Willmar tribune., 1904-02-24

WHOA: WHOA"
casual passer-by. The man inside the
house was. had little doubt, Council
lor Number Three. How he had ef-
fected an entrance l did not know,
but this driving up in open daylight of
brewers van in which to take away
what was apparently an empty barrel
was piece of bluff" which, if only
by virtue of it's very impudence, might
we'll have been carried through to a
successful issue.
"Oh, yes. thatll be all right said
the man who had opened the door.
You'd better come down into the cel-
lar and fetch it,"
No one happened just then to be ap-
preaching, so the instant the door was
closed upon this precious pair of
scoundrels, | struck the horse that was
harnessed to the dray under the belly
with my stick, making at the same
time that peculiar clucking sound
which signifies in the language cur
rent between horse and man Go on. -
AS had intended, the animal plunged,
and then started off down the square,
the heavy van jOlting behind him
noisily. The sound must have reached
the men inside the house, for the door
was opened again hurriedly, and the
two of them ran out into the road.
When they saw what had happened,
the fellow dressed like brewer rushed
IN pursuit OF the runaway, calling
Whoa! whoa!" as he went. and the
other fellow, though he did not join
in the chase, walked slowly after him
to witness the result
Here was my chance I had strolled
along in the opposite direction from
that in which the horse was going, and
the two men, having eyes only for the
runaway, had not looked my way at all
Treading on tip-toe, so as not to be
heard, l stepped softly back, and
crouching down almost on all fours
when I reached the gate, I scrambled
along the pathway and into the house,
banging the door after me as / en-
tered
In less than half a minute the door
was tried, and then heard some one,
whom took to be Number Three mat
tering an oath to himself under his
breath. Soon after, there was the rum
BILE of the returning van, and putting
my ear to the key-hole, I could Just
catch what was said by voice which
recognized as that of Number Two.
What are you standing there for,
without hat, you fool? Anybody
would think you wanted to attract at
tention. Why don't you open the door
and get inside?''
Il can't" was the reply. "The door
blew to while I was looking after you,
and the keys inside. But you've got
a duplicate, luckily, so it won't much
matter"
Eyes, it will, for my duplicates at
home" was the angry answer.
you've made pretty fine mess of it,
after all the trouble I've been at, to get
an entrance and to arrange about the
dray. Well, We can't get it withou:
a key, and, what's more, you can't
stand here bareheaded, or we are sure
to be noticed. You'd best go some
where and get hat. In the meantime
I'll get rid of the dray 1--WE can't bring
it here twice in the same day., and get
my key and meet you at the corner of
the square. We shall have to open
the barrel and take the stuff away in
bits, instead of in the lump, and it will
be risky job too. Now then, come
along. We've no time to lose"
Once they we're gone began to ex.
plore the house from the top down.
wards. II a cupboard of the front
bedroom found a packet of plans
and papers, which commenced to
overhaul. Some of them puzzled me
not little, so much so that must
have spent more time poring over
them than was aware of, for the two
conspirators had not been gone very
long before l heard a latchkey turn
in the lock downstairs.
''We must look slippy about it," said
a voice, which I recognized as that of
Number Two. Its lucky hadn't far
to go to get rid of the dray and to get
the other key. We'd better go down in
the cellar at once.''
In another moment I heard their
footsteps upon the stairs that led to
the basement, SO slipped softly down
into the hail, where I could still catc1
the sound of their voices.
ITO Be Cout1nuod.1