The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-07-31
che BLACK GANG

clerks, who had been surreptitiously
peeping through the open door, melted
rapidly away, while from his chair
Mr.. Latter watched the scene fasci-
mated. He was reminded Of bird
and snake, and suddenly he gave
little shudder as he realized that his
own position was in reality much the
same as that of the unfortunate
Cohen.
And then just as the tension was
becoming unbearable there came the
interruption. Outside in the passage,
clear and distinct, there sounded twice
the boot of an owl. To Mr.. Latter
it meant nothing; to the frightened
little Jew it meant nothing; but on
the count the effect was electrical.
With quickness incredible in one
so deformed he was at the door, and
into the passage, hurting Cohen out
of his way into corner. His power
full fists were clenched by his side:
the veins in his neck were standing
out like whipcord. But to Mr.. Lat
ter's surprise he made no movement,
and rising from his chair he too peered
round the door along the passage,
only to Stagger back after a second
or two with feeling of sick fear
in his soul, and a sudden dryness in
the throat. For twenty yards away.
framed in the doorway at the head
of the stairs leading down to the office
below, he had seen a huge, motionless
figure. For perceptible time he had
stared at it, and it had seemed to
stare at him. Then the door had
shut, and on the other side key
had turned. And the figure had been
draped from head to foot in black.
Charles, Latter was immoral rather
than immoral: he was constitutional
coward with strong liking for I'M
derhand intrigue. and he was utterly
and entirely selfish. In his way he
was ambitious; he wanted power, but,
though in many respects he was dis
tinctly able, he lacked that essential
factor-the ability to work for it. He
hated work: he wanted easy results.
And to obtain lasting results Is not
easy, as Mr.. Latter gradually discov-f
cred. A capability for making flashy
speeches covered with a veneer of
cleverness is an undoubted asset, but
it is an asset the value of which
has been gagged to nicely by the
men who count. And so as time went
on, and the epoch-making day when
he had been returned to parliament
faded into the past. Mr.. Latter real
lied himself for what he was-a
thing of no account. And the realiza-
ton was as gall and wormwood to
his soul. 1t is a realization which
comes to many men, and it takes them
different ways. Some become resigned
some make new and even more
futile efforts: some see the humor
of it, and some don't. Mr.. Latter
didn't: he became spiteful. And
spiteful coward is nasty thing.
1t was just about that time that he
met Count Zadowa. 1t was at dinner
at friends house, and after the
ladies had left he found himself sit
ting next to the hunchback with the
strange, piercing eyes. He wasn't
conscious of having said very much:
he would have been amazed had he
been told that within ten minutes this
charming foreigner had read his I'M
pleasant little mind like a book, and
had reached certain and definite de-
cision. In fact, looking back on the
past few months. Mr.. Latter was at
loss to account as to how things had
reached their present pass. Had he
been told when he stood for parlia-
ment, Haunting all the old hackneyed
formusae, that within two years he
would be secretly engaged in red-hot
Communist work, he would have
laughed the idea to scorn. Anarchy,
too: nasty word but the only one
that fitted the bomb outrage in Man.
chester which he had himself organ
lied. Sometimes in the night, he used
to wake and lie sweating as he thought
OF that episode
And gradually it Had become worse
and worse. Little by little the charm
ing Count Zadowa. realizing that Mr..
Latter possessed just those gifts which
he could utilize to advantage, had
ceased to be charming. There were
many advantages in having a men,
Der of parliament as chief liaison
officer.
There had been that first small slip
when he signed receipt for money
paid him to- address a revolutionary
meeting in South Wales during the
coal strike. And the receipt specified
the service rendered. An unpleasant
document in view Of the fact that his
principal supporters in his constitu-
ency were coal-owners. And after
that the descent had been rapid.