Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-04

for he lurched into chair and knocked it
down.
Mrs. Dunnont, fearing a scene. hastily said
Good night and fitted upstairs. Van
Brunt remained undecided for a moment;
then he made up his mind to remain where
he was till Dumont had gone upstairs also.
as he loathed the man too much to wish
to meet him.
instead. In the-dim light of the draped
library lamp he saw the figure of Van
Brunt and the surprise sobered him for
moment.
He whipped out revolver. pointed it and
said thickly: Step out. my fine bird, step
out. Let's see what you are-burgar or
lover
Van Brunt remained silent, and Dumont
turned on an electric bulb
An said he, I'm apologize to the
pretty hypocrite upstairs. Burglar it is.
Don't move now, or I'll blow you to he'll"
He backed carefully reached toward the
wall with his disengaged hand and pushed
a burglar alarm.
In Van Brunt's brain the thoughts whirI-
ed dizzily. He realized with horror what
compromising situation had arisen; and he
remained perfectly silent and motionless,
trying to find some way out
Sit down.. said Dumont, with drunken
gravity. Take it easy till they come to
get you
There was no way out He decided to
keep his mouth shut and trust to luck.
de mad only vague idea of what happen
ed to men after being arrested. No Van
Brunt had ever had any dealings with the
police. He had clear consciousness of only
one thing, and that was that at any cost
he must shield the woman he loved from
scandal He blessed the accident that had
made it impossible for Dumont to recog-
nize him.
In twenty minutes. that seemed to him
less than five, the door bell rang and Du-
mont babe his visitor march before him to
the front door.
Two policemen We're there In anot her
minute they were leading their prisoner
down the stoop. And then Van Brunt in
his bewildered condition, made a mistake.
He seized what he thought was an oppor-
tunity, tripped one of his captors and ran
for it.
Almost instantly he went down. When
he was lifted again it was only after fist
and club had pounded his face till it was
hideous. s-r-.a
The afternoon papers had a splendid NOR
sci next day and "Murderous Burglar
Caught by Millionaire made fine head
line. And then began the workings of
chance No. 6 to keep all knowledge from
the woman
Dumont had figured in an episode sngu-
larry unsavory even for him on the evening
of the capture" and the tale of it was
woven in with the tale of the burglar in
every paper. The result was that Dumont
hastily took his wife away on his steam
yacht and kept the newspapers away frem
her. 1t was months afterward when she
heard of the episode, and then no dat ties
were mentioned. There came to her not the
faintest reason for connecting the visit of
John D. Van Brunt and the capture of a
poor devil of a burglar
Arraigned in police court next morning,
John D. Van Brunt, with a stitched and
bandaged face and clothing clotted with
blood, knew what horrible mess he had
made of it. He perceived clearly that if he
told now who he was the woman's good
reputation would be blasted hopelessly
There was no way out. and as Robert
Burns. John d. Van Brunt went to the New
York state prison at Sing Sing.
On gray day last autumn convict who
had served his term got the prison money
he had earned, a suit of clothes, the usual
advice for better future, and his railroad
ticket to New York. He rode down to the
Grand Central station and disappeared in
the roaring city.
In the closing days of last year the cable
dispatches announced that John D. Van
2runt, who at time supposed to
have disappeared, but who really had been
touring the world. had married the divorced
wife of "Biff" Dumont in Paris