LITERATURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7761, 13 March 1905, Page 4

LITERATURE.

A'BII*FOR BORTUNE. " TiferV seems to he to 0 »" ucu work en this job ; it isn't worth the trouble 1 ." The speaker threw away the halismobed cigar in digust. lie wa,s about twenty-five ;--Jic had au attractive appearance, and was caliid good-h>olAlg by some on>l hand.-.oi'.e by others. To tliose better acquaint* id with human nature, howtver, there was at times something in his ' j face that tended to mar themst iw- ■* 'prcssion. His name was Luter Mayle, and he was in the company of two other men, one of whom was near his own age, while the other waa forty at least. ">' Not enough in it ? " echoed th i older man, John Waller. " Well, it means five hundred pounds between '- ' ffftf-Pi Vt' ond that eipiul to'three '* 74tMnl 'ar'weck r for aw hole year. ' If this thing takes a month to work we can lie low for the next eleven. That's good enough for me ! " " I'd be satisfied, "i said the third man quietly.. His name was Harold Bennett. " But more aristocratic. I say, my toy, can you do anything better for the present ? That's the uuestion, as Shakespeare says ! " }.' Lester Mayle twisted tine ends of his moustache impatiently. "I suppose I cannot," he observed after a pause. " Yet I feel like higher t,ame than tin* Well, it co*cs to this: Harold Gainsford fetches the , cafih from thj bank oh Friday afternoons in order to pay the men ut the factory where Iw is assistant 1 manager; every fourth week .the amount is heavier, it is live hunZ f • • tired* ihßteud of four hundred, because certain salaries have nls« to be paid and other current expenses met. We take him in hand on the fourth Friday, and. relieve him of ,"; his.burden.! "i .J, ? " That.s it," said Waller coniphicentry. V.lt'is easy enough, but the time and trouble necessary to carry J s tout the task come in through tind- * ing out the details- and in waiting ■* lor the most favourable Friday. , ' That's ail. You're too impatient, " .Lester," •• On. the whole, you have less 1- work to do than any of us," inter- *. posed "Bennett, just a little tartly. * '' ."You have had the easy part oi[ , . discovering details connected with z the banking arrngements ot the firm, which you could do wUh your aristocratic appearance ; but we have had to ' loaf about and make arte rangemeuts under less easy condi- *'- -thms," * " Then I ought to have tiro lion's share of, fhV sppjl ! " htughed Mayle "\,~ grimly, i"<f 4»t* an aristocratic apL-. r pearanco to keep up.' * , Bennett; .would have relorcd angrily ■f* hut Waller interposed : g. ■ "That wiU do. Lester has a fit jf* of the blue» to-day ; they arc grow- - IIUT Quite common. Each man does »' his work and drares with the others. *■' 3f.*t us have a game of cards." Lester sat moodily staring at noth- \ ing through the window of the ho"j tel. All three mien were well dressed % Bud would have passed for men cnjr dowed with fair means. They were i. v ' living in' : good' style; aPd they cal- .« cuJatcd that their money would hold out long enough for their purpose. They had changed their lodging during the ''investigation period," as Waller termed it, more than once, ' going from {own to village and so forth, in order to conceal their do- >■ ' togs.- Mayle looked with; K bored ,; ~ expression as Waller began lo handle '? -the pack. * ' " You two can play, I don't care about it. Look here, are we bouird to stay in Northampton any longer-? Haven't we collected all the data .we require? At any rate, I think I » have done all I can do, and we must watt a solid week. Cant' wc look round efcfcwhcre ?•" " Exactly," replied Waller, '■' Bennett and 1 have a littfc more to do, ■tut we can leave to-morrow. Tlwn we make our appearance on the scone again on Fiiday next ; we meet -at the appointed spot at the appointed time." " I'll wait till then," said Maylv, picking up a London morning paper. " I've got a hazy scheme floating in my head which may bring us more money than this. You chaff me 1 -about aristocracy, tout 1 am connected with a titled family, and it occurs to me that something may be got out of it." . He began to read, but within two minutes he laid the paper down with a whistle. " Look here), you fellows," he cried. " Sir James Lungfoid, Baroney, is lyingjdangcrously ill; so is ■his> son ; r and both are suffering from bloodpoisoning,, due to something eaten at a foreign hotel. They have just come back from the Continent, and were taken ill on tl»3 way."- •" What's Sir James Langford to 'do with us ? " asked Waller. " Just this," went on Mayle. "Neither father nor son is likely to recover ; it's about a hundred lo one against St), according to this paper. There are no other sons, and—the Successor to tire baconetcy will be the son of another branch, but I know that thare is someone in front of me, if he is still alive ! Query : Is he still aiive ? " 1 " What's it worth ? Is .the family rich ? " demanded Waller. The players had thrown their _ 1 cards on the tabfu at this interesting intelligence, and gazed curiously at Mayle, who was in a brown study. His brows were knit : he was i " 'aearehjliig the recesses olhis memory. - *■' Fesently he banged his list on the table with an< exclamation which f need not-he-reproduced. -, ff It's a strange coincidence, but I " feel positive of it I" he cried* "That -clerk, Harold Gainsford, must be the next-of-kin instead of being next after that! " " 08, well, it's no use worrying about it. It's just your luck," said Benitett, picking' up the cards again. " Perhaps they won't die, after all." " Perhaps not," agreed Mayle, With additional moodiness, but there was * a rapid change of glances between him and Bennett which had escaped ", Waller's notice. The game.ended, Bennett said he i- wpAildigCfltor. a it was a cold t, mint', 'mw, but it would firoshen him up before goiag to bed. #e. Waller expressed his intention of gotfr luyle said he would go to his room J„ and might go out for a stretch in ri . a few minutes. Thus it came about kf .thai Bennett and met in a. ;; quiet street outside tWc hotel. 5-' " Well ? " impiired Bennett sigiiili- ; - eantly. •r Lester Slayle glanced round fearfully. * If it should turn out as I Uiink, t . and the Barmu-t and his son die. ! then Harold Gainsford would take j -,- the title, changing his name to ].:in_'-i ; lard," returned Mayle, " mile-, j !.' . He paused. His lips were div ; lie ' never dared to g»> so i\u ,iv I Sj.tWs, «re» i» thffUgltt. Botfbery und ' |mßwjpd)lio(r Here Uit, -imib.

". Culcss, in The scuffle that ensues le.vt Friday, lie guts an unlucky ■nock on Hie head?" concluded Henietl. " Well, he might get on,', if J cere paid well tiiough (or it ! What s it worth ? " "It would have to be done very iiitioufly," declared Miiylc with pa 1id (ace. • Whails h worth?" demanded fennel t impatiently. " I my live housand a year to" three years ! " M:i\le protested that it was 100 iiiifh, and ftennell turned liercely ipon him. "lh. ndo it yourself. Think it nor. and decide to-morrow." IT.vy parteit, for- the simple rea- ! km that ISeiinctt left his uccomplicc; dayle pondered the matter ; he did lot sleep u wink, but tossed about ' n lied, thinKing it over, Ho Saw all hat it meanl to him : riches and ase, instead of plotting and schemng with the police in the background, and a prison a little more n the background. As he meditated lis fears left him ; the plan fuciuvcl lo be safer and easier, and when he unit Dennett uguin his mind was made up. It was a contract. It only remained for Mayle to ascertain that Haiold Gainsford was really the successor, and <io see if the .Baronet and his son died. Mayle went up to town and made intfuifics ; he returned on Tuesday, satisfied that there was no hope of the son's recovery, and very little chance of the father getting over it. As for Harold (Jaiiisford, his kinship was also certain. Already the newspapers were speaking' of the missing heir, for the history of the dill'erenl ramifications was not so well known to others as to Mayle, who had traded on his relationship for the purpose of getting various sums of money from the Baronet. All Mayle's scruples had disappeared ; lie was cool and col'.eeud once more, and entered into details' with Deimelt iis calmly as if he were planning a trip to ItriglUon. Wullei was the obstacle, but Uenn'ett undertook to take Mm in hand. Waßcr was likely to be squeamish. " So that's settled," said Bennett. '■■ Waller will be off with the cash. while wo attend to the man." Hut th_- best laid plans go wrong, and something happened which had not been foreseen. That very evening Mtiyle slipped over a piece of orange-peel carebsslv thrown on the frosty pavement ; lie fell heavily and broke one of the .•snwVi bones of the left leg. lie was taken to the infirmary where he was detained. And that piece of orangepeel changid the destinies of several persons. Ills leg was set and bandaged b\ n surgeon, who gave him a sleeping draught. In Ihe monvin;' he fell better ; the pain had almost disappeared, and his chief discomfort w.e that he would be confined to hi:-. lied for three weeks or so—and hov, would his plan go on '.' llcnnett, on receiving a message, vis'itcd him. and assured him that all would be well.

" Waller will help me. as you are laid aside ; dou't fear." he said. Jlayle settled down to wail, it having been arranged that neither Bennett nor Wnl'er should visit him again lest suspicion should attach to Mayle after i he—the event of Friday,. Mayle found the time hang heavily but he tried to pass it comfortably by day-dreaming. He had no mind for reading. What a change it would be when he was Sir Lester Mayle Langford, Baronet. It pleased him. .delighted him. He forgot all the jprobaMe awkward points, and I thought only of the advantages. Hiwould many " Are you comfortable ? " asked :: sweet voice by his side, and he turnid with a start to see a yotin-g nurse standing „ y the bedside.' " I knew you were not asleep," .'h-' told him with a smile. ■" 1 saw :>our eyes o|>enin<r and shutting occasionally, and I thought you were dull or uncomfortable. Can 1 dt, anything for you ? " ■'■' No, thank you, nurse : " he replied in a hesitating voice. | How sweet she looked and whui a soothing voice she had ; Shu waa born "uriwistering The face was not beautiful , some vouM have been disinclined to descri-t- it as even moderately preltv ; v u t it ha,J a charm all its own'. She'«-i,u-Mo hring peace with her. "Let use shake your pillow," sh;said: "it makes it so much i : ore comfoitable." I .She raistd his head and t .„,- nc d ,|, e pillow, after shaking -i ,;,,;, |i U | L . Only those who have spot davs in bei know how soothing i r - ihiV smr.le process. Nurse Rodne,- iude,- Mlo ,i "Shall J ,ead to yjr. „ liule •>'" she .intmired. '■yy e ~.„.,, , t , ss ',; our complement of Mycins here now and I am not busy just at present." Ut was- so pleasant to listen to her voice that, although he did not wish >ead. he answered "■» the alhrmative, because he like, I to hear the sound of her voice. (To be continued.)