The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1906-08-29
An Interruption.
BY The Captain.


alias Mortimer Ritter-preferred 10
saunter up the sunny side of Regent
street, London. His preference for the
sunny side was due to the fact that
his enemy, the policeman, was also on
that side, a little way ahead, and
walking in the same direction. MIR.
Danforth's eye was fixed on the back
of the blueccat. When the policeman
turned down a side street, Mr.. Dan
forth threw away his cigarette and
quickened his pace to Edgware road,
where he stopped and had a lemon
phosphate. He came out and walked
on until he came to a narrow, clean
swept turning, on either side of which
were high fences and walls from back
yards that had each a little door or
q gate. Mr.. DanfoTth walked down,
elancing hawk-like to this side and
that, until he saw on his right a gate
with a white chalk mark near the
knob. He inspected the mark with
some care, looked up and down the
lane cautiously, then put his foot on
the knob and vaulted over the gate in
to a graveled garden.
Before him doomed the rear of a red
brick mansion, whose shattered lower
windows said very plainly that the
family had fitted for the summer Be-
cause some one had prepared the way
"a task that had taken the greater
part of the night before and so made
necessary Mr.. Danforth's day visit he
found one OF the shutters loose and
his passage to the interior unimpeded.
Mr.. Danforth removed his coat. cuffs
and collar. He had work to do; and
being a person Of system, he began at
the top and worked down.
Three hours later a pile of bric-a-
brac and pictures at the head of the
basement stairs was the fruit Of his
industry. The last piece he added vas
an antique vase, He went to the I'M
shattered front windows to let the
light strike the surface and warm the
the thing till it seemed to burn. He
smiled as the color famed back at
him. He appreciated things of that
sort. Under other circumstances he
might have been an artist.
He was half way between the first
landing and the ground floor, when he
suddenly became conscious of a pres
ence in the hall below him. In the
dim light he saw the outline of a wo-
mans figure. He stopped short, and
put his hand to his coat pocket. 1t
was too late to go back. He had been
heard, for a somewhat puzzled, uncer-
tain voice bounced out an OH" and
the figure moved a little.
1t was a young lady. Mr.. Danforth
breathed again, bowed easily, and con.
tinued his descent.
This is unexpected" said the lady,
breathlessly, but with an effort to ap-
pear calm. Il didn't think you
were in the house now"
mo, l fancy you didn't" replied
Mr.. Danforth.
you are, Of course, Mr.. Ford"
"Ah!" said Danforth, non-commit-
tally.
"You mustn't think | haven't any
right here-I can explain ~really-I'm
I'm not a burglar"
Aren't you?" he asked, quizzically.
"Oh course, it's absurd to find me
coming into the house this way"
II was a little astonished at first"
he confessed.
I'm Miss Chester-you must have
heard your sister Alice speak of me-"
"Of course" said Mr.. Danforth, a
little ray of understanding coming to
him.
ITS so funny that we've never met"
she bubbled. Our cottage is next
yours at M~aidenhead, you know"
"Ah!"
"And today / was coming to town
on an errand, SO your sister asked me
to come here and get her copy of
Echopenhauer."
"Schopenhauer," he smiled.
"She said she'd asked you twice for
It, but you always forgot; and it was
not much out Of my way. She gave me
her latchkey and told me positively
that you were only here at night"
"She doesn't know my habits, or she
wouldn't have told you such an unmiti-
gated falsehood."
II hope you won't carry me off to
make me identify myself"
Heaven Forbid" he calculated.
"I'm relieved to think that you came
instead of my sister. Then | should
have to explain-my forgetfulness in
he matter of Schopenhauer. But you
must let me get 1t for you"
He hurried upstairs into a girls room
that he knew now, and from a book
case he had taken the trouble to ex-
anime he picked out the volume.
THANK you," she said when he re-
turned with it.
And she moved toward the door.
She mad locked 1t after her, and Dan
forth opened it. AS it swung back
and let in the light he saw her plainly
for the first time. She was tall and
pretty. Her skin had been Drowned
by the touch of sea breezes and a sum-
mer sum-. Her eyes were blue, and
there was a sparkle Of mischief in