The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-01-05

/ tened to me. You ought never to have
| Initiated any real person. 1 happened
to glance at the hotel tape just now,
to see the quotations for Cloetedrops
to-day, and what do you think I read
| as part OF the latest telegram from
] England?
MIR. Algernon Coleyard,. the famous
home In Devonshire.'
by this time all New York knows.
Don't stop, one minute. say#Im dam
m 70 ana the hote at
Ing your things. Meet me at Mary's.
/ Your devoted MARRIOTT
This is very important... Charles
know two things now: his real name is
Paul-whatever else it may be-and
Nine. Picardets is Margot.,
/ thrust these two things there when he
saw me pursuing him. and had forgot
ten or neglected them in the heat OF
the melee.
looked at 1t close. It was the
very ring ! had noticed on his finger
while he was playing Swedish poker.
1t had large compound gem in the
centre, set with many facets. and rise
middle There were eight faces in all,
/
AMETHYST, or turquoise. But one face
the one turned at a direct angle to-
ward the wearer's eye-,was not gem
at ALL but an extremely tiny convex
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 mirrorea
in it by means of the squeezers We're
better than Charles's. he had IAN in
spiration.' and backed his luck-or
1,a, y tx IL nnttytn n don my
confidence. l did not doubt. either,
that his odd looking eyeglass was
powerful magnifier which helped him
lin the trick. Still. we tried another
deal. by way of experiment. wearing
the ring; and even with the naked eye
I was able to distinguish in every case
the suit and pips OF the card that was
DEALT me.
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.
"To back your skill is legal; to back
your luck is foolish; to back your
knowledge is"
Very good business" said the mag
a2ile editor. .tieI
possa s sHaPaia t have .e ss. it q Il
had been done by any other Fellow.
But his patter about inspiration put mo
clean off the track. That's the rascal.s
dodge. He plays the regular conjuror'.
game of distracting your attention
| that You never and out what he's
really about till he's sold you irre-
Ilrievably.''
we set the New York police upon the
he had vanished at once; as usual. into
the thin smoke of Manhattan. Not a
sign could we find of him. "Iary's. s
we waited on in New York for a
whole fortnight. Nothing. came of It.
We never found .Mary's." The only
safed us in the city was one of his
customary insulting notes. 1t was con-
ceived as follows:
20 Eternal Gullihle: Since I saw you
on Lake George / have4run back to
London, and promptly come out again.
| had business to transact there, in
deed whichssI have now completed.
The excessive attentions of the English
! Orion. 'sloping slowly to the west
returned to America in order to SEQ
whether or not You were still Inn
happened to meet Senator Wrengold,
and accented his kind invitation solely
that might see how far my last
communication had had proper ef-
| feet upon you. AS l found you quite
| obdurate, and as You Furthermore per-
Isisted In misunderstanding my motives.
l | determined to read you one more
iSIIdllr 3leSSOu. a :
i ut nearly failed, and I confess the
accident has affected my nerves lit
/ tie I am now about to retire from
busiress altogether. and settle down
for life at my place in Surrey. mean
to try Just one more small coup, and.
when that is finished. Colonel Clay will
hang up his sword like Cincnnatus.
and take to farming. You need no
longer fear me-. have realized enough
nli ke your Self with an ' immodarats
greed of gain l recognize that good
citizenship demands of me now an
Younger and more deserving rascal,
t shall always look back with pleasure
upon our agreeable adventures to-
gether and as you hold my d 1stta eo tts
which attach Importance, consider
we are quits. and shall withdraw with
dignity YGTr sin T, w Gnl Wishes
"Just like hlm!' Charles said. ito
lhold this one last coup over my head
In terroren. Though even when he has
ay yeam Is ike ike s that ss Mor
course on purpose to dsarm me-"
"Margot.'' When the Colonel was re-
dueed to dressing the part Of {, k know,
his last card, and would be We'll adj.
vised to retire into Surrey
But the magazine editor summed up
.'Don't believe that nonsense about
fortunes being made by industry and
ability" he said. "Inalife. as atlcartds
two things go 10 produce suceess-,,-thss
| first Is chance the second Is cheating
/ 5e n
a Relief to Doth.
"At last!" he sighed, "we're alone, 4
| I've been hoping for this chance--
| K .Ssn ba ve - fSn Ia, She.A very rrankly.sRga