Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-11-02

but I reached this place afore you did,
only I hadn't spotted the window. All I
ses Is fair dos. Well just go through ID
together and share alike"
Belts felt very uncomfortable. He was,
he acknowledged to himself, in a false
position. When a man is attired as the
conventional burglar, and is using a ladder
to get in at the window Of a house at 8 in
the morning, with a gold watch in his
stocking and silver forks sticking out Of
his breast pocket, appearances are against
him.
However, in his hour of necessity Belts
thought upon stratagem. Next to his
dramatic gifts, Of which he had none,
Mr. Belts valued his capacity for strata
gem, Of which he had even less.
"Look here" he said to the gentleman
in blue serge. II own up; you've got me.
Well share and share alike in this bust
ness There's no necessity whatever for
you to enter the house. I'll go in, collect
everything that / can find and let myself
out at the front door. You shall meet
me there and Well divide the spoils.
How's that?"
The gentleman III blue serge was not
Immediately convinced. His argument at
first consisted of the word "Garn," re-
peated whenever Mr.. Belts urged a point.
The stronger his objections became the
more urgent was the pleading Of Belts.
He pictured the contents of his own plate
chests before this new burglar in terms
which he would have found 1t difficult to
justify in a court of law. He referred, for
lncAcrno - lsc,,orl %i,~,c NNup Mac
Belts was just as far from diamond tiaras
as she was from any opportunity of ever
wearing one, even supposing that she had
possessed 1t. He talked about the Belts
family plate in a way which really did
him good. In the midst of his misfortune
he found 1t distinct relief to say to the
burglar:
II know who these people a~re-country
people, best sort Of people. l don't sup
pose there is another collection of old sill
yer like the one we shall put our hands or
tonight in any single orner of England.
Do what / tell you," he continued au-
~thoritatively, land you shall stand in
with me. You shall have half. In fact,
as l am, so far as my profession allows,
an honest man, you shall have two-thirds,
as you came here first, and I suppose /
may be considered to have stood in the
way of your legitimate enterprise-I mean
to say, your OWL particular adventure"
1t took Belts a long time, but at last he
did persuade the blue serge burglar to
wait at the front door and take his share
there. Then Belts, with one of those tri-
umphant smiles that button at the back
and put the top of the head in a position
- vonuJroJ tiltt, o1;,,, LoJ ~ Tho lad
der and murmured words of self congratu-
lation and Of victory under his breath.
He entered his own bathroom, struck a
match, made for his dressing room and
lit the candle there. In three minutes he
had removed every burglarious trace from
his person and was attired as a ratepay-
Ing, law loving, city visiting, season tick
ct holding, frock coated, legitimate, com
monplace, suburban, moral citizen. And
then the dark satanic c%leverness of the
man shone out. He did not go out at the
front door. With a M%achiavelian deviltry
peculiarly his own, he went out at the
back door, and the back door enabled him
to communicate with the main thorough
fare without once coming in sight Of that
front door where his unhappy victim was,
he believed, still waiting. In the road,
after a prolonged search, he acquired q
policeman.
He began, Sergeant
The f1attered constable said, eyes, sir. 5"
II have discovered" Belts proceeded,
doing his utmost to remove any trace of
excitement from his voice and manner,
'that q burglarious attempt upon my
house Is intended, and that the burglar
himself Is at present stationed at my own
front door waiting for his opportunity.
By a stratagem of my W l have made it
certain that he will remain there until we
arrive. In the name Of the queen / COM
mand you to seize this man."
And the constable, still anxious to do
everything which was quite right, once
more observed, Eyes, sir"
Then he pointed out to Mr.. Belts that
these burglars were men absolutely In
scrupulous, who were ready to sell their
lives at a moments notice. II Mr.. Belts
wished to secure the burglar it would be
ridiculous to approach the house in their
present numbers. There were SO many
chances of escape presented all round.
What was absolutely essential was to sur
round the house. If Mr.. Belts would give
him half an hour he would have a suffi-
cient force ready, and the capture of the
burglar would become a certainty. Then
police whistles were blown and messages
were given, and quite remarkable things
happened.
In 25 minutes, to be exact, there was q
policeman at Mr.. Belts back door, and
another at the front door, and another at
the end Of the garden, and another in the
road, and another at the foot of the lad
der. At a given signal they made a rush,
woke up Mrs. Betts-who was exceedingly
annoyed-and found nobody whatever.
"This," said Belts to the original con-
stable, sis very extraordinary"
The constable said little. With a few
questions ne found that Belts had been to
that ball and had drunk of the champagne
which is peculiarly dedicated to subscrip-
tion dances, and formed his own conolu-
sions.
Two days later 1t happened that Mr..
Belts and Mr.. Tamplin met on the station
platform. Now, as soon as Mr.. Tamplin
observed MIR. Belts he burst into uncou-
trollable and inextinguishable laughter.
Sometimes, in his more Machiavellian
moments, Belts has thought that the bur
glar in blue serge was not really a bur
glar. With the audacity Of genius he has
even guessed that the supposed burglar
was in reality Tamplin. But then the
burglar wore a beard and Tamplin is clean
shaved. How are you going to get over
that?-Barry Pain.
Conversational Documents.