The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-10-31
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10y EDMUND DOwNEY. -
T AUTcoa OF
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Copyright. 1904, by Tillotson g. Son.l
CHAPTER xxi.
THE STRANGER.

II
Inspector Briggs suddenly lost all his
apathy and became as alert as a cat on
the pounce. He felt in his best form.
There was u mystery to be solved, work
to be done, and a reasonable amount Of
danger to be incurred, for the burglar
might be armed and desperate.
The street lamp sent. sufficient light
into the room, and the inspectors eyes
had now grown SO accustomed TO the
dark that he could see almost every OBJ
ject in the bedroom plainly.
He looked under the bed. 1t seemed
an awkward place to plant himself, and
it would leave him at the mercy Of an
armed man. There were two c%upboards
in the room both filling up spaces in the
walls and both standing at right angles
to the door. One Of these cupboards was
placed in the wall at the gable end of
the house, and the bed stood between it
and the door. Into this cupboard In
spector Briggs stepped, secure in the
opinion" of Detective Goringe that the
visitor, if he happened to be the right
person, would concern himself only with
that mysterious door which had perplex-
ed and puzzled the %coroner's jury and
police.
Briggs had not long to wait before he
heard a sound outside the bedroom door,
a sound of shuffling feet. The cupboard
in which he had concealed himself had
no shelves, and when the W doors were
pulled to without being closed tight
there was a narrow slit between the
doors, and through this the police in
spector could see the whole Of the bed
room door.
A rattle in the lock.
In a few moments he would know
who the villain was-the thief and the
would be murderer-or was this a diff
ferent piece of villainy altogether?
With a quick push the door was open
ed, and u nan stepped into the room.
Briggs could get a view of only a por-
ton of the intruder's face, and that only
for a moment, as the man closed the
door to quietly, the catch making a
clicking sound which denoted that it
was safe i'll its place. Then the stranger
stood still, his back toward the cup
board.
A tall man, stout and with a full,
dark beard. Not Steinworth, not Wick
cry, not Leclerc. At least not unless it
wa n of these in disguise.
After standing still for a moment the
burglar, who wore a long brown over
coat, put his hand into one Of the peck
cts Of the overcoat and drew something
out. Probably a jimmy.
Evidently my friend is quite of opin-
ion that he is alone in the house" re-
fected Briggs. HE seems in no violent
hurry. Now, then, he is about to turn
his face this way!"
But Inspector Briggs was wrong. The
man moved slightly round, and then,
lifting his hands and standing quite
close to the door, he proceeded to do
something with a jimmy.
Was it a jimmy? No, decided the in
spector, watching the strangers move
ments narrowly. 1t vas a turnscrew.
The stranger worked with the turnscrew
for a couple of minutes. Then he went
down on his knees and continued his
operations ON the frame of the door.
What did it mean? And why couldn't
the fellow just give him one fair look at
his face? 1t was most tantalizing. How
long would be nave to stand in the
cupboard eying the stranger? 1t would
never do to interrupt him now He was
evidently engaged on some job which he
was certain he could accomplish easily
and leisurely. He was no giving any
attention to the lock Of the door. But
why should he? The door was now un-
locked. Or was it? Perhaps that sardonic
humorist, Goringe, was now outside the
door turning the key slowly and quiet