The Washington herald., 1914-04-19

two companions. was nicely caught in
my turn. There was lamp-post right
opposite the door, and I can still see
the three of them regarding me in its
light. The pugilist had black eye and
a bloated lip, hat on the back of his
head, and made-up tie under one ear
His companions were his sallow little
Yankee secretary, whose name / really
forget, but whom l had met with Ma
guire at the Boxing Blub, and very
grand female in a second skin of shim-
mering sequins.
/ can neither forget nor report the
terms in which Barney Mcguire asked
me who l was and what l was doing
there.
You'll remember Raffles," said l, "if
YOU don't remember me. You showed
us your trophies the other night, and
asked us both to look you up at any
hour of any day or night after the fight.
You don't say!" he cried. Il took
you for some darned crook. but now l
remember you purfectly. Come right
in. and have a drink to show there's
Jee-hoshaphatP
The secretary had turned the latchkey
in the door, only to be hauled back by
the collar as the door stood open, and
the light from the inner room was seen
streaming upon the banisters at the
foot of the narrow stairs.
"a light in my den," said Mcguire in
a mighty whisper. Talk about crooks,
eh? Holy smoke, how l hope we've
landed one alive! You ladies and gen.
tlemen, lay round where you are, while
| see"
And the hulking figure advanced on
tiptoe, like a performing elephant, until
just at the open door, when for Sec
ond we saw his left revolving like a
piston and his head thrown back at its
fighting angle. But in another second
his fists were hands again. and Mcguire
was rubbing them together as he stood
shaking with laughter in the light of
the open door.
Walk up he cried. as he beckoned
to US three Walk up and see one O
their blamed British crooks laid as low
as the blamed carpet, and nailed as
tightr
Imagine my feelings on the natl
Real homegrown, low-down, un-
washed Whitechapel" l heard Mcguire
remark within.
For some moments even / failed to
identify the truly repulsive object about
which l found them grouped. There
was no false hair upon the face, but it
was as black as any sweeps. The
clothes, on the other hand, were new to
me, though older and more pestiferous
in themselves than most worn by Raj
fes for professional purposes.
Think you know him." asked the
sallow secretary, as stopped and peered
with my heart in my boots.
Good Lord, mol I only wanted to
see if he was dead" explained, having
satisfied myself that it was really Raf-
fles, and that Raffies was really insensi-
ble But what on earth has happened?"
Il should Judge" observed the secre-
tary. that it's for Mr.. Mcguire to say,
or not to say, just as he darn pleases."
Isn't it bully" asked the prize6ght-
er, smiling on US each in turn, with his
black and bloodshot eyes and his bloat-
ed lip. ITO think that I've only to in
vent trap to catch crook for blamed
crook to walk right into it You, Mr..
Man." and he nodded his great head at
me, you'll recollect me telling you that
I'd got one when you come in that night
with the other sport? See that decanter
on the table,"
Il was just looking at ii" said the
person in sequins You don't know
what a turn I've had or you'd offer me
little something"
You shall have a little something in
a minute" rcjoined Mcguire. But if
you take a little anything out of that
decanter you'll collapse like our friend
upon the floor"
Good heavens" l cried out, with in
voluntary indignation, as his fell scheme
broke upon me in a clap.
"Yes, sir!" said Mcguire, fixing me
with his bloodshot orbs. my trap for
crooks and cracksmen is a bottle of
hocused whisky, and l guess that's it
on the table. with the silver label around
its neck. Now look at this other decan-
ter, without any label at all; but for
that they're the dead image of each 9TH
er. I'll put them side by side, so you
can see 1t isn't only the decantcrs, but
the liquor looks the same in both and
tastes so you wouldn't know the differ
ence till you woke up in your tracks.
| got the poison from an Indian away
west, and it's ruther tickIish stuff. So
keep the label around the trap bottle, |
and only leave ii out nights. That's the
idea, and that's all there is to it." added |
Mcguire, putting the labeled decanter
4