Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1911-08-10
agurs supine on the divan against the


further study wall, the old man shut
ned to the instrument. lifted receiver
from the hook, and applied 1t to
his ear.
We'll, well?" he demanded with that
Impotence characteristic of the Hit
crate for modern methods of communi-
cation. "Pwhat the divvle ails ye?"
"Rayspicts to We, ma'am. and It's
sorry l am l didn't know twas a
leddy"'
He's not
Wan o'clock, there or thereabouts."
Faith. and he didn't say"
"Pwhat name will be tellin him ?"
"Kape ut to yersilf, thin 'Tis none
of me business"
IF We do, I'll not answer. Sure, am
1 to be climbin' two flights av sthairs
iv'ry foive minits--"
"Good-by yersilf," hanging up the re-
ceiver. And the divvle fly away wild
ye," grumbled O'Hagan.
AS he turned away from the instru-
ment Maitland managed to produce
sound, something between a moan and
n strangled cough. The old man
whirled on his heel. "Pwhat's thot?"
The next instant he was bending
over Maitland, peering into the face
drawn and disfgured by the gag. THE
saints presarve us! And who the
divvle are We at all? Pwhy don't We
spake?"
Maitland turned purple; and emitted
a furious snort
"Misther Maitland, be all thots
strange! Is ut mad l am? Or how
did ye get back here and into this fix,
sor, and me swapin' the halls and
polishin' the brasses fernist the front
dure iv'ry minute since we wint out ?"
Indignation struggling for the upper
hand with mystification in the Irish
mans brain, he grumbled and swore;
yet busted his fingers. In trice the
binding gag was loosed, and ropes and
straps cast free from swollen wrists
and ankles. And, with the assistance
OF kindly arm behind his shoulders,
Maitland sat up, grinning with the
pain of renewing circulation in his
limbs.
y
lave three hours gone, sor, and
c'u'd swear no sowl had inferred this
house since thin. Pwhat does ut all
name, be all thot's holy?"
TT means" painting, brandy and
soda, O'Hagan, and be quick"
Maitland attempted to rise, but his
legs gave under him, and he sank
back with stifled oath, resigning him
self to wait the return of normal con-
ditions. AS for his head, it was threat
ering to split at any moment, the tight
wires twanging Internally between his
temples; while the corners of his
mouth were cracked and sore from the
totted up a considerable debit against
Mr.. Anisty's account.
For Maitland, despite his suffering,
had found time to figure it out to his
personal satisfaction-or dissatisfac-
ton, If you prefer-in the interval be-
tween his return to consciousness and
the arrival of O'Hagan. 1t was simple
enough to deduce from the knowledge
in his possession that the burglar, hav,
ing contrived his escape through the
disobedience of Higgins, should have
engineered this complete revenge for
the indignity Maitland had put upon
| him.
| How he had OWNED the fact of the
| jewels remaining in their owners pos
session was less clear; and yet it was
reasonable, after all, to presume that
Maitland should prefer to hold his
own. Possibly Ansty had seen the
girl slip the canvas bag into Maitland
pocket while the latter was kneeling
and binding his captive. However
that was, there was no denying thai
he had trailed the treasure to it's hid
ing place, unerringly; and succeeded
| in taking possession of it with consum
mate skill and audacity. When Matt
land came to think of it, he recalled
distinctly the trend of the burglars
inquisition in the character of "Mr
SIaith," which had all been calculated
to discover the location of the jewels
And, when he did recall this fact, anC
how easily he had been duped, Matt
land could have ground his teeth IL
melodramatic rage-but for the cir
cumstance that when first it occurred
to him, such feat was a physical i'm
possibility, and even when ungagge(
the operation would have been painful
to an extreme.
Slipping the grateful drink which
O'Hagan presently brought him, thu
? young man pondered the case; will
no pleasure in the prospect he fore
saw. If Higgins had actually com
municated the fact of Anisty's escap,
to the police, the entire affair was likel,
to come out in the papers-all of ii