THE BARGAIN MAKERS

.(By James Francis Dwyer.j The evening papers had informed their readers that the thermometer registered eight degrees below zero; and I, for the first time, diseovered_that the evening papers 'had not exaggerated in the slightest. Their truthfulness, however, did not please, me. My worn clothing gave su'clv-scant protection, against the million needlepoints of the icy blast, that I. imagined the record-had been takein from the thermometer hanging in the office of the city . editor and not from one outdoors. . K . Broadway was a dark, lonely canon, up which the wind raced madly, seeking victims, while the fine snow, tossed by violent and' 'conflicting gusts,' resembled the, white names of phantom storm steeds. • To dodge, a particularly strenuous blow, I had tucked myself into a doorway near Seventeenth Street, and' was engaged, in * a pessimistic review of my prospects when a tall, well-dressed man, whipped along . by the shrieking blast, tacked skilfully and took "refuge beside me. "By Jove! What'a night!" he muttered, as I moved to .give him "room. "A devil of a night," I growled. The stranger turned! upon me quickly. "English?" he queried. "No," I replied, "I'm. an Australian.' "Amounts : to the same,", he remarked easily. ; "It does not," I answered sharply. "Perhaps," he smiling at my heat j "at any rate, your accent is much like mine." " "I'm sorry," I retorted. "To avoid being mistaken for a Britisher I've been trv- '. ing to shorten my a's for quite a white."" He laughed' good-temperedly and then ■. glanced'at my olothes. After a moment's silence.he spoke again. ; "I wanted an Englishman—or —er —a fc man speaking with an English accent," he said. " . I smothered my republican feelings in a second. I had just been refused!, admittance at the Municipal Lodging-House, where a "Pull House" notice had bsen posted' early • in, the evening, and I had not the necessary ten cents to purchase a 1 "flop" in_a Boweiy. doss. It was eleven--1 thirty, and I was then on.my way to Dalan's stables, in Tenth Street, - thinking - the lenient watchman would allow me t< *' steep"-in a 6pare stall with a few- horseblankets as covering. " "I'm unemployed," I said eagerly'. He stood upright as if he wished t< * measure himself beside me. . ' "Like to earn a hundred?" he aske« then. ' "A hundred what ?" I queried. * "Dollars," he laughed. '.\,.,. "Legitimate biz?" I questioned. "Of .course," he replied:.. He looked ai T his watch, and added:'. ''One' hour's worl ' will earn.it." ' ?■■■■'. .'■• 1 I was suspicious': <F What'6 ...the . risk ? I asked. . . •:'■■ : " "Nil," he answered quietly. "I hav< '' an appointment at the Flatirbn at mid 1 night, but I .cannot keep it. • The pereoi 1 I ami to meet has seen me but once ant 1 then only-for a few seconds. You hav< 1 an.Etaglisn accent, and your height anx build correspond to mine." The wind threw a fusillade of isnow _ flakes into the doorway, and ,'my teetl * chattered. The cold was intense. s "Are you agreeable?" asked thstranger. "Yes," I muttered. He drew the fur collar of his coat u] around his ears and stepped out into th * blast. I- followed quickly. The storn was "waiting for us. The wind carrier * us along at a run. for ,two blocks. ,Th«i * my companion swung to'the''left doW: r Nineteenth Street and stopped before ; * four-storey house, in'the hall <sf which, light was -burning. He opened "the doo g and preceded me up two flights of car £ peted stairs. Turning to the front, h made a peculiar noise by scraping hi x boot along the skirting board of the pas ' sage. .- . - ' T A door was opened in. response to th J signal; and a dainty, fair-haired woman who stood in the opening,: gave a .Httl x start as her gaze fell upon ine. ;, "I'm back, Sybil," said the manj mo\ j ing her giently iaside and motioning m a in. "I've changed my (plans." . The woman did not answer;, soih« ~-., what ashamedi of any tattered, -conditio! j "I sank into the nearest chair; The root was magnificently furnished. The , cai pets yielding : beneath the worn soles < my boots sent a thrill! through .my,..bodi In the centre of the floor were three larg •J trunks. It was evident, from the amour ™ of clothing strewn about, that the woma '" had been .packing. .... *■ The inan crossed' the.-room and seate ? himself at a table covered 1 with papers f The woman watched hifh. nervously, a 1 if waiting for .an explanation' regardin e my presence. ..'."•' °'. : "What is wrong?" she asked,, after. ... few.;, minutes. * '.. ..... • "Em not going, Syb," replied the mar c "Have you arranged?" she. asked ej . •citedly. •'':" •'•--■' ■■■'■;■ .-';.■ ' "No, Eve hired a, substitute," he 'r« | plied, and smiling pleasantly, pointed fl me. 3 : The woman studied me. The inan wail '' -ed for her opinion. I 'Think he's like me-?" he asked irrj P tably. "He has the accent;. that' is- th I most important point." . , "He does resemble you slightly," sh ' s ' answered. -■■ :-.,, ..- 7 "And 1 we'll improve the resemblance, said the man. "You go into, the bed room, Syb,'-and'we'll start at once. W 5 have only twenty minutes to get ready. "'■' • ■'_ " H..';- '. .1 ' * The woman retired. The- man hand ed 'me a- suit of clothes : of English make t a shirt, collar, tie, a pair of paterit-leathe :, boots arid a hat. Pulling off my_ won i garments, I hastily; clothed myself in th new apparel, inwardly congratulating- my s self on my good fortune. I was indiffer i eiht to the work before me—for a bun dred dollars t would have bearded Luci fer; ■ ' • As I fitted on the hat I glanced' inside 'On a- tab I read ; the name: "Charlie: Byng Everingham."

The man noticed my glance. "Is there li a name there?" he asked.. t: I handed him the hat. He ripped out the tab, frowning as he did so. "Kow h come here till I take the tan off your_ j face," he said., . ■ . s He spent some few minutes coloring t my brown face, then glanced at his watch, c , "Five minutes to the hour," he nlut- 1 tered. "Put on "that overcoat, stuff that £ packet of papers into your pocket and listen to me." r He handed me a bulky roll of papars, J and While I Was puttingVit in the inside > pocket of my overcoat, my employer open : ; edhis wailet arid' placed two'fifty-dollar i bills upon the table. ■ c "Your part is simple," he isaid. "A man will meet you in front of the Flat- ; iron. He will not mention names. His questions Will have reference to your state ' of mind 1 upon a matter that-'we need not ! discuss. Tell Him that you have not . changed your views _; and give a prompt negative to all questions put to yoii; That ' is (simple, is it not? Have no quarrel, 'and.jget away quietly, if he kicks up. a disturbance." . He pushed the two crisp bills toward mej and standing up,, eyed hie- sternly: ''There's the money," he added, "and mind; no.tricks!" ■"I'll did my parti'M repjied..'.:.'.'.Tbsft, holding up the bills, I put' a qiiestioii: "Is there any chance of this being lost in a scuffle?" ■':•'.- He smiled. "I don't think; spi".he answered. "Why?" .■-.-; '';.;.• "Well, I am a -careful man," I explain;' ed. ' ' ' - '' ."' - .'-:■',-■!" ' Taking an envelope from, the tablefl wrote my own name upon--it, arid addressed it in care of the proprietor of-a Bowery lodging-house where I ally slept. I put the two bilk inside the envelope and sealed it up." "I think this money will be safer, iii the hand's of Uncle- Sam," I murmured. "Your friends might recognise the de-v----ceptiou. and! get annoyed." "As you like," he said. "The man -- you will meet is not a thief--not a thief of money at any rate. I will be near. I intend to watch the interview from the corner opposite." ' j He moved to the door. I followed him down the stairs, and out into- the street. The storm was still ra girig fierce': ■ly., but the change of clothing made a big difference in its effect upbni.me. < I tramped beside my companion with a firm, confident stride till we reacted Broadway. Clean linen has a wonderful effect upon one's spirits. . I put the letter containing' the bills, m .a mail-box: When we had walked a few yardis, - Everingham stopped. "I'm going across, the street," he'said. 'You wait at the intersection of Broad- ; way and! Fifth Avenue, and. follow my. " instructions closely". Good night;" He hurried across the street, but at s the moment I remembered the roll, of ' papers I was I hailed him.-. - "The packet." I Cried, "you have forgotten it." ' ;• "Oh/-curse it!" he jgrowled, keep it ' for me till after the meeting: ; ; _.. The next moment the feathery mist hid * him, and I'continued my way. The hands " the ■ clock before the Fifth Avenue • Hotel hugged- each other, on the stx&kiS * of midnight as I took up a position oil the peninsula'of pavement that runs > out where the sea of traffic surges con- '. tinually.' High above one the huge'to--1 angle of riiasoflry crept up into the dark--1 h-ass. As- I waited, a premonition- of ' danger came over hie. The peculiar ■ na--1 tiire of my mission upset me. Vainly . I tried to control my nerves as I walked " to arid! fro. "■',.': ■/ I had taken two or three turns, wheir a larks' automobile stole softly out- of '-the • liitdit, and!'with starting, inquisitive eyes, shouldered -- the sidewalk a few paces from '.' the spot-where I stopped. :' •>. ■ ' ■■'.;., - A man swung. himself out of the toririeau, and bending forward, peered in my „ direction. . Intuition told me -that he was I the man I was hired to meet. I moved' forward'. " ,-. . ..' ,-,;•.. '"Good night," he said. The .voice. w_as :] thick and' guttural, with a strong foreign >, accent. ' "' , ' '• -. ..-, .•.,.. "I returned the salute. He :came closer, « till our faces were only a few feet apart', arid then, satisfied that he was addressing a the right person, he spoke sharply, au- .'» thoritatively. \ . '. ] ..„ "Why didn't you come last night.' ;ne a cried. "Why didn't you change your mind ' "His tone irritated me, and I shook off " the feeling of dread. Ignoring his first 5 question I answered the other m a voice n that challenged his own. ' : ' .'■ . , "I have not changed my mind ! I cried, "furthermore, I do not' intend. to change g He started backward and stared at me. "Not going to." he shrieked.. "Why.' *"' What? I derived- a slight thrill of pleasure ■ from his evident astonishment: ",i 0 won't explain," I said coolly; "you nave j my. answer." . . ■ . . ■ ij d He whistled softly. Turning to the car, he made'a: remark in a tongue thai confirmed my suspicions regarding h-s nationality. He spoke, in Russian., _ Five years before, during the; Russo--7 Japanese. War, I had acted as guide ;tc ' k three Russian cavalry officers who .wew „ ; secretly buying remounts in the northerr ' g'art of New South Wales. A few words uttered by riiy questioner were familiar. re ~- .A big, bearded iriari stepped Oiit.oi' the 1' ihaciiine and advanced slowly. "Why,' "J" he growled, addressing me, "what do. yot Ld mean?" ' ' y • , , ■ •, r « "What I said," I replied airily. \^ There was a tierce aggressiveness in th< manner in which he stood and looked ai v- me. Instinctively I drew myself up ah-c - n clenched my fists.. - , "Is this your answer?" he- shoutec 13 aiiorily. "I)o you not remember Als hbff?" ~,-•■•■■'. ,-" For good reasons! did not remsmbei 'P the person mentioned; and the big man'i 1S voice did not .tempt me to' maice ■ inm quiries. id "To the uevil with Alshoff!". I cried in "and—" 'n I intended to bracket my . questionei a. with the person who was held up as aft a awful example, but: the', big man inter tff rupted me. Crouching slightly, he fluhj •r- himself forward, and I delayed my re 119 marks so that I could receive him pro is perly. . Side-stepping, I jolted:'him--witl s- a left uppercut as he passed; but hi great hand took a ;grip on my overcoat be and. next. moment we. were struggling ii n, a.two-foot drift that had forrned in th le gutter. - • , , Weeks of bad food had weakened m: v- considerably, but what little chance I ha< ne of holding my own against the giant Wa lipset by; the interference of the otlie: e- maii. ] He rushed to the help of hi ri> friend, and ; bending back my arms drag m ged me toward the car. The giant grasp ix- ed my, legs, arid although I struggled riian of fully, I was flung into the 'tonneau. y- An. inquisitive pedestrian, flying befor ge the 1 storm, stopped and asked a question nt which 1 answered by shrieking loudly fo an help;. .'• ■ . ■'' - ;■ ■'. .: ■'■'■" He's..drunk," snapped the mail, wh. Ed had addressed me first, and wEile. makiiij ». the .remark he'.rammed a hairy fist iiit as nay,open iribUth. . ■ .:■• t -: -:.'* ag , :'I: immediately 4iuiied my ..teeth-'ui.. th fleshy- gag,;.and l .with a .wolflike .howl .th .a owner of it .kicked me viciously -in. th ('.'' back>of the head as the-car swung doWi n. ; East Twenty-Third Street. - --.'-. ; . Xr With a dim idea that the Flatiton ha< ' - topped over upon the machine, I fell bac •e- 'stunned^ and helpless. . at ;:\vhen I recovered my senses, a feeliri] of:suffocation made me wriggl* m y heck lt " and I discovered, to my great indignation '.; tnat. I was acting as - a fddtstodr for . th ?■" beardedi brute who had assaulted rrie: M harids -\veie strapped together. \ Raisirij theril, I mana|ed to'grip the loose dlbti ae of-his trouser-leg. , . „ -:' Hfe cursed and tried to shake his. lej ', from my grip, dragglrig me into a sittirij ." position in his efforts to.- release himself ' e -Wfiile 'dodging his blows j I was con -. ■ scious of the fact that our path was wall ed in with a network of iron beams.. . realised that we were-. crossing the Easi d- River by the Williamsburg Bridge. Th< e, snow was still falling, and I could noi er see beyond the cobweb of beams. Uj •n trom t-slow came thS screams of ferry le boats, and the light front; a passing trol y- ley-car flashed occasionally on the faces r- of _my captors. i- 'My view of the hridge was of shori i- duration. The two men flum? themselves upon me, I was thrown backward, the e. strap around my: wrists was lightened :s and a-heavy cloth was tied across my face. Finding that resistance was use-

less. I lay quiet, ami with aching head I'i tried to solve the mystery. to It was evident that the - .Knglishnian had brought matters to a climax, and tU-n aft jammed me into the breach when his per- to son was jn -clanger. The ball-pacKed ch trunks came up before my mind, ami I lu< concluded that the hundred dollars had been paid to me to enable Everingham to get a start on the men in the ear. But who were my captors': 1 strained my ears to catch the guttural sounds that (j drifted to me when the car slowed down. Slowly I pieced them together—now a familiar word, now ono oi whose meaning I was doubtful. Suddenly a certain ''j 1 expression was used. A flask of knowledge stunned my brain. I knew! I was . a prisoner of Russian nihilists! ' The car ripped into the night, and I lay with paralysed'mind. The English- y man unquestionably had failed to keep a y bargain made with the men who now < held me prisoner. It was with no feeling n of satisfaction that. I looked forward to y the end of the journey. We made turn- j iiigs. innumerable, and, after a consultatipn between the chauffeur and the two y others, the car swung round and again I moved cityward. 1 ; T came to the , conclusion 'that they <-j dreaded pursuit. V Presently » rolled down a dark street, . v arid pulled up alongside, the sidewalk, a My Two captors seized me roughly and g carried. '. me . into, a, dimly lighted front a room''.where, in response to a gruff order, a they laid me upon a table. £ m. . ■ i> .'• -'V' . "■'.''■ " 1 I.Turned my, head and looked at the j oobupaiiits of. the .benches running along £ the, walls. What I saw confirmed the. in- •_ formation ithy -brain- had already acquired. £ I counted ten, ditty, long-haired Russians. . By. Their excited jabbering I could tell that iny arrival - had produced a sen3a- < tioh. '.''■■ '■■" ; "We brought hint/" growled the big, -, bearded man. I '"We see," said a vicious-looking, white- , fkced \mari,-whose small eyes twinkled in | dark skull cavertis. "Now we will ques- i , t-idn him." .; •He-took up an. ugly,knife, the blade of which was. fully eighteen inches long. Wiping it, he spoke rapidly to the giant. At last he turned to me. "No'-.yell,..take off cloth?" he said. I shook my head to say no, and he cut ... the cloth with a slash of the knife. I . was impressed with the keenness of the ,_. blade. He grinned amiably when I jerked my., head back. There was an indescribable look of cunning upon his face, and I hated , him more than the brute who had overpowered me at the -Flatiron. , '.'Change your mind now t" he sneered." I sat iip and looked round. They wero watching me intently. Mentally, I cursed the .Englishman, but I was determined to i' put up" a bluff till my aching brain could . think out the most sensible course to pursue. •-..;',: • -7, Mir Petrapoloffski," I said meekly, "please be careful of the butcher's knife." ' , The remark maddened him. He hurled i a Jew vicious oaths at hie, and waved the . sword round his head. "Have you j changed your mind?" he shrieked. ' I glared at him, and mustered all my ' courage. "No!" I yelled; ;'Trh' nailed \' down—fixed.' 1 : In spite of my efforts, I ' found iiriyself watching the ugly knife. Tfi the silence that followed my, ari- " swe^r,'another man approached the table — l -a,' man with a peculiar birthmark that made one think, at the first glance, that l : he was wearing a red mask. T ; "Why : did you . take the . money f he aGked. quietly. "Why did you take the , live thousand dollars, if you did not in--1 tend to keep the bargain?" s -' A «few others stood up, and clcsed '» around the table; but my stupid brain 1 seeihed to be engaged with the pictures painted by an excited imagination instead - of preparing answers to the questions. f '"Look here, my friend, 1 ' 1 said sooth--3 irigiy -j "you tell me your side of the case, i and I will put mine before you.'V '"You English pig!" he ehouted. "Why s v did you take The money?" i 1 stared at,the walls, upon which a few crude, pictures, and some notices printed V iii the Russian language, were pasted; :, but the way out remained a puzzle. g "The Brotherhood waits," murmured l- the man with the birthmark. "Let it .wait!" I cried recklessly. © My interrogator showed sjmptoms of d apoplexy. His red. eyes sparkled viciously; and the mat of bristles on the lower I part of his face was disturbed much by t ni3" heavy breathing. I thought, as I e watched him, that the Britisher might have told me he had tricked dangerods 1, ' pebple,' and that the gift of a revolver e would have been a friendly action. • The , room was uncomfortably hot. I i. struggled to unbutton the heavy overcoat, ? observing at the same time that without ' it I might have a better chance in he onee sided tight which seemed imminent. ■;[ When the top buttons were unloosed, _the e packet, of papers given to me by Everingham ( shot suddenly into view. The giant e grasped: it quickly. . - * . It The discovery caused a commotion, i- They clustered round the big brute, as he spread them out upon one of the forms, j- while the man. with the. knife, standing ,o guard over, me, bombarded them .with ■e questions. I wondered, as. I saw their apn parent eagerness, why Everingham had Is given me the papers. A horrible thought entered my mind. I remembered his [C words as lie left me, and a suspicion that i" these documents were given to hie so that u any confession of mine would' be disbelieved made .me perspire profusely. Now, it waiild be ridiculous to deny that I was i« Eye itigham. The papers would convict it me! < . d A wild, unearthly jabbering quickened my thoughts. I worked one hand from d the s::ap, but the guard noticed the rnoves; irient. He swung the knife round his head, as if about to strike. Instinctively 3r I threw up my arm. My finger touched \j the. key to the low gas-jet. The next i- instant the room was in darkness. ■ T shitted quickly, and felt the blade of 1, the knife swish by my right shoulder; .'" then I stiffened my leg, and drove it full » r force into the darkness. A groan of in agony .informed me that I had doubled up r . the butcher. Next moment I was on my isr fe'et. e . The light from a street lamp, shining 3 . faintly through the window, showed the }, absence of shutters. I made a mighty j s spring, cs. half a dozen matches flared t simultan.ottsly. Through the lower panes j n I went, a shower of glass and splinters 1U falling round me;. and a storm of Slav curses following me as I picked myself jr. up and. flefl madly "along the dark street. ~j I do not know how far I ran. or how 1S long' I was Tt was ne'ar dayer break when I car uound cityis ward arid, refusing to get off when. the i conductor ordered me, 1 had a free ride h. to New York. n . My first thoughts were, of the money I had posted the night before,' eo I went to the' Bowery lodging-house, and waited re there till the postman delivered my pren', cious letter. Afterward I breakfasted or at:a good restaurant, and then went to- , ward Nineteenth Street, searching, as I 10 walked along, for vigorous, offensive epi- ? g thets to hurl at the Britisher. , Swinging around from Broadway, I ', stopped and took cover quickly. A score ? e of yards away, was the car in which I had J^ e journeyed to Brooklyn, while on th'o side- : walk before the house where Everingham ' n lived I saw the feiant and the man with 1 the peculiar birthmark gesticulating viol, lently. I watched them for ten minutes, clc when they drove away, angry and talka- : tive. the landlady at the house confirmig ed my suspicions. The' Englishman had k, fled. n; There is one more, incident to record, ae The one hundred dollars gave me an openly ing that I had long been waiting for. ig With a partner I started and prospered in exceedingly. Tue .care of the new venture had nearly effaced the memory of ig that stormy night, when a scrap of paper ig started the whole .thing rushing before I. my. mind like the film, of a mad biograph. i- Unpacking-some goods "forwarded from 1- London, I picked up a bit of newspaper I that had been used as wrapping. Ln--3t consciously I glanced' down the column le of brevities printed on one page. One Dt seemed to stand up, to spring at me from p all thass other.little tabloids of informay- tion. It read: . I- "At the Portarlirigton Hotel, West Kenjs sington, a man named Charles Byng Everingham, a guest of. the hotel,- was :t fatally, stabbed by a Russian porter early ;s this morning. The murderer, though te wounded by his victim, escaped. Papers d found in his trunk prove him to bo an y active nihilist. Entries in a diary show :"- that he had trailed Everingham from the

nited States to Paris, and from there j London." .My partner moused me a few 111i11i11• ■ -"■ fteiward. but 1 was so up.se: that I went . inv hotel, where I sit thinking li..c. I lose "I had sailed to the fate nf Hie mi- out u-kv Knglisliman. ,nl, IS 1.1 . __