Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-01-14

how soon he might relapse And in any case l needed a wiser head than his to oppose the cunning of the enemy. not to say that We should welcome two more strong arms should it come to the fact of War That the captain and his friends, whoever they were, were in deep earnest and would stick at little l was by this time fully convinced It was very plain that we were none of us in 8 position to demand assistance from the law. We were adventures all, and no~"- that I had had time to face the thought l confessed it with. out blush. resolved, if anything. that it was a yirtuous action to baff1e such a pack of hardened scoundreis. But several duties importnned me greatly of which one was to determine how far this plot had run and the particu- lars and persons of our enemies Ser combe himself was one, and had no doubt that he was cooperating cordially with Hood, that sleek and impassive scamp Questions upon Bar nett also flickered in my mind, and for the rest l must keep my senses brisk and my wits awake.
 But the most instant task lay before me that morning and had been decided ere l went to bed the previous evening l must have Sheppard or Rogers to help me against these odds, and that fortnight Here again I was con- fronted with a third necessity and luckily saw a means to conjoin both. 1 These rascals were after my piece of parchment, without which their own fragment was useless. 1 must dispose of this at once and get rid of so much peril at the least It was true that I might possibly drag Sheppard down by the telegraph, but then again this was most uncertain in a man of his tenn perament He would want the persua- sion of a sudden impulse and above all stirring narrative to thrill his pulses such as might be presented to him In personal interview
 Moreover, if went to London my pa per should go with me And what was easier than to persuade Sheppard and secure my document at one throw? These considerations pointed to q jour ney to town, and that 1 must take at once and before either Montgomery's ardOr had failed or the enemy had pre- pared q blow reeSoned upon ;in inter- val of time after the recent exchanges between myself and the cartain What quickened my intentions Was an incl dent which occurred shortly after breakfast and while=I was still debat- ing the dangers of the situation went to my room at II and began to pack a valise methodically in the man. ner of d man who has all his life been used to his own labors. The last and the most important particular i'll this work was to put up my Writing case securely To make sure of my precious paper 1 unlocked the case and took out the sheet. l was upon the point of re placing it when 1 suddenly decided to put it in my pocket, which accomplish ed buttoned my coat tightly
 At this moment < heard the noise of a snapping bough and hastily looked forth by the window. The lowermost branch of d sycamore that stood upon the edge of the moat hung swinging ill 
 ked white wood. l sprang up, put my head out of the window and could just catch d sight of some one vanishing round the corner of the building. This news of the enemy came very sharply upon me, and without stopping to com plete my packing l ran out of the door and took the stairs three steps at a St} }.l visible when l emerged upon the park. and l was driven back upon Mrs. Main. Here 1 had q cleW, for certainly stranger had come up to the castle by the gates half an hour before; but, ac- coruing to the hoUsekeeper. no mys- tery enveloped him. He had rung man fully at the bell and demanded Mr. Williams. and had been sent on to the farm buildings by Mrs. Main herself, who had overseen his interview with tie houscmaid
 What was this man like:' 1 asked.
 He was short. dark young fellow, sir" said she. and something odd about him." But what that oddness was she could not tell, and completed the picture by ascribing to hlm "a suuint and somethink funnylike i'll his walk" adding again and with sudden elation, Like what q sailor might be-"
 I strode off to find Williams at the stables. The stranger had been there. Of that there was no question. Will Hams, sharp undersZed and black avised Welshman, with a passion of sentiment in his meager body, con firmed the description given by Mrs. Main. The man had inquired if there was any chance of q job, but seemed (so thought Williams inconsiderably concerned as to whether there was or was not He added that the intruder was foreigner, but to this statement l paid no atlention ats to the Welsh and indeed to all country people the word implies little more than stranger. It was plain, however, that the fellow
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