The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-08-13
! The Wdu'Of the Tr0nSgr6SSOr. S
by HOWARD FIELDING.
poprght by Bachelor syndea"l
lcopyrIght ,sSS. by the Baeh.Iisr synd'eass-l
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need for making plans. To steal the
ring was, for person OF his abilitlcs,
as easy as knocking an apple OIL tree,
unless, indeed, some secret trap were
set TO protect IL. This possibility had
occurred to his mind early, and could
not be dismissed. although his cxamin-
alton of the place had not given him any
clew to the means by which the ring
was guarded. The square in which the
statue stood was large and not well
lighted. BY night there were few peo-
lie astir in its viciSity, and the police
seemed never 10 look that way. 80
much he CLEANED by one nights obser-
yation: and he decided 10 make the at
tempt. That he could secure possess
sion of the ring and escape immediate
arrest was nearly certain. The only
danger was that, as Spanish thieves
were known to shun this adventure,
there might be roundup of all sus-
picious characters from foreign parts,
as soon as the city's loss should be dis
covered. In that case Pinney could not
hope to avoid being taken into custody,
for he had not the means TO leave the
city on short notice. 1t would be neces-
sary first to sell one of the smaller
Jewels from the ring.
These considerations impelled him
TO prepare hiding place for the ring,
and he decided TO secrete il in the heel
OF one of his shoes. With this end in
view he removed the lowest lift OF the
heel and cut out enough of the leather
beneath TO make room for his precious
booty. Then he replaced the lift in such
a way that it could be quickly wrenched
off, and readily put on again with the
ring beneath. His plan was TO run Tor
the nearest dark corner the instant
that he had taken the jewel from the
statues neck; and, having hidden it, TO
return to the inn where he was living
and there calmly await the inevitable
arrest, trusting for ultimate freedom to
his protestations of innocence support
ed by the failure of the authorities to
find the stolen property.
The succeeding night was admirably
suited 10 the adventure. II was very
dark. and there was high wind with
sudden and violent showers. There
was little to fear from chance way
farers, or. indeed, from the police, un-
less the officers differed radically from
those with whose habits Pinney had
become familiar in his native land.
The city seemed as empty as desert
when Pinney stole through the square
at midnight; and, as he crouched in
the shadow of the pedestal on which
the statue stood, he felt only such fear
as was engendered by the mystery of
the affair. This, despite his lack of SUI
perstitious tendency, thrilled him to-
the heart. The mere novelty of the
situation was strain upon the nerves.
He had often matched his cunning
against bolts and locks and armed
guards. He had risl<ed his life for
thousandth part of the value of the
Jewels that sparlsled in the dead mor-
archs lucLless ring. 1t was the great
est stake for which the criminal had
ever played, and the risk seemed incom-
parably the smallest that he had ever
taken in similar adventure. His mind
could not reconcile the two extremes.
His imagination made the danger
apprehensions quite as narrowing as
any that could have been conjured up in
the soul of the most superstitious be-
lever in the curse of the ring and the
power of the saint.
The voice of caution would be al
ways saying: 1T cannot be possible
that the ring Is unguarded. There
must be n hidden watchman; the ring
is mechanically protected. An electric
fash may strike you dead when you
touch it. Perhaps your hand upon the
ring may light thousand lamps
around this square, and you may be
shot by the assembling guards, like
some wild animal taken in a snare"
These terrors crowded in upon him
more and more strongly as he leaned
against the wet stone of the pedestal, try
ing TO recover his breath lost in the
run across the square. But the longer