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

Q
robberies by which SO
6k36CNf many of themselves suf-
@6y fered in t1rn during the
brief couiDe of a recent
season Raid after raid was made upon
thesmarteSt houses ia town, and within Il
few weeks more than one exalted head
had been shorn of its priceless tiara.
The Duke and Duchess of Dorchester
lost half the portable pieces of their bis
toric plate on the very night of their
graces' almost equally historic costume
ball. The Kenworthy diamonds were
taken in broad daylight during the ex-
element of charitable meeting on the
grouHd floor, and the gifts of her belted
bridegroom to Lady May Paulton while
the outer air was thick with a pris-
matte shower of confetti. 1t was obvi-
Gus that all this was the work of no
ordinary thief and perhaps inevitable
that the name of Raffies should have
been dragged from Oblivion by callous
disrespecters of the departed and I'M
reasoning apologists for the police.
These wiseacres did not hesitate to
bring a dead man back to life because
they knew OF no living one capable of
such feats. 1t is their Needless and
inconsequent calumnies that the pres
ent paper is partly intended to refute.
As a matter of fact, our joint innocence
in this matter was only exceeded by
our common envy, and for long time.
like the rest of the world, neither of us
had the slightest clew to the identity
OF the person who was following in
our steps with such irritating results
81 should mind less" said Rallies, "if
the fellow were really playing my
game, but abuse of hospitality was
never one of my strokes, and it seems
to me the only shot he's got When we
took old Lady B1elrose's necklace, Bun
ny, we were not staying with the Mel
roses, il you recollect''
We were discussing the robberies for
the hundredth time. but for once under
conditions more favorable to animated
compensation than our unique circum-
stances permitted in the fiat We did
not often dine out. DR. Theobald was
one impediment, the risk of recognition
was another, but there We're excep-
lions, when the doctor was away or
the patient defiant, and on these rare
occasions we frequented a certain I'M
pretentious restaurant in the Fulham
quarter. where the cooking was plain
but excellent and the cellar surprise
Our bottle of 80 champagne was emp
ty to the label when the subject arose.
to be touched by Raffies in the remi-
niscent manner indicated above. / can
see his clear eye upon me now, reading
me, weighing me, but was not SO SEN
sitive to his scrutiny at the time. His
tone was deliberate, calculating. pre-
paratory; not as heard it then, through
a head full of wine, but as it floats
back to me across the gulf between
that moment and this
Excellent fillet"' said grossly. $50
you think this chap is IS much in So
ciety as we were. do you?"
/ preferred not to think so myself.
We had cause enough for jealousy with
out that, but Raffies raised his eye
brows an eloquent half inch.
''As much, my dear Bunny? He Ia
not only in ii, but of it. There's ne
comparison between us there. Society
is in rings like a target. and we were
never IN the bullseye. however thick
you may lay on the ink, / was asked
for my cricket. 1 haven't forgotten it
yet. But this fellows one of them
selves, with the right of entree into
houses which we could only enter in
professional sense. That's obvious I'M
less all these little exploits are the
work of different hands. which they as
obviously are not, and it's why I'd
give 600 to put salt on him tonightr'
Not you," said l as 1 drained my
glass in festive incredulity.
But I would, my dear Bunny. Wait
er, another half bottle of this" And
Raffies leaned across the table as the
empty one was taken away. II never
was more serious i'm my life" he con-
tinued below his breath. Whatever
else our successor may be, he's not a
dead man like me or a marked man
like you. If there's any truth in my
theory he's one of the last people upon
whom suspicion is ever likely to rest,
and, oh, Bunny, what a partner he
would make for you and mev'
Under less genial influences the very
idea of third partner would have fill
ed my soul with offense, but Raff1es
had chosen his moment unerringIy, and
his arguments lost nothing by the flow
ing accompaniment of the extra pint.
They were, however, quite strong in
themselves. The gist Of them was that
thus far we had remarkably little to
show for what Raffies would call "our
second innings" This even could not
deny. We had scored a few long sim
gles," but our '.best shots" had gone
to hand" and we were play
ing deuced slow game" Therefore we
needed a new partner-and themetaphor
failed Rallies. 1t had served its turn.