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“What a killing! I’ve had a hell of a time stalling off the syndicate, trying to keep them in the dark about the surprise we’re going to give them. They’re too suspicious as it is for us to linger much longer. But things are about ripe for the blow-off — the fire that’s to start in the factory and wipe out the whole dirty town — and next Saturday was the day we picked. That’s the day when Izzard becomes nothing but a pile of ashes — and a pile of collectable insurance policies.

“The rank and file in town won’t know anything about the finer points of the game. Those that suspect anything take their money and keep quiet. When the town goes up in smoke there will be hundreds of bodies found in the ruins — all insured — and there will be proof of the death of hundreds of others — likewise insured — whose bodies can’t be found.

“There never was a bigger game! But it was too big for us! My fault— some of it — but it would have burst anyway. We always weeded out those who came to town looking too honest or too wise, and we made doubly sure that nobody who was doubtful got into the post office, railroad depot, telegraph office, or telephone exchange. If the railroad company or the telegraph or telephone company sent somebody here to work, and we couldn’t make them see things the way we wanted them seen, we managed to make the place disagreeable for them — and they usually flitted elsewhere in a hurry.

“Then the telegraph company sent Nora here and I flopped for her. At first it was just that I liked her looks. We had all sorts of women here — but they were mostly all sorts — and Nora was something different. I’ve done my share of dirtiness in this world, but I’ve never been able to get rid of a certain fastidiousness in my taste for women. I — well, the rest of them — Brackett, Ormsby, Elder, and the lot—were all for giving Nora the works. But I talked them out of it. I told them to let her alone and I’d have her on the inside in no time. I really thought I could do it. She liked me, or seemed to, but I couldn’t get any further than that. I didn’t make any headway. The others got impatient, but I kept putting them off, telling them that everything would be fine, that if necessary I’d marry her, and shut her up that way. They didn’t like it. It wasn’t easy to keep her from learning what was going on — working in the telegraph office — but we managed it somehow.

“Next Saturday was the day we’d picked for the big fireworks. Ormsby gave me the call yesterday — told me flatly that if I didn’t sew Nora up at once they were going to pop her. They didn’t know how much she had found out, and they were taking no chances. I told him I’d kill him if he touched her, but I knew I couldn’t talk them out of it. Today the break came. I heard he had given the word that she was to be put out of the way tonight. I went to his office for a showdown. Brackett was there. Ormsby salved me along, denied he had given any order affecting the girl, and poured out drinks for the three of us. The drink looked wrong. I waited to see what was going to happen next. Brackett gulped his down. It was poisoned. He went outside to die, and I nailed Ormsby.