The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-22

That may afford us a clue" And I
limped back with it in my hands, feel
ing horribly bruised and a good deal
shaken.
When we came to examine the coat,
however. it bore no makers name: the
strap at the back, where the tailor
proclaims with pride his handicraft,
had been carefully ripped off. and its
place was taken by tag of plain black
tape without inscription of any sort.
We searched the breast pocket A
handkerchief. similarly nameless, but Of
finest cambria The side pockets-ha,
what was this? 1 drew a piece Of pa
per out in triumph. 1t was a note-a
real find-the one which the servant
had handed to our friend just before
at the senator's. We read it through
breathlessly:
Darling Paul: told you it was too
dangerous. You should have listened
to me. You ought never to have imi-
tated any real person. l happened to
glance at the hotel tape just now, to
see the quotations for Cloetedorps to-
day, and what do you think I read as
part of the latest telegram from Eng
land?
g Mr.. Algernon Coleyard, the famous
poet, is lying on his deathbed at his
home in Devonshire.'
by this time all New York knows.
Don't stop one minute. Say I'm dam
gerOusly i'll, and come away at once.
Don't return to the hotel. I am re-
moving your things. Meet me at
Mary's. Your devoted. MARGOT."
This is very important" Charles
said. This does give US a clue. We
know two things now: his real name is
Paul-whatever else it may be, and
Nine Picardet's is Margot."
1 searched the pocket again, and
pulled out a ring. Evidently he had
thrust these two things there when he
saw me pursuing him, and had for
gotten or neglected them in the heat OF
the melee.
l looked at it close. 1t was the very
ring 1 had noticed on his finger while
he was playing Swedish poker. 1t had
a large compound gem in the center,
set with many facets, and rising like a.
pyramid to a point in the middle.
There were eight faces in all, some Of
them composed of emerald, amethyst,
or turquoise. But one face-the one
turned at a direct angle toward the
yearer's eye-was not a gem at all, but
an extremely tiny convex mirror. In 4
moment 1 spotted the trick. He held
this hand carelessly on the table while
my brOther-in-law dealt: and when he
saw that the suit and number of his
own card mirTOred in it by means Of
the squeczers were better than Charles
he had 'an inspiration" and backed
his Iuck-or rather his knowledge-wit
perfect confidence. I did not doubt,
either, that his Odd-lOoking eye-glass
was a powerful magnifier which helped
him in the trick. Still, we tried anOth-
er deal, by way of experiment. wear
ing the ring; and even with the naked
eye 1 was able to distinguish in every
case the suit and pips of the card that
was dealt men.
why, that was almost dishonest"
the senator said, drawing back. He
wished to show US that even far west
ern spectators drew a line somewhere.
Yes" the magazine editor echoed.
ITO back your skill is legal; to back
your luck is foolish; to back your
knowledge is"
Immoral" 1 suggested
Very good business" said the mag
azine editor.
It's a simple trick" Charles inter
posed. Il should have spotted it if it
had been done by any other fellow.
But his patter about inspiration cut
me clean off the track. That's the ras-
calls dodge. He plays the regular con-
ton from the real point at issue-sO
well that you never find out what he's
about till he's sold you iTretrieVably"
We set the New York police upon the
trail of the colonel; but, of course, lie
had vanished at once, as usual, into
the thin smoke of Manhattan Not a
sign could we find Of him. "Mary's,"
we found an insufficient address.
We waited on in New York for a
Il LII
We never found "Mary's." The only
token of Colonel C1ay's presence vouch-
safed us in the city was one OF his GUS
tomary insulting notes. It was con-
ceived as follows:
"Oh, Eternal Gullible: Since 1 saw
you on Lake George I have run back
to London, and promptly come out
again. 1 had business to transact there,
| indeed, which / have now completed.
| The excessive attentions of the English
police sent me once more, like great
Orion, 'sloping slowly to the west I
returned to America in order to see
whether or not you were still impeni-
tent. On the day of my arrival han
pened to meet Senator WrengOld, and
accepted his kind invitation solely that
1 might see how far my last commune
cation had had a proper effect upon
you. As 1 found you quite Obdurate,
and as you furthermore persisted in
misunderstanding my motives, ] deter
mined to read you one more small les
son. It nearly failed, and I confess
the accident has affected my nerves a
| little. I am now about to retire from
business altogether, and settle down
for life at my place in Surrey. I mean
to try just one more small coup. and,
when that is finished, Colonel Clay will
hang no his sword, like Cincinnatus,
ana take to farming. You need no
longer fear me. [ have realized enough
to secure me for life a modest COM
petence, and as I am not possessed, like
yourself, with an immoderatc greed Of
| gain, I recognize that good citizenship
demands of me now an early retire.
II mt in favor of some younger and
more deserving rascal. l shall always
look back with pleasure Upon our
agreeable adventures Togs ther, and as
you hold my dust coat, together with
q ring and letter to which I attach ina
pOrtance, 1 consider we are 1uttS, and
l shall withdraw with dignity. Your
sincere well wisher.
"CUTHBERT CLAY, Poet
Just like himr' Charles said Ito
hold this one last coup over my head in
| terTorem. Though even when he has
played it,, why should trust his word Z?
A scamp like that may say it, Of
course, on purpose to disarm me-"
] For my own part quite agreed with
"Mar2Ot - When the colonel was ra-