Jasper County Democrat, Volume 16, Number 85, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 January 1914 — WITHIN THE LAW [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WITHIN THE LAW

By MARVIN DANA

FROM THE PLAY OF BAYARD VEILLER Copyright, 1913, by the H. K. Fly company.

CHAPTER XIII. The Burglary at Gilder’s. THE entrance of the butler brought the inspector’s thoughts back to the matter in hand. “My man,’’ he said authoritatively, “I want you to go up to the roof and open the scuttle. You’ll find some men waiting up there. Bring ’em down here. They’re police officers. You get ’em down here, and then you go to bed and stay there till morning. Understand?” The butler looked at his master for guidance. Receiving a nod, Be said: “Very well, sir.” “How do you know they’re going'to break into the house tonight.” Gilder demanded of Burke, “or do you only think they’re going to break Into the house?” “I know they are. I fixed It.” “You did?”

“Sure; did it through a stool pigeon.” “Oh, an informer!” Gilder interrupted, a little doubtfully. “Yes,” Burke agreed; "stool pigeon is the police name for him. Really, he’s the vilest thing that crawls.” “But if you think that,” Gilder expostulated, “why do you have anything to do with that sort of person?” “Because it’s good business,” the inspector replied. .“We know he’s a spy and a traitor and that every time he comes near us we ought to use a disinfectant. But we deal with him just the same because we have to. Now, the stool pigeon in this trick is a swell English crook. He went to Garson yesterday with a scheme to rob your house. He tried out Mary Turner, too. but she told Garson to leave it alone. But he met Griggs afterw’ard and agreed to pull it off. Griggs got word to me that it’s coming off tonight, and so, you see, Mr. Gilder, that’s how 1 know.” “I see,” Gilder admitted without any enthusiasm. “But w-hy do you have your men come down over the roof?” “It wasn’t safe to bring them in the front way. It’s a cinch the house is being watched. I wish you would let me have your latch key. I want to come back and make this collar myself.” “But why not stay, now that you are here?” “Suppose some of them saw me come in? There wouldn’t be anything doing until after they saw me go out again.”. The hall door opened, and the butler re-entered the room. Behind him chme Cassidy and two other detectives in plain clothes. At a word from his master the disturbed Thomas withdrew. w “Now,” Burke went on briskly as the door closed behind the servant, “where could these men stay out of sight until they’re needed?” There followed a little discussion whiph ended in the selection ot a storeroom at the end of the passage on the ground floor. “And now, Mr. Gilder,” the inspector said energetically, “I’m going to give you the same tip 1 gave your man. Go to bed and stay thdre.” “But the bby,” Gilder protested. “What about him? He’s the one thing of importance to me.” “If he says anything more about go ing to Chicago just you let him go. that’s all! It’s the best place for him for the next few days.” “You’re in charge here.” Burke said to Cassidy, “and I hold you responsible. I’m coming back to get this bunch myself, and I’ll call you when you’re wanted. You’ll wait in the storeroom out there and don’t make a move till you hear from me, unless by any chance things go wrong and you get a call from Griggs. He’s got a whistle, and he’ll use it if necessary. Got that straight?” Cassidy declared an entire understanding of the directions. As the men left the room Burke turned again to Gilder. “Just one thing more,” he said. “After I’ve gone I want you to stay up for a half hour anyhow, with the lights burning. Do you see? 1 want to be

sure to give tne Turner woman time to get here while that gang is at work.” Gilder scrupulously followed the directions of the police inspector. Uneasily he had remained in the library until the allotted time was elapsed. He fidgeted from place to place, his mind heavy with distress under the shadow that threatened to blight the life of his cherished son. Finally, with a sense of relief he put out the lights and went to his chamber. His thoughts were most with his son, and ever as he thought of Dick his fury waxed against the woman who had enmeshed the boy in her plotting for vengeance on himself And into his thoughts now crept a doubt, one that alarmed his sense of justice. A horrible suspicion that he had misjudged Mary Turner crept into his brain and would not out He fought it with all the strentgth of him,.and that was much, but ever it abode there. Mary Turner herself, too. was in a condition utterly wretched, and for the same cause—Dick Gilder. That source of the father’s suffering was hers as well. She had won her ambition of years—revenge on the man who had sent her to prison And now the joy of it was a torture, for the puppet of her plans, the son. had suddenly become the Chief thing in 1 her life. She had taken it for granted that he would leave her after he came to know that her marriage to him was only a device to bring shame on his father. Instead he lived her That fact seem ed the secret of her distress He loved her More, he dared believe, and to assert boldly, that she loved him. Had he acted otherwise the matter would have been simple enough. But he loved her—loved her still, though ho knew the shame that had cloudpd her life, knew the motive that had led her to accept him as a husband. More—by a sublime audacity he declared that she loved him. There came a thrill in her heart each time she thought of that—that she loved him. The idea was monstrous, of course, and yet— Here, as always, she broke off, a hot flush blazing in her cheeks. > Mary Turner was just ready for bed when a note came by a messenger w’ho waited for no answer, as he told the yawning maid. As Mary read the roughly scrawled message, she was caught in the grip pf terror. The man who had saved her from death had yielded to temptation. As he had saved her so she must save him. She hurried into the gown she had just put off. Then she went to the telephone book, and searched for the num* ber of GHder’s house. ♦ ♦ * * * * * A few moments before Mary Turner received the note from the hands of the sleepy maid one of the leaves

of the octagonal window in the library of Richard Gilder’s town house swung open under the persuasive influence of a thin rod of steel, cunningly used, and Joe Garson stepped confidently into the dark room. For a space he rested motionless, listening intently. Reassured, he drew out an electric torch and set it glowing. A little disk of light touched here and there about the room, traveling very swiftly and In methodicaUcircles. ( Satisfied by the surtfey, Garson crossed to the hall door, where lie listened for any sound of life without and found none. The "door into the passage that led to the storeroom where the detectives waited next engaged his businesslike attention. And here again there .was naught to provoke his suspicion. It seemed to him that everything was in readiness for the coining of, bis associates. There remained only to give them the signal in the room around the corner where they waited at a telephone, lie seated himself in Gilder’s chair at the desk and drew the telephone to. him. “Give me 999 Bryant.” he said There was a little wait. Then an answer in a voice he knew came over the wire. Garson picked up a penholder from the desk and began tapping lightly on the rim of the transmitter, it was a code message in Morse. In the room around the corner the tapping sounded

clearly, ticking but the message that the way was free for the thieves' coming. For a final safeguard Garson searched for and found the telephone bell box and unscrewed the bells, which he placed on the desk. He then took his pistol from his hip pocket and thrust it into the right side pocket of his coat Once again, now, he produced the electric torch and lighted it as he extinguished the lamp on the table. He then went to the door into the hall, opened it and, leaving it ajar, made his way in silence to the outer doorway. The doors there were freed of their bolts, and one of them swung wide. So nicely had the affair been timed that hardly was the door open before the three men slipped in and stood mute and motionless in the hall while Garson refastened the doors. Then Garson walked quickly back to the library. Behind him. with steps as noiseless as his own. came the three men. When all were gathered in the library Garson shut the hall door, touched the button in the wall beside it, and the chandelier threw its radiant light on the group. Griggs was in evening clothes, seeming a very elegant young gentleman indeed, but his two companions were of grosser type as far as appearances went—one. Dacey, thin and wiry, with a ferret face; the other. Chicago Red. a brawny ruffian, whose stolid features nevertheless exhibited something of half sullen good nature. “Everything all right so far.” Garson said rapidly. He turned to Griggs and pointed toward the heavy hangings that shrouded the octagonal window. “Are those the things we want?” he demanded. “Yes,” was the answer. "Well, then, we’ve got to get busy.” Before he could add a direction he was halted by a soft buzzing from the telephone. For an instant he hesitated while the others regarded him doubtfully. “We've got to take a chance.” Garson went to the desk and put the receiver to his ear. There came again the faint tapping of some one at the.other end of the line, signaling a message in the Morse code. An expression of blank amaze ment, which grew in a flash to deep concern, showed on Garson’s face as he listened tensely. “Why, this is Mary calling,” he muttered. “Mary!” Griggs cried. “Yes, she’s on,” Garson interpreted a moment later as the tapping ceased for a little. He translated in a loud whisper as the irregular ticking noise sounded again. “I shall be there almost at once. 1 am sending this message from the . drug store around the corner. Have some one open the door for me immediately.” “She's coining over!” Griggs cried in credulously. “No. I’ll stop her,” Garson declared firmly. But when after tapping a few words the forger paused for the reply no sound came. “She don’t answer!” he exclaimed. “On her way already,” Griggs suggested. “I’ll let her in.” He drew a small torch from the skirt pocket of his coat and crossed to the ball door as Garson nodded assent. “God! Why did she have to come?” Garson muttered, filled with forebodings. “If anything should go wrong now!” Lie turned back toward the door just as it opened, and Mary darted into the room, with Griggs following closely at her heels. “What do you want here?” he demanded, with peremptory savageness in his voice, which was a tone he had never hitherto used in addressing her. There was only tender pleading In Mary’s voice, though her words were an arraignment. “Joe. you lied to me!” “That can be settled later!” the man snapped. His jaw was thrust forward obstinately, and bis clear eyes sparkled defiantly. “You are fools, all of you!” Mary cried. “Yes. fools! This is burglary. 1 can’t protect you if you are caught. How can I? Oh, come!” She held out her hands pleadingly toward Garson, and ber voice dropped to beseeching. “Joe, Joe, you must get away from this house at once, all of you! Joe. make them go!” “It’s too late,” was the stern answer. “We’re here now, and we’ll stay till the business is doue.” “Joe, for my sake!” “I can’t quit now until we’ve got what we came here after,” he declared roughly. “Boys, let’s get away! Please, oh,

please! Joe. for God’s sake!” Her tone was a sob.

Tm going to see this through," said Garson doggedly. With a gesture of despair she turned away toward the door by which she had entered. “You can’t go," Garson said sharply. “You might be caught” “And If I were,” Mary demanded in a flash of indignation, “do you think I’d tell?" “Of course not, Mary. 1 know you. You would go up for life first. Just the same, you can’t take any chances. We’ll all get away In a minute and you’ll come with us.” He turned to the men and spoke with swift authority. “Come,” he said to Dacey, "you get to the light switch there by the hall door. If you hear me snap my fin gers, turn ’em off. Understand?” With Instant obedience the man went to bis station by the hall door “Red," Garson ordered, "you get to that door" He pointed to the one that gave on the passageway against which he had set the chair tilted As tlie man obeyed Garson gave further instructions “if any one comes in that way get him and get him quick. You understand? Don't let him cry out or make a sound." Chicago Red held up his huge hand, widely open. "Not a chance," he declared proud ly, “with that over his mug.” “Now, let’s get to work,” Garson continued eagerly. Mary spoke with the bitterness of defeat. “Listen. Joe! If you do this I’m through with you. Dqult" “If this goes through,” he countered, “we’ll all quit. That’s why I’m doing it. I’m sick of the game.” (To be continued.) Subscribe for The Democrat.

Mary Was Utterly Wretched.

Dacey With a Ferret Face.

“This is Mary calling,” Garson muttered.