The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1913-02-01

lord had gone fishing or somewhere else
that day. The first lord would be the
custodian of the package for the day.
1t was left in his hands, and as he
swelled with pride and dignity he put
q weight omit and went out to lunch.
Five minutes after his return, an hour
and a half later. all England began to
tremble. In five more she was perspir.
ing and feeling her knees wabble. The
paperweight was still there, but the i'm
portant document from France was
missing. Lord X. grew red and grew
pale. He grew weak and he grew
strong. He shouted at the top of his
voice and he spoke in whispers. The
document could not be found.
For two long days a number of first
and second and third lords held their
breath. The official safe was searched
no less than fifty times. The top of a
bare table was scanned until the eyes
of the ached. The waste pa
per basket, the floor, the coal rack. the
corners IND all other places were
searched. but in vain. Two detectives
were detailed to watch every move
ment of the waiter. The cabman who
had driven the first lord to lunch and
back was put under surveillance. The
clerical staff was made to feel that il
might find itself in Newgate within
the next twenty-four hours. and had
New Iceland captured Australia the
excitement in that particular depart
ment could not have been more in
tense.
When the first lord and the second
lord and the third lord went into Sc
cret council for the tenth time. turning
even the broom and the door mat out
into the hall and stopping up the key
hole of the door. the two latter lords
had some figures to submit. A reward
must be offered for the return of the
document. and 1t must he large enough
to appeal to the cupidity of the robber.
They figured that 10000 would do il
and that the first lord would have to
pay it out of his own pocket. IL he
hadn't been so fat and stupid he would
have tainted away. As 1t was, he was
properly crushed for the nex PROPOSE
ton. The idea was TO have him disap-
pear for a couple of months. When the
thief found that nc reward was to be
offered he might return the document.
The first lord jumped at the opportu-
nifty held out. He didn't want to see
England plunged into calamity, and
neither did he want to pay a reward of
$4,000. He left the Office Immediately
and FASTENED home to pack up and
start for Switzerland. and a long breath
of relief extended from the second lord
down to the smallest messenger boy.
Some n was paid a large fee for
work done. and the incident was closed
that Is. the first lord wrote back
weekly to ask Ii the document had
been found. and the second lcrd an
swered as regularly that it had not, but
he was still hot on the trail. After six
or eight weeks had passed the first lord
was one day handed the missing docu-
ment by a disguised man who fed on
the instant. but the lord retired to his
bedroom and opened the envelope.
There was n document. 1t was q writ
ten recipe for making French cottage
cheese. The first lord shut one eye and
sat and thought for al hour. Then the
light dawned. and he laid the document
aside and whispered:
"A man may be a first lord and a
first ass at the same time. and I'm q
living example Of the facti"