The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-10-24
CHAPTER I.
A Dangerous Errand.

q 4 city Of hills with a fringe OF
houses crowning tha lower heights;
haIf-mountains rising bare in the
s background and becoming real noun
tains as they stretched away in the
distance 10 right and left; confused
mass Of buildings coming to the
waters edge on the fat; forest Of
masts, ships swinging in the stream,
and the streaked, yellow, gray-green
water of the bay taking a cold light
3 from the setting sun as it struggled
through the wisps of fog that fiut-
tered above the serrated skyline of
the city-these were my first impress
sions OF San Francisco.
The wind blew fresh and chill from
the west with the damp and salt of
the Pacific heavy upon it, as |
breasted it from the forward deck of
the ferry steamer. FL Captain. AS L
drank in the air and was silent with
admiration of the beautiful panorama
that was spread before me, my com
panion touched me on the arm
Come into my cabin" he said.
You'll be one of those fellows who
cant come to San Francisco without
catching his death of cold, and then
lays it on to the climate instead of
his own lack of common sense. Come,
l can't spare you, now I've got you
here at last. I wouldn't lose you for
a million dollars"
I'll come for half the money" 1
returned, as he took me by the arm
and led me into the close cabin.
" lot
was Henry Wilton, the son of my
fathers cousin, who had the advan-
tages of a few years OF residence in
California. and sported all the airs
of q pioneer. We had been close
friends through boyhood and youth,
and 1t was on his offer of employment
that l had come to the city by the
Golden Gate
What a resemblance" l heard
woman exclaim, as we entered the
cabin They must be twins
There, Henry" 1 whispered with
q laugh; you see we are discovered"
Though our relationship was not
close we had been cast in the mold
of some common ancestor. We were
80 nearly alike in form and feature as
to perplex all but our intimate &C
quaintances, and we had made the
resemblance the occasion of many
tricks In our boyhood days.
Henry had heard the exclamation
as well as l. To my surprise, it APP
peared to bring him annoyance or ap-
prehension rather than amusement.
Il had forgotten that 1t would make
us conspicuous" he said. more to
himself than to me. l thought; and
he glanced through the cabin as
though he looked for some peril.
I'VE were used to that long ago."
| said, as we found a seat rs the
business ready for me? You wrote
that you thought it would be In hand
by the time l got here
I'VE can't talk about it here" he
said in a low tone. There is plenty
of work to be done. It's not hard, but.
as | wrote you. it needs man Of
pluck and discretion. It's delicate
business, you understand, and dan
gerous if you can't keep your head.
But the danger won't be yours. I've
got that end of it"
"Of course you're not trying to do
anything against the law" | said.
"Oh, it has nothing to do with the
law" he replied with an odd smile.
3 In fact. it's a little matter in which
we are-well, you might say-outsids
the law"
l gave a gasp at this distressing
suggestion. and Henry chuckled as he
saw the CONSERVATION written on my
face. Then he rose and said:
Come. the boat is getting in
But l want to know" l began.
"Oh. bother your 'want-to-knows.'
It's not against the law just outside
II. you understand I'll tell you more
of it when we get to my room. Give
me that valise. Come along now"
And as the beat entered the slip we
found ourselves at the front of the
pressing crowd that is always surging
In and out of San Francisco BY the
gateway of the Market Street ferry.
AS we pushed our way through the
clamoring hack-drivers and hotel-run.
ners who blocked the entrance to the
city. l was reused by a sudden thrill
Of the instinct of danger that warns
one when he meets the eye of a
snake. 1t was gone In an instant. but
had time to trace effect to cause
The warning came this time from
the eyes Of 3 man, a 1.-THE, keen-faced
man who flashed a look of triumphant
S malice on US as he disappeared in the
y waitingroom of the ferry shed. But
q the keen face and the basilisk glance
were burned into my mind in that
moment as deeply as though I had
known then what evil was behind
them.
My companion swore softly to him
self
What's the natter" l asked
u ..1o--.. - -----...z..a II, 80 .cxI-.