Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-09-06

! - 80 'NDAt4A- II ~ dA- JiOptILs
/ My dear Colonel. you force me to
much explanation. You will. of course,
| not appear in the matter
Il should like to be there he remark
ed. IF l weren't. the men mightn' t
catch the exact drift of the thing
You will be there. of course but in
/ cognito. Look here. Colonel, it's as plain
as two peas. Give out that you're going
| to reconnoiter the coast and keep an eye
on The SOngstress. Draw off your com
| panies from the Piazza on that pretense.
| Then take fifteen or twenty men you can
! trust-not more, for it's no use asking
more than you can help. and resistance is
| out of the question. About two, when eV-
/ crything is quiet. surround the bank.
Jones will open when you knock. Don't
! hurt him. but take him outside and keep
! him quiet. Go in and take the money.
| Here's the key to the safe. Then, if you
| like. set fire to the place"
Bravo. my boy. - said the Colonel.
There's stuff in you after all And what
are YOU going to get out of it! | sup
! pose that's coming next"
As the reader knows | wasn't going
to get anything out of it, except myself
and the Sgnorina. But it wouldn't do
to tell the Colonel that; he would not be-
| lieve in disinterested conduct. So I bar
| gained with him for thirty thousand dol
lars, which he promised so readily that
strongly doubted whether he ever meant
to pay it.
| do you think there's any danger of
| Nottingham making an attack while
we're engaged on the job"
| The Colonel was, in common parlance,
| getting rather warmer than | liked. 1t
was necessary to mislead him.
| Il don't think So | replied. ''He
can't possibly have organized much of a
party here yet There's some discon-
tent. no doubt. bur not enough for him
to rely on
There's plenty of discomfort" said the
| Colonel.
There won't be in couple of hours"
why not?"
Why because you're going down to
| the barracks to announce a fresh INSTALL
mcnt of pay to the troops tomorrow
morning. handsome installment."
YES" said he thoughtfully, that ought
| to keep them quiet for one night. Fact
| is they don't care twopence either for me
or Nottingham and il they think theyll
get more out of me they'll stick to me-"
of course | assented. Indeed, it was
| true enough as long as the President was
| not on the spot; but l thought privately,
| that the Colonel did not allow enough for
his rivals personal influence and pres
| tige. if he once got face to face with the
troops.
Yes" the Colonel went on. I'm do
that. and what's more, I'll put the people
in good humor by sending down orders
| for free social in the Piazza tonight
"Delightfully old-fashioned and baro-
NAL" | remarked. Il think it's a good
| idea. Have bonfire and make it COM
plete. | don't suppose Nottingham
dreams of any attempt, but it will make
the riot even more plausible"
AT any rate. they'll all be too jolly
| to make trouble said he.
| We'll. that's about all, isn't it?" said
l. Il shall be off. I've got to write to
my directors and ask instructions for the
| investment of the money"
You'll live to be hanged. Martin, -
said the Colonel. with evident admiration.
Not by you, ell. Colonel: Whatever
might have happened if I'd been obsti-
nate! Hope shall survive to dance at
| your wedding anyhow. Less than a week
now
Yes" said he, next Saturdays the
day. -
He really looked quite the happy bride
groom as he said this, and | left him to
! contemplate his bliss.
Il would bet ten to one that day never
! | thn,,Ch+ I
Even if | don't will I'll back the Presi-
dent to be back before that"
The Colonies greed had triumphed over
his wits and he had fallen into my snare
with greater readiness than l could have
hoped. The question remained, What
! would the President do when he got the
! Signorinas letter? 1t may conduce to
! a better understanding of the position if |
| tell what that letter was. She gave i,
| me to read over, after we had compiled
| it together. and | still have my copy. 1t
ran as follows
Il can hardly hope. you will trust me
! again. but if | betrayed you. you drove
me to it. | have given them your money
! it is in the bank now. NJ. refuses to give
| il up, and the G. means to take it to-
| night. He will have only a few men. the
rest not near. He will be at the bank at
| two with about twenty men. Take your
! own measures. All here favor you. He
| threatens me with violence unless l marry
! him at once. He watches The SongstreSS,
| but if you can leave her at anchor and
land in a boat there will be no suspicion.
| Do not punish me more by disbeleving
me. CHRISTINA.
H. h.,1
| terms, and NJ will not be active against
you
| Upon the whole | thought this would
bring him. | doubted whether he would
| believe very much in it, but it looked
probable. Again. he was so fond of a
! bold stroke. and so devoid of fear. that
| ii was very likely ne would come and
see if it were true. If as we suspected,
he already had a considerable body of ad-
! hercntS on shore. he could land and re-
connoiter without very great danger of
| falling into the Colonel's hands. Finally.
even if he didn't come. we hoped the let
ter would be enough to divert his atten-
tion from any thought of fugitive boats
and runaway lovers.
To my mind it is nearly as difficult
20 be consistently selfish as TO be ALSO
lutely unSelfSh. | had. at this crisis. ev-
cry inducement to concentrate all my
efforts on myself but | could not get
Jones out of my head. 1t was certa inly
! improbable that Jones would try TO resist
the marauding party; but neither the
Colonel nor his chosen band was likely to
be scrupulous. and it was impossible not
to see that Jones might get a bullet
| through his head indeed | fanced such
4 step would rather commend itself TO the
Colonel. As giving bona fide look to
the affair. Jones had often been the cause
OF great Inconvenience TO me. hut didn't
wish TO have his death on my conscience
SO | was very glad when | happened to
meet him on my way back from the Gold
en- House. and seized the opportunity of
giving him friendly hint.
| took him and sat him down beside me
on bench in the Piazza. | was in nc
way disturbed by the curious glances OF
the three soldiers who were evidently