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The plan was outlined, the labor apportioned and they went to work. Jamie went for the carpenter and hired William Gainer to dig the grave. Eliza Conlon made the shroud, Jane Burrows and Anna washed and laid out the corpse, and Mrs. Houston kept Eliza in Anna's bed until the preliminaries for the wake were completed. "Ye can go now, Mrs. Houston," Anna said, "an' I'll mind 'Liza."
To Eliza Conlon was given the task of providing refreshments. I say "task," for after the carpenter was paid for the coffin and Jamie Scott for the hearse there was only six shillings left. "Get whey for th' childther," Anna said, and "childther" in this catalog ran up into the twenties. For the older "childther" there was something from Mrs.
"You've nothing more to do here," Tom answered, dryly, without yielding the wheel. "What do you mean by that?" Evarts cried quickly. "Can't you guess?" wondered Reade. "Mr. Reade means," said Conlon, who had come forward, "that we're fired -discharged." "Nonsense!" protested Evarts. "Conlon has guessed rightly, as far as you're concerned," Tom continued. "To-morrow, Evarts, you go to Mr.
"There are other reasons why he's boss," grunted the engine tender. "Mr. Reade has nerve, but he also has brains in his head. Any man with brains and the sense to use 'em goes to the top, while I stay down a good deal lower, and you, Rastus, are still lower." "Ah reckon Ah got a two-bit hat on top o' only two cents' wo'th o' brains, Misto Conlon," grinned the darkey.
"Let her go," Tom returned, "as soon as Nicolas boards." The Mexican was quickly aboard, after having made the rowboat's painter fast. "Headway!" announced Renshaw, throwing over the drive-wheel of the engine. "Put-put-put!" sputtered the motor. Then the "Morton" began really to move. With the first real throb of the engine the electric running lights gleamed out. Aft Conlon began to stir.
Less than five minutes later Tom Reade, one hand controlling the searchlight and peering steadily into the water, sang out: "Stop! Back her -slowly. There, come back five feet. So! Hold her steady!" As the engine stopped Conlon stepped forward, kneeling by Reade's side. "There are the bombs, man!" cried Tom exultantly. "See them -the two upper ones?"
Eliza looked at her open-mouthed for a moment. "Tell me, Anna," she said, as she put her hands on her shoulders, "was th' han' that bro't home trouts fur th' childther God's han' too?" "Aye, 'deed it was." "Oh, glory be t' God thin I'm at pace isn't it gran' t' think on isn't it now?" Eliza Conlon abruptly terminated the conversation by announcing that all was ready for the wake.
That's what makes it strange, to my mind, this white horse and rider being seen on the Taloona road the day she leaves the place." "Where are the troopers Conlon and his mate?" "Went away three days ago, sir, on orders from head-quarters." "And Mr. Dudgeon?" "Oh, he's still at Taloona. They say he's pretty well right again, except that he limps with a stick." "I suppose his gold was taken?"
Conlon, make your engine a little less noisy if you can." Now Reade had leisure to wonder how matters had gone with Harry Hazelton. "Of course that threatening figure Harry saw behind him was an imaginary one," Tom said to himself, but he felt uneasy nevertheless. A few moments later Reade clutched at one of Evarts's arms. "Did you hear that, man?" the young engineer demanded. "Hear what?"
"That's one of the risks of the business," Tom retorted grimly. Before the motor boat had gone far Tom called one of the men aboard to take the wheel. Then the young chief engineer began to experiment with the searchlight. "What's the idea, sir?" asked Conlon, looking on. "I want to depress the light, so that we can use it to look down into the water." "And try to find the bombs?"
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