Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-05-24
THE IDES
OF MARCH
No. l of the Series
(Copyish,. 1899. by Charles Ssibnet's Sons.)
CONTINUED

~ ~ t1c lIliic. bGl L ll4N'kISiIt u k'Nl
you to the test. Now l see YOU didn't.
and don't blame YOU. I only am to
blame, Get out Of it, my dear boy. as
quick as YOU car Leave it 70 me.
You won't give me away. whatever
else YOU do
Oh, his cleverness. his fendish
cleverness. 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 M to secrecy. He trusted me.
He knew my weakness and my
strength and was playing on both With
his masters touch.
"Not so fast" said l.. Did l put
this into your head, or We're you going
to do it in any case?'
"Not in any case" said Ratflcs. Its
true I've had the key for days. but
when l Won tonight 1 thought of
chuckins it, for, as a matter of fact,
it's not q II mar job"
'That settles it. I'm your man."
"1ou mean it,"
"Yes-for tonight"
Good old Bunny..' he murmured.
holding the lantern for one to
my face. The next he was explaining
his plans and l was nodding. as though
we had been fellow ~cracksrnen ell our
days.
II know the shop" he whispered,
because I've got q few things there.
I know this upper part too. Its been
to let for a month, and l got an order
to view and took a cast of the key be-
fore using it. The one thing l don't
know is how to make a connection be-
none We may make it up here, though
I rather fancy the basement myself.
If you wait a minute III tell YOU"
He set his lantern on the floor, crept
to q back window and opened it Win
scarcely a sound, only to return, slal-
ing his head, after shutting the Win
dow with the same care.
"Ihat was our one chance said he.
"a 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 or the premises, you can't make
too little noise. There-there-listen t.
that!.''
1t was the measured tread that VIC
had heard before On the f~iagstones out
side. Raffies darkened his lantern, and
again We stood motionless till it had
passed.
EITHER a policeman" he muttered
cor a Waterman that all these jewelers.
run between them. The watchman'S
the nan for US to watch. He's simply
paid to spot this kind Of thing"
We crept very gingerly down tho
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 Rafles
showed his light and put on his shoe
once more, bidding nc 90 the same ii
a rather louder tone than he had per
mitted himself to employ overhead
We were now considerably below til
level of the street in a small space
with as many doors as it had sides
Three were ajar, and we saw throug,
them into empty cellars. but in The
fourth 4 key was turned and a Do!
drawn, and this one presently let u!
out into the bottom Of q deep, square
well Of fog. A similar door faced i
across this area, and Rallies had Tie
lantern close against it and was hl2
Ing the light with his body when
short and sudden crash made III,
heart stand still. Next moment ! say
the door wide open and Raff1es san {.
Ing within and reckoning me with
Jimmy.
"Door No. l." he whispered. "Deur
knows how many more there'll be, 81
/ know Of two at least. We won
have to make much noise over then
either. Down here there's less risk"
We were now at the bottom Of tn,
exact fellow to the narrow stone stat
which we had just descended, the yard
or well, being the one part ommon t
both the private and the bushes
premises. But this flight led to IL
open passage. Instead a singularl
0VA1u ~iloio5ubJ Jul SCIllcilLGu us IL
the top.
." thought So" muttered Rafies
handing me the lantern and pocketin
a bunch Of skeleton keys after tan.
Dering for a few minutes with the loo.
ssTtll be an hours work to get throug
that"
"Can't you pick it,"
~No. l know these locks. It's n
use trying. We must cut it out, an
it'll take us an hour"
1t took us forty-sevcn minutes b
my watch, or, rather, it took Rati!c
and never in my life have | seer an!
thing more deliberately done. My pan
was simply to stand by with the dar
lantern in one hand and a small DO
1ie of rock oil IN the other. ltaillo
had produced a pretty c%mbroidere