The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-14

daWned upon me. Are we to get the
money from the jeweler2a
We'll not exactly"
What then?"
The equivalent from his shop"
lhere was no need for another ques-
ton | understood everything but
my own density He had given me a
dozen hints and had taken none.
And there ] stood staring at him, in
that empty room; and there he stood
with his dark lantern laughing at me
burglar! | gasped. "You-youl"
L told you | lived by my wits"
why couldn't you tell me what you
were going to do2 WHY couldn't you
trust me? Why must you lie?e | de-
handed piqued to the quick for all
my horror
Il wanted to tell YOU he said. 81
was on the point of telling you more
than once. You may remember how |
sounded you about crime. though you
have probably forgotten what you
said youhself I didn't think YOU
meant 1t at the time, but I though I'd
put you TO the test Now l see you
didn't and I don't blame you. l only
am to blame. Get out of 1t, my dear
boy, as quick as YOU can, leave it TO
me. You won't give me away. what
ever else you doir
Oh, his clevernessl His hendlsh
cleVernessi Had he fallen back on
threats, coercion, sneers, all might
have been different even yet But he
set me free to leave him in the lurch.
He would not blame me. He did not
even bind me to secrecy; he trusted
me. He knew my weakness and my
strength, and was playing on both
with his masters touch.
mot gD fast - said / ssI1id | MT this
into your head or were you going to
do 1t in any case?'
Not in any case, said Raffles Its
true I've had the key for days, but
when ] won tonight I thought OF
chucking it; for as a matter of fact.
it's not one man job
That settles 1t. I'm your man.
You mean it?"
"Yes-for tonight
Good old Bunny" he murmured,
holding the lantern for one moment to
my face; the next he was explaining
his plans, and | was npddng, as
though we had been fellow cracks
men all our days.
Il know the shop he whispered,
because I've got a few things there.
l know this upper part too; it's been
to let for month. and l got an order
to view and took cast of the key
before using 1t. The one thing |
don't know is how to make connec-
ton between the two; at present
there's none. We may make IL up
here, though l rather fancy the base
ment myself. If you walt minute
III tell you."
He set his lantern on the floor, crept
to the back window and opened 1t
with scarcely a sound only to return,
shaking his head after shutting the
window with the same care.
THAT was our one chance" said he;
"a back window above back window;
but it's too dark to see anything, and
we daren't show an outside light.
Come down after me to the basement;
and remember though there's not
soul on the premises, you can't make
too little noise There-there-listen
to that
1t was the measured tread we had
heard before on the nagstones outside.
Raffles darkened his lantern, and
again we stood motionless till 1t had
passed.
Either a policeman" he muttered,
"or a Waterman that all these Jew
elers run between them. The watch
mans 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 mar
row stone steps. at the foot of which
Raffies showed his light and put on
his shoes once more, bidding me to
do the same in rather louder tone
than he had permitted himself to en-
ploy overhead. We were now con-
siderably below the level of the street,
in a small space with as many doors
as 1t had sides Three were ajar and
we saw through them into empty cell
lars; but in the fourth n key was
turned and n bolt drawn; and this
one presently let us out into the bot
tom deep, square well of fog. A
similar door faced 1T across this area,
and Raffles had the lantern close
against it and was hiding the light
with his body, when a short and sud
den crash made my heart stand still.
Next moment saw the door wide
open, and Raffles standing within
and reckoning me with a Jenny
Door number one" he whispered.
Deuce knows how many more there'n
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 bottom of the
exact fellow to the narrow stone stair
which he had just decended; the yard,
or well, being the one part common
to both the private 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 pocket
ing a bunch of skeleton keys, after
tampering a few minutes with the
lock It'll be an hours work to get
through that
Cant you pick it,
mo know these locks. It's no
use trying We must cut 1t out, and
it'll take MS an hour
II took us forty-seven minutes by
my watch; or, rather, 1t took Raffles;
and never in my life have / seen any
thing more deliberately done. My
part was simply to stand by with the
dark lantern in one hand and a small
bottle of rock oil in the other. Raj
nes had produced pretty embroidered
case, intended obviously for his
razors, but filled instead with the
tools of his secret trade. including
the rock oil. From this case be
selected a bit" capable of drilling
hole an inch in diameter, and fitted
IT to a small. but very strong fbrace.'
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 invariably be-
fore beginning a fresh hole. and often
in the middle of one. II took thirty
two separate borings to cut round
that lock-
/ noticed that through the first cir
cular orfice Ranles thrust fore
finger; then, as the circular became
an ever -lengthening oval, he got his