Newspaper Page Text
WATEHBTJKY EVENING DEMOCRAT, WKIJVKSDAY, JULY 20, 1904. The Turnbull Company Eff; "39 East Main Street. TELEPHONE 355-2. Free Delivery Watervllle Delivery Every Friday. Reliable Goods at Lower Prices Than any Other House in Waterbury. Hunt Trading Stamps with all Purchases, SEMI-ANNUAL Reduction Sale The Combination of This Great Sale with Our Regular THURSDAY and FRIDAY RARGAIN DAYS 1 Brings together the greatest list of values that we I have ever offered at once. We can mention only I a small part here. - - ! " - r - AH 15c and 19c Wash Goods 6 V4c. All Wash Goods in our stock which we have been selling at 15c and 19c to go at this price. They comprise silk finish dim ities, beautiful corded lawns, regular dim ities and other beautiful wash muslins. This is the opportunity of the season. Oil Stoves Half Price. $1.75 4-wick oil stoves at $1 each. $ 2-wick oil stoves at 49c each. $2.50 Universal Bread Mixer at 1.49. 25c Enamel Dish Pans at 10c each. 50c and 75c steel enamel Coffee and Tea Pots at 25c each. j $1.50 complete ;,se Sad Irons at 93c set. 25c 50-foot Clothes Line for 10c. . Grocery Department. 100 Stamps with 1 lb best Tea at 60c 50 " " " " Coffee at 35c 10 " " 1-4 lb Pepper, 10c 10 10 ' 10 10 50 10 Stamps with 1-4 lb Mustard, 10c ' I lb Rice, 10c " 1 pkg Corn Starch, 10c " 1 bottle Ammonia, 10c " 1 bottle Ketchup, 10c " 1 bottle Eradeline, 25c 20 lbs Granulated Sugar for $1. Ladies' Knit Underwear f Ladies' 19c Jersey Ribbed Vests for 10c each Ladies' 50c Underwear, all kinds, 39c a garment Ladies' $1 Union Suits, 25c each lr ' Crockery, iOc White Tea Plates for 10c White Dinner Plates for 1 0c fancy decorated Plates at J0c fancy decorated Soup Plates at 4 for 25c 5c white Pickle Dishes, 5c white Cream Pitchers, 39c white Vegetable Dishes at. 2c each 3c each 4 for 25c 2 for 5c 2 for 5c 15c each S 1 SCOUNDRELS CoH f I mi i mm l Br COULSON KERNAHAN Author of "Captain shannon, "a Book of Strongs Sins," . 'a Bead. Man' Diary," Etc. JK. J Copyright, 1899, by Herbert S. Stb&a & Co. me to tell him whether what I knew was known to others, he would then be aware with whom he had .to deal; but If he were j in too great, a haste to make what he called "dead meat" of me, he would have no other oppor tunity of obtaining the information he desired. But that he would spare me one minute longer than suited his purpose I did not, for a moment, suppose, and I had all along decided that I must wait for my opportunity, and when it. came, take it. That, opportunity had, r""Twon't do!" he said, decisively. ;But come, I'll give you a chance. You say you are Councillor Number igeven. "What's his real name, then?" ThiB was a poser which I tried to evade by answering his question with another question: "Didn't you tell me yourself at the last meeting of the council on board the yacht that the names of the differ ent members were kept secret?" "So that's how the land lies, Is it?" lie said, with a whisUe. "You were concealed on that yacht, were you? You were a brave man and a bold one, my friend, to have put your head into that den of lions. It seems a pity to spill such brains as yours for nothing. Let me see if I can't find out something about you for myself, since you won't tell me. Put your left hand in the breast-pocket of your coat and take out any papers you have there. But don't forget that the revolver is at your forehead all the time, and at the first sign of disobedience or of anything like .hanky-panky snap goes the trigger, and bang goes your life." I did as he told me, and took from my pocket the only paper which it con "iained. It happened to be no other than the very document giving notice g the place and date of the meeting, 9 attend which I was then on my way. As the reader knows, I had taken it from the pocket of the dead man whom I was personating, and when I realized wbM document it was, I knew tnat the sight of it would bring mat ters to a crisis. As yet, however, Number One had ttot recognized it, for it was folded when I took it from my pocket and held it out to him. "No, thank you, my friend," he said, with an ugly smile. "It's very kind of you to wish to take me into your confidence in regard to your private papers. You have no doubt over looked the trifling fact that if I took that paper into my hand to open it, my attention would be withdrawn from your agreeable self. Not that you would take any unfair advantage of my pre-occupation, I am sure. But somehow this little bit of cold steel with which I am cooling your heated C-Jjrow seems to have so beneficial in fluence upon you seems so to stimu late your faculties and to render you so willing and obliging that I should be sorry to deprive you of its influence. Perhaps you will favor me by opening that paper and holding it out before you, so that I can read It without hav ing to remove this little plaything from your forehead. No. wait a mo ment. I think we'll have a bigger tar get this time. If your head were by any chance to Jerk aside while I am engaged, I might miss you when I pull the trigger, and get into trouble with the railway company for damaging the paddings of the carriage. Sit still now, while I shift the popgun." So saying, he slowly lowered the re volver till It was between my eyes. Then he brought it down the bridge pf my nose until it was over my mouth, and I could smell burnt powder, and thence he let it travel down my chin and my neck till It was pressing against my breast-bone. "Just an inch or two to the left," be said, suiting the action to the word, "and we shall be all right. There! now we're snug and comfortable. If you'll kindly open out that paper and hold it so that I can read it, I'll be obliged to you." I did as he told me, but with unwill ing fingers, for I knew that the sight of it would, as I have already said, bring matters to a crisis. Nor was I mistaken, for the start which he gave when he set eyes on it was so great that I felt the revolver leap against my chest, and was minded to cry out to him to have a care lest he slipped the trigger. "My God!" he said, "this is worse than I looked for. Either that man Number Seven has played us false or else you killed him before you got possession of this." As he spoke he bent forward slight ly to assure himself that the document was not a forgery, and thus gave me what I knew was my only chance. His fine words about wishing to spare my life I took no account of, knowing very well that had he not wished to discover who I was and how I came by the knowledge I possessed, he would have shot me at sight If by promising me my life he could Indues at my forehead, with what result the reader knows. Again he pulled the trigger, and yet again. Bach time the weapon derided him with a harmless click, as if it were, so to speak, putting its tongue in its cheek. With an oath he flung it from him, and at that moment the engine of the train whistled for the stoppage at Benfleet. "That settles the matter," said Num ber One, standing up to stretch him self and then sliding his hands into his trouser pockets negligently. "I'm beaten, and I'm ready to take my de feat like a gentleman and surrender quietly. Do you intend to hand me. over to the authorities here or at Southend?" "I , didn't say I was going to hand you over to the authorities," I an swered; "I'm not a detective. But the authorities at this hole of a place and at this time of the night consist in all probability of a boy who takes the tickets. I don't think we'll trouble him." "As you like," he said, indifferently, sitting down with outstretched legs and looking at his boots critically. "As you like, my friend. It's all the same to me." I made no answer, but when the train was moving again after leaving Ben fleet station he walked to the window near which I was sitting and leant out. as he said, to get a breath of air. As he leant, resting on his arms, fet kept up a constant chatter of conversa tion, turning his head every now and then to look at me. I pre lended to be Indifferent to what he was saying and to his movements, but I promise you that I kept a keen eye upon him all the same. And as the event proved, I had reason to sus pect him, ior when he turned round to look back at me with some banter by which he hoped to distract my atten tion, he slyly slipped out a fist and turned the door-handle. This done he withdrew his head and walked to the other end of the carriage. ".I'll wish you good-night, my friend," lie said. "I'm going to open this door and hang on to the footboard till the train is slowing off outside Leigh, and then I shall drop off and slip away." I very naturally sprang to my feet to prevent him, when having got me, as had, no doubt, been his plan, be tween himself and the unfastened door, he suddenly leapt upon me, to push me against it, and so but upon the line. But I was not the fool for which he took me, for, divining his purpose, I dropped suddenly down, so that miss ing me he fell heavily against the door, and the handle being turned, pitched out head foremost upon the line. Very quickly I shut the door again, and when we got to Leigh I took Ijis bag from the rack and giving up my ticket passed out. The village was now almost in darkness, so, turning in the direction whence we had come, I skirt ed the line till I came to a gate, which KI climbed and walked back between the rails till I came to the body. Number One was lying on his back with his brains dashed out. "I've been instrumental in sending two of these seven ruffians to their ac count," I said. "Now I'll pay a visit to the gipsy wagon, according to instruc tions, and interview the other five.'' THAT OPPORTUNITY HAD, I FELT, NOW COME. I felt, now come, so when he bent forward to look more closely at the document, I let go of the thing and struck with all my strength at the hand that held the revolver hoping to dash the weapon aside. Had things been as he thought they were, that moment would have been my last, for he had, no doubt, expected some such onslaught, and had made of his. arm a very bar of iron, so that my blow scarce budged the revolver an Inch. At the same moment he pulled the trigger, and, knowing what was com ing, I shut my eyes and waited to feel my life rush out of the hole made by the bullet. But, to his and my astonishment, the revolver gave tongue to no more deadly sound than a click, and, look ing down, I saw, to my amazement and joy, that It was my own unloaded re volver he was holding. I had, no doubt, surprised him by awakening while he was bending over me, and, catching sight of my revolver in my pocket, and having no weapon of his own, he had In all probability snatched at It. and had presented It CHAPTER VI. I ATTEND THE COUNCIL OF SCOUN DRELS. "Who's there?" said a voice from within, in response to the stealthy summons which I rapped upon the door of the gipsy wagon where the council was assembled. "Number Seven," I made answer, in accordance with instructions. I heard a bolt slip in its socket, but the door was opened so cautiously that there was scarcely space for me to squeeze in. Nor should I have been sbrry to have squeezed out again the next instant, for, though tne ngnt was of the dimmest, the air was too sooty and greasy with the stench of burning colza that it stuck in my throat like a mouthful of oily soup, and I felt my stomach twisting in protest under my belt. The next instant the light, which ap parently had been turned down at my summons, was turned up again. I cannot say that the interior of the wagon was much pleasanter to the senBe of sight than to the sense of smell, for the smoky lamplight so' jaundiced the faces of the six of us, that we resembled nothing so much as & batch of sea-sick passengers who look askance at each other, wondering who will be the first to give the signal to succumb. "We are waiting for our chief, Coun cillor Number One," said the man who had opened the door. "Did you pass any one like him on the road, Council lor Number Seven? He would, of course, be wearing his councillor's dis guise, but whether he had his bag with him, as usual, I can't say." I did not consider it advisable to in form this honored colleague of mine that the bag to which he alluded was tucked away in a hayrick, where I had bestowed it only a few minutes before, and that the owner of the article was lying on the railway line with his brains on the wrong side of his head, so I contented myself by replying that I had seen no one after I had left Leigh. The man at the door Inclined his head gravely in acknowledgment, but said no further word, and for some quarter of an hour we stood there with out speaking. Except for our breath ing and the ticking of our watches, there was a silence which every mo ment became more oppressive and more aggressive. To my overwrought nerves It seemed singing with disas ter. It was like a brooding presence, ominous of evil, and soon what with the fetid air and the heat of the place I began to feel light-hlded, and could have sworn that this same silence had slowly begun to gyrate around me, like a gigantic wheel that increased in mo mentum with every revolution. Nor was I the only one of the company with "nerves," for when a sleepy but would-be-sober beetle, gravely wheel ing homeward from some seductive beetle-haunt, blundered against a win dow pane as a drunkard, who, vowing that he can walk straight, reels against a tavern door the whole six of us jumped like staruea cats at the sound of his horny tap. The Incident was not, however, with out a sequel, for one of the party (I dis covered afterwards that he was Num ber Two), whose "jump" had been ac companied by a word unaccustomed to ears polite, but whose sins were not all uncovered by that cloak to the wearer of which much may be for given, that cloak which can transform the raggedest of rascals into a present able personage and an agreeable com panion need I say I mean a sense of humor? took advantage of the diver sion to make a sensible suggestion. He remarked that he had always been taught and was quite prepared to ad mit the truth of the Scriptural pre cept that "the way of transgressors is hard," but as for himself he did not see why the transgressors as he pre sumed the occupants of that wagon were should be poisoned in this world as well as roasted in the next, and he begged leave to move that either the door or the window be opened. It was not a brilliant observation, but it brought about, two good results the letting in of some fresh air and the letting out of the awkward con straint which had bound us. Laughter is the greatest of levellers. To ask a man to drink with you which, ac cording to our English social code, is the very running up of the flag of fel lowship is not half so effective in setting you and him upon good terms with each other, as is a hearty laugh in common. Prom laughing at this allu sion to the way of transgressors we went on to discussing the situation as It then presented itself, and as there was still no sign of the advent of Num ber One, we decided that something had happened to detain him, and that, as we could do nothing without him, we had best postpone the discussion of business till the next day, when he would, no doubt, make an opportunity to join us. In the meantime we must pass the night where we were, so each of us proceeded to make himself as comfortable or, rather, as little uncom fortable as he could In our very lux urious lodgings. For myself, what with the unusmal circumstances, tho tragic struggle In the train, the im patient tossings, turnings, twistings and sighings of my companions, vainly straining after ease on their most un easy couches, I slept never a wink all night, and was glad indeed when morn ing was far enough advanced for one of us to venture abroad in search of breakfast for his colleagues. It was not long before he hurried back empty handed, bringing us, In place of break fast, news which was no news to me. "Fellow councillors," he said, with evident agitation, "I have terrible tid ings for you. Our chief, Number One, was killed on the railway last night. He must have been walking along the line on his way to join us, when he was knocked down between Benfleet vand Leigh by a passing train. They were bringing his body in when I got into the village, and, though he was wearing no beard, I recognized him at once," For half a minute no one spoke, and then one of the councillors said cu riously "How did you recognize him if he wasn't disguised?" "By his clothes, in the first place," was the answer. "He had the blue serge suit, turn-down collar and spot ted tie which we all wear. But I should have recognized him quite apart from that, for I was to some ex tent in his confidence, and, in fact, met him by appointment only two days ago." "Who are you, then?" said the man who had constituted himself spokes man. "I am Councillor Number Two the oldest member of the society, next to our late chief. I was the first man to whom he unfolded his schemes and I was the first whom he invited to be come a councillor." "Can you prove this?" asked the other. "I don't mean that I doubt your word, but, as none of us knows each other's name, there is nothing to prevent any of us from claiming that he Is the senior member of the council. And If Number One Is really dead, it will be necessary to elect his successor without delay, if the work of this so ciety is to be carried on." "Quite so," said Number Two. "Who is to be that successor will be for the council to decide, and need not yet be discussed, but as you challenge my statement and call upon me to prove that I really was In our dead chief's confidence let me ask If you or any other councillor can tell us what busi ness was to be discussed at the meet ing last night?" ., "No, I can't," said the spokesman. "Is there any other councillor present who can?" He looked around inquiringly, but no one spoke, and with something of a triumphant air, Number Two went on. "The business whleh was to come before the meeting was two-fold. First the newly-appointed Councillor Num ber Seven was to make his report in regard to the removal of the traitor, Councillor Number Seven that was. "Go on," said the other, nodding. "We might have guessed that far, even without being in the confidence of the chief." "The second business," said Council lor Number Two, without noticing the interruption, "was to arrange a mat ter of importance. A week or so ago the police raided a house, No. 89 Fas sett Square, Dalston, in which a con siderable quantity of dynamite was stored. That dynamite had been brought there from the continent by a man in the pay of our chief, acting on behalf of the council. Can any one present tell us the sequel of the raid?" He paused and looked around in quirlngly, but received no answer. "I thought not," said Number Two, with evident satisfaction. "I can, as it was told me by our chief himself Listen! The police made what they thought a big haul of dynamite, but they have left behind them more than they took away, and last night the facts were to have been placed before the council, that the dynamite might be secured and used for the carrying out of an enterprise which Number One has long been contemplating. Can any one tell me where the explosive which the police failed to find was con cealed?" i . M Again there was a sullen silence. Then Number Two went on speaking with the air of a man who feels that he has the game In his own hands. "In the cellar of the house I am speak ing of there were a few dozen bottles of wine, half a dozen bottles of spirit and a small cask of beer. The wine and spirit the police took with them and the beer they drank, leaving what they supposed was the empty barrel behind them. Their way of looking at things evidently was that, as bar rels were made to contain beer, and as this particular barrel did contain beer and good beer and beer was maae to be drunk, all they had to do was to drink the beer and there was an end of the matter. If they had taken the trouble to ascertain whether the barrel contained anything else but beer they would have left the house with full hands as well as with full bellies, for the barrel waa divided into two compartments, the lower containing tha concoction of the devil, as our teetotal friends would call it Double X, and the upper that pretty little plaything, which it has been left to man and not to the devil, to devise dynamite. "Well, gentlemen," he went on, in a brisker and more business-like tone, "you all know the stony of the quarrel between Lord Cranthorpe and his work people that he has reduced the wages of more than 1,000 men and women who work in his mill, taking 20 per cent, off the men's payment and 25 off the women's, and has refused to lis ten to anything which is to be said on behalf of the people or to receive a dep utation on the subject. He has taken advantage of the fact that he Is roll ing in money and that they are en tirely dependent upon their earnings to act toward his fellow-countrymen as the rich acts towards the poor in Russia. At this moment hundreds of families are starving through his greed. He is the best-hated man in England to-day, and nothing we can do would make the societies which we direct more popular among the people who support us than a blow aimed at him. This dynamite of which I have spoken was brought to England by the Instruction of our late chief, who had intended at the next meeting of the council to propose the blowing up of Lord Cranthorpe's house in Plantag enet Square. If this could be accom plished by us successfully it would give a wonderful stimulus to our work all over the world, and would cause sub scriptions to pour in, which, as the first handling of whatever money is sub scribed is one of the privileges (shall I say perquisites?) of being on the council, is a very desirable state of af fairs. Gentlemen, there is not a mo ment to lose. I know the house where the dynamite is concealed. If you will appoint another member to act with me, I will endeavor to obtain posses sion of the explosive that is concealed at Fassett Square, and to meet you here at midnight this day week, that we may make the necessary arrange ments for using the dynamite in the manner in which our late chief in tended I mean in blowing up Lord Cranthorpe's house in Plantagenet Square." He paused and looked around him in a somewhat dramatic, not to say melo dramatic, manner. But he had spoken so confidently and with such evident conviction that it was very plain he carried his hearers with him. Just as we see a thread of ringed fire shine out upon the charred edges of a sheet of paper, when a live coal has dropped from the grate, so, as the last words fell from his lips, there ran around the circle of listening councillors a thin murmur of unmistakable approval. In the next instant as the ring of smoul dering fire breaks out into open flame the murmur of approbation swelled Into something like enthusiastic ap plause, and the very councillor who had hitherto seemed suspicious of Number Two's credentials called out "Hands up, those who vote that Number Two's proposal be accepted." Like a parcel of school-boys who shoot out eager hands for permission to reply to an easy question which has been asked by the master, the whole of the listening councillors (myself in cluded, for I thought it wise to stim ulate the cmthuslasm of my quondam colleagues) held up an assenting fist. "Against," called out the self-constituted chairman; and there being no response, he, so to speak, let fall the hammer with a decisive "nem. con." "Thank you, brother councillors, for this mark of confidence," said Number Two. "The dynamite should not be left in that house an hour longer than Is necessary. I should like, if possible, that I and whoever be appointed to work with me should catch the next train up, and I beg to propose that all other buslnass before the council be postponed until we meet here seven days hence at midnight." This also receiving the assent of the meeting, the council next proceeded to settle who should act with Numoer Two in obtaining possession of the dy namite. Lots were cast, and the duty falling to the share of Number Three, he was instructed to join Number Two in London, traveling thither by the other line, to avoid attracting attention. "The only matter that remains for us to settle," said our self-constituted chairman, Number Two, "Is that of our departure from this wagon. We must go at different times and by dif ferent routes; and as Number Two and Number Three are leaving this morn ing, I propose that Numbers Four and Five should wait until nightfall, and go by different routes, and that Num bers Six and Seven should leave to morrow morning, one traveling by the Tilbury line and the other by the Great Eastern." This was an arrangement by n means' to my liking, as it would givs Number Two and Number Three a day's start of me, and I had made up my mind to devote my best energies to frustrating their attempt to lay hands upon the dynamite. But, as my colleagues, Number Four, Number Five and Number Six, gave ready assent to the proposal, I did not think it wlsnH demur, though I confess It was with no little reluctance that I saw NumbiJ Two and Number Three depart upon their errand of devilry. (To Be Continued.) Bhort-Sighted. Wen that have to look out constantly seldom have a wide outlook. Indian apolis Nows. rfiy Not Look Over If Your House $ and see if you do not need some new work, or old work repaired, in the plumbing or heating or conductors, and now is a good time; and besides we need the money, but will give you f u I value. Do you want a range? If so look at my otamford; none better. ; PLu-uxING, STEAM AND GAS FITTER. P, H, GARRITY 221 Bank St. Telephone 403-4. leek Commencing July 18. High Class Vaudeville Afternoon and Evening EMERSON AND STONE, Juggling Comedy Act. KITTY STEVENS Character Dancer. THE NORRISES, Color Sketch Ar tists. BILLY HINES, Singing Comedian, t SISTERS DE GRAFF, Duetists and Comediennes. "Vocal and Instrumental selections by mandolin club on open air pavilion. Amateur performance Friday nights. Band concert Sundays. Sensational free attraction coming for week of July 25. BELLEVIEW - LAKE - GROVE Boating, Fishing and other amusements... Bowling for prizes. DANCING WEDNESDAYS and SATURDAYS. BOULDER GROVE WILL OPBN 'J Thursday, June 9, 1904. P. P. Marsh will give his speefad attention to Boulder Grove and its patronage this season, AMERICAN BAND CONCERT; Sunday, Juno 12, 1904. China, Glass and . Crockery Sale Closing out sale of Fine Decorated China, English and Royal Blue Cups and Saucers at 7c; Breakfast an Dinner Plates at 7c; Deep Soup Plate at 7c; Pictures 8c; Bowls 4c and 8c; all Plain White Goods at 3c and 3c. A biff lot of drummers' samples of Coffee Mills. 15c up to $1.00. These goods are worth double. Nails and Spikes by the pound, keg or in ton lots. Oil Stoves, Blue Flame, at cost. Magner's N, Y, Bargain House 81 BAST MAIN STREET. i N fc cry! NEW YORK DENTAL PARLORS As Light as a Feather Describes to Perfection Our FULL SETS OF TEETH AT J $4.00. We never advertise cmythlng unless we are prepared to give you all the a vantages to be derived from said advertisements. hen you call at our office we don't ask you twice the price advertised. We keep our promises to turn, out good work, equal to the best, at lowest prices. . i&ISm GOLD CROWNS AND BUIDUlSwoKK. $8.00. No higher. Just as we al ways advertise thorn, and equal to those made elsewnere at double the money. A liberal WRITTEN GUARANTEE for TEN years COLRS everything. A TRIAL WILL CONVINCE YOtJ. All work absolutely painless. The N. Y. Dental Parlottg 86 Bank street, Waterbury. Hour 8:80-8; Sunday 10-12. French spoken