The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-02-21

mighty faint. I was fast gettin the
bug. And all that night [ rolls around
on the pillow with things like that
runnin' through my head.
Next day I tries to work it off, but
there S no forgettin' the Earl business
with Swiftly Joe around He didn It
dare to say it out loud, but I knew
what he was whisperin' to himself ev-
cry five minutes. And for all | can do
l feels myself swellin' up inside.
1 was still holdin' off on givin' in to
anybody, though, sayin | wanted time
to think it over. The Fitzgeralds
| agrees to that quick enough, for Sadie
has put 'em up at a good Broadway
hotel, besides advancin a roll for
spendin money On Friday [ was to
| meet Talbot and take him to lunch
while he lays out just what moves he
| proposes to take to land me in the
peerage alongside of Dunraven and
/ Clancarty.
Well, he was on hand prompt, lookin ,
swell and fancy in new silk lid, and
| swingin' a new cane. We settles down
| at corner table, and Talbot was just
maxim few notes on the back of the
wine card when I looks up to see some
one givin' me the glad hail from the
other side of the room. It's my old
| side partner, Leonidas Dodge, him with
! the lemon colored hair and the rain
bow disposition. So of course 1 signals
for him to drift over.
"Glory be!' says he, "but the fates
are kindi Do you know, Shorty, my
! boy, I was wondering, not two days
j ago, how you And then he gets
glimpse of Talbot. "What!" says
he. 'The only original Duke of Dub
! lin!' and he slams the Fitzgerald on
the back. "Soapy, old man, how's the
| graft2''
| Talbot turns white, all but his nose,
and he comes back with the refriger-
ated stare. "Begging your pardon,
sir" says he, "but you have the ad-
vantage of me, think
"Oh-hoi" chuekles Leonidas. "Then
| it g the first time on record that any
one ever got the best of Soapy Bagster.
Drop it, old man; you re among friends
Still tinkering up the peerage, Ell,
soapya,'
"I-I-It's mistake gurgles Tai
bot, gatherin up his hat and cane.
ell have an engagement, and be-
fore we can grab him he's scooted
through a side door.
| Well, inside of three minutes Leoni.
| das is toyin' with the drinks the old
! gent has ordered, while m listenin
to some personal history that makes
! me feel foolish from my toes up. Seems
| that Dodge had knew this Soapy gent
on and off for years. He tried to
ring Leonidas in as helper once, on a
| Spanish prisoner scheme, but Mr.. Bag.
! ster s long suit was discovern' lost
| heirs for Scotch and Irish estates, his
| lay being to pick out some one with
an old country name and dough enough
| to make it worth while.
| "Wasn't trying to interest you in
anything of the kind, was he?'' said
Leonidas.
/ "Well," says T, "he did mention
something about my havin' likeness
| to the late Earl Of Enniseorthy.
Late Earl is good,' says Dodge,
poundin his knee. "The nerve of that
] say, Short. l looked that up once just
| for sport. There hash t been an Earl of
Enniscorthy for over 800 years. But
/ a little thing like that wouldn t bother
| Soapy. What s wrong, eh2 You re look
/ IN on your color, my boy. Liver cog
ged?"
"No,' says I,'"only soft spot in
my head that l didn' know was there,
Glad you came in, Leonidas Order up,
and go as far as you like. This is on
me. -
As soon as I gets a chance I tele-
phones to Sadie If the Fitzgeralds show
up again to have the house detective
run 'em out the back way; and I tells
| her why. She WON believe it. though,
and calls in Mrs Purdy-Pell, who S
sharp on all kinds of mobiles. Mrs.
, Purdy-Pell Endorses what Leonidas has
said.
But the Fitzes knew when to keep
away. The worst of it was, though,