Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1908-01-10
CHAPTER X.

CHAPTER n.
II was night in London, and a sum-
mer rain falling. Mr.. George Frost sat
in dingy apartment illuminated by a
single candle, by the light of which he
was scribbling unmeaning phrases on a
dirty sheet of letter paper.
mo grub, no funds. Thirty-seven
pounds dropped last night. I'll never
touch a card again. l wonder how often
I've sworn to that? But a mans luck
must change some time. 1t can't go on
forever like this
knock at the street door broke the
thread of his growlings, but he went
ON pacing still, and did not hear a step
which came laundering up the staircase
and halted outside his door.
| Come in ~ he cried, in startled an
swer to rapping on the panel, and
slatternly servant girl pushed her head
round the edge of the door.
Here's somebody for you, Mr.. Frost
Gentleman with a portmanteau. He
didn't give no name'
"I'll come down and have a look at
him." returned Mr., Frost, taking up his
candle. Four separate flights of dirty
wooden stairs, uncarpeted, brought him to
the hall. Frost, holding his candle hi;h,
advanced toward the shadowy figure Of his
guest. It's you" he said, with an odd
laugh. Come upstairs"
The guest, Selling the portmanteau,
mounted after him, and the dingy apart
ment at the top of the house was reached.
rs this the palace you continually
live in?' asked the guest, with the faint
est possible trace of some foreign accent
in his voice. II had expected from your
last letter to have found you in marble
halls, with vassals and serfs at your side.
Ohio you have been at it again, | sup
pose" said the visitor, making a move
ment in imitation of the dealing of a pack
of cards. Isn't it time you dropped
that? Haven't you lost enough by this
time? What should you have done if
had not turned up?"
Il don't know" Frost answered, care
lessly enough. But / was thinking at
the very minute when l heard you knock
at the door, and saying to myself, III
drop it, I'll tell you the truth, Zeno-"
Tell me as much of the solid truth as
your constitution will allow, but do not
call me by that name. Wroblewskof will
answer. It's a jawbreaker, but it's very
L u.
said Mr.. Zeno, smiling still, this is the
advantage Of talking over things. | have
lived in New York year or two. You
knew me there. You meet me here. You
know me to be a safe mana man to be
depended upon. You introduce me to
Dobroski-- Well, at what are you
staring?"
Il will see you boiled in OIL" returned
Mr.. Frost, with extreme slowness: 81
will see you roasted on a gridiron, l will
see you cut up so extremely fine that
microscope won't find you-and then |
won't introduce you to Dobroski."
Zeno got up from his seat, and kneel-
ing on the floor unstrapped his portman-
teau and took therefrom a razor case. a
small metal soap bowl and brand new
shaving brush. Frost watched him in ST.
lence
Zeno took off his coat and threw il
across the back of a chair, then produced
pair of scissors, and taking a great |
handful of his beard sliced it of before |
the glass; then another, and another. and |
another, until he was close cropped all |
over the cheeks and throat and chin. Next
he attacked the mustache, and cropped
NNNt eASN ~ SioSc us the SCISSORS would |
20 to the skin. Then pouring a little
hot water into the metal bowl, he began
to lather himself with great energy. and
then to shave. Even to himself the
metamorphosis he produced must have
seemed more than little droll. Under
the razor he came out no longer Greek
and austere in contour, but chubby. with
fat round cheeks, and a chin very curl
ously thrust forward and pointed and
beneath the lower lip and the base of the
chin there was a good half inch in length
less than one would have expected to find.
The change was amazing, and when Mr..
Zeno drew o spectacle case from a waist
coat pocket, set the glasses on his nose.
and, removing wig, appeared with half
an inch Of sandy natural hair below II.
and forehead an inch higher than IL had
been. the disguise looked impenetrable
he took a handkerchief from his coat
pocket, rubbed a corner of 1t on the soan
in his shaving bowl. and applied it yigor-
ously to his lips. The corner of the
handkerchief went crimson, and Mr..
Zeno's cherry lips grew pallid and dry.
He soaped and moistened another corner
OF the handkerchief, and scrubbed at his
eyebrows. The handkerchief became
black, and the eyebrows sandy, like the
hair. Then he resumed his coat, set the
two candles upon the table, drew . chair
between them, and sat down.
Go be continued.)