Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-01-29
saw" he loudly declared.


No, but / saw this returned
Sweetwater. working busily on some
curves; and these gave me the FLIP
mentioned. The rest came easily"
Brotherson, in dread of his own an
ger. threw his pistol to the other end /
Of the shed:
You knave! You thief" he furi-
ously cried.
How SOY" asked Sweeswater smil- |
ingiy, rising and looking him calmly /.
4 IN the face. "A thief is one who ap-
| propriates another mans goods, or, !
/ let US say. another mans ideas. |
/ have appropriated nothing-yeI. I've
/ only shown you how easily l could do
so. Mr. Brotherson, take me in as
/ your assistant / will be faithful to
you, I swear it l want to see that
machine 60 up"
For how many people have you
drawn those lines?" Numbered the in
exorable voice.
For nobody; not for myself even.
This ia the FIRST time they have left
their hiding-place in my brain
Can you swear to that?"
81 can and will, II you require it
But you ought to believe my word, sir.
am square as q die In all matters not
connected-well, not connected with
nay profession" he smiled in a burst
OF that whimsical humor, which not
even the seriousness of the moment
could quite suppress.
And what surety have l that you
do not consider this very matter of
mine as coming within the bounds you
speak of"
None But you must trust me that
far"
Brotherson surveyed him with an
irony which conveyed a very differ
ent message to the detective than any
he had intended. Then quickly:
ITO how many have you spoken. di-
Iating upon this device, and publish
ing abroad my secret?"
Il have spoken to no one, not even
10 Mr. Gryce. That shows my honesty
as nothing else can"
You have kept my secret intact?"
Entirely so, sir"
so that no ore, here or elsewhere,
shares our knowledge of the new
I points in this mechanism"
Il say so, sir"
Then If / should kill you" came in
r ferocious accents. nowhere"
You, would be the only one to own
n that knowledge. But you won't kill
me-"
Q Why"
Need l go into reasonsT"
Why? / say"
Because your conscience is already
too heavily laden to bear the burden
OF another unprovoked crime"
Brotherson. staring back, glared
q with open ferocity upon the man who
dared to face him with such an accu.
sation
God! why didn't l shoot you on en-
u trance!" he cried. Your courage is
certainly colossal"
10 A fine smile, without even the hint
g of humor now, touched the daring de
tective's lip. Brotherson's anger
N seemed to grow under it, and he loud
r. ly repeated:
y It's more than colossal; it's abnor
sr NAL and" A moments pause, ther
d with ironic pauses-'and quite unneC
IN essary save as q matter OF display, un
less you think you need it to sustain
m you through the ordeal you are court
IN ing. You wish TO help me finish ant
lt prepare for flight"
Id Il sincerely do
OF You consider yourself competent?
Ut 81 do"
l BrothersOn's eyes fell and he Wake,
al once to the extremity of the oval floor
ing and back.
W We'll, We will grant that. But that
to not all that is necessary. My require
ments demand a companion in m
er first fight. viii you go up in the ca
- with me on Saturday night?"
A quick affirmative was on Swee'
waters lips but the glimpse which b
got of the speakers face gloweTin
upon him from the shadows into whic
BrOtherson had withdrawn, stopped il
utterance, and the silence grew heavy
Though II may not have lasted lon
by the clock, the instant of breathles
contemplation of each others feature
across the intervening space was c
incAlculable moment to Sweetwate
and, possibly, to Brotherson. A
drowning men are said to live owe
their whole history between their frs
plunge and their final rise to light an
air. so through the mind of the d.
tective rushed the memories OF hi
past and the fast fading glories OF hi
future; and rebeiling at the subtl
peril he saw in that sardonic eye,
vociferated an impulsive:
No! I'll not" and paused, caugf
by a new and irresistible sensation.
A breath OF wind-the first he Ia
felt that night-had swept in throug
some crevice in the cuTving wall, fla
ping the canvas enveloping the grei
car. 1t acted like a peal to battl
After all, a man must take some risl
in this life, and his heart was in tn
trial OF a redoubtable mechanism
which he had full faith. He could n,
cay no TO the prospect of being II
first TO share a triumph which wouI
send his name to the ends of II
earth; and, changing the trend OF b
sentence. he repeated with a calmnei
which had the force of a great d
cision.