The Brandon news., 1911-08-10

Honest George himself, refraining
from mentioning my name. Dress
| yourself in your Oldest and shabbiest
clothing; you cannot overdo this
since the neighborhood is question
able and well-dressed man would
Immediately become an object OF sus-
picion Do not wear the ring; keep it
about you, out of sight Should this
| fail to reach you In time, try tomor-
row night between eight and ten. You
would serve us both well by burning
this Immediately Pray believe me
yours to command In all respects"
There was no signature.
Amber frowned and whistled over
this. Undoubtedly from Laber-
touche," he considered. "But why
this flavor of intrigue? Does he
know anything more than / do? ]
presume he must It'd be great
comfort IL .. Hold on. News
of the Fs' That spells the Farrels.
How In blazes does he know anything
about the Farrells? / told Quain
nothing. Can it be a trap? Is
| It possible that the chap who took
that photograph recognized ="
The problem held him in perplexity
| throughout the evening meal He
turned it over this way and that with
out being able to arrive at any com.
| forting solution. Impulse in the end
decided him-impulse and glance at
his watch which told him that the
time grew short I'll co." he de-
clared, mo matter what. It's nearly
nine, but the Lal bazar's not far"
| In the face Of Doggott's unbendina
| disapproval he left the hotel some 20
| minutes later, having levied on Dog.
gott's wardrobe for suitable clothing.
Once away from the Great Eastern
he quietly insinuated himself into the
| tide Of the city's night life that tire
| lessly GIBBS and flows north OF Dali
housie square-1the restless currents
| of native lifts that move ceaselessly In
obedience to impulses so meaningless
and strange to the Occidental under
standing Before he realized it he had
left civilization behind him and was
breathing the atmosphere, heady and
weird, of the One
Nights. The Lal bazar seethed round
him noisily, with a roaring not unlike
that OF a surf In the hearing of him
who had SO long lived separate from
such scenes.
At a corner where there was more
| light he came upon policeman whose
| tunic, helmet, and truncheon were so
closely patterned after those Of the
London Bobby that the simple sight
of them was calculated to revive con-
f1dence in the security of ones person.
He inspected Amber shrewdly while
/ the latter was asking his way to Hon.
est Georges, and In response jerked
a white-gloved thumb down the wide
thoroughfare,
you carn't miss it, sir-s'ylors'
boardin' 'ouse, all lit up and likely
row on at the bar Mind your eye,
guv'nor. It ayn't plyce you'd ought
| to visit on your lone"
| Thanks; I've business there.
reckon to take care Of myself
Nevertheless it was with mind
preyed upon by forebodings that Am
Der stumbled down the cobbled way.
reeking with filth, toward the estab-
lishment of Honest George.
He stopped in front of building
| whose squat brick facade was let
tered with the reassuring sobriquet OF
| its proprietor A bench, running the
| width of the structure, was thick with
| sprawling loafers, who smoked and
spat and spoke targon Of the seas,
| the chief part of which was bias
phemy Within, visible through vim
dows never closed, was crowded bar
! room ablaze with daring gas jets, up
| roarious with voices thick with drink.
One needed courage Of no common
order to run the gauntlet Of that
| rowdy room and brave the more Sc
| cret dangers Of the Infamous den.
| You've got to have your nerve with
| you," Amber put it. "But / suppose
it's all in the game. Let's chance it"
And he entered.
Compared with the atmosphere OF
| that public room blast from hell
were sweet and cooling, thought Am.
| Der; the first whiff he had Of 1t all but
staggered him; and he found himself
gasping, perspiration starting from
every pore Faint with disgust he ell
bowed his way through the mob to
the bar, thankful that those about
him, absorbed in the engrossing occu-
patton of getting drunk, paid him not
| the least heed. Flattening himself
against the rail he cast about for the
proprietor. A blowsy, sweating bar
maid caught his eye and without
word slapped down upon the sloppy
counter before him glass four fin.
gers deep with unspeakable whisky.
And he realized that he would have to
drink 1t; to refuse would be to at.
tract attention, perhaps with unpleas-
ant consequences. IT'S more than
IT bargained for" he grumbled, ma
king . pretence of swallowing the
- III b.,wo ~nl{af =,