical,
half wistf,ll, as though the decent, hon
est days that We're no more had had
their merits after all. Raf1ies would
plan fresh enormity or glory in the
last with the unmitigated 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 Rallies
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 l still burned to
hear that yarn.
Its no USE" replied. You won't
spin it. must imagine it for my
self"
How can youy'
'Oh, begin to know your Methods
You take it l went in with my eyes
open, as do now. eh?"
II can't imagine your doing other
wise"
"My dear Bunny, it was the most I'M
premeditated thing l ever did in my
Nfe''
His chair wheeled back into the
books as he sprang up with sudden
energy. There was quite an indignant
glitter in his eyes.
II can't believe that" said l crafti-
". II can't pay you such poor CON-
pliment."
Then you must be fool
He broke off. stared hard at me and
in a trice stood smiling in his own
despite.
-'or a better knaye than / thought
you. Bunny, and, by Jove, it's the
knave! Well, suppose I'm fairly
drawn. 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 II
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
cd there in his pajamas, with the in
evitable cigarette, Raffies 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.
mo, they do you very well, indeed.
You pay for nothing but drinks, so
to speak, but I'm afraid mine were
Of comprehensive character. 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. wasn't
the steady old stagcr am now, Bun
ny. My analysis was u confession in
Itself. But the others didn't know how
hard up was, and swore they
shouldn't. tried the Jews. but they're
extra fly out there. Then thought of
kinsman of sorts, 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. II he was rich man. well
and good, would work him; II not,
there would be no harm done. I tried
to get on his tracks, and, as luck would
have It, succeeded Tor thought had)
1T 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 II they had played
me.
'"rhe surgeon who fxed me up hap.
pened to ask me il was any relation
Of Raftles Of the National bank. and
the pure luck Of It almost took my
breath away. A relation who was q
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 Ratfies was the
man wanted and was awfully sold
to find next morning that he WASN'T
high Official at ALL, nor had the doc
tor so much as met him, but had mere
~ read of him in connection with q
small sensa Jon at the suburban branch
which my namcsake managed. Al
armed robber had been rather pluck
lily beaten of, with bullet. in him
by this Ratties, and the sort of thing
was so common out there that this
was the first l heard of it! A sub
urban branch My financier hat
faded into some excellent fellow witt
billet to lose if he called his sou
his own. Still, manager was man
n