Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-03-10

The abrupt question took my breath
away, but Raff1es himself did not lose
an instant over his answer.
Intimately" said he.
THAT ACCOUNTS for you, then" hugh
ed Lord Ernest, 'as it does for me.
though / never had the honor OF the
masters acquaintance. Nor is it for
me to say which Is the worthier dis
ciple Perhaps. however, now that
your friend is handcuffed in midair
and you yourself are ut my mercy, yon
will concede me some little temporary
advantagey
And his face split In another grin
from the cropped mustache downward,
as saw no longer by candlelight, but
by a flash of lightning which tore the
sky in two before Raffies could reply.
You have the bulge Mt present" ad-
mitted Raffies, but you have still to
lay hold upon your, or our. i'll gotten
goods. To shoot me Is not necessarily
to do so. To bring either one of us to
violent end is only to court yet
more violent and infinitely more dis
graceful one for yourself. Family con-
siderations alone should rule that risk
out of your game. Now, an hour or
two ago, when the exact opposite
The remainder of Raffies' speech was
drowned from my ears by the belated
crash Of thunder which the lightning
had foretold. So loud, however. was
the crash when 1t came that the storm
was evidently approaching us at high
velocity. Yet, as the last echo runlb1ed
away, heard Raff1es talking as though
he had never stopped.
You offered us SHARE" he was say
ing. Unless you mean to murder us
both In cold blood it will be worth your
while to repeat the offer. We should
be dangerous enemies. You had far
better make the best of US as friends"
Lead the way to your fiat" said
Lord Ernest, with a flourish of his
service revolver. land perhaps we may
talk about it. 1t is for me to make the
terms, imagine, and, in the first place,
am not going to get wet to the skin
up here"
The rain was beginning in great
drops even as he spoke and by sec.
ond flash of lightning 1 saw Raffles
pointing to me.
But what about my friend?' said he.
And then came the second peal.
"Oh. he's all right" the great brute
replied. do MIN good. You don't
catch me letting myself in for two to
one"
You will find it equally difficult"
reioined Rallies, ito induce me to
leave my friend to the mercy of night
like this. He has not recovered from
hn ~ II in,
rooms. 1 am not such a fool as to
blame you for that, but you are a
worse sportsman than 1 take you for If
you think of leaving him where he is.
If he stays, however, so do t.
And just as it ceased Raffies' voice
seemed distinctly nearer to me, but in
the darkness and the rain, which was
now as heavy as hail. could see moth
ing clearly. The rain had already ex-
the candle. heard an oath
from Belville. laugh from Raffies. and
for a second that was all. Rallies was
coming to me, and the other could not
even see to fire. That was all l knew |
In the pitchy interval of invisible rain
before the next crash and the next
fash.
And then!
This time they came together, and
not till my dying hour shall 1 forget
the sight that the lightning lit and the !
thunder applauded. Raffies was on one
Of the parapets of the gulf that my |
spanned, and in the sudden !
he stepped across it as |
,ne might across a garden path. The
width was scarcely greater, but the !
1epth! In the sudden flare saw to
he concrete bottom of the well, and 1t |
ooked no larger than the hollow of my
hand. Rallies was laughing i'm my |
EAR. He had the iron railing fast-it
vas between us-but his foothold was |
Is secure as mine. Lord Ernest Bel
1ille, on the contrary, was q fifth Of
second late for the light and half foot
hort I'm his spring. Something struck
our bridge plank so hard as to set it
4uivering like a harp string. There
was half gasp and half a sob in mid
mir beneath our feet and then a sound
Tar below that 1 prefer not to describe.
am not sure that / could hit upon the
perfect simile. 1t is more than enough
Tor me that 1 can hear it still. And
with that sickening sound came the
Oudest clap of thunder yet and great
white glare that showed us our enc