Part 19 (1/2)

Gleeson took his ai to pot the red The red, rolling sloas halfway to the pocket, when there ca, throbbing wings, as through the open doors and s and fanlights a cloud of grasshoppers swarreen their eyes had seen when attracted by the weird, inhuainst three and stopped, an inch frohty shout that ca ht, out on to the dusty paddocks again, rasshopper swarm

Those that remained were stamped to death, as, a moment later, Tony put the red ball down, and the audience, , everywhere, even on the billiard-table

In the turlow of happiness on the previous evening were forgotten, though it was, after all, only their own money which Tony had won back for them

Everybody wished to toast everybody, and in their anxiety to carry out the wish, they failed to notice that Gleeson quietly withdrew Only when other facts were forced upon their attention, and they learned that the game won had been really lost, did they notice his departure, and then it was too late

In thesome one called for the stakeholders to share in the festivity The proprietor of the Rest was present, but he ht the men wanted the stakes handed over

”Leary has theht, quiet like”

So Leary, the constable, to his cottage late on the previous night He certainly did not have the stakes with hiue the e as the local constable, as also the stakeholder in the greatvictory, had already started for the constable's cottage

They found his securely bound together, and a rough but effective gag in his mouth Suspicious at first only of a practical joke on the part of so accoled to his feet and, facing them, shouted--

”I arrest the lot of you for assault and robbery”

It appealed to them as an excellent exahter

”I know the man who took it I'd swear to hi theh to hing so heartily, interrupted to ask--

”Took what?”

”Took what? Why, the gold,” Leary answered fiercely

The words killed the laughter as water kills fire, and where a moment before the faces of the men rinkled with their amusement, the lines disappeared as the ave way to the pallor of fear

”The gold?” they gasped

”Yes, the gold,” Leary shouted ”We brought it here for safety while the last ga me up the same as you found me, and----”

”Who were they?” a man called out

”The three who took the bets and another I've never seen”

With a shout of rage and a store, back to the Rest, spreading the story as they went, that there had been thieves in the ca failed in that, had robbed them instead

One or two remained with the constable

”When was it done?” one asked Leary

”How should I know?” he answered ”I reckon I was sleeping when I wakened here all tied up, and there were the four of the themselves quiet and easy I let out a yell, and one of the into my mouth--and there I was till you chaps ca, for they had now discovered that Gleeson was gone; while round the proprietor of the Rest, Marathered--the disappearance of the gold entirely altered the character of thewith passion, strode up and down

”The sharks! And we didn't kill one of the in a voice that sounded even above the babel