The Devil's Shilling: being the simple narrative of the extraordinary career of a certain coin of the realm

Front matter

THE DEVIL'S SHILLING. W>r . . VlsiTjoltov^, Jemmy Dodds peered into the body of the vehicle, and . [Page 78. THE DEVIL'S SHILLING BEING THE SIMPLE NARRATIVE OF THE EXTRAORDINARY CAREER OF A CERTAIN COIN OF THE REALM BY CAMPBELL RAE-BROWN AUTHOR OF "RICHARD BARLOW"; " KISSING - CUP'S RACE"; "THE LOVELIEST WOMAN IN LONDON" ETC. " There are no adventurers like coin of the realm" —J. M. Barrie. LONDON HENRY J. DRANE Salisbury House, Salisbury Square, Fleet Street, E.C. Printed by H. J* Drane, Lendcn tf Amsterdam. Opinions of the Press. By the same Author. RICHARD BARLOW, THE BLOODHOUND. (40th to jo'h Thousand.) Morning Post. — "The Author writes as brightly as ever in 'Richard Barlow.'" Greenock Herald. — "Dramatic and poetic power. Campbell Rae-Brown is now recognised as a writer of note both in London and the Provinces."

European Mail. — '^.Campbell Rae-Brown's 'Richard Barlow' has more ' go ' in it than Stevenson's story, and is also blood-curdling and exciting." St. James's Gazette. — "'Richard Barlow' by Campbell Rae-Brown is a fearsome story of a cruel murder and its wonderful detection. Mr. Rae-Brown describes the crime in quite his best style." Liverpool Courier. — "Not merely sensational, but it also has a lofty purpose." Scotsman. — "Murder is no new thing in fiction, but Mr. Rae-Brown handles it here in a new fashion and plays with effect upon the emotions of sympathy and terror." Newcastle Chronicle. — "Drawn with great power and skill." Stationer. — "A marvellous tale; a tale of love between two brothers as strong as it is beautiful." "KISSING CUP'S RACE" etc. Rev. J. G. Nesbitt, Editor Unique Reciter.— " Wherever the English language is spoken — in the log-cabins of the back-woods, around the tent fires of the Australian bush — this thrilling story of love and sport, of man's weakness and woman's loyalty has become the favourite recitation.

I believe the piece will never die." Editor Daily Courier. — "'Kissing-Cup's Race' has now become famous. A pen that can describe a situation with such dignity is capable of high-class work. It could, we imagine, give us a novel of more than average merit." OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. VI THE RACE WITH DEATH. Melbourne Leader.— " This author's 'Kissing-Cup's Race' has achieved a world-wide reputation and a volume from same pen is sure of innumerable readers. Vigour and 'go,' and humour; powerful and pathetic." THE LOVELIEST WOMAN IN LONDON. (30th Thousand.) The Lady. — "Mr. Rae-Brown's latest novel portrays the original of its title, a pretty woman. The tale is told with all the nervous force of which the author is capable, and is interesting and entertaining. There are always touches of real pathos in this author's writing."

Chapter I. The Parting Of The Ways

Of course it is quite likely I may be wrong, but I cannot help thinking that even before my existence as a fully-accredited coin of the realm began, I must have formed part of what is usually termed " ill-gotten gain." I can quite conceive that while I was yet only a portion of some insensate lump of ore, far away in Mexico or some other equally wild and lawless country, desperate men fought together for possession of me ; that blood was spilt; and under the terrible influence of that money-greed which turns men into THE DEVIL'S SHILLING.

CHAPTER I. THE PARTING OF THE WAYS.

Of course it is quite likely I may be wrong, but I cannot help thinking that even before my existence as a fully-accredited coin of the realm began, I must have formed part of what is usually termed " ill-gotten gain." I can quite conceive that while I was yet only a portion of some insensate lump of ore, far away in Mexico or some other equally wild and lawless country, desperate men fought together for possession of me ; that blood was spilt; and under the terrible influence of that money-greed which turns men into maniacs, is it not possible that lives were actually taken on my account? Who shall say but that the rightful owners of me fell — massacred, fighting to the last to defend their hard-won gains, battling vainly against im possible odds? Ah, who indeed shall say? But, for my own part, I know that I shall never rid my self of the idea that from the moment of my first seeing the light of day, a curse fell upon me — I became charged with a mission, as it were, to carry sorrow and crime and death to all those with whom I had any kind of connection.

The earliest period of my career that I can recall in any really distinct way is when I lay in the coffers of some mighty banking establishment in the city, closely packed with one hundred and ninety-nine of my brand-new, shining brethren ; and, as may be supposed, I was not at all sorry when the occasion arose of my being removed from a position so uncomfortably cramped to one in which my individual character might have a fair chance to assert itself. Not that I wish it to be thought that I am devoid of sentiment and did not feel the parting with my young com panions of the bank. I did feel it a good deal at first ; but it took the edge off my grief to find that I was not to be separated from them all — at any rate, not at once ; for, as it turned out, nine of the other shillings bade adieu to the bank with me : the ten of us being given in exchange for half-a-sovereign.

It was the first time I had even seen a coin of a different colour from my own, and although I was naturally rather bashful in the presence of one who, as the direct descendant of the mighty Sovereign, was, of course, a prince among us, I remember thinking what a very dirty little half-a-sovereign His Highness appeared — his features very much knocked about and of an exceedingly dissipated aspect altogether ; and how poor an exchange he formed for a whole half-score of spick and span bounc ing " bobs " like ourselves. "By Jove," said one of my brothers, as we lay for a moment on the counter previous to being handed over to our new owner, " that half-sov.'s had a pretty rough time of it by the look of him. Seen a bit of life, I bet. Old hand, I expect." " Oh no, he's not veiy old," I replied, for, as it happened, being nearer to him than the others, I had caught sissht of the date of his birth.

"His appearance is deceptive," I continued; "he is, comparatively, quite a youngster." " Oh, tell that to the marines," said another of my sparkling relatives ; " he's battered about enough to be as old as Methuselah." "You're quite right there," I said, "but the fact remains, he is not out of the 'six ties.' Bear in mind, my boy," I went on, little dreaming what a deep significance my words possessed in respect to my own future, "that it makes all the difference in the world what kind of hands a coin gets into. If he always gets into good, decent, quiet hands, well, in that case he may circulate for years and years and yet show but very few blemishes in his appearance ; whereas another one goes from the outset into low company and gets so badly treated all round that in less than a year his friends wouldn't recognise him for the same."

" Yes, there's a good deal in that," one of the others replied. "But this 'half-sov.' we're talking about has such a rightdown dissipated look, and of so apparently deep-set a character, it seems only a great length of time could have developed it." "I know what you mean: that worn, haggard aspect," I answered. "Well, it is old age, in a way, too — but premature old age. What should have been the wear and tear of a whole life-time has in this particular instance, you see, been crammed into the space of a few years. The explanation to my mind is very simple," I continued, "in the case of this ten-shilling piece in question. Its few years of existence have been passed among a very, what is called, ' fast set ' of human beings: those, for instance, who turn night into day — gamblers and their kind; consequently, the poor coin has had little or no rest, and been subjected to all manner of rough treatment, frequently bitten, no doubt, as a test of its genuineness, by the teeth of men naturally suspicious of their asso ciates; trodden under-foot, perchance, in mo ments of savage rage; and, as the result of some drunken wager, I should say, by the look of it, that it had at some time or another received the destructive attentions ofa firearm."

Hearing this, two or three of my brother shillings shivered ; one of them remarking : "That's a nice thing to say to us, now that we're just starting out into the world. Besides, I thought the law protected us against that kind of treatment." "Just so, my friend," said I; "but if you get among people who don't care a button for the law or anything else, what then?" But here our conversation was brought to a sudden close. The moment when the ten of us were to say farewell to our brothers had arrived ; and with a succession of little chink ing cries, we were delivered into the hands of our new owner. Well, and it was a fat, smooth, comfortable hand enough in whose grasp we now found ourselves. But, Jingo, weren't we squeezed up awfully close together ! "How do you like it?" whispered one of the others.

" Deuced hot and stuffy," I answered. " Don't half like it; wish the old chap would put us in his pocket." And my wish was soon gratified ; for, after opening his hand and counting us over just once more, to make sure before he left the precincts of the bank that we were all right, down he slipped the ten of us into one of the capacious pockets of his trousers. Now I will tell you why we enjoyed that jaunt with Mr. Jolliboy (I had overheard his name at the bank) more than we should have under ordinary circumstances. One of the old gentleman's legs being considerably shorter than the other, every stride he took produced a kind of jolting movement; this consequently causing us to dance a continual jig together the whole way till we reached the Jolliboy abode; and as this saltatory exercise was accompanied by the music of our silver edges as we swung one against the other, it may easily be imagined we enjoyed the fun immensely.

For, after all, it must be remembered, we were only youngsters — careless and innocent recruits going forth to fight in the great battle of life. Yes, and though I cannot speak for my companions, had I foreseen the fearful events in which I was about to bear a part, I do not think I should — nay, I know I should not — have carried within me so light a heart.

Chapter II. The Return Of The Prodigal

We found a very pleasant little party assembled at Mr. Jolliboy's house: a self contained,medium-sized dwelling situated some where in the Brompton district; and, to judge from appearances, it was the habitation of people very comfortably off indeed. The furniture was handsome and the various ap pointments suggested, if not opulence exactly, certainly that pecuniary status best described by the term "well-to-do." As the occasion was Christmas Eve, the party, of course, was purely a family one, composed entirely of the Jolliboy parents and their children. And now that I have mentioned children, it will begin to dawn upon you why that dirty half-a-sovereign was changed for your humble servants, the ten brand-new shilling pieces. Yes: since ever he had been blessed with a family, it had been John Jolliboy's invariable rule to present each member of it with a new shilling, just for luck, as he expressed it, every Christmas morning, as sure as ever it came round.

And the fact struck the happy father that night, as he looked round on the smiling faces of those he loved, that this year formed the twentieth anniversary of his beginning of the custom. That is to say, it was just twenty years since the birth of his first-born : this being the thought that no doubt brought the momentary shade of care to his face. For this first-born, his eldest son, was he not the only one absent that night of all John Jolliboy's ten children. I was able to note this change that swept over the kindly face, because we had now been taken from his pocket, and, unseen to the others in the room, had been put in the corner of the little mahogany bracket that hung in the recess of the fire-place. One on the top of the other we had been placed, and as I happened to have the uppermost position I could see and hear everything that was going on around me without myself being noticed.

However egotisical the announcement may seem, I must tell you at once that I do not intend to dwell on any of the details of that happy family party, but to pass without delay to the recounting of those incidents directly concerning myself. A few minutes after the black marble time piece, quite close to me on the mantel-shelf, had chimed with musical note the hour of midnight, I — or we, rather, found ourselves alone. Of course, Mr. Jolliboy had forgotten us. There could be no other explanation. And it he did not come down for us later on, there those stockings would hang on their respective door-handles, limp and empty, all through the long, weary night — and oh, the disappointed faces in the morning ! How had he come to forget us? I wondered whether I could not give a possible explanation.

For quite half-an-hour after all the rest of the family had gone to bed — when he had kissed the laughing faces one by one, and murmured a " God bless you " to each — he had sat there, alone, with the shadow I had before seen that evening, no longer fleeting, but lying heavy and settled on the white, care worn brow. It was evident he was suffering under a trouble affecting him so greatly that everything else, for the time being, was driven from his mind. This is explanation enough why we were forgotten. But, naturally enough, it will be asked what this great trouble was; and although I had, of course, no idea of its exact nature at that time, I had reason to know afterwards that the burden forever weighing upon him was in connection with that first-born of whom I have already spoken, — his lost son Frank.

I have already said this eldest was the only one of the large family that was absent from the Christmas gathering. It was the old story : a youthful error of a too serious nature to be passed over with a mere admonition; a quarrel, high words, a hot-headed youth, a temporarily wrathful father — who, in the height of his passionate anger, forbade his son the house — and then the latter's sudden headstrong resolve to take the father at his word, and go out, shelterless, into the night. And as it had been near this season of the year, too, when the parting had taken place, so the memory of it came back to the father's mind to-night charged with all the more poignant bitterness. It was of the lost sheep — the one of the flock who had wandered away from the fold — that John Jolliboy had sat thinking with his head bent on his chest and the shadow of care about his face.

Now and again I saw his lips move, and I tried to imagine what the words were that they thus silently shaped. It looked as if they were murmuring: "My boy, my poor boy Frank! Where is he to-night? With this abundance of food and comfort on every side — perhaps he — my poor boy — perhaps he is starving and houseless. Oh God forbid ! and guide his wandering steps homewards — homewards — that he may be clasped again to the hearts that love him.' This is what it seemed to me that the faltering lips whispered j and then his hand was brushed suddenly across his eyes, and he rose, and went with slow steps up to his room. No, never giving us a thought ; thinking only of Frank, the first-born. One o'clock struck. How loud even the little chime ofthe marble clock sounded through the sleeping house !

Then how awfully still it became, and lonely, and creepy ! In the glow of the dying fire, I saw two big black-beetles issue from some crevice under the coal-scuttle and crawl rapidly across the smooth tiles of the fire-place. Then I thought I heard a noise as though a mouse were trying to nibble its way into the room. As I listened more intently I changed my mind, however; the sound did not come from the room where we were at all, but from further off. Something — some body was tampering with the keyhole of the front door. Here I will digress for a moment. It has been already shown how deeply affected was Mr. Jolliboy at the continued absence of his son Frank from the paternal roof; therefore it will be the less surprising to hear that ever since the son's departure he had given way — as even the strongest-minded men will in such cases give way — to the somewhat, ultra-sentimental foible shall we call it, of always leaving the front-door unbolted.

No doubt in that increased fondness which absence is said to develop he could not bear the idea of going to his own warm bed, knowing that he had locked out the wanderer who might be driven, any night, by stress of circumstances, back to the threshold of his old home. " No — no," doubtless, murmured the parent's heart within him, " it must never be said that when the poor boy came back the way was barred against him — No, no; that must never be said ; that I drove him out shelterless, into the streets again — drove him to desperation, aye, perhaps to crime." Yes, all this is easy enough to imagine ; and, also, that night after night John Jolliboy went to his rest cherishing the hope that the prodigal would return on one os these occasions, and let himself in with his latch-key as of old, and find his way to the room, which, likewise, it had been his father's care to see was always kept ready for him.

Further than saying that the knowledge of this did not come to me till some time after the occurrence of the incidents I now pass on to relate, it is unnecessary to dwell on those promptings of sentiment which assailed the heart of poor John Jolliboy ; which, how ever pardonable, by no means conduced to the security of his household. I was pretty certain that the slight noise I had heard was produced by the gentle friction of metal against metal ; a key not very deftly guided or steadily handled was most unmistakably being made acquainted with the lock of the front door. Holding my breath, as you human beings say, I listened more eagerly than ever; and was rewarded by detecting above the scraping sound I have described, the hoarse whisper of voices. To the best of my belief one of these voices said : " I should 'ave thought you'd 'ave been able to manage it at once, seeing that" — (here I lost a word or two).

" A rare bungle you're making of it. Here, let go, and let me have it." It was a softer, more refined voice that answered : " All right. Yes, perhaps you'd better take it, my hand trembles so." " Blowed if you ain't like a bloomin' gal, " was the contemptuous reply. Then the voices ceased, but the key was again moving in the lock, and this time more effectually, for in another moment the door swung back almost noiselessly on its hinges. I knew, also, by the current of cold air that swept into the room, that these midnight visitors, whoever they were, had undoubtedly effected an entrance into the house unaided by any of its inmates. How forcibly at this point the fact thrust itself upon me of what little use I was in an emergency of this kind, you may well imagine. If I had only possessed a voice, however small, what an immense service I could have rendered to those sleeping ones upstairs!

It was surpassingly sad to think that I could do absolutely nothing but look on while the burglars — I concluded, of course, that robbery was their intent — coolly and unhindered carried out their predatory designs. Curiously enough, though, I was, in a way I had little dreamed of, to be the means of preventing my present owner losing a great deal more of his property than would other wise have been the case ; the little incident forming yet another instance of how a mere trifle leads sometimes to a most important issue. O 29 I have already said that with regard to the little heap of coins consisting of my nine brother shillings and myself, it was I who had been accorded the uppermost position as we lay, one above the other, on the bracket whose whereabouts I have already described as being near the fire-place.

Consequently, during the great amount of romping the children had on this especial festive occasion been permitted to indulge in, I had become so shaken out of place that I found myself, at the moment of the entrance into the room of the aforesaid burglars, on the very point of losing my balance and toppling over on to the floor. And now you will see what a great event sprang from so little a cause. It was impossible for me to distinguish the faces of the two men that now crept noiselessly into the room, as their slouched hats were drawn far over their brows, and the glimmer from the bull's-eye which one of them held in front of him, had the effect of throwing both figures into almost complete shadow. I can only say that one of the men seemed of very much younger and slighter build than the other, and, somehow or another, gave me the impression of being completely under the in fluence of his elder companion, whom he appeared to follow blindly, in a dazed way, like one walking in his sleep, or as though he were the unconscious subject of a master in mesmerism.

As a proof of the very perilous nature of my situation, the almost imperceptible vibra tion caused by the soft tread of the men's steps across the room was quite sufficient to bring about my downfall. My balance lost, I fell ; and just touching the edge of the bracket in my descent, in another moment — with that liquid ringing sound which is the true note of genuine silver — I had landed on the tiled fire-place, and was rolling musically along its smooth surface. What a craven creature is the burglar ! You should have seen the consternation on the face of the biggest and burliest of these two men; those of the younger man, however, being still shrouded from view ; for, in addition to the hat pulled low down over his eyes, I saw that a wide black bandage enveloped almost the whole face. I had noticed this fact immediately on my reaching the ground.

One more moment and I should not have been able to do so ; for, following me with the gleam of his lantern, the other man — the big, burly one, as I call him — strode over to where I lay, and picking me up, put me in his pocket. Thus, for the time being, my view of what went on was necessarily obstructed. But if I had been depriv ed of my eyes, my hearing was quite sufficient to enable me to give a pretty correct description of the exciting incident that here followed. There was not the slightest doubt that the sound of my falling, besides momentarily startling the elder burglar, had been also the means of suddenly arousing the younger from the somnambulist-like stupor into which it seemed to me he had fallen. A kind of frenzy apparently possessed him now, and with great strength, and a suddenness that took the man in whose pocket I was now lying completely aback, he swung the big figure on one side and thrust his own in front of it, crying — "No — no, you shall not have those!

I see you have your eyes on them. Thank God I saw them, too ! This — this is Christmas Eve," he went on, in a voice that had now grown tremulous — " and — and these are the new shillings for the little ones." I had divined by a sort of instinct that this had been the spot both men were making for — the bracket whereon still stood the nine other shillings. In another moment I knew by the sound that the younger man had taken possession of them. Not for very long, however; for here a horrible thing happened. As may be imagined, the big brute who had now possession of me was filled with a fury past all control at the sudden way in which he had been sprung upon and cheated of the glittering shillings — which no doubt the badness of the light had deceived him into thinking were sovereigns. Enraged was he, also, at his companion raising his voice to such a height as threatened to arouse the whole house before time had been given to strip it of its treasures.

"Hang you!" hissed the coarse, brutal voice ; " you'll spoil the whole game if I don't silence you. That'll do for you, you fool." I could feel that he here took his victim by the neck with one hand ; and the next second I knew that the short, heavy iron bar I had noticed that he carried, had fallen with a sickening thud and terrible weight on the younger man's skull. When he lowered the lifeless body to the around the hand of this human brute must have come into contact with the gash on the wounded head ; for, as he plunged it into his pocket, as though to wipe from it the sign of his dastardly deed, I felt it touch me and defile me with the impress of its bloody fingers. But, after all, the murderous ruffian, who I shuddered to think was now my unlawful owner, was not to succeed — either in gaining possession of those nine brothers of mine, now lying clasped in the stricken man's hands, or in carrying out his design to search for and pilfer anything valuable that he might come across.

As he bent over the prostrate form of his victim, with the object of endeavouring to open the tightly-clenched fingers which held the coveted coins, a sound struck on his ears which caused him to rise instantly to his feet, and make with feverish haste for the front door. What he had heard was the fall of some body's steps on one of the landings upstairs. When another minute had gone by, and the ruffian had got clear away, John Jolliboy quietly and unconcernedly entered the room that he had left only a little over an hour since. It was not, however, disturbance from below that had caused Mr. Jolliboy to leave his room at that hour. Strangely enough, he had heard nothing of the midnight visitors to his house. But as he lay dozing he had suddenly thought of the new shillings which he had forgotten to distribute over-night, which his children, big and little, according to the good old custom, would certainly expect to find in the suspended sock or stock ing in the early hours of the morning.

Yes: and he had still been thinking of Frank when he entered the room, candle in hand, the flame of it swaying to and fro and casting weird shadows about the deserted place. What was it, he wondered, made the flame sway so much? Surely there was a great draught coming from somewhere? He stepped back across the threshold again, having as yet had no time to notice anything within the room. On regaining the passage and going into the hall, he saw at once what was causing the draught. The house-door stood ajar, giving free access to the chilly midnight air. An exclamation of surprise left his lips; then a little cry of joy. A thought — a convic tion born of the great instinct of paternal love, flashed through his brain, sudden and swift as a new-born sun-beam flashes from Heaven. Frank, the first-born — the prodigal had return ed. It must be so; no one else could have opened the door.

Thank God he had left it unbarred ! Yes, Frank — his darling son was back — back home again at last ! He had chosen this night too — this night of the old custom. He could not let it go by; he had come back to share in the childish gifts of Santa Claus — come back for his new shilling. All this the fond father murmured over to himself, as, with trembling fingers, he quickly closed the door, and then turned again and went in search of Frank. In search of Frank ! And was it on looking into that poor dead face he would find him — this loved prodigal for whom the door of home had ever been left unbarred?