The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1916-03-22
Stingaree
BY T.. ". HORNUNG.
Copyright by Charles ScribnRr's Sons

Al ldSI ne opened one eye nlJle. III
was met by no answering furtive
glance. He opened the other, and
there could be no more doubt. The ter
rible superintendent was doing In his
place, but 1t was the lightest sort of
doze. The eyes were scarcely closed
and all but watching Stingaree as the
cooked revolver In the relaxed hand all
but covered him. The prisoner felt
that for the moment he was unseen.
forgotten, but that the lightest move
ment of his body would open those ter
rible eyes once and for all. Be It re
membered that he was lying under
them lengthwise on the bound arm.
with the arm in the sling uppermost
and easily to be freed, but yet the most
salient part of the recumbent figure
and that on which the hidden eyes still
seemed fixed for all their lids. To
make the least movement there, TO at.
tempt the slowest withdrawal OF hand
and arm, was TO court the last disaster
of discovery In such an act. But to lie
mOtionless down TO the thighs and to
execute flank movement with the leg
uppermost was far less perllous ex-
plot. 1t was the leg with the bare
foot Every detail had been foresecn
And now at last the bare foot lowered
over the revolver and the hand It held.
while the upper man yet lay like a log
under those drOwsy, dreadful eyes.
Stlngaree took a last look at the bar
rel dropping from the slackened hand.
The back Of the hand lay on the
ground, the muzzle Of the barrel was
filled with sand, and yet the angle was
such that il was 10y no means sure
whether a bullet would bury itself in
the sand or I'm Stingaree. He took the
risk, and with his bare toe he touched
the trigger sharply. There was a hor-
rible explosion. 1t brought the drOwsy
superintendent to his senses with such
a jerk that it was as though the smok.
ing pistol had leaped out Of his hand u
thing alive and So into the hand that
flashed to meet It from the sling. And
almost IN the same second, while the
double cloud of smoke and sand still
hung between them, Stingaree sprang
from the ground an armed man once
more.
"Sit where you are!' he Numbered
up with those hands before l shoot
them to shreds! Your LIES I'm less
danger than mine has been all day,
but I'll wing you limb by limb II you
offer TO budger'
With uplifted hands above his ears,
the defOrmed officer sat with head and
shoulders depressed into the semblance
of one sphere. Not syllable did he
utter, Stingaree stood wriggling and
fumbling at the coil which bound his
left arm to his side. Suddenly the re-
volyer went Off as If by accident, but
so much by design that there dangled
two ends of rope, cut and burned asun-
der by lead and powder. In less than
minute the bushranger was unbound,
and before the minute was up he had
leaped upon the superintendent thor.
oughbred. 1t had been tethered all
this time to tree, swishlng tails with
the station hack which Shngaree had
ridden as a captive. He now rode the
thoroughbred and led the hack TO the
very feet OF the Inundated Cairns.
81 will thank you for that water
bag" said stingaree, Il am much
obliged. And now I'll trouble you for
that nice wideawake. You really don't
need Il in the shade Thank you so
muchr
He received both bag and hat ON
the barrel OF the government revolver.
hooking the one to its proper saddle
strap and clapping on the other at an
angle inimitably initiative Of the out
witted officer
81 won't carry the rehearsal any
further to your face" continued Stinga.
rec, but | can at least promise you n
more fatterlng portrait than the last.
and this excellent coat. which you have
so considerably left strapped 10 your
saddle. should contribute greatly TO the
yerisimilitude. Dare | hope that you
begin TO appreciate some of the points
OF my performance, so far as II has
gone? The preteXt on which barred my
foot for its delicate job under your very
eyes, Ell? Not so vain as It looked In
either sense fancy. Should you have
said that your hand would recoil from
revolver the moment II went of? You
see, staked my NE on II, and I've
won. Aud what about that fall? II
was the lottery. ! was prepared to
nave my head cracked like an egg, and
It's still pretty sore. The broken wrist
wasn't your fault; II had passed into
the accepted situation before you turn
ed up. And you would certainly have
seen that was shamming sleep II we
hadn't both been SO genuinely sleepy
at the time l give you my word. |
very nearly threw up the whole thing
for forty winks! ANY other point on
which you could wish enlightenmentl
Then let me thank YOU with all my
heart for one Of the worst days and
some OF the greatest moments I'm my
I whole career"
But the crooked man answered never
a word as he sat IA a ball with uplifted
palms aud glaring. uptuned, unc0n.
ouora lila ayes