The Washington herald., 1914-03-08
tOopynEht. fslkl
II HAT night Raffies told me the story
of his earliest crime

Of his earliest crime
The whisky tinkled. the syphor
fixed. the ice plopped home. and seated
there in his pajamas. with the inevitaoie
cigarette. Raffies told me the story that
/ had given up hoping to hear. The win
dows were wide open: the sounds Of Pic
cadilly noated in at first Long before
he finished. the last wheels had ratified.
the last brawler was removed. we alone
broke the quiet o. the summer night
II had started in a hole. ] ought really
to have refused the invitation. Then
We all went TO the Melbourne Cup. and
! had the certain winner that didn't win.
and that's not the only way you can
play the fool in Melbourne l wasn't the
steady old stager l am now. Bunny; my
analysis was a confession in ITSELF Hut
the others didn't know how hard up
was. and 1 swore they shouldn't / tried
the Jews, but they're extra ny out there.
Then I thought Of a kinsman OF sorts.
a second cousin OF my fathers. whom
lone OF US knew anything about except
that he was supposed TO be In one or
other Of the colonies. II he was rich
man. well and good. / would work him;
If not there would be no harm done. I
tried to get on his tracks. and. as luck
would have 1t. l succeeded tor thought
.haO at the very moment when 1 hap
pened to have a few days to myself. 1
was cut over on the nand. just before
the big Christmas match, and couldn't
have bowled a ball II they had played me.
The surgeon who fxeL me up hap
pened TO ask me IL ! was any relation of
Raffies. OF the National Bank. and the
pure luck Of it almost took my breath
away. relation who was a high Of
ficial in one Of the banks, who would
finance me on my mere name-could any
thing be better?
Il made up my mind that this Raffies
was the man wanted. and was awfully
sold to find next moment that he wasn't
a high ohicial at all Nor had the doc
tor SO much as met him. but had merely
read OF him in connection with a small
sensation at the suburban branch which
my namesake managed; an armed rob-
ber had been rather pluckily meaten OF.
with bullet in him. by this Rafies. and
the sort Of thing was so common out
there that this was the first had heard
Of It! A suburban branch-my hnancier
had faded into som excellent fellow
with a billet to lose II he called his soul
his own Still manager was q man.
Iger. and said would soon see wheth-
er this was the relative was looking for,
If he would be good enough to give me
the name Of that branch
Tn do more says the doctor. TN
get you the name of the branch he's been
promoted to. for I think heard they'd
moved him VI one al eady.'
And the next day he brought me the
name of the township of Yea, some fifty
miles north of Melbourne; but. with the
vaCucness which characterized all his
information, he was unable to say wheth-
er should find my relative there or not.
He's a single man. and his initials
are W. F. said the doctor. who was Ger
tain enough of the immateriaI points.
He left his old post several days ago,
but it appears he's not due at the new
one till the new year. No doubt he'u 20
before then to take things over and set
tie in You might find him up there and
you might not If I werr you should !
write
'''That'n lose two days said 1. and
ha cpst
quite keen on this up-country manager.
and 1 felt that If 1 could get at him |
whils the holidays were still on a little |
conviviality might help matters consid-
erably.
Then said the doctor. I should get
a quiet horse and ride. You needn't use
that hand
But where can l get a horse"
The doctor thought a moment.
I've a mare of my own that's as fat
as butter for want OF work. said he Tt
would be a charity to me to sit on her
back for a hundred miles or so, and then
1 should know you'd have no termination
to use that hand
ioure lar III SoodP ] protested.
You're A J. Raties.' he said.
And II ever there was a prettier COM
plnent. or a finer instance of even CO.
lonial hospitality. can only say, Bunny,
that never heard of either"
He slipped his whi-ky, threw away the
stump of his cigarette. and lit another
before continuing.
We'll. 1 managed to write a line tn
". F. with my own hand. which. as you
will gather. was not very badly wounded.
1T was simply this third finger that
was split and in splints- Next morning
he doctor packed me on on a bovine
'east that would have done for an am
,ulsnca
1T was an interesting ride enough The}
irst thirty miles or so was a good metal
cad. but after Whittlesea IL was a mere
rack over the ranges. a track 1 often
ouldn't see and left entirely to the mare.
n one place a whole forest of gums had ,
'een ring barked. and were lust as
hough they had b painted white,
Without leaf or a living thing for miles.
And the first living thing / did meet 1
vas the sort 10 give yor the creepa II ,
vas rideriess horse coming full tilt ,
through the bush. with the saddle twisted
ound and the stirrup irons ringing. G
Without thinking 1 had n shot NJ b.,a | -.