The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-01-21

THAT was our one chance" said he.
ga back window above a back win
dow, 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 a
soul on the premises, you can't make
too little noise Tbere-there--listent to
that
1t was the measured tread that we
had heard before on the lagstones out
/ side. Raffies darkened his lantern, and
again we stood mOtionless till il had
passed.
Either a policeman" he muttered,
cor a Waterman that all these jewelers.
run between them. The watchnan's
| 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 narrow stone
steps, at the foot Of which Rafiles
showed his light and put on his shoes
/ once more, bidding me do the same In
a rather louder tone than he had per-
mitted himself to employ overhead.
! We were now considerably below the
level of the street in a small space
with as many doors as It had sides.
/ Three were ajar, and we saw through
them into empty cellars, but in the
I fourth ? key was turned and a bolt
drawn, and this one presently let US
out into the bottom OF a deep, square
well OF fog. A similar door faced it
across this area, and Rallies had the
/ lantern close against it and was hid
/ ing the light with his body when a
/ short and sudden crash made my
/ heart stand still. Next moment 1 saw
| the door wide open and Rafles stand
ing within and reckoning me with a
Jimmy.
Door No. l." he whispered. Deuce
knows how many more there'Il be, but
l 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 we han Just descended, 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 n singularly
solid mahogany door confronted US at
| the top.
81 thought Sc" muttered Rallies,
, handing me the lantern and pOcketing
a bunch Of skeleton keys after tam
| pering for few minutes with the lock.
/ It'll be an hours work to get through
/ that"
Cant you pick it?7
mo. know these locks. It's no
use trying We must cut it out, and
It'll take us an hour"
| 1t took US forty minutes By
| my watch, or, rather, it took Rafiies,
| and never i'm my life have 1 seen any
thing more deliberately done. Ny part
was simply to stand by with the dark
/ lantern i'm one hand and a small bot
| tie of rock oil in the other. Rafies
had produced a 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 he selected a bit
| capable Of drilling a hole an inch in
! diameter and fitted il to a small but
! very strong steel 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 invariably before beginning a
| fresh hole and often in the middle OF
u one. 1t took thirty-twO separate Dor
I ings to cut round that lock.
! 1 noticed that through the first circu-
! lar orifcc Ratfles thrust a fOrefnger;
/ then as the circle became an ever
Iengthening oval he got his hand
/ through up to the tE1mb, and I heard
( him swear softly to himself
II was afraid sou
what is it?"
"An iron gate on the other side!'
"IIOw on earth are we to get through
that?7 / 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 in
ward. 1t won't open two inches as Il
is"
1 confess 1 did not feel sanguine
about the lock picking, seeing that one
lock had baffied US already, and my
disappointment and Impotence must
have been a revelation to me had
stopped to think. The truth Is that |
was entering into our nefariOus under
taking with an involUtary zeal OF
which I was myself quite UNCONSCIOUS
ut the time. The romance ana the peril
Of the whole proceeding held me spell
bound and entranced. My moral sense
and my sense Of fear were stricken by
n common paralysis. And there 1
stood. shining my light and holding
my vial with a keener interest tnan
had ever brought to any honest aVoca-
ton. And there knelt a. J. Rameas