Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-07-19
~ I Rallies,
So Gle Amateur
ySI71 Craftsman = l. !: SIN.
r HAWW4TVW ~ BY E. W. IORNUNG
By E. w.

ticlcnt warning to me. | had not tlN
tact to take ii rs such. Vt last l kMr =
the meaning of his furious tlirtHtion
and stood wagging my head ana shaE,
ing my finger, blinded to his fr2wnS
by my own enlightenment.
willy worm" said l.. Now | see
through it all. How dense I've N"pM..'
"Surc you're not Still::"
NO; NOW l understand what las
beaten me all the wcrk. >tMn,y
couldn't fathom what YOU saw in that
little girl. l never dreamed it vas
part of the game"
$50 YOU think it was that ana no,A-
ing more:"
"Iou deep old doS-of course l do
You didn't know she was the daugh-
ter of a wealthy sQuatter:"
There are wealthy women by tie
dozen who would marry YOU tomar-
row"
ut doesn't occur to You that l might
like to draw stumps. start clean ana
live happily eve after-in the hush:''
with that voice? 1t certainly GOES
not"
Bunny" he cried so tiercely that
braced myself for q blow.
But no more followed.
DO YOU think YOU would live hap
pily?" l made bold t. ask him.
God knows" he answered. And
with that he left me to marvel at his
look and one and more than ever at
the insutticiently exciting cause.
OF all the mere feats Of cracksn4an-
ship which l have seen Rafles perform
at once the most delicate and most
difficult was that which he accom-
plished between l and . o'clock on the
Tuesday morning aboard the North
German steamer Uhlan, lying NJ an
Choir in Genoa harbor.
Not a hitch occurred. Everything
had been foreseen; everything hap
pened as l had been assured every
thing must. Nobody was about he
low, only the ships boys on deck and
nobody on the bridge. 1t was twenty
five minutes past l when Rallies, with
out q stitch of clothing on his body,
but with a glass vial. corkel Wit!
cottonwood. between his teeth, and q
tiny s~crewdriver behind his ear,
squirmed feet first through the ven
tlator over his berth, and it was nine
teen minutes to > when he returned.
head first, with the vial still be
tween his teeth and the cottonwood
rammed home to still the rafting of
that which lay like a great gray bean
within. He had taken screws out and
put them in again; he had unfastenel
Won Heumann's ventilator and had left
it fast as he had found it-fast as he
instantly proceeded to make his own.
AS for Won Heumann, it had been
enough to place the drenched wad first
on his mustache and then to hold il
between his gaping lips; thereafter the
intruder had climbed both ways GRO
his shins without eliciting a groan.
And here was the prize-this pearl as
large as a filbert, with a pale pink
tinge like a lady's finger nail; this
spoil Of a tilibuStering age; this gift
from u European emperor to a south
sea chief. We glOated over it when all
was snug. We toasted it in whisky
and soda water laid in overnight in
view Of TIE great moment. but the
moment vas @He"trr more triumphan,
than our El1:t sa4guinc dreams. Al
We bad nov 10 do was to secrete the
gem (Which RAE.cs had pried from it
setting. replacing the latter, so that
We could stand the strictest search
and yet take it ashore with US at Ma.
pies. and this R9tl!cs was doing whc1
l turned in. m.yeclf would have
landed iHc1ntinently that night a.
Genoa and bolted with the spoil; he
would not hear of it. for Il dozen goo(
reasons which Will be obvious.
On the whole do not think that any
thing was discovered or suspected be
fore We weighed anchor. but ammo
be sure. 1t is difficult to believe tha'
a man coul be chloroformcd in his
sleep and feel no telltaIc effects, snin
no suspicious olor in the mornin"
Nevertheless" NOn IIculmann reap
peared as though nothing had hap
pened to him his German cap over his
eyes and his mustachcs brushing tic
peak. And by 10 O'Clock we were nui
Of Genoa. TIE last lean, blue chinnet
official had left our decks. The las
fruit seller had been beaten off Will
bucketfuls Of water and left cursinc
US from his beat. The last passenger
had come aboard at the last moment
a fussy graybeard who Kept the biz
ship waiting while he haggled with his
D~oatlnau over half a lira. But al
length we We're off, the tug was shed
the lighthouse passed and Rallies uul
! leane together Over the rail watch
ing our shadows on the pale green
liquid, veincd marble that ugai!
washed the vessels side.
Won HcuInann was having his in
HlngS once more. 1t WAS part Of the
design that he should remain in al
day ana SO postpone the inevitable
hour, ana, though the lady looked
bored ana was forever glHncing III oul
direction, he seemed only too williM.
10 aYai himself Of his opportunities
But lialiics was moody and Ill N ease
he had no, The n!r Of Il successful man