The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-09-29

-, daylight and had come prepared for
he special obstacles. Already he was
ro,chng UP and putting champagne
aorl,s an the spikes, and in another mo-
mani he had his folded covert coat
ocr,ss the corlls. stepped back as he
raised himself and saw a little pyra-
mid of states snip the sky above the
cate As he squirmed over l ran for
ward and had my weight on the spikes
and corks and covert coat when he
gave the latter tug.
Coming, after all!"
Rather
"T9ka care. then; the place is ali
he'll wires and springs. It's no soft
thing. this! There-stand still while
take off tie corks."
The garden was very small and new,
with a grass plot still in separate sods,
Int II quantity of full grown laurels
sflck into the raw clay beds. BELLS
in Themselves" as Rafiles whispered
"Thprc's nothing else rustles so-cun-
ming old beaStw And we gave them
wide berth as we crept across the
grass
Ties gone 10 bed"'
81 don't think so, Bunny. l believe
he's seen u.s.
"Why?"
81 saw a light"
"Where?"
"Dovnstairs. for an instant when
T.
Ills whisper died away. He had seen
the light again, and so had 1.
Il lay like golden rod under the
front door-and vanished. 1t reap
peared like a gold thread under the
Intel and vanished for good. We
heard the stairs creak, creak and cease,
also for good We neither saw nor
heard any more, though we stood wait
ing on the grass till our feet were
soaked with the dew.
I'm going in," said Rallies at last.
q don't believe he saw us at all.
wish he had. This way"
We trod gingerly on the path, but
the gravel stuck to our wet soles and
grated horribly in little tiled veranda
with glass door leading within. 1t
was through this glass that Rallies had
first seen the light, and he now pro-
ceeded to take out pane with the
diamond, the pot of treacle and the
sheet of brown paper which were sell
dom omitted from his impedimenta.
Nor did he dispense with my own as
sistance, though he may have accepted
it as inStinctively as it was proffered.
helped to spread the treacle on the
brown paper and pressed the latter
10 the glass until the diamond had
completed its circuit and the pane fell
gently back into our hands.
RaiileS now inserted his hand,
turned the key in the lock and by max
ing a long arm succeeded in drawing
the bolt at the bottom of the door. 1t
proved to be the only one, and the
door opened. though not very wide.
What's that?" said Rallies as some
thing crunched beneath his feet on the
very threshold.
"a pair of spectacles," l whispered,
picking them up. l was still lingering
the broken lenses and the bent rims
when Rallies tripped and almost fell.
with a gasping cry that he made no
effort to restrain.
Hush man, hush!' l entreated I'M
der my breath. Hell hear your.
For answer his teeth chartered, even
his and l heard him fumbling with
his matches. mo, Bunny; he won't
lear u.s." whispered Raffles presently.
and he rose from his knees and lit a
gas jet as the match burned down.
Angus Baird was lying on his own
floor, dead, with his gray hairs glued
together by his blood; near him poker
with the black end glistening; in cor
ner his desk, ransacked, Uttered. A
clock licked noisily on the chimney
piece. For perhaps hundred seconds
there was no other sound.
Rallies stood very still, staring down
at the dead as man might stare into
an abyss after striding blindly to its
Drink. His breath came audibly
through wide nostrils. He made no
other sign, and his lips seemed sealed.
THAT light" said l hoarsely, 1.-The
light we saw under the doorw
With start he turned to me.
It's true! l had. forgotten it. 1t
was in here l saw it firstw
He must be upstairs stillr
IF he is We'll soon rout him out.
Come on!'
Instead l laid hand upon his arm,
imploring him to reflect that his enemy
was dead now, that we should GER
tainly be involved, that now or never
was our own time to escape. He shook
me on in a sudden fury of Impotence,
reckless contempt in his eyes, and,
bidding me save my own skin If l
hked, he once more turned his back
upon me and this time left me half re-
solved to take him at his word. Had
lie forgotten on what errand he him
SELF was here? Was he determined
mat this night should end in black dis
aster! As asked myself these ques-
IONS his match tiared in the hall. In
another moment the stairs were creak-
ing under his feet, even as they had
creaked under those of the murderer,
ana the humane instinct that inspired
MN in defiance of his risk was borne
N also upon my slower sensibilities.
Gould we let the murderer go? My
answer was to bound up the creaking
stairs and to overhaul Rallies on the