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

knotted together, an open window, a
covering figure and Rafiies struck
aghast on the threshold.
"Jack-Rutter?
The words came thick and slow with
horror and in horror l heard myself
/ repeating them, while the covering
figure by the bathroom window rose
! gradually erect
ITS your' he whispered in amaze
+ ment no less than our own. IT'S you
two! What's it mean, Rallies? | saw
I you get over the gate; a bell rang; the
/ place is full of them. Then you broke
J in. What's it all mean?"
We may tell you that when you
tell lis what i'll Coils name you've
done Rutter"
j Done? What have l done?' The
unhappy wretch came ont into the
light with b1odshot blinking eyes and
i a bloody shirt front You know
you've seen-but I'll tell you if you
J like. I've killed Il robber; that's all.
! I've killed Il robber, a usurer. a jackal,
a blacllmailer, the cleverest and the
cruelest villain unhung. I'm ready to
hang for him. I'd kill him again.
And he looked Us iiercely in the face,
fine defiance in his dissipated eyes,
his breast heaving, his jaw like a
| rock.
''Shall l tell you how it happened?'
he went passiOnately on. He's made
my life hell these weeks and months
past. You may know that. A per-
feet hell! Well, tonight | met him in
Bond street. Do you remember when
l met you fellows? He wasn't
twenty yards behind you. He was on
your tracks, Rallies; he saw me nod to
you and stopped me and asked me
who you were He seemed as keen as
knives to know; couldn't think why
and didn't care either, for l saw my
chance. | said I'd tell him all about
you if he'd give me private inter
view. He said he wouldn't | said he
should and held him by the coat. BY
the time | let him go you were oIt of
sight, and l waited where l was till
he came back in despair | had the
whip hand of him then. l could die
! tate where the interview should b.
and | made him take me home with
him, still swearing to tell him all
about you when we'd had our talk.
Well, when we got here / made him
| frixr m him
off and off, and about 10 o'clock l
heard the gate shut. l waited bit
and then asked him if he lived alone.
"'Not at ALL says he. Did you not
see the servantY
Il said I'd seen her, but l thought
I'd heard her go. If l was mistaken,
no doubt she would come when she
was called, and yelled three times at
the top of my voice. OF course there
! was no servant to come. l knew that,
because l came to see him one night
last week, and he interviewed me him
self through the gate, but wouldn't
open it, Well, when l had done yell
ing and not soul had come near us
! he was as white as that ceiling. Then
| told him we could have our chat at
last, and picked the poker out Of the
fender and told him how he'd robbed
me, but, by God, he shouldn't rob me
any more. | gave him three minutes
to write and sign settlement of all
his Ubiquitous claims against me or
have his brains beaten out over his
own carpet. He thought minute
and then went to his desk for pen and
paper In two seconds he was round
like lightning with revolver, and |
went for him baldheaded. He fired
two or three times and missed You
can find the holes if you like, but / hit
him every time. My God! was like
a savage till the thing was done, and
then l didn't care. l went through his
desk looking for my own bills and
was coming away when you turned up
l said l didn't care, nor do l. But l
was going to give myself up tonight,
and shall still, SO you see l shant give
you fellows much trouble"
He was done, and there we stood on
the landing of the lonely house, the
low. thick, eager voice still racing and
ringing through our ears, the dead man
below and in front of us his impen-
ltent slayer. l knew to whom the inn
penitence would appeal when he had
heard the story, and | was not mis-
taken.
"Thats all rot" said Rallies, speak
i ing after a pause. I'VE shan't let you
give yourself up
"You shan't stop me! What would
be the good? The woman saw me. 1t
would only be a question of time, and
can't face waiting to be taken. Think
! of it-waiting for them to touch you
on the shoulder! No, no, no. I'll give
myself up and get it over"
His speech was changed. He fal-
tered. fioundered. 1t was as though a
clearer perception Of his position had
come with the bare idea of escape
from 1t.
"But listen to me-" urged Rallies.
"We're here at our peril ourselves.
We broke in like thieves to enforce re-
dress for a grievance very like your
own. But don't you see9 We took
out a pane-did the thing like regular
naflk