Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-02-17

illusions when strangers dining in the
restaurants on the night before, by
way Of Observation-Disclosures who
wore all the hallmarks Of police de
! tectives from England. caGechized one
about person whose description was
| the portrait Of Bourke, and promised
hundred-franc note for Information
| concerning the habits and where
abouts Of that person. If seen.
Marcel added. while Bonrke gasped
| for breath. that the gentleman in ques
| ton had spoken to him alone. in the
| absence Of other walters, and had
been fobbed off with lie
But why-Bourke wanted to know
had Marcel lied to save him. when the
| truth would have earned aim a hun.
| bred francs?
Because" Marcel explained coolly
| IT, too. am thief Monsieur will per
I ceive it was a matter OF professional
honor"
Now the Irish have their faults. but
/ tngratitude is not Of their number.
Bourke. packing hastily to leave
Paris, France, and Europe by the first
feasible route. still found time to CUES
ton Marcel briefly, anG what he
learned from the boy about his ante
cedents so worked with gratitude upon
| the 1rishman's sentimental nature that
when, on the third day following, the
| Cunarder Carpathia left Naples for
| New York. she carried among her
| f1rst-class passengers not only a gen
| tleman whose brilliant black hair and
| glowing pink complexion rendered him
a bit too conspicuous for his own com
| fort, but also. in the second cabin. his
valet. a boy of sixteen who looked
eighteen.
The gentleman's name IN the pas
senger list didn't, Of course, in the
least resemble Bourke. His Wallets
was given as Michael Lanyard.
| The origin of this name IS obscure
| Michael, being easily corrupted into
good Irish Mickey, may safely be at
| tributed to Bourke: Lanyard has a
| tang of the sea which suggests a rem.
iniscence of some sea tale priced by
the pseudo Marcel Troyor.
In New York began the second stage
in the education of a professional
criminal The boy would have
searched far to find preceptor OF
more sound attachments than Bourke
| 1t is, however. only fair to say that
| Bourke would have looked far for an
apter pupil.
Under his tuteIage Michael Ian.
| yard learned many things; he became
mathematician of considerable prom.
| Use, an expert mechanician, a con
noisseur Of armor plate and explosives
in their more pacific applications, and
| he learned to grade precious stones
with a glance. Also. because Bourke
was born Of gentlefolk, he learned to
| speak English and what clothes to
wear and when to wear them, as well
as the cultivated use OF knife and
| fork at table; and because Bourke was
a diplomatist doomed to blush unseen,
| he acquired the knack of being at ease
| in every grade of society-he came to
know that a self-made millionaire,
taken the right way, is as approach
! able as one whose millions date back
| even unto the third generation; he
could order a dinner at Sherry's as
readily as drinks at Sharkey's. Most
valuable accomplishment of all, he
| learned to laugh.
| By way of by-products he picked up
a working acquaintance with Ameri-
can, English and German slang
French slang he already knew as a
mother tongue - considerable geo.
graphical knowledge of the capitals of
| Europe, America and Illinois, taste
that disseminated between tobacco
and the stuff sold as such in France
and genuine passion for fine paint.
| ings.
| Finally Bourke drilled into his ap-
prentice the three cardinal principles
| Of successful cracksmanship-to know
| his ground thoroughly before ventur-
| ing upon it; to strike and retreat with
be friendless.
And the last of these was the great.
! est.
You're promising lad" he said
so often that Lanyard would almost
vince from that formula Of introd'lc
tton-"a promising lad, though it's sad
| should be to say 1t instead OF proud
as I am. For I've made ye-but for
me you'd long since have matricu-
lated at La Tour Pointue and gradu-
ated with the canaille of the Sante.
And in time you may become first
chop operator, which I'm not and
never will be; but if you do, twill be
through fighting shy of two things.
| The first Of them's woman, and the
| second is man. To make a friend of
a man you must lower your guard. Or
| dinarily it's fatal AS for woman, re-
member this, m lad: to let love into
| your life you must open a door no
mortal hand can close. And God only
| knows whatl1 follow in.
| eff ever you find you've fallen in
love and can't fall out, cut the game
on the instant, or you'll end wearing
| stripes or broad arrows-the same as
myself would, il this cursed cough
wasn't going to be the death of me.
| No, M lad take a fools advice you'll
never get better) and when you're
shet of me, which will be soon, I'm
| thinking, take the lonesome road and
stick to the middle of it. He travels
the fastest who travels alone is a
true saying, but tbs only half the
| truth: he travels the farthest into the