Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-08-26

blame. Get out of it. my dear boy. as
quick as Won can. Leave il 10 me.
| You won't give me away. whatever
: else you do
oh. his cleverueSS. his fiendjSh
cleyCrnC>>. Had he fallen back ON
threats. coercion. SueerS. all might have
been different even vet. But he set
me free II leave him in the lUrch. He
would not blame me. He did not even
bind IRE Il secrecy. He trusted me.
( He knew my weakness and my
strength and was playing on both with
his masters touch.
Not 50 fast" said l. Did | put
this into YOUR head. or were You going
TO 10 it in any case:"
Not in any case" said RafilcS. Its
true I've had the key for days. but
whom I won tonight 1 thought OF
cl.uc..iuE il, for. rs matter of fact,
it's not one man job
THAT settles it. I'm your man."
You mean it,"
''NCS-for tonight"
Good old Bunny lie murmurci.
holding the lantern for one moment 10
/ my face. The next he was explaining
/ his plans and was holding. rs though
/ days
I know the shop" he whispered.
/ because I've got a few things there.
| know this upper part too. Its been
/ TO let for month and | got an order
/ to view and took east of the key be
/ fore using il. The one thing l don't
! know is how 10 make connection he
! tween the two. At present there's
none We may make it up here, though
l rather fancy the basement myself.
! If YOU wait a minute I'll tell You
/ lie set his lantern on the floor, crcpt
TO back window and opened II with
scarcely sound, only TO return. shak-
| ing his head, after shutting the Win
dow with The same care.
THAT was our one chance" said he.
"a back window above back Win
! dow. but its too dark to see anything,
ana We daren't show an outside light.
| Come down afS'r me to the basement
and remember. though there's not Il
soul on the premises, you can't make
| too little noise. Observation-Disclosures To
| that
! 1t was the measured tread that we
| had heard before on the flagStoncS out
| side. Rallies darkened his lantern. and
again We stood motionlcSs till il had
| passed.
| Either n policeman" he muttercd.
! ''or Waterman that all these jewelers.
run between them. The watchmIu'S
/ the man for us to watch. He's simply
| paid to spot this Kind OF thing"
| We crept very gingerly down the
stairs. which creaked a bit In spite of
us, and we picked up our shoes in the
/ passage; then down some narrow stone
! steps, at the foot OF which Rallies
/ showed his light and put on his shoes
once more, bidding me do the same i'm
rather louder tone than he had per
, mttcd himself TO employ overhead.
We were now considerably below the
level OF the street in IA small space
with as many doors a. II had sides.
Three We're ajar, and we saw through
! them into empty cellars but in the
fourth a key was turned and bolt
drawn. and this one presently lc; us
out into the bottom of n deep square
well OF fog 4 similar door faced ii
| across this area, and Rallies had the
lantern close against it and was hid
ing the light with his body when
short and sudden crash made nv
heart stand still. Next moment l saw
the door wide open and Rallies stand
ing within and reckoning me with
Jimmy.
Door No l." he whispered "Dcuce
knows how many more therc'H Ice. but
| know of two at least We won't
have To make much noise over them
either. Down here there's less risk
We We're now at the bottom Of the
exact fellow to the narrow stone stair
which we had just descended. the yard.
or well, being the one part common 10
both the private and the business
premises. But this flight led to no
open passage. Instead singularly
solid mahogany door confronted us at
the top.
Il thought So" muttered Rallies.
handing me the lantern and Dockctiug
bunch of skeleton keys after tam
pering for a few minutes with the lock.
It'll be an hours work to get through
that"
Cant you pick it,"
NO. ] know these locks. It's no
use trying. We must cut it out, and
It'll take us an hour"
II took MS forty seven minutes by
NY NHN'Al. W. AhAutls II look flames.
and never in my life have | seen any
thing more deliberately done Ny part
was simply To- stand by with the dark
lantern in one hand and small bot
tie of rock oil IN the other. Rallies
had produced "a pretty embroidered
ease. intended obviously for his razors
but filled instead with the tools of his
secret trade. including the rock Oil
From this case he selected bit
capable Of drilling IA hole an inch in
diameter and fitted II to a small but
very strong steel brace. Then he |
took Of his covert coat and his blazer.
spread them neatly on the top step. /
kuelt on them, turned up his shirt /
cuffs and went Ia work with brace and /