128 FRUIT RAXCHIXG. 



kirge number of Italian working men]. He's one of 

 the Black Hand," said the stranger, "and they've 

 set their mark against me. I was up in Fernie at the 

 time of the fire, and I wrote something about them in 

 a newspaper, and now they are wanting my life." 



" What sort of a man is this who is waiting for 

 you?" I asked him. " Is he a round-faced, boyish- 

 looking young fellow? " 



"Yes: that's he," he answered eagerly: "that's 

 he! I know he means to assassinate me." 



" Nonsense! You needn't be afraid of Jiim. He 

 won't — he couldn't — hurt you. ^^ hy, he's half 

 drunk." 



" And so am I," he declared, " more's the pity! 

 But, I say," he added, with sudden energy, "you 

 haven't an old revolver you could lend me — have 

 you?" 



"No: I haven't," I told him, and in thought I 

 continued, " and if I had I certainly shouldn't lend 

 it to yozt." 



I urged him, if he were afraid, to go back to 

 Nelson. But for some time longer I had great dilTi- 

 culty in pacifying him. At last he begged permission 

 to sit down outside the gate, in sight of my men 

 gathering cherries, and with that he went away. 



These circumstances I now recalled, and naturally 

 I set the intruder down as a drinker and a ne'er-do- 

 well, who was just trying to get a few cents out of 

 me. Consequently, I refused to give him even ten 

 cents. Finding he could obtain nothing from me, 

 he went away, or, rather, started to go away. In less 

 than half a minute he was back. 



" Have you any place where I could sleep the 



