CALLAGHAN'S FAILURE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3121, 16 July 1892, Page 1 (Supplement)

CALLAGHAN'S FAILURE.

By Thomas Wintiirop Hall. Mr Oallaghan* was busily engaged in an inspection of silver-ware that seemed to interest him exceedingly. Ho examined each article carefully, often stopping long enough to test the particular object with his teeth, or even to bend it. At the same time his actions were quiet, and one might say reserved. He did not appear to care to be noticed. He was a rather tall young fellow, " carelessly dressed," as they say in novels, and had a pale face like a student's. One might, indeed, have thought him a poor student were it not for his eyes, which instead of looking tired and weary like a student's, were exceedingly active and restless. On the whole, the face and his general appearance were not prepossessing. Indeed, the policeman on the beat most frequented by Mr Oallaghan in social life reported him at the precinct house as " a general tough—suspicious." Mr Oallaghan though very young had already learned the value of exceeding caution. Hence, he was almost noiseless, and he inspected the silver-ware in the very mild

light of a half-opened dark lantern. A. happy smile played round the corners of his mouth the while, for the silver-ware he was examining proved to be of the finest and newest, and bore the monogram of a famous New York family. For that matter, the entire surroundings of Mr Oallaghan at the time were of the richest. The very sideboard at which he laboured was worth a small fortune, and the cut glass upon it looked very beautiful Fn the mellow light. There were rich red tints in some of the glassware occasioned by their contents, but Mr Oallaghan did not stop to examine them. He did not believe

in drinking during business hours. The time was something after midniaht.

Mr Callighan was aroused from his preoccupation by a faint click. It sounded very much like the click of a trigger as a revolver is cocked. It was a trifle startling, but he did not lose his presence of mind. He faced around like a flash, and turned off the rays of his dark lantern. He knew it was almost useless to take the latter precaution, however, for he was well informed, and he knew that in the houses of the ri<jh of to-day it required but the pressing of a button to turn on a full stream of electric lights throughout an entire floor. The sudden burst of lighc came, just as he expected it would, and as it did so he heard a voice say, ' Don't dare to move."

He was more startled by the voice than he was by the sudden glare of the electiic lights, for it was the voice of a young girl. Mr Oallaghan blinked a few times, took a good look, and then his thin face broadened a trifle into a smile. At the other end of the room stood a very pale but resolute girl in a pink wrapper. She held a little goldmounted revolver of a caribre so small that Mr Oallaghan, but for his natural politeness, would have laughed at it outright, and she was biting her lip, for she was apparently very nervous. The revolver was pointed in Mr Callaghan's direction, but, alas! the hand that held was shaking very perceptibly. Oallaghan grinned. " Is'nt it rather late for you to be out ? " he asked her.

"Don't dare to move," she replied. " I know precisely what to do. Papa told me before he went away. I am going to sound the burglar-alarm and have you arrested. Then you will be sent to State-prison." " "Well," almost laughed Mr Oallaghan, "why don't you do it? I'm waiting." " Because," she answered, hesitatingly, '-because you're standing in front of it." "Oh, ami?" answered Callaghan. "Then I'll move away. I always like to be polite to ladies." He moved away a few steps. She frowned a little bit. Then she said: " Excuse me. Will you please move a little further away ? " " Certainly," he answered; "anything to oblige a real lady." She stepped toward the alarm, which Oallaghan had not until then perceived, and stretched forth her hand. She was about to turn the little handle when Oallaghan said hastily: " Hold on a minute. Do you think that would be a nice thing to do 1"

" Of course it would," she answered.

" Just think about it a moment," Oallaghan continued. " If you do that, I'll be arrested, and sent up for fifteen or twenty years. Fifteen or twenty years in a little cell all by myself, with no one to talk to and nothing to do—except break stones for my health. Now I don't care anything about it myself. Of course I haven't clone you any wrong. I haven't got away with the silver,and therefore there isn't any wrong done you—is there? I-tried to, but you have got the hest of me, and you're an awfully brave little girl to doit, too. But just think of youself during the next fifteen or twenty years, if you have me sent up. Every day you'll be thinking .about the poor fellow who's doing time because you made him, and every night you'll be lying awake crying because you made him suffer so much for such a little thing, and every time the minister i n your church says anything about forgiving your enemies

you'll be thinking he means you, aud—" She broke in—" I think I'll let you go." She said it very earnestly. Oallaghan laughed aloud. •' That's right," he said. "I knew you would, for I knew you were a lady the minute 1 saw you. I didn't mean what I said. Probably in a month you'd forget all about me. No one remembers a fellow who's doing time but the police and the detcctives. I was just trying an experiment. Do you think I was afraid you'd call the police? Nonsense. Do you think I was afraid of your little revolver ? Nonsense. I've been shot twice by real revolvers. If you had tried to send the burglar-alarm do you know what I'd hare done ? I'd have made a quick jump for you,and I'd have had my hands about your throat before you could have winked. If you'd had £red the revolver you would have missed me. Girls can't shoot." He said this last almost contemptuously ; but he was sorry a moment afterwards, for he noticed that she was growing very white and very frightened too. Nevertheless, he continued : " And after I'd got my hands about your neck, and you couldn't scream or struggle or shoot, what do you suppose I'd have done ?"

She did not reply. She could not speak. She was tremblihg violently. " I'd have—l'd have " —he was embarrassed, and he actually blushed—Callaghan blushed—"l'd have kissed you," he said, with an effort, "and then I'd have gone away. But you needn't look frightened any longer. I ain't going to hurt you, and I ain't going to kiss you; for some day you'll be ashamed of it, and you'll bo ashamed to tell your sweetheart that Rocky Callaghan kissed you. And I ain't a-going to take anything that belongs to this house, although I could right before your eyes. I'm just a-going peaceably home." He started to walk towards the window by which he hud entered. As he did so, however, he looked at her critically, stopped, and said : " You're going to hold out just about until I'm gone. Then you are going to faint. I can't leave you here alone in a faint. I'll fix it." He walked deliberately to the sideboard and poured out a glass of wine. " Here," said he, " drink this, and then go up stairs to bed as quick as you can. I'll lock the window alter I go out."

•' She took the wine 'with a frightened " Thank you," and drank it.

Mr Callaghan turned to leave. " That brings che red back to your cheeks," he said; "It's a good thing when not taken daring business hours. Now I'm going, but I want you to remember that I am not afraid of the burglar alarm or the little revolver. I am not going to rob you because— because you are so brave, and because you are so pretty. I sort of hate to make a failure of a job, and I guess the boys will guy me a bit for it; but you are too pretty." Saying which, Mr Callaghan climbed thr9ugh|the window and disappeared.