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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (July 17, 1904)
O'Keefe, Akoond of Swat: A Tale of Modern Methods and (Copyright 1901 by WTniam Hamilton Osbotne.) CHAPTER IL-Conllmied, . IIRH1C la a certain mnnJtrl I 1 among the denlsens of the under. I world the whole earth over. Con stitutional Smith u not proud. He waa a New Yorker with an enviable record, but he was willing to be lieve that there were some of a fair sort In the city of Monroe. One day in an obcure part of the town. In an obtcure grog ahop, ConatJtuUonal Smith eat In the back room holding a con fabulation with two -of the cttlsens of Monro. The name of theee two r en He men are Immaterial. It la enough to ur that they usually worked together, and that the wonderful art of photography had enabled them to be known and reccgr.Ued In one of the more famous picture gal leries In Monroe aa No. 3SS and No. 400. "Now," sold Mr. Constitutional Smith to thee gentlemen, "now you know who I am, and that I can swing anything I undertake. You understand the whole scheme and Just what thero Is In It for you? Ia that right 7" They nodded, in unison. "You see." went on Mr. Smith, "there can't be the least danger. Nobody In Monroe knows me, and If I'm shoved overboard a vessel nobody will be the wiser. In the meantime every body will bo passing this Klondike king cn the street hero, and bowing and so; aping to him." He grinned as he said it. "Pto be certainly won't be missed. Nobody will be nil fined. That is, excepting me. And nobody, as I said, will miss me, except the plain clothes gang from the east. And that's Just where and how It la; Just about. And If It's all tight say so and wo'll put her through." Nos. 81 1 and 400 Indicated, with an assur ing flow of words, that the whola thlrg was to their liking. So Mr. Smith whis pered Into their respective ears the details of the whole thing, presented each with a crisp bill aa a token of his earnestness of purpose, and left them to their own de Vieos. Two nights later, Mr. Bllllngton O'Keefe, fcavlng been summoned to a distant part of town by a note purporting to come from one. of his .many friends, left his spacious bouse, where he lived a bachelor, and truck out for his destination. Ills courss fey through some poorly lighted streets. On one of these streets was an old shed. In front of this old shed, on that mem orable evening, something happened in the twinkling of an eye. Just as O'Keefe reached It something long and strong and powerful shot out Into the Jr. This something smote Bllllngton O'Keefe Just behind the ear. At that In stant, for Bllllngton O'Keefe, the world went out in darkness. He fell down like dog, and where he fell down there he lay. , ' Something had struck him and that (something was nothing less than the "ter rible right" of Mr. Constitutional Smith. The rest was easy. Mr. Smith dragged Into the shed the unconscious figure of Bll llngton O'Keefe. Once Inside,' he moUtened small rag with something that smelt wet and heavy upon the evening sir, and beld it for some; moments upon the noes and mouth of Bllllngton O'Keefe. , Then, with considerable rapidity, and In very bustncelihe way, Constitutional transformed the shed into a dressing room, for be was not only a strong-arm man and m BwtndhT. too- ha was lightning-change artist In the bargain. cross the street twe young men with umbers, that-did ulte aa wU as names, at In a dark a:teywey. They were wait ng for a low -whistle. In a short time they beard it. They- emerged from the dark al leyway, looked carefully up and down the narrow street and then glided noiselessly crass. Tbey entered the little abed. Aa tbey Aid se a man standing In the center of 'the-finer showed a light for a brief space of time. "Holy gee!' . they exclaimed under their breaths, as .they looked Troon him, "who'd a thought It T" The man who held the lljrht smiled good natured'y. Then he frowned end pointed to the figure on the floor. "There I am," he sal J, "iljht aa a trivet, I'm not likely to vake up till ' morning, but you can' take the' rag and the done alone with you for pruAenca sake. Now, call your little cab out there - anil bundle me In and take me down to- the whnrves and dump me Into any outward bound old hulk that's gotn' to a II at or.ee." lie pu'.led out a couple more bills. "This ' ' " Luck of a Lucky ManBy Wm. H. Osborne now," be said, "and the rest when the thing's all done." He waved his hand after the manner of Bllllngton O'Keefe, carefully adjusted tin watch chain about his neck, cautiously opened the door to the little shed and trolled away. At the cornor of the street Ifo paeed Just long enough to see a shabby fly draw up . to the curb and to see two flguree step In side with a heavy burden swung between them. Then with a heavy load lifted from his mind and conscience, Tie swung on up the street If he had an appointment with a friend that night he may have kept It, and he may not; bnt certain It is that at about tM that night he passed up through the brilliantly lighted main thoroughfare of the lty of Monroe, bowing right and loft to O'KEEFE many people on his way toward bis borne. Certain It la that once be reached the bouse he swung up tbe steps with an air of cer tainty, adjustod bis key into its proper bole, nodded to his housekeeper Inside and then passed on up to tbe den and smoking room of Bllliogton O'Keefe. There was Just one man In the whole world who could have done theee things with cer tainty; Just one man who could have ar ranged everything beforehand as It had been arranged and that man was none other than this man. In the ramshackle old fiy No. 399 had stuck his head out of the window and ad dressed the driver. "Now,- Wily,' hs said, "drive like fire to you know where." "You know where" wee a long distance off. It was a matter of miles. Finally the old wheels of the fly went clattering over the loose boards of a superanuuted dock almost the last dockln the vicinity. Once more No. S9B stuck out his bead. "There she la," be said, making 5. i , -J out at the end of the pier through the thin fag tbe basy outlines of a sailor. "Drive to the forward gangway, Billy. That's the ticket. Now." The cab came to a stop. One of the two gave vent to a low whistle. Hi was an swered from the deck of the vessel "Ton, Jerks 7" naked the cabman. "Me, all right. answered tbe man on the boat. "Wen, here's bow," answered No. go, balf dragging the figure of a man from the cab. "We've got him right and tight. Jenka, and he's jroarr meat, and ths "Sally Mag's to boot. The man tbey called Jenks leaved to tbe dock. fetching a lantern with Mm. Aa be reached them, ha panned, stretched bis leg wide apart and viewed fhe figure at fheir feet with the air of a onrmoiawiir. THEN THREW ALL CAUTION TO THJC Then with one foot be felt of It. "He'll do, I gueas. He's got a bit too much flesh on him. but 111 soon work that off, I guess. He'll be with me fr about a year and a day, I reckon, be went on, expectorating freely, "and by that time he's liable to get trained In." "Shouldn't wonder a bit," said the others. Jenks pulled out flask and passed It around. "Here's wish In' yon both luck." be said, taking the first swig. "I'm off at I to morrow morning." He palled out a couple of greenbacks and banded them over. "I guess that'll do you two all right," he growled, "and If I ain't got a bargain, III take It out'n his bide and not out o. you. Beet "Slang,"" tbey answered, mevtog off. "W loaig,'- he responded, swinging bis lantern by way of a farewell. Tbe man on the bo whipped up his Wag) and bony horse, and tbe mem with num bers Instead of names drove off Into ths night. They were quite unawares of the fact that all this time a man with a gold chain nbout his neck had been standing out of sight behind a pile of lumber watching carefully all that had been done. This man stood there until he hsd seen Jenks and one of the ship's crew drag the un conscious figure into the vessel's hold. Then hs breathed a sigh of relief, strode softly up the dock, hailed a cab of his own and made off. He reached the center of the town about 9:30 and dismissed the cab. He had not heard the conversation, and he had not heard the men in the cab call the man in the boat by the name of Jenks. And be had not seen the face of the man In the boat, for the lantern had Illumined only Jcnk's legs and the figure of the man who lay prone upon the dock, WINDS. Bnt he waa aaUaiWd. Tbe deed waa done and be could afford to risk the rest The name "Jenks" was aa abbreviation; a term of endearment The full name of ths master of ths ship was an impressive one. It was Hold worthy Jenkins and it was a famous name. Nowhere on the face of the seas was there such a daring, tear ing, swearing son of a seacock as Hold wortby Jenkins, the master of tbe "Sarah Margaret" No ship bad such reputation aa had she. Most of the crew upon her were shanghaied; brought aboard drunk, after having been kidnaped for tbe pur pose. Some of them never eame back; those that did come back oame back maimed and lamed and sick and orefor Captain Jenkins was knocker-down and dragger-out If there .was an absolute monarchy on the face of the earth It ex isted en tbe "Borah Margaret" before she bad tied tip, or after she bad east her mocr Ings. She and her captain were tbe terrer t the seas, not for other craft, but for the