The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1903-03-12

ne milUteS passed SLOWLY. Net
SQUAD or movement from inside could
Ge heard. Accustomed to waiting in
patience for a long time, did not find
my vigil so difficult. entertained N.Y.
ing asleep. A few moments of sleep
might spoil everything for me.
1t must have been shortly after mid
night when heard the front door
creah on its hinges l was concealed
behind some shrubbery at the time,
where could command good view
of the entrance to the house. The door,
knew, was opening. but no ray of
light streamed through the crack. The
whole house was. ir fact, wrapped in
darkness
| saw the shadows of two men on the
front porch. and by their general out
lines ! knew that one was my master
and ;he o.iler DR.. Squires. Neither
spoke for some time. Then l heard the
doctor say in Il low. mutlled voice:
Now. Charles. the house is three
miles below. and you ought to reach it
in half an hour"
ies: III reach it in half an hour"
You must Ie extra cautious, for
there are many detectives around" the
doctor continued.
Il shall Ee very careful"
''Ihen go and return as soon as pos
sible'
They separated. The doctor stole
noiselessly back into the house and
my master walked stealthily down the
gravelly drive coward the main high
way.
His manner had completely changed.
suspicion and alertness He was not
nervous, but every faculty was strained.
He was now the professional burglar
Oh the scent. The slight breaking of a
twig or the clinking of pebble,
knew. would arouse and alarm him.
My prey was not an easy one to fol
low. He would stop and turn upon his
tracks in the most unexpected way.
His ears and eyes appeared gifted
With wonderful powers of sensation. l
had to increase the distance between
lis TO avoid detection.
| managed to keep him in sight for
about a mile, and then he suddenly
gave me the slip. In some ineXplica-
BILE manner he had lodged away from
me and disappeared as completely as
if the earth had swallowed him. Cha
grined at thus being thrown off the
track. l put all my energies at work to
regain the lost trail. For two hours l
wandered around. vainly trying to
catch glimpse of the man. l became
so reckless that l would have exposed
my person to him if it would have dis
covered his whereabouts to me.
Finally gave it up in disgust l
seated myself under a tree near the
highway and reflected. Certainly l
was battied for the night. l was on
the point Of returning home when the
words Of DR.. Squires required to me.
The two We're evidently engaged in
the same criminal practices, and they
would probably meet again that night
somewhere,
With this thought uppermost in my
mind cautiously retraced my steps to
the doctors house. Once l thought
that had discovered my master again
by accident. but upon closer observa-
tion l found that l was on the very
point of accosting Il detective. An ar
rest at such time of the night might
lead to unpleasant complications, and
so remained half an hour hidden in
the bushes until the man had disap.
peared
When | reached the old mansion, ev.
erything was as dark and gloomy as
when l left it to follow my master
There was not the sign of living be.
ing around. l cautiously started to
walk up the gravelly drive, and the
crunching noise of my boots sounded
clear and distinct on the night air.
just had time to drop down behind
some shrubbery before the front door
of the house opened, and the dark
shadow of Il man seemed to fit out OF
it. l remained perfectly quiet, moi
daring to move or scarcely breathe
Undoubtedly the noise made by my
boots had attracted the attention OF
somebody in the mansion.
l remained in this reclining position
for full half hour. The shadow or
the porch remained so perfectly Still
that / half imagined that it was ar
illusion or the reflection of some inter
vening object. But my policy has ever
Of hnTlrl
deciding what course to pursue, and sc