Omaha daily bee., 1905-05-14

made my heart stand still. Next moment
saw the door wide open and Raffles stand
ing within and beckoning me with a Jenny.
Door No. l." he whispered. Deuce
knows how many more therell be, but
know of two, at least. We won't have to
make much noise over them, either; down
here there's less risk"
We were now at the potion of the exact
fellow to the narrow stone stair which We
had just descended; the yard, or well, be-
ing the one part common to both the pri-
vate and the business premises. But this
flight led to no open passage; instead, a
singularly solid mahogany door confronted
us at the top.
Il thought So" muttered Raffles, handing
me the lantern and pocketing a bunch OF
skeleton keys, after tampering few min
utes with the lock. It'll be an hours work
to get through thatp
Cant you pick it?'
mo. l know these locks. It's no use
trying We must cut 1t out and it'll take
US hour"
1t took us forty-seven minutes by my
watch, or, rather, it took Rafles; and never
in my life have l seen anything more de-
liberately done. My part was simply to
stand by with the dark lantern IN one hand
anu Sllldll uOllle VI TNCh Oll III tire Olltl
Rafries had produced a pretty embroidered
case, intended obviously for his razors,
but filled instead with the tools of his Sc
cret trade, including the rock oil. From
this case he selected bit" capable OF
drilling a hole an inch in diameter, and
fitted 1t to a small but very strong brace"
Then he took off his covert coat and his
blazer. spread them neatly on the top step
knelt on them-turned up his shirt cuffs
and went to work with brace and bit near
the keyhole. But first he oiled the bit to
minimize the noise. and this he did invari-
ably before beginning a fresh hole, and
often In the middle OF one. 1t took thirty
two separate borings TO cut round the lock.
1 noticed that through the first circular
orihce Raffles thrust n forefnger; then, as
the circular became an ever-lengthening
oval, he got his hand through up to the
thumb, and heard him swear softly to
himself.
II was afraid so!'
what is it?''
IAN iron gate on the side!'
How on earth are we to get through
that2" asked in dismay,
''Pick the lock But there may be two.
In that case they'll be top and bottom,
and we shall have two fresh holes to make.
as the door opens inward 1t won't open
inches as It is"
confess I did not feel sanguine about
the lock picking. seeing that one lock had
baffied US already; and my disappointment
and impatience must have been a revela tion
to me had l stopped TO think. The truth
is that 1 was entering into our nefarious
undertaking with an involuntary zeal of
which was myself quite unconscious at
the time. The'romance and the peril of the
whole proceeding held me spellbound and
entranced. My moral sense and my sense
of fear were stricken by a common
paralysis. And there l stood. shining my
light and holding my vial with a keeneI
interest than l had ever brought TO any
honest avocation. And there knelt A. j
Raffies. with his black hair tumbled, and
the same watchful, quiet, determined half
smile with which 1 have seen him send
down over after over in county matchl
At last the chain Of holes was complete
the lock wrenched out bodily and a splendid
bare arm plunged up to the shoulder
through the aperture and through the iror
bars OF the gate beyond,
NOW" whispered Raffies IF there's only
one lock itll be in the middle. Joy! Here
II Isl Only let me pick II and we're through
at last"
He withdrew him arm, a skeleton key
was selected from the bunch, and ther
back went his arm 10 the shoulder II wa!
a breathless moment l heard the hear
throbbing in my body, the very watci
ticking in my pocket, and ever and amor
the tinkle-tinkle OF the skeleton key. TheI
at last-there came a single unmistakabl,
click. In another minute the mahogany
door and the iron gate yawned behind us
and Raffies was sitting on an Office table
wiping his face, with the lantern throwinl
steady beam by his side,
We were now in a bare and roomy lobb,
behind the shop, but separated therefrou