Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-03

not getting his note in time. though.
another second and you were cie~"
"Worse luck~ Have you seen this
bill at all?"
Here's a COPY. 'Twont take You .
moment to glance your eyes over it,
Short and sweet. 1t seems all rigne.
The law about voluntary deeds wants
strengthening badly. 1 wonder wnat
old Sharkey means by asking me 70
block it,
ct can tell you" And in a few words
he told him the whole story.
Mr.. Hardy whistled apologet1caiIy.
Very sorry, old man." he said. beass-
ly shame Of Sharkey to get me to do
his dirty work. 1t shan't occur again.
I promise you.
Next morning, away In Mount Eagle,
Miss Trixie Mordant was up early. ana
restless She was at the telegraph Of
fee before it opened. with the evitable
Mr.. Jerome Bloodsmith, OF course.
dancing attendance. This Is the mes
sage that was licked out as her COM
panion stood holding the bicycies AT
the door of the telegraph once Whiie
Miss Trixie waited inside:
"All serene Bill blocked last night
Snow starts by morning mail for hatn.
cool with deed engrossed for e1eou-
'Hooray." shouted the irrepressible
Miss Trixfe, when these tickings In the
form of written words on pink paper
were handed to her politely by the
clerk.
But when she danced to the door.
waving the pink paper triumphantly,
she caught a back view Of MT. Jerome
Bloodsmith, head well over the handles
of his bicycle. flying up the hill back
to the hotel.
my eye" she exclaimed in amaze
ment, what's come to that fellowT
Meanwhile Mr.. Beck-for he was MT.
Beck again, in spite OF the peacn-
blossom complexion and the amber
colored mustache-was strangely oc-
cupied in his locked bedroom. There
was a timetable open beside MIN, ana
q big railway map OF Ireland spread
out on the quilt OF his bed. at which
he was busy with a pair of compasses
and blue pencil
After a brief study Of the timetable
he turned to the map and marked a
spot on the Southern Trunk railway
bridge at the head Of the steepest
gradient on the line. Then he con-
suited the timetable again. The spot
he marked was almost midway be-
The third station farther on was the
'Rathcool and Knockcrany junction, "
which branched of thirty miles OF
narrow-gauge, ending at Rathcool The
the spot he marked at about 8 o'clock
pm. The local train that met it at the
Junction was the last that night The
earliest train next day was timed to
start at 2:35 pm. and arrive at 4:o5 at
Rathcool.
Then Mr.. Beck measured the dis
lance carefully with his compass be-
tween the blue spot he had marked
out on the map and Mount Eagle. in
the County of Clare, and licked the
miles off on the scale.
"a little more than hundred, he
muttered. There is time enough to
do it. But it's deuced risky work and
dead against the law. Well, I've helped
must make allowance this once. Be-
sides. the job is Mr.. Bloodsmith's, not
Mr.. Beck's, and it is the last-the very
last-chance of helping the little lady
So here goes"'
His mind made up. he lost no time
in preparation. He thrust himself into
a thin. plain. dark-colored outing suit
in which the great muscles of his legs
and arms rolled and swelled. He fished
out a strong bicycle bag. fitted with
bar. and packed in very singular
fashion. The two tin cans which held
the oil for his bicycle lamp and the
lubricating oil for the bearings were
ed expedition. These two greasy cans
both quite full, he wrapped up care
fully in a couple of Mr.. Bloodsmfth's
large. handsome silk handkerchiefs and
cramn1ed into the bag.
Quietly and quickly the bag was
fitted to the bars, and Mr.. Beck slipped
into the saddle at the hotel door and
was off at a good. steady twelve miles
an hour. A strong head wind blew out
of the southeast, but he bent his head
and shoulders against it and butted
his way stubbornly along. -
All day long on his high geared ma
chine Mr.. Beck pushed on at the same
steady, unchanging, untiring pace.
Only once, when more than half OF
his journey was accomplished. did he
stop at a wayside inn for q crust OF
bread and pint Of stout.
Evening began to close in. His cy-
clometer marked eighty-four miles al
ready covered. Looking at his watch
of which he could hardly distinguish
the figures in the gathering dusk, Mr.