The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-05-30

1
Monte Carlol You horrify me, Mr..
Cambel. You are my guest, and can
not speak strongly, but this is very
poor jest of yours"
"Well, perhaps you know best about
that place. Monte Carlo Is risky at the
| you're bound to meet crowds Of peo-
pie you know, and IL they aren't on the
razzle dazzle, too, and pinned to diplo-
matte silence through their own in
| iquities some of them are apt to split
when they get home again. But i don't
know why you should be Mortified,
| seeing that we are entire cnlatre yeux
here and not on one OF your pious ex-
| ample platforms. You know, you've
been in a far hotter shop than Monte
Carlo. Watch me pocket that red.
| All, rouge perd-Barcelona to wit. II
| you remember, you were staying at the
Quatro Naciones, and at nights you
used to cross the Rhambla, and"
My God, how did you know all this?"
"Do you remember objecting to take
a sheaf of obviously spurious notes, and
| there was a row and somebody whipped
out knife, and somebody else fioored
the knifeman with a chair?"
"Yes--no."
After which you very sensibly bolted.
Well, senior, / had only just that mo-
| ment come in, but / saw you were a
fellow islander, and that's why han
died the chair. You don't remember
me, and didn't know your name, but
/ recognized you the moment your wife
introduced US here, because / never for
get a face" # - -# "a
You're mistaken. never was in
such a place in my life. sir. Think of
the position / occupy. Why, the things
absurd"
Now, my good sir, don't play Peter
here. I'm not going to give you away.
No fear. Why should 1? 1t would
probably ruin you, and ] should stand
self convicted of having been in the
lowest and most desperate gambling
hell In Europe without being made q
sixpence richer by the transaction. Only
you didn't know me, and you thought
/ didn't know you, and / fancied it
would be handler If We were open about
one another's little ways at once before
we went on any further Who knows
but what we might stand in at some
profitable business together? Oh, see
that! Bad fuke and an eight shot"
Mr.. Theodore Shelf stood before the
fireplace and drew a handkerchief
across his forehead with trembling fin-
gers.
What business did you refer to?" he
asked at length.
None whatever. I'm not a business
man. I make discoveries and don't
know how to use them. You're a bust
ness man and may be able to see where
the money profit comes in. II you can,
why. then we'1l share the plunder. II
you can't we're neither of us worse of
than before"
But this is vague. What sort Of
discoveries? Have you found a mine"
mo, sir, in the present instance q
channel"
"A channel? don't take you"
"A deep water channel leading up
n a of m Huh axf-
erybody else supposes there Is nothing
but shallow water. The government
charts put down the place as partly un.
surveyed, but all impossible for naviga-
ton. The upgrowth of coral, they say.
is turning part Of the sea into dry land
In large measure that Is true, but at
one point, which I have discovered, Q
river comes down from the interior, and
the scour of this river has cut a deep
narrow channel out through the reefH
to the deep sea water beyond"
I'm confidence could you tell me
where this place is?"
I'm confidence, I'll tell you II is on
the west coats OF Florida-on the Mexi.
can gulf coast. The interior Of south.
ern Florida is called the Everglades
It's partly lake, partly swamp, built up
or many groves, saw grass, cypress
trees and water, tenanted by snakes
alligators, wild beasts and a few Sem
whites has been across it-or rather
only one expedition known to history
But I've been there, right into the heart
of the Everglades-in fact. I've just
come from there, and netted e1,00O
out of the trip ..... -
How" asked Shelf
Never mind exactly how. That's
partly another mans business Shall
we say the other man gave me a com.
mission there, and carried II out and
got duly paid? Anyway that's a suffi-
cient explanation. But what about the
channel I've found. If one gives 1t to
the chart people, they'll simply say
thank you and publish your name In
one number of a professional magazine
which nobody reads. / don't banker
after fame of that kind. I've the sordid
taste. to much prefer dollars"
Shelf strode forward and seized Cam.
bel BY the arm. IF your channel and
| want, there's half million Of Eng.
lish sovereigns to be made out of It,"
Five hundred thousand pounds!
Phew,"
Hush! There's somebody coming
But It's to be had If you are not afraid
Of little risk"
II fear nothing on this EARTH" said
Cambel, when it's to my interest not
to fear. Moreover, though Pm not
saint, my standard of morality is prob
ably shade higher than yours. 1 don't
mind doing some sorts of dirty things
but there are shades in dirtiness, and
at some tints I draw the line. It's dan
gerous to-er-haVe the tips of these
cues glued on so badly. They fly off
and hit people," a.. o. b. '..a.
The billiard room door had opened
and Amy Rivers had come in, with
Fairfax at her heels, whence Cambeps
DEPRESSION. The matter had not been
put in so many words, but he felt
sure that the commission of a great
robbery had been proposed to him, and
he had more than half a mind to drive
his knuckles into Theodore Shells ly-
ing, hypocritical face there and then
on the spot.
CONTINUED Next Weekly
A Tactful King.
f. From Penny Magazine.
The king of Italy was driving his moton
car in Rome one day, and, turning corn.