Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 33, Number 148, 12 July 1908 — Page 6

By Arrtlhurr S. IHlolFIFnrnaiim

Copyriifht 190. by Thomas H. McKee.

Y E'RB In folne feather," grunted Tim. "Phwat have yez done now?" Moran drew to him the glass of beer a seedy waiter had Just deposited on the table between him and his surly friend. "I will tell ye," said Moran, pride speaking in his voice. He laid down his glass. "I've been after dimonstratin' to Lucy that whin ft comes to plannin' a good haul I'm as good a man as she Is. It waz this way. There's a fine big country 'house out near Somerton, over In Jersey. Twaz me that found it on wan of me surbanban rambles, but it wazn't no time afore Lucy up an announced, as usual, that she -had the makin's of a lmposin' plan for removin' of the loot. Dlvll the word of it would Bhe tell me, yis or no. "Annyhow, while she waz concoctin' of .her plans, it came to us that 'Slippy' Johnson had picked the same lay an waz like to lave nothin' for us excipt the burglar alarms people put in after their house Is robbed. It's the gsand wan 'Slippy is for feefJn proud of himsilf, he bein' what he calls a gintlemin crackster an- doin his graft be means of a dress-suit an' keepin' shaved all the time, but -he'd come to be quite sociable-like with me, goin so far as to git boilin' drunk togither an- him takin' ma to his own room an' puttin' me to bed In pink" pajamies. " 'Patsy,' says Lucy, wh'n the report come to tier, 'ye've been talkin' agin!' " 'Now look here, says I, 'ye say your plans fs piled. It may be their betther spiled than workIn. Annyway I'm goin' to take a hand mesilf, ays I, 'an' plan plans of me own. "With that I wint out the door haughty-like, with pride in me heart and dlvil a plan in me head, but trustin' to me mother-wit an' crazy to put the comether on Lucy an' beat 'Slippy' Johnson at his own nefarious game while he was home sleepin In them pink pajamies. "Me mother-wit did nothin' for me goin' over on the ferry, though I leaned over the side of the boat an fair looke d holes in the Hudson River, thlnkin" I took a train to Somerton and rode out inconspicuous, wi&hin I knew waz there two people livin in that big house or two hundred. I dropped off the train one station this side of Somerton, still inconspicuous. Thim as can calls it Kinne5kennek. "Whin I come near the house I took to hedges an such, an' sat around in the shrubberies. Tha lights begun to go out towards midnight. 'Twas either a big family, or Use they waz wan of thins house-parties, but at the last all the windles waz dark, an after waitin' a reasonable time I crept up. "It waz a ordinary house enough on the outBide, but so hilp me God! the man that thought up the insides of it must 'a' had a high wind in his trains. There wazn't nothin" but what waz up three steps, or down two an' six to the right on a Tuesday, not comln back till Wednesday whin ye turned to the lift an' dumb a ladder. An I niver seen so manny doors he must 'a' been collectin' doors. "I had wint about twinty feet and turned sivin corners when me Btummlck wint away an me feet begun pressin' down on the floor, for whin I made the last corner they waz a square of light shlnin on the wall. The light come from a transom, an, praise be the door waz shut. But they .waz voices talkin' inside. " "Here is where me mother-wit come in, thinks I, an crep up an' put me ear against the door. "A man's voice waz speakln,' an' there waz no happiness in it. " Yes,' (he says, an thare waz nothing more for o long I ached with the waitin'. , " 'Yes, it's true, he says very quiet-like. "I would niver have signed thim if I had been sober. But I did it.' "Thin he stopped an there waz no answer. " 'I do not mean that for a excuse,' says he sort Of sfudden, but his voice had a kind o' break. " 'No, says another voice, an it waz a woman's a low voice sendin" little feelin's down me, 'no, ye were not yoursilf. It ain't the thing you did. It's only that you gave yoursilf up to drink again, knowin what it might mean to you. You could not be strong an' you broke your word you that that waz to marry me. I waz not enough to you for that. " 'Yes, says the man agin, the same as he did at first. 'Even if I had done nothing in me cups, I know you too well to ask for another chance. I am not bitter, dear. I will give mesllf up to-mor-tow, but I will not be took in your house to bring more disgrace on you. I will go up to me room now an make him think I 've gone to bed unsuspicious. Thin I will slip out an go away. "'Are ye sure he is a detective?' says she. 'Hecome as a guest.' (Me blood run cold.) " 'I have seen him many times at the bank, he aays. Thin, 'Good-bye, dear, an his voice was not joyful to listen to. " 'I will go to the front of the house, waz all Bhe said, 'an lock the door after ye. "Right there it came to me all to wanct they waz but three people wakeful in that house, an they would all be after locatin near the front. So I slipped back to the room thim two had been conversin' in. That's what genyiss is takin' the right chances. I took this wan. See what come of it. "It waz a fine, comfortable room, waz that. Ye wanted to take your shoes off at wanct an' settle down. There waz nothin' but sofas an easychairs an' stacks of pillows. Thin I noticed wan of thim big bottles with a glass corck in thim sittin' to wan side an lookin red round the bottom of it. I wonder does he drink that (himself or have his man do it for him?' thinks I. 'I'll take service with him, says I. "It steadied me fine they waz fine large glasses an' I was quick to see that another drop of the same would steady me some more. I have tasted Suany liquors, but niver none like that. It tasted

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Btill finer right out of the bottle itself, an thin I shut me eyes at it again for a bit mora to take home. " 'Twas a short time whin I heard a noise, an' havin' disremembered again which waz the front of that house a map Bomewan's b rains. God hilp him I started easyof it would have looked like a picture of like for what I thought waz the front door, because I knew most likely it wazn't. I don't know yit which it waz, but I hadn't fair passed through the door afore I run plump into a man! I had no more than time to stick me gun into the face of him, but he stuck up his hands with no argymint like he'd had long practice. "Thin the air come back in me an' I saw there waz a suit-case on the floor beside him. It come to me who he waz of course, that waz prowlin'

"HARRIS" SAYS HE th8 house at that Hour tryin' to get out of it. OF An' right on top of that some wan stumbled over a step down the hall or somewherea it's only God that knows an' I knew it was the detective after him. '"I tried the nearest door mesilf. It ceme open quiet an I kicked around Inside with me leg, findin' it was a closet. " 'Git in,' says I whisperin'. "It's the plainclothes man. If ye foot it like as not ye'll run into his arms. 'Let him go by. Get in.' "Which he done, with his grip, me helpin'. I turned the key on him an' jammed it in me pocket. Me hand waz no more than out whin the other come round some corner an' I stuck me gun in his face, usin' me left hand for lack of time. 'Twas luck he waz slow on the draw as it waz, he staggered back, an whin I said 'Hands up!' he ups, limp-like. " 'Ye dirty, sneakin' low-lived blackguard, says I, niver havin' scolded a detective afore, an' thinkin' of nothin Use to say. "Niver a word from him in the dark. " 'Ye sneakin' blackguard,' says I wanct more, wonderin would we stand there till marnln'. An' still he said nothin'. Thin all of a sudden it come to me. "Keep your hands where they are and walk backwards,' I tells "him, not raisin me voice, 'an' if ye fall over annything or down annything I'll blow your clumsy head off, says I, 'bad scran to ye!' Which he done, an me followin' with the gun against his face be way of seein him in the dark. "It wasn't fast we wint, an I had time to feel along the wall with me free hand till we passed wan door an' come to another, leaving wan atween us an' the first gent's cage. "It come open quiet, I will say for thim doors they waz none of thim noisy. Thin I reached in with me foot, havin' invited him close enough to keep him covered, an it waz another closet, all fine an' wholesome. Thin I felt him all over careful, finding he had no gun after all. "In he wint, an I turned the lock on him, tellin him I'd shoot through the door if he so much as cracked a joint. Thin I sit down on the floor an' caught a bit of me breath in the dark. It waz need in It I waz. "I had got about wan lung full whin there waz a bit of a noise down the hall. Thin it come agin, a sort of creepin', rustlin noise It waz. I waited no more, but got up soft-like an' begun creepin' mesilf. " 'It has become a habit with me," says I to mesilf, 'an' I might as well be spindtn' the night at It. I will just be after takin wan of these little corners an' git him whin he goes by.' "An so it waz, for he come by all right, an' he put up his hands quick like he knew how. He waz a little bit of a man, while the others waz sizable. " 'I don't know who the dlvil ye are," whispers I, pleasant, 'but it's me business In life to hold people up in this hall an I mean no harm. It's only after amusin' mesilf I am, but I'm going to blow a fine large hole In ye if ye don't keep thim hands up,' says I, easy-like. "He -kept thim up, but he niver opened his mouth. " 'We will Just be walkin' down the nail, I wint on, 'me an you an' this gun until we find a closet door. I lift wan for ye, says I, still pleas-

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ans-like. "He begun walkin, me indlcatin with the gun. " 'An for God's sake say something!' I says to him. 'Am I in a deaf-an'-dumb asylum, or are all of ye scared past talkin"? Ye'd think the gua waz down your throat Instid of nestlin' in your ear.' "But he said nothin whativer, an whin w come to the door atween the other two I put 'him in expeditious, bein' in practice, first tryin it with me foot. An' I took a gun off this wan. What they had thim three closets for three in a row I don't know, but there they waz, an' I begun feelln kinder to the dotty man what built the house. So I sat down wanct more to think it over. Be this time there wazn't nothin in the world but closet doors. " 'In wan of thim is the nice young man what

THE PRI VATE FORCE." is goin' to state's prison,' thinks I to mesilf, goin' over the ground. 'In wan of thim is plain-clothes, what is goin' to stay there, bad cess to the blackguard, an' divil a wan of me knows what I've got In the other wan. I wonder what they made thim closet doors for annyways. Well,' says I, still to mesilf, 'there don't seem to be no one Use snoopin' down the hall for a minute or two an' I think I'll just be after havin' a bit more of that liquor to clear me head up. It's a great help to wan. An' it will be well to locate a few more of thim closet doors cn the way, for I may be needln' thim soon.' "It took just wan drink to see me first step, an' without settin' in a wan of thim easy-chairs I wint back and after some tryin' of the keys, I pulls open the first closet door an' sticks me gun in be way of formality. " 'Come out,' says I to the young man inside, an do it quiet! "He come. " 'Be glad,' says I, 'an exceedin' rejoiceful. I I have the plain-clothes an' some wan Use locked up in closets borderin' on your own, an I have done this to befrind ye. Git away and waste no time. There ain't no thanks,' says I concludin'. "An there wazn't none. All he said waz, "Me. grip.' " 'Sure, says I, grateful, for anny wan to say annything, an' he reached in an' got it. An' thin he waz gone. " 'Be the powers, thinks I, "it's no time he's losin'! "An' with that I closed the door gintly an wint back to the library room to clear me head some more. Thin I crawled into wan of thim easychairs about four feet and began thinkin' hard. "All to wanct something cold and hard pressed up against me head an' some wan whispered: " 'Don't move!' "Whin me blood stopped feelin like a elictric current in me I got me voice: "'I'm not movin,' says I. 'Which of thim are ye?' " 'What are ye doin' in this house?' 6aya the voice again from behind me, an', Mother of Hiven, it waz a woman's! But I answers up polite. " 'If so be you'ra the young lady what waz talkin' with the despairful young man a bit gone, wan thing I've been doin' waz to git him out safe. The gintlemin who waz pursuin' of him is locked up in wan of thim closets an the key is in me pocket, I says, humble-like. , "She didnt say nothin' for a minute, thin. " 'Sit right still, for I'm going to keep this pointed at your head. I'm coming round where I can see your face, says she. "I niver mo ved a muscle, turnln' me eyes to wan side for a first glimpse of her. An thin I saw her. I disremember what it waz I thought I waz goin to do afore that, but from that minute I knew it waz like to be whativer she wanted of me. She moved like the lady she waz, keepin' her eyes on mine, nntil she sat down across the table from me, rlstln the gun on it so I could see the round blaok hole in the lnd. An' thin she sat there, me feelln me face git red. " 'Why did re do it? says she at last. " Ye can search me, says I. But I'd do If again. If it 'twaz to do over.' " 'Thin ye heard what w talked of la this room?' says she.

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"'I take shame I did, says I. 'But I waz not intindin that same, only I couldn't quit list'nin'. "She whee led round at the sound of me voice an' put the gun on me agin. Thin she looked at me sittin' quiet an' harmonious, in the chair an' she lowered her gun a bit. , " 'What were ye doin' here? says she. ' 'I waz a burglar, says I. 'but I'm that no more in this house,' I says. "She niver winced. Mayhap a burglar waz a small thing be the side of her trouble that night. "Thin she says: 'What did ye mean whin ye said ye'd locked the detective in a closet?' " 'Just that, ma'am,' I says. 'I waz niver drunk to the ixtint of puttin' anny extra closets in this house. " 'But he can't stay there, she answers, quicklike. 'He'll get out or alarm the house they mustn't know.' Thin, 'Take me to him,' she says. '1 must keep him quiet an keep him here must keep him 'here!' " 'He's doin fine where he is, says I, for me brain was workin' great be this time, 'askin' your pardon, says I. " 'No,' she says. 'No, I can't risk that! An she started for the dor wan I had not been through yit. 'An give me that light, please,' pointin' to wan of thim pocket sticks with a elictric light in thim whin ye press it. "As I waz sayin', me head was clear as a bell, but it waz no good the liquor' had done me legs, so I begiun tryin' to see me feet instid of arguin'. an stepped out afore her In the dark, feelln' reasonable sure of findin' thim closets be reason of their bein' somewheres nixt the library-room itself. Which I did, the light showin thim three in a row. I had been tellin' it over to mesilf in me mind all the way 'In the first wan the man what Is gone, in the middle wan I don't know, an' the plain-clothes in the wan at the ind. "Whin we come to the wan at the Ind I give a glntle rap on the door: " 'Come out whin it opens," says I, 'but come sasy, for there's two of us and we have ye covered." "The door opened an he come out, with the light in his face. " 'Jack!' says she. "'Holy Mother!' says I. "But thexe she waz with her arms round his neck, an' it seemed like she ought to tell ihim from a plain-clothes. 'Wirra, wirra. It's the wrong ind I begun countin' from,' thinks I, 'bein confused from startin' from that new library-room door!' Thin I speaks up: " 'I waz after makin' a bit of a mistake, I says to her. 'This Is the wan I let out. I didn't know ihim, niver havin' seen him in the dark afore.. I thought he was the other wan. " 'What?' says she, lettin' go of him. "Thin I see I waz wrong, what I'd been sayin not makin' anny sinse to speak of, but right thin it come clear just what I had done I'd mixed thim in the start of things an' " 'You let out the detective?' says she, sort of gaspin' it, the light makin' a little round trembly spot on the floor of the hall. " 'Jack,' says she, brave-like, 'it's not too lat yet! This man is goin' to -help us. An" forgive me, Jack, dear!' The light wint up along the wall quick, an' he said something too low fox me ears, long as they waz. Thin she agin: " 'There's no time to What waz that?

"It's only the other wan,' says I. "'The other wan?' she says. 'Thin you didn't let him out after all?' " 'They waz three of thim, ma'am, says I mod--est. 'I forgot to tell ye." "'Three of thim?? Three of thim? An' for wanct she lost hold on hersilf. "But I kept me head. 'It's not the plainclothes, says I, 'but divil the wan of me knows who it is if it ain't! He come pryln down the hall like the rist of thim an I locked him up without askin' him anny questions as to why I waz doin' it.' The knockin' wint right on. " 'It doesn't make anny difference, says the man, speakin for the first time. 'I'm sick of this! Whoiver it is will wake the whole house. Open it! " 'jack " 'What does it matter, says he, "if he is goin to bring the others down to tell thim after I'm gone? Annyways, there's some wan Use that knows loose in the house.' " 'That last don't mean much,' thinks I, me wits niver leavin' me, 'Ixciptin' he's a human compass or built the blamed thing. " 'Give me the light, dear,' says he. An thin to me: 'Open It! "I wint to the middle door. " "Whin I open it, come out. But do it quiet. There's three of ns an we all 'have guns. 'An for Hlven's sake stop that knockin'!' I says, wonderin" why I hadn't told him afore. "I steps back an' he comes out with the light on him a dried up little man with a head belongin to a bigger wan, an red hair, not lookin pleased at things. " 'Mr. Duncan! it waz the girl that spoke, whisperin it so it wint cold down me spine. " 'Harris, says the man of the private force! "The cold come up me spine agin an wint back to me stomach and got warm-like. Thin me knees begun tryin' to walk an I leaned up aginsc the wall in the dark, wish'n I hadn't caught the last of thim three. Yit I was the fl-st of thim all to come to. " 'What does all this foolishness mean? says the plain-clothes, snappy. 'Did he git away? " Yes, says I. 'Who waz it that wint? 'Here I am, says Jack. 'Give me till to-morrow an "You?' says the plain-clothes knowln him by hia voice, for It waz not a voice for two men to have. What do I want with yon? Where Is he? "An just thin he grabs the light from Jack an turns it In me face. " 'Oh,' he says, not much Interisted. 'An' waz it

yon hild me up In the dark? says he. " 'Not knowin ye. say I. or I " 'Likely not, says he, not waitin for me to tin ish. Thin to the girl: 'Who is this man? " 'I'll be responsible for him, says she, speakln. out of the dark, the saints bliss her. 'He's my friend an workin under my orders. "Thin 'he turned on me agin: " 'Who waa thim locked In nixt to me? he says. 'This gintlemin,' says I. 'an the other wan T thought waz you, only he was this gintlemin an" you waz 'him till Just now, only I thought you waa in the other closet, says I, explainin. "'Oh Lord! says he. Impolite. "It was a maa thin? An it was you let him out again? Was you ass enough to do that, or was you his pal? " 'Pal is it?' says I. not likln htm annyhow. I niver laid my eyes on him till this night when I saw him in the dark whin I couldn't see me hand afore me! An' was you after knowin' me whia ye'd had the same kind of a look at me?' " Here, says Jack to him. impatient. "Dont you know me Jack Hibbard?' " Of course, Mr. Hibbard. What Is Itt saya plain-clothes kind of short-like. " Thin let that man alone an lnd this! Only I ask you, for the Bake of this house, wait till tomorrow an' I give you my word to go with you quiet! " 'Oh,' says the little plain-clothes to Jack, ' after a slcond. 'Oh, I see. You mean thim papers?' "'What did ye think I meant? Do ye mean' " 'Forget it! says the little wan, an I could V , kissed him for it. 'There's nothin the matter with. ' you! You waz too drunk to know. Your friend Dalton hunted me up that night, you bein so unmanageable with the drink, an' we found you la the Beaumont cafe signln papers for a queer want what had ye in tow. I tore thim up an run him. in. Forgit It. I was here watchln wan of your guests who is a professional burglar, says he. "'Jack! come the girl's voice In the dark. an. though I couldn't see annything, I knew they was . something goin on there besides her cryin' as If her hart would break. "The plain-clothes turned his back though i there waz no need, an' pointed the little light my 1 way. " 'Thin. says I friendly, 'It was Just a burglar i turned loose?' ' " 'Yes,' says he. 'An he's clean gone be this ( time, with his grip loaded with swag! "Thin he handed me the light an wint up after his things, there bein' nothin' Use lift to do. "I stood there a minute playln' with the lamp, an' thin thim two come over to me, him with hia arms around her. " 'He told me to be tellin' you says I, thankln' t the saints I had something to say to him quick, , 'that you waz to sind a list of what was took in the marnin'. " 'Ob, we don't care about that, says Bhe, happy ye'd think there was nothin pleased her bo much as havin all the silver Btole but we want to thank you for bringln things out all right.' , "Thin I begun to feel like goin, not likln thim kind of scenes, an' they both of thim wanted to do something for me, an' made me tell how they could, be reachln me, because of me savin' their whole world for thim 'Isn't their annything? says she' agin. " 'Well,' says I, hestatln. 'who was it built this) house? ! " 'Why, my father, says she, surprised. 'Why do ye ask?' " 'Oh,' says I. An Just thin the plain-clothes come up sayin' he was goin' to the city an would, sind some wires from the station, an' I said I would ! be goin with him if it was agreeable to him, which it waz. An' sure it waz a great feelin to be pala with a plain-clothes. "On the way I says to him: " 'If she don't mind tellin It, who waz the gintt what smuggled the swag?' " 'Not a bit, says he. "There'll be notices outf for him in the marnin annyhow. He answers to the name of Johnson. Know him?' " 'Niver (heard of him,' says I, but I begun feeUn weak. "Pretty soon whin we had talked of other things I says to him agin: " 'Do you be after knowin does that Johnson' wear pink pajamies?' ; 'What?' says he. 'Why, yes, come to think ot It,' he says. 'Dropped in on him the other night whin he waz turnln' in, be way of a surprise to him, an they waz certainly pink. They certainly wazl, "An to think, Tim', that I had that sneakin!, spalpeen walkin' round at the lnd of me gun withv the swag hangin in his hand, niver knowin himl That waz a queer house, Tim, a queer house! j "But it was a great night for me for all of that.'. It wazn't two days before a letter came to me withv a hundred dollars in It from Mr. Jack, an a little

note sayin' hers waz yit to come. But the biggest thing I done that night, Tim, waz gettin in that, house an 'gittin' out again without growin oldT afore I did it! It waz like wanderin' around In at omelette!" Tim had lost no word that fell from Moran's lips, but he seemed to absorb none of the latter'sj enthusiasm. j "An' are yez to do the plannin tor yerself an" Lucy?" he asked, with no trace of Interest In hia voice. ! "Did ye lver convince a woman?" Bald Moras scornfully, "of annything?" j "An did yez git the swag yerself, whlda It wa4 ye wint afther?" "I had give up huntln the swag," snapped Patsy) sow thoroughly on the defensive. "An didn't yes turn loose the thief they wax alt wantin, not even knowin yez was doin It?' "There Is some people," said Moran with deej disgust, "what can see Just wan thing whin they're lookin' at a million! "Urn." said Tim.

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