The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-01-01
tcontinued from, Yesterday


words 1 used TO hear, he'd take fright
and fly of. or maybe only grab al Edgey"
AS he got out his mGttered exclama-
tions, Tousers brute courage oOzed en-
tirely AWAY. and he became crumplcd up
In trembling heap on top OF his sense
less companion. The misunderstanding in
truder advanced along the landing and
appeared 10 hesitate, as IL not sure or
the exact spot in which his plunder lay
crouching. t,.tof
Hes quite young-looking, too. for
all the hunders o. years he's been going
about" rencc.ed the shuddering Touser.
vainly wishing Tor the carpet and boards
TO open up and swallow him before the
flaming fingers should reach out for him.
But the like OF him never grows old
he's as spry and nimble to-day as he was
when he gave Eve the apple-so the gos-
pei grinder said. Speaks away TO hisself,
too, in a kind of foreign langwidge-tie-
brew, likely-same as Jews speaks"
To the astonishment, not to say relief.
OF the groyelllng and qualNing rufiinn the
fiaming-iaced intruder. amer speaking 10
himself for moment or TWO IN an un-
known tongue, TUNED aside into one OF
the rooms which the two burglars had
not yet explored, the door Of which exact
ly faced that 10 w .ch 1'ou4Cr lay in "A
half insensible state. lie seemed indeed
TO vanish into the darkness; but after an
L.. u
CLEAN of light which was not that sug-
gestive and sulphurous one shimmering
from the face and hands; then peering
out OF the threshold into the far-off room,
Touser saw the satanic stranger in the
act of bending over a desk upon which
he had turned tiny stream of light from
a lighted lantern in his hand. First he
tried a number of keys in the lock the
desk, and all failing 10 fit, he brought
"A Chisel
driver, the point OF which he inserted
near the lock- and thus forcibly wrenched
open the desk.
Neatly done--to be sure, he's an old
practiced hand-at IL hunders of years be-
fore / was born" thought Touser, pro-
fesslonal interest for the moment ban
ishing fear
out the contents OF the desk carelesly
tossing aside several bank notes and some
postage stamps, as IL they had been so
much waste paper.
Doesn't need 10 take money--can make
IL by just blowing on a hot coal or a bit
of stone" thought Touser, with shud-
der. wish i could do it'd sell my soul
this minute--only--no. I'd rather not.
It's the going with him I'd object to; why
what's he up TO now?"
The flaming hands were busy among
a packet OF papers, caEfully and neatly
tied up with pink satin rbbon the sar-
donic feature OF flame actually seemed
to smile with satisfaction as the packet
Was hastily counted and examined; then
the packet was made to vanish about his
decidedly moduru-iooi1ing dress; the IAN
tern was sharply closed, and the flaming
face and hands glided noiselessly across
the floor and went down the wide stair.
Touser. at least. always believed that
he went I'm sorue such way; but as he had
fully expected the next movement to be
Il. s.l. ..f ~. fn,.er of
his own coat-collar or short cropped hair.
and the next. downward flight. which
should not stop when the ground was
reached, his evidence on the point was
rather hazy How the strange intruder
left the house must be left to conjecture:
but certain II is that the outer door below
was left unlocked.
When Edgey recovered consciousness,
he found Touser seated on chair near
him refreshing himself by drinking
bottle OF eau de cologne, which was the
nearest approach TO fire water he could
find about the place. Toueer had got
bad fright. but IL had not prevented him
from appropriating the three bank notes
so loftily discarded by the satanic intru--
der, and also--a fatal acti-the postage
stamps tossed aside with them. OF this
prize he said nothing TO Edgey, who
groaningly raised himself with other
things more Immediately occupying his
thoughts.
did you see him.?
Touser growled out an Affirmative. and
drained the last drop Of the eau de col
ogne.
'It was him, wasn't it?" said Edgey,
with chattering teeth.
Same old cove" answered Touser, af-
fecting a GOODNESS he was far from feel
ing.
''NHhat was he after? you or me? ?"whis-
pered Edgey.
Broke open desk and did some hanky
panky over the papers in It. and then
grinned the way yos see him in pictures,
and went off i'm blue fire"
Wasn't you frightened"
mot much--hes neat eracksman.
that s all I've got to say; but then con-
slider The practice he's had"
did do a Hopper when he came in?"
'You did--and was nigh Hopping down
on top OF you." said Touser. whom the
eau de cologne had only partly fortified.
f1riir-f r. the fieee is haunted, ess4d
the quicker we cut II the better.
without the swag?"
''You can take what you like; I'll take
nothing" was the emphatic reply of
Touser who had the bank notes and
stamps I'm his rocket.
~ think thatll be best" feebly respond
cd Fdgey who was dying TO take TO his
house of horror; and clinging TO his COM
panion, he got down the stairs and out by
the back and thence TO their den In Rose
street Secretly they each believed the
apparition TO be n warning 90 them 10
mend their evil ways. and with that be-
lief came half-formod wishes and inten-
tions after an honester life. which. like
most OF such resolves, were soon TO be
dispeled by that iron hand OF fate or
circumstance which seems TO relentlessly
pursue the confirmed iaibird.
The househrcal,'ng was discovered the
neNt day and prcmnt'y reported . US.
when our share in the mystilcation be-
gan. II W clear that the houscbroakcrs
had been tirhed or scared ln the midst
OF their ~qtious-thc -.~dlee PVT up
rcadv for loring proved that; but the
pngzlirr th was that The back door
had boon forced IN. ard yet the front
door was found unlocked The bedroom
window being unfastened only helped to
deepen tho mystery.
So far as we could discover. nothing
had been taken from the house. and thus
q was reported in next mornings news
nnpcrs: hut when MIR. Woodf0rd and
one of his daughters were brought from
their cour try lodcirgs. the bank notes,