Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-11-28

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Donaghue knelt at the door and put
/ practiced ear at the keyhole. There
was a faint sound of breathing, SO
faint that Donaghue pressed his rough
ear still closer to the brassy aperture
In the door and listened even more In
tently. His small eyes glistened in the
lark hallway like the eyes of cat (he
had been nicknamed "The Cat" for this
very popularity, but there was no one
In the house to see those glistening
eyes save the servants, fast asleep two
stories above, and the occupants OF
this one room. He had watched that
house three preceding days and nights.
He knew that 1t was occupied by a
young man and his wife . evidently
newly married and beyond doubt rich.
He knew that the servants were
cook, two maids and butler, and he
had almost worked out in his mind
just where the pretty wife placed her
jewelry when she went to bed in the
second floor room and just what means
the husband took to secure his proba-
bly, well filed purse.
When one is in the habit of making
social calls Of the description that Don
Rghue was making, it is much better to
find husbands away from home, the
servants and occupants of the house
all asleep and the policeman on the
beat quite out of hearing.
The fact was Donaghue shrank from
notoriety. He preferred quiet en-
trance by the window wholly unob-
served Il possible and, departing, left
not his card nor anything else that was
of value and at the same time porta-
BILE. Indeed Donaghue was not the
tall, handsome fellow that most heroes
are. On thesontrary, he was of medi-
um height, spare, slouchy and had a
general appearance that was anything
but prepossessiEg. He was not a mem
Der Of polite society.
eead easy" said Donaghue to him
self "a young married couple, Us
tho a. and husbands away on the
loos he's calling his name in her
Sleep But needn't expect him until
morning, and when he does come home
he'll probably be drunk. That's what
call dead easy"
He turned the knob of the door and
opened it the fraction Of an Inch. His
small eyes glistened in the dark as he
found that the door was not locked,
and that in all probability it would not
squeak.
Slowly and with infinite care he
opened the door and entered the room.
Four feet from him, as he stood al
most breathless, with his hand still
clasping the knob Of the door, lay the
sleeping form of a woman. A food Of
moonlight from the window fell upon
her and melted the pink Of her cheek,
the cream Of her throat, the lace Of the
nightdress and the white sheet that
wrapped her into one semigolden hue.
The undulation caused by her breath
ing made her look like dropping lily
swayed by the gentlest of breezes.
Great heavensw thought Donaghue,
"what beauty~ He could hear her
family mutter the name "Paul-PauP
at intervals, and he had q vague con-
sciousness Of certain disrespect for
Paul, whoever he might be. A man
must be brute to leave such wom-
an alone at night. He fingered but
moment, though. Beauty was thing
of little value to Donaghue. His own
Maggie was hardly cursed with the
fatal gift Of beauty, and she was quite
as jealous as other wives. He stepped
softly and quickly to the dressing case
at the other end of the room. He pick
ed up q perfumed lace handkerchief
and threw it away impatiently, al
though in his more youthful days a
lace handkerchief he would have con-
sidered prize of no mean value. Be
low it he found what he wanted and
expected-a locket and chain, jewel
ed watch, heavy bracelet, a pin and
what seemed to him 8 handful Of
rings. He held them all up in the moon
light and noticed how they sparkled in
his trembling hand, and he smiled with
delight.
He turned and looked at her. He
felt like adding a stolen kiss to the
other jewels he had taken He almost
laughed aloud at the thought Of such a
man as he kissing such a peerless
beauty as the woman who lay on the
bed before him. And he was Just
about to depart as peacefully as So
cial caller when suddenly he heard the
slamming of the front door in the hall
below.
''Her old man." said Donaghue, for
getting that he was probably a young
man, "and Pm caught. Caught-bur-
glary-ten years at the least. I'll kill
him. But I'll be caught whether 1
kill him or not. and"-self upbraiding-
iy-"I could have got away easily
enough If hadn't stopped to look at
her"
Again he stepped quickly to the door
and listened. He heard footsteps in
the hall beneath. The man had step
ped into the back parlor, or library,
whichever it was. Perhaps the man
had been out on business and would
stop there for a minute or two at his
desk. Perhaps there was, after all, a
chance for escape. He was cool and
careful. He dropped the jewels on
the bed. 1t would not do to be caught
with them about him. And he went
out
The door squeaked this time, and the
young wife started in her sleep. awoke
and ho If roca I'm her bod
Donaghue at the same time heard
the shuttle nf feet in fha room below