v%§llfil@ " Egfiifilfifi‘ i a shine»— I I’m afraid you've decided we late. Mr. Lee, if nothing unforeScen occurs, will receive a large sum of money—an immense sum, 1 should say— and full possession of the property, (for Laura) the day after to—niorrow. “ i if course. you know that already,” continued the mother, while the Son listened like a man in a dream. “ Mr. Lee is with Uncle lirayton by this time—he was to meet him in Columbia to- day. “ He hoped to come back by water from New York, in which case he would have stopped here, but I suppose the war made it too danger- ous.” For a few minutes after his mother ceased speaking, Shubrick remained buried in thought, and then he asked: “ How did the colonel go—Oli horseback!" “ Yes, he and Mr. Matthews took those wiry- l.)okiug ponies you saw a few months ago.” “Ah! there’s some luck left me still! Light— foot is all right, mother!” “ Yes, but, gracious! you are not thinking of taking that horse, 1 hope: He wouldn’t, for fear of hurting him.” “ That’s the only horse can do it. It’s over a undred rough miles, and he’ll do it in tWo days i l have to kill him! Good-by, mother!” And with a parting kiss, Jack was off before his mother could interpose further objections. All of his uncle’s servants knew him, and a half-hi vur after leaving his mother, he was dash- ing along the road to Columbia, mounted on Colonel Draytou’s fastest horse—and the colonel was famous f ‘JI‘ fast horses. (To be continued—commenced in N0. 489.) Captain lagk’s Client; HALF A MILLION DOLLARS. A Romance of the “ Bouquet Girl ” Case. BY ALBERT W. AIKEN, AUTHOR or “WHAT “’AS HER cams,” “THE COUNTRY DETECTIVE,” “JOE PHENIX,”. “DICK TALBOT," 1130., are. CHAPTER XLII. A WRECK. THE detective went on his way down the ave- nue, and as he proceeded he meditated upon the situation. - “ I have invested five dollars but it is a ques— tion whether I will get the worth of my money or not," he soliloquizcd. “ I do not doubt that the boy has given me good, straight information, but I may not be able to get anything out of the clerk, although if he is sted I think the chances are good he will be g ad to tell me for a small consideration, but that is a matter which can soon be decided, 'for I might as well hunt him up to-night as to wait until tomorrow. “This is a case where nothing can be gained by delay.” Having come to this conclusion, Pendalmock crossed to Broadway, took a down town car, and, half an hour later, entered Jake Gimber’s saloon. r Upon inquiring of the bartender if Johnny Pelegree was around, he received the informa— tion that the “ gent " reading a newspaperat the end table in the back room was the party. As it happened the inner room had only a couple of customers, who were playing cards at a table near the door, besides Pelegree, so there was a fine opportunity for the detective to inter- view the man. The clerk was fifty, or thereabouts, but the life of dissipation which he-had led made him seem much older. His hair and short stubby beard were thickly streaked with gray, deep lines seamed his face, and his system was so shattered from the effects of strong drink that the hand which held the newspaper trembled pemeptibjy. He was shabbily dressed, a good specimen of an educated, well-bred man dragged down from a high estate by an overwhelming love for 1i uor. endalmock took a seat at the table where the man sat. “ This is Mr. Pelegree, I believe?" he said. The other laid down his paper and looked at the detective in a searching way. “ Yes, that is my name.” “ Mine is Jackson.” “ Jackson?" the old man observed in a reflec- tive way. “ I don’t think I ever had the plea- sure of meeting you.” “ No, I believe not, but I am well acquainted with a friend of yours, Bobby Smith, who is with Mr. Jack Leipper.” A shade appeared on the old man’s face, and a frown wrinkled his brows as he heard the law- yer’s name. “Oh, yes, I know Bobby, and he is a smart bay—too smart sometimes,” he added. “ Bobby told me that you used to be with Leipper. but you and he couldn’t get along to- gether.” “ Oh, it is the old story!” the clerk exclaimed in an angry way. “ He got all he could out of me and then he cast me aside like a sucked orange.” “ Yes, I understood that your legal knowledge was of great assistance to him during the early part of his career.” I “It made the maul” the old fellow declared emphatically. never could have got along at all. but he is like he most of mankind, when he got so he could get on without me he soon found an excuse to get rid of me.” “Yes, Bobby said that he did not treat you well,” the detective observed. “ It is the way of the world,” the old fellow responded. “ When a man gets up in life he is very apt to kick away the ladder by means of which he has risen.” " I do not know much about Leipper, for I have only met him once, but from what little I saw of him I was not favorably impressed.” “ He is an arrogant bound!" the old man dev clared, with bitter ace-ht. “ I went to see him in order to get a little in- formation about a certain party, but I couldn’t get anything out of him, and when I told Bobby about the circumstance, he suggested that if I explained the matter to you it was pOSsible you would be able to help me out.” The dull eyes of the old man sparkled. “ Ah, yes, I would be pleased to do what I can for you—for a reasonable fee, of course,” he remarked, as he rubbed the palms of his hands together in a nervous way. “ Of course, certainly!” the detective declared. “ I would not think of asking a professional man like yourself to go to any trouble without H “ What information do you desire?“ “ I want to find out about a man named James Ronnells, who was a client of Leipper’s about a year ago.” “ Ah, yes, the name seems to be familiar to me,” the old fellow remarked, in a reflective way. “ For some reason Leipper refuses to give me any information about the man.” “ Well, he is inclined to be very close-mouth- ed, auyway," Pelegree observad. “ I am anxious to find out all I can about this Ronnells—not on my own account, by the way,” the detective added. “ Ah, you are acting for somebody else?" “ Yes, and the party interested can’t spare the time to look into the matter, and so got me to undertake the job.” “ Yes, yes, I see!" and the old fellow nodded his head in a wise way. “ By the way. is there anything crooked about the matter?" Pelegree asked, abruptly. “ Is this Ronuells ‘ wanted ’ for anything?” “ Oh, no, or else the case would be given into the hands of the regular officers”: “ Yes, very true.” “If it had not been for me he‘ 4 “Well, as I said, I cannot get anything out of Leipper in regard to the man,” Pendalmock explained. “ All he was willing to say about the matter Was that it was his impression he had some business transactions With a party by that name, but he had forgotten the particulars and couldn’t give me any information so might be able to find the man, and thus make it seem as if there was some reason for his wishing to keep lionuells’s whereabouts a secret.” “ No, it isn’t safe to take much stock in that theory,” the old fellow replied. “That is Leipper’s game always,” he added. “ He makes it a rule never to give anybody any information about his clients." “ Just by accident, though, I happened to get hold of a bit of news about Ronnells,” the detec- tive remarked. “ About a year ago he had a furnished room in a boarding—house kept by a Widow Jones on Thirtieth street, near Sixth avenue, and he was known there as Thomas Barker.” ‘ There was a sudden gleam of light in the dull eyes of the old man as the name came to his ears, and Pendalmock, who was watching his face intently, did not fail to notice it, so he immediately jumped to the conclusion that, a1- though the old fellow had not betrayed any signs of recognition when James Ronnells’s name was mentioned, yet he knew the man who had called himself Thomas Barker. “And this Barker is Rouhells, oh?" the old fellow asked. “ Yes, so I discovered.’ , “Well, which is his true name!" Pelegree asked, in an innocent way; but the old fellow was not clever enough to hoodwink the detec- tive, for the peculiar gleam in the wreck’s fishy eyes revealed that he was playing a part. “ Neither one of them, to my thinking!’ Pen-- dalmock replied, bluntly. “ Oh, is that your idea?" the old fellow ex- claimed, pretending to be astonished. “ It is! His name is neither James Ronnells nor Thomas Barker: I feel well satisfied in re- gard .to that, but what his real name is I am unable to say, and that is just what I am am:- ious to find out.” “ How much money will there be in this thing for me in case I can get the information for you?” the old fellow asked, a greedy look in his e es. ' y“ Well, not a large amount, for, as I told you, Ronnells is not wanted by the police— there isn’t anything crooked about the matter; the party whom I represent is anxious to gratify a little curiosity, and, of course, under the circumstances, can’t afford to pay a great deal.” “ How much—name the figure?” Pelegree asked, persuasively; “Oh, I suppose would be safe in going ten dollars.” The old fellow looked disappointed and shook his head. ' “ Ah, you know, ten dollars isn’t much !” he declared. “Well, as the thing stands I don’t think I could go any more.” “It ought to be worth twenty or twenty- five!" the old fellow remarked, in a coaxing wa '. - “30h, no, ten is all I can go,” the detective re- plied, decidedly. “ In fact, to my thinking, the party must be a little off his base, or else he never would thr0w away ten dollars in any such foolish way as this.” “ Well, you see, the trouble is that I can’t give you the information myself, for I have got to see another man, and that fellow will be sure to wanta stake. Now if you could make it twenty, I think I could work it, for that would be ten for him and ten for me,” the old fellow said, in a persuasive way. But his words did not produce any impression upon the detective. - ‘ Pendalmock was too good a udge of human nature to be deceived. He was certain, from the expression which appeared on Pelegree’s face when the name of Thomas Barker came to his ears, that he had some knowledge of the man, and now this state- ment that he would be obliged to see another party to procure the information was merely a dodge to get more money. “ I cannot do any better than ten!” the detec- tive declared. “ Well, I will try and do what I can for you,” Pelegree remarked, with the air of a man who was conferring a favor. “ It may be that I can coax the information out of the party without his suspecting what game I am up to,” the old fellow remarked. “Suppose you meet me here at this same time to-morrow night!” he continued. “ All right: I Will be on hand!” \“ That will give me time to see my man, and I can, probably, be able to give you the infor- matiou.” “Very well; to-morrow night, then,” the de- tective remarked, rising. “ I think I can fix you out!” Then Pendalmock invited the wreck to have “something,” an invitation which the other accepted With an alacrity which showed how Welcome it was, and after this ceremony was over the detective departed. CHAPTER XLIII. A STRIKER. IF the wretched old man fancied he was acute enough to deceive so shrewd a calculator as the lynx—eyed detective, he was sadly mis- taken. Of course he was not aware that his new ac- quaintance ranked high among the human bloodhounds of the metropolis; if he had known who “ Mr. Jackson” realiy was. possibly he might have played his game more carefully. As the matter stood, Feudalka felt certain that he knew just exactly what movement the old fellow intended to make. After leaving the saloon, the detective pro- ceeded along the side streetto Broadway, and as he walked onward, his thoughts found ex- pression in words. “ There isn‘t any other man in the case!” he exclaimed. “From the look which came into his eyes when I said Thomas Barker, I am satisfied that he knows well enough who Barker is, but he was not aware that the party had used the name of Rounells. “I put him in possession of that fact, 'and now he propOses to try and make a stake out of , “ He wants time so as to be able to get the in- formation out of this other man whom he talks about!" and Pendalmock’s lip curled in contempt as he uttered the Words. “ That is all right for a blind, but he Cannot fool me for a cent! “1 know just what he is up to! Like all these extra smart felloivs, he is anxious to show how keen he is, and he has figured out that if I am willing to pay ten dollars for the informa- tion, and the lawyer was not willing to give it to me, the chances are that if he goes to Leipper and tells him he has a bid, the law- yer may ofler him more to keep his mouth shut.” 1 And then the detective indulged in a quiet augh. « “ The idea that this poor old wreck of a man should believe he could pull the wool 0v.- my eyes so I could not guess what game he intended to play! “ It is my impression, too, that he will not be able to work the trick,” Pendalmock continued, in a reflective way. “It is one thing to refrain from giving any information about a party, and quite another to pay some one to keep quiet, particularly when, as far as it up are on the surface, no particular harm will be one if the truth does come out. “No, no! in my opinion this striker will not succeed in his purpose. He will only have his labor for his pains, and when I meet him to- morrow night there is little doubt but what I shall find out what I want to knew.” Then a sudden idea came to the keen-witted detective. ' “ By Jove! I would really like to know if my supposition is correct or not i” he exclaimed. “ Will Pelegree try to hunt Leipper up to- night, or will he be content to wait until to- morrow and call upon the lawyer at his office?” He moditated over the matter for a few moments and then declared: “ I think the odds are great that the old fellow will never have the patience to wait until morn- ing. He fancies there is a chance for him to make considerable of a strike, and he will be anxious to collar the money as soon as he can. “Now then, the question comes—where will he be likely'to find Leipper at this time! “ The Hofi‘man House saloon—i have seen him there a dozen times lately at just about this hour. “ I will play the shad0w on this poor 01"! wreck and see if my surmise is not correct.” By this time the detective had reached Broadway. He got on board of a car and rode up town to the Hoffman House, where he alighted, and as he made his way to the sidewalk he spied Cap- tain Jack Leipper standing in a group on the corner. “There is my man, sure enough!” the detec- tive muttered. The lawyer was busily engaged in conversa- tion and therefore did not happen to see I’endal— mock. \ The detective took up a position inside the orch of the bowl, so that while he was shielded rom observation yet he had a clear view of the street. The bloodhound did not have long to wait be- fore events showed how correct were his calcula- tions. From the second car which came up the street after the one on which Pendalmock rode, Pele— gree got off. “Well, well! he certainly did not lose any time!" Pehdalmock declared. “ Really now I am surprised! I hadn’t any idea that he wouldact so promptly, but he is probably at low-water mark as far as funds are concerned, and so is in a hurry to clutch the money which he fondly fancies can be got, but if he succeeds in striking CaptainJack for a stake, then I do not know as much about the lawyer as 1 think I do.” The old fellow went straight up to Leipper, and accosted him. The detective could plainly distinguish from the look upon Leipper’s face that he did not relish the interruption, but after exchanging a. few words with Pelegree, theawo went up the street in company. “You have an important business matter to talk over with me 2'" Captain Jack remarked in a tone which plainly showed that he was de- cidedly incredulous. “ Yes, and I must say that I do not consider it wise to talk the matter over in a public thor— oughfare,” Pelegree declared. “ Well, as far as that goes, we can turn doxvn one of the sidevsreets, and then we can secure all the privacy -we desire,” the lawyer sug- sated. “Yes, that will do. The matter is an impor- tant one, or else I should not be so particular about it,” Pelegree aeserted. “I rather fancy you have made some mis- take,” the lawyer remarked, coldly. “ I cannot conceive that it can be possible you can ,have anything to say which will interest me.’ “ Oh, you will understand as soon as I begin to explain matters,” the other replied in a con— fident tone. By this time they had reached the corner of the cross-street and they turned into it. It was dark and deserted, and Captain Jack made the remark that they could speak freely without danger of their conversation being over- heard. “Let me see: it was about a year ago when you were busy with that Mordauut divorce case, eh?"the old fellow asked in a reflective a . “yYes, I think so,” and from the manner in which the lawyer spoke it was evident he was surprised by the question. “ And, if I remember rightly, Moi daunt board- ed with a Widow Green on Thirtieth street, near Sixth avenue.” “ Yes, that is correct.” r And there was some shadowing to be done in the case, which you were reluctant to intrust to a regular professional gentleman, and so you got a private party to undertake it?" “ What on earth are you driving at, an 'way ?" Captain Jack asked, impatiently. “ ’ by are you”going back to this old dead—and-gone mat- ter? “ I am coming to it as fast as I can. In order to get at the point it is necessary to lead up to it,” the old fel10w explained. “ Well, I suppose you know what you are about, but I will be hanged if I do!" Captain Jack exclaimed. “ 1 will explain the matter in a moment so you will understand all about it,”Pe1egree remarked with a crafty smile. “ All right!” “ The party who undertook to do this shadow- ing, and who took a furnished room in Widow Green’s house in order to do the work, was known there as Thomas Barker.” “ Possibly,” the lawyer remarked in an indif— ferent way. “ I do not remember much of any- thing about it, for I never charge my mind with affairs of this kind.” “ Of course a man like yourself hasmore im- portant things to think of,” the old fellow ob- served ih an obsequious way. ‘~ “ Well, the point I was going to make is that I know who this Thomas Barker really is.” “ Is that so ?” Captain Jack remarked in a careless way. “ “'ell, what difference does it make whether you do or not?” “And I also know that at certain times this man who called himself Thomas Barker also passed by the name of James Ronneils.” There was a sinister smile on the old fellow’s face, and a malicious twinkle in his eyes, as 'he made this announcement. The expression upon Pelegree’s face did not escape Captain Jack’s keen eyes, and he under- stood that the old fellow fancied he had made a successful bit. So the lawyer immediately proceeded to throw cold water on the wreck’s glowing antici- pations. “ What earthly difference does it make whether you have any knowledge about this affair or not I!" Captain Jack asked, in a defiant way. “ And why do you come to me about the mat- ter?” he continued. “ What do you suppose I care about theathing 3” “ Well, as you are a friend of this Barker, or Ronhells, I thought you might be interested,” Pelegree explained. “ 1 am not!” Captain Jack declared. “ The reason I-came to see you about the mat- ter was because a man has applied to me for in- formation,” Pelcgree explained. “ This party is anxious to find out who James Rounells really is,” the old fellow continued. “ He has made the discovery that Thomas Barker and James Ronnells are the same man, and he offered to give me twenty-five do]- lars if I could reveal to him Ronnells’s real name.” “ That is a liberal offer!” the lawyer ex- claimed, in a contemptuous way, and from the expressiOn on his face it was plain that he did not believe the old fellow was speaking the truth. “ But Iput him off, because I thought I ought to see you first. I thought it pissible that you might object to my giving Ronnells away.” “ Oh, no!" Captain Jack declared, decidedly. “ It does not make any difference to me, nor to Ronuells either. Neither he‘ nor I would be willing to give you twenty-five cents to keep your mouth shut!” The old fellow was very much disappointed. “ Do you really mean it!” he inquired, slow- ;ythas if reluctant to believe it could be pos. e. “Never was more in earnest in my life!” the lawyer replied. “ And the man who is going to invest twenty. five dollars in this thing is a donkey of the first water, for, if he wasn’t, he would never throw away his money so foolishly. “ You see I was right when I surmised in the beginning that your business with me didn’t amount to anything.” And at the end of the sentence Captain Jack halted and wheeled around, preparatory to re- turning. “ You don’t care to make a bid ?" “ No, not even a ten-cent piece!” the lawyer declared, scornfully, and then he strode up the street. « The old fellow watched him for a. few mo- ments, his face dark with anger, then shook his fist at Captain Jack’s retreating form. “ Curse you—you miserable hound!" he cried; in a rage. “ You wouldn’t put a dollar in my pocket if you could possibly kee it out! " Maybe you don’t care if give this snap away, but perhaps it amounts to more than you think for,” he continued. “ it doesn’t seem probable to me that this man would put up ten dollars just for a bit of illilformution, without there was something in the t ing. “Anyhow, I will make a tenner out of' the snap, and that is better than nothing, for ten dollar bills are not to be picked up lying around loose.” ~ Having come to this conclusion, the old fel- low weut on to Sixth avenue, and as there was a gaudy saloon on the corner, he went in to get some liquid consolation for his disappoint- ment. As it happened, he encountered a party of sports whom he knew, and the result was that he remained in the saloon for about an hour, and when he left it was decidedly drunk. In crossing the street, he blundered .iu the way of a reckless driver, was knocked down badly hurt, and carried off to the hospital. In the morning newspaper the detective read an account of the accident. “This is bad!” Pendalmock declared. “If the man should hap u to die without recov— eriug consciousness, will be thrown off the track again!” — CH APTER XLIY. A DESPERATE DEE D. WHEN the Italian adventure fell to the floor in a faint, none of the mas ed men stir- red, but all eyes were turned upon the chief of the Mystic Three. “Touch him not, brothers!” the deep-toned leader’s voice commanded. “It may be possible that the judgment of Heaven has already stricken him, and if that is the truth, it will save us the trouble of making him pay the forfeit of his crimes.” And their for a good ten minutm there was silence. No sound but the heavy breathing of the masked men broke the stillness. And then came a muffled groan from the lips of Vendotena, for he was really the son of the old confectioner. “ He is not dead,” remarked the masked chief. "Heaven wills, then, that he must meet his fate at our hands! So be it! We will not shrink from the task.” . Slowly consciousness returned to Yendotena; he rose to a sitting posture, and glared wildly around. " It is no dream!” he exclaimed. “ I am in- deed in the power of men who do not seem to know the meaning of the word mercy!” “ And did you know the meaning of the word when you betrayed your brothers into the power of the tyrant?” questioned the masked chief, stern] . ‘ “ It is al a terrible mistake!” Yendotena declared, struggling to his feet. “I am rot the man! The witnesses who swear that I am are deceived by some strange resemblance that I must bear to this forsworu traitor. Oh, gen- tlemen, I will give you my word that it is so! Have mercy upon me!” and then he sunk upon his knees and extended his hands in supplica- tion. “ Give me an opportunity, and I will be able to bring forward witnesses who will SWear that at the time I was supposed to be in Rome I was here in New York.” ' “Oh, no, such a thing is not to be thought of for a moment!” the masked chief replied. sterhly. . “ You have had a fair trial, been justly cou- demhed, and must now pay the penalty of your crime.” “ But you really do not wish to kill body and soul together!” the wretched man exclaimed, trembling in every limb. “ Send for a priest so that I may be prepared to die!” “Under the circumstances, it is not possible filiredns to grant your request,” the judge re- p i . “ Y on should have thought of this before. You ought to have lived such a life that you would be prepared to die at any time,” the clfief continued. “ Yes, yes, I knew it!” :Vendotena walled. “ I am:a miserable sinner, and therefore not fit to die! For the love of heaven, do not send me into the other world with all my sins upon my guilty head i” “ Again I say that it is not posssible for us to procure a priest for you,” the judge replied. “ And if you truly repent of all the evil deeds which you have committed, you will stand as good a chance for salvation as though you had the aid of a ghostly mediator to smooth your passage to the other world." “No, no; I cannot bring myself to believe that l" the prisoner declared. “ For the 10ve of Heaven get me a priest !" “ Again 1 say—and for the last time—it is not possible!” the august judge declared, stern] y. “ lVe will give you ten minutes to prepare to meet your doom—use the time as you see fit, but at the end of the tenth minute you die by the steel of the avenger.” » “I will kneel inhyonder corner and strive to make my peace w h Heaven," Vendotena said in trembling tones, and then he rose, staggered to the spot and sunk on his knees with his back to his judges. " “ When eight minutes are gone I will warn you of the flight of time!” the judge announced. And then a dead silence reigned, as one by one the minutes slipped away. “Eight!" cried the masked chief at last in deep and solemn tones. "‘ Prisoner, prepare !" Vendoteha rose slowly to his feet, and as he turned and faced the disguised three he placed a small Vial to his lips, which he had drawn from some secret pocket. The two guards sprung forward to seize him, but Yendotena had swallowed the contents of the vial before the pair could stop him. One of them wrested the vial from him, Ven- dotena laughing wildly and waving his hands like a madman. “ Morphine!” cried the guard reading the in- scription upon the vial, and holding it up so the death-heads and cross-bones of the druggist’s label could be seen. f‘ I die by my ow'n hand!" Vendotena cried, Wildly. “ No steel—no rope, but the subtile poison which so quickly stills the red life fever, and brings with it the eternal forgetfulness of the grave, but you are my murderers—you have hunted me—huhted me down—mercilem—merci- less dogs—dogs 1” And then the wretched man clutched wildly at the air, gasped and sunk to the floor. All within the mom bent forward eagerly, and gazed at the unfortunate wretch writhing in the agony of death. The dose must have been an extremely power- ful one, for soon the struggle ended, and Ven- dotena lay motionless, apparently bereft of life, on the floor. “Examine him, Vilarnil” the masked chief commanded. \ ~ The bearded Italian obeyed. “ The poison has ‘done ts work only too-well, I think,” Vilarni remarked. “ He i. dead then!" the chief questioned. b “ Yes, I think he is; his heart has ceased to eat.” “ We must be certain in regard to this mat- ter,” the head of the secret tribunal remarked. “ For it is my intention to have the body placed in the road so it can be found by some passer- by, and I wish to be sure that the man is dead before I take the ste , for it would be annoying to have some skillfu doctor bring the man back to life again.” “I do not think there is any doubt about his having taken the passage across the dark river,” Vilarni responded. “ Still, I am not a doctor, and it is possible I may not be correct in regard to the matter.” _(‘1‘Iiwill examine him myself,” the chief de- (‘1 w . Then he left his seat and made a careful ex- amination of the adventurer. It was as Vilarni had said; the man’s heart guild ceased to beat and he was apparently ea . “I do not think there is a doubt about this case,” the judge declared. “ All the si us of death are here, and so, by his own ban , the guilty wretch has escaped our vengeance. “ We will put the body in the road and place the poison vial near it, then when it is found, the cause of the death will be readily apparent and we clear our skirts of the matter.” It was the opinion of all present that this was the best thing to be done, and so the matter was arranged in that way. The body was placed in an obscure corner by the roadside, then the Italians removed their disguises and dispersed, satisfied that justice with its stern, unrelenting hand had‘cut short the career of the traitor who had betrayed so noble a cause. The first man to pass along the road about half an hour later was a doctor in his buggy. The horse discovered the body and refused to go on, betraying that fear of death common to his race. The doctor got out and examined the body. The vial caught his eyes. enou h to kill himself,” he remarked. “ he body is warm and there is a faint move- ment to the pulse. There is a fighting chance for his life, anyway l' And having come to this decision the doctor put the senseless form in his carriage and drove away. ' His house was only a mile away, and after he arrilved he had his find carried up—stairs to his stin v. “ I'nless I have made a mistake, I can bring this man through all rightl",the physician de- clared. (To be continued—commenced in N0. 482.) Dashing Charlie, THE WILD WEST DBTEC FIVE; on, The Bravos of Borderland. BY COLONEL PRESTISS INGRAHAM. CHAPTER XLIX. THE COUNTERPART. THE first thought of Dashing Charlie, when he heard the ominous words addreSsed‘ to him were to draw his‘ revolver and take chances while he fought his foe. His hope was that he might stand as good a chance as his enemy. ‘ But men think quick when death confronts them, the brain is as keen as a razor, and thoughts fly like arrows, so Dashing Charlie changed his mind as quickly as it was formed. He believed that the outlaws were still there. in hiding, for some reason known to themselves, and be blamed himself for not having scouted the place so as to find out if all was safe. But he had heard the threatening words, and in spite of his thoughts and resolves he replied in a moment of time, having formed his plan of action. “'ith a laugh he replied: “Up gees my paws, pard, and of yer hain‘t got ther drop on me I are a sinner: but don’t shoot for I are innocent.” . “ I know you now, for you are the old border- man who was a passenger in the coach half an hour ago.” I v “ Right yer are, pard. I are.” “ What brought you back here!" “ My legs.” “ Come, no funny business with me, for I am not to be trified with.” “ I were born funny, pard, so don’t git r’iled at my leetle joke.” “ I asked you why you came here?" “ You axed me what brought me here, pard, and I said my legs: but does yer now want know why I came?" “ I do.’ \ “ Is it your business ter know?" " You will find out if you don't answer.” “ Was], ther leddy in ther old huss said she dropped a diamont ring quiet-like in ther trail, hopin’ it w’u’dh’t be seen, and she axed me tor come back and git it fer her, and she’d pay me liberal, don’t yer see 3” “ Ah! that was it?” , “ Yas, ard." “ Well, I came back here to find one of her diamond ear-rings, which the chief said he dropped." “ Then. you is all alone?” “ No. I have my gun with me,” was the sig- nificant response. “ I see, and she is p’inted at me.” “ It is.” - “ Waal, ef yer hain’t got nothin’ ag’in’ me, I’d like ter levant.” “ Lay your weapons down at your feet.” “ Does yer mean it!” “ Did you hear me?" “ I hain’t deaf." ‘ “ Do as I tell you, or I pull trigger.” The scout slowly unbuckled his belt of arms and laid them on the ground at his feet. “ NOW, step back ten paces as I count.” The paces were counted and the scout obeyed. Then the man who had halted him came from among the rocks where he had been hidden. At the first glance at him the scout started, and but for his excellent disguise his counte- nance might have betrayed him, for the man he saw before him was none other than his Double. , f :léhere he was and no mistake—the counter- ei er. < He was dressed in the black garb. of the Bravos, hat and all, but he was startlingly like Dashing Charlie in face and form. “ He is as like me as a twin brother could be. “ I feel as though I was looking in the glass at myself," muttered Dashing Charlie rfectly astounded at the counterpart of himself?e The man advanced toward the scout, his re- volver held ready to fire, and his walk was the same as Dashing Charlie’s. “ “’aal, pard, I don’t think I is mistaken in calling the turn on you.” “ What do you mean ?" “ I kin call your name." The man started and eyed the scout curiously, while he asked: “ What is it?” “ S’pose I calls yer Pard Larry!" The man started again and asked: " Larry, you say i” f “ ’Yas, pard, and yer is that man I is s’archin or. “ Well, you have found me.” “ Not as I expected ter find yer.” “ How is that?” / BffiYer see. I are ther true pan! 0’ Buckskin i . “ What?” ' V l “ Yer knows Buckskin Bill!” “ I have met him." It does not look as if the man had taken .