Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-10
THE WIRE TAPPERS
BY ARTHUR STRINGER.
Author Of "Ths Silver Poppy" "The Loom Of Destiny" ETC.
by Brown an Compa Rights
BY ARTHUR STRINGER.

Frances. with mock seriousness. She had
learned not to ask too much of life, and
she was struggling to school herself to the
thought of his new role.
mo. my dear girl; it can be done so much
easier than that. Her mother and her
younger sister are still at Driftwood, their
summer place in Mamaroneck. At O clock
this afternoon they sent into the city a GER
tain Miss Annie Seabrooke She is st.
Luke's graduate, professional nurse who
has been looking after old Mrs Van
Schaick. This lady. apparently, is a good
deal Of hypochondriac. The nurse. Of
course. has to get things ready for her pa
tents return. I have already met Miss
Seabrooke at the Grand Central station.
have also. at Miss Lyda's urgent request,
installed her at the Holland House, over
night. This. by the way. is the lady's bag.
l tried to explain to her that the whole
Van Schaick house wants to be given over
to Miss Lydia's coming -of-age function"
Frances, already carried down again by
her tidal reaction Of feeling. watched him
through narrowed and distracted eyes.
In this bag, among other things. you'll
find a nurses uniform" Durkin went on
hurriedly. oblivious of her scrutiny at
will fit little loose. I'm afraid-Miss Sea-
brooke is a big. wide-shouldered Canadian
girl. And in forty or fifty minutes from
now you ought to be inside that uniform
and inside the Van Schaick house-if we
ever want to carry this thing through
And then--?' she asked in her dead
and impersonal voice, as though her
thoughts were leagues away.
Then cried Durkin, then you've got
to get hold of a glove box in Miss Lydia
Van Schaicks chifonier drawer BY some
means or other we've got to get hold of
that box and
She stopped him by holding up sudden
silencing hand. Her face was white and
set; he could see none of the iris Of her
eyes.
Its no use.' she said. evenly and quiet
~ It's no use. l can not and will not
Durkin fell back from her, aghast. Then
he took her by the arm and turned about
so that the light fell on her face. He could
see that her lower lip was trembling.
You back downtown he demanded,
with a touch of incredibly.
Yes. l back down. she answered, letting
her eyes meet his.
Why he began inadequately. What
is it?''
Its simply this Jim," she answered
him-and her voice now was high and thin
and unmodulated. CONSTRUCTED. by some in
ward tension. to a gramaphonic tumult of
syllables. There has got to be a limit
somewhere. At some point we have got
to draw the line. We have been forget
ting great many things. But 1 can not
and will not be a common thief-for you
or for anything you can bring to me-or to
my life!''
You say that?'
you thought of my feelings-if you thought
Of my happiness. you would never ask me
to do such things-you would never make
me suffer like this"
He threw up his hands with what was
almost gesture of evaporation.
But you Will not be common thief-it
will not be stealing at all! Can't you see
that?''
NO. 1 can not. And you know as well
as know that when we try to justify 1t
We do it only by a quibblev'
But 1 tell YOU every penny of that
money will 20 back where 1t came 'FRONT.'
Then why can't We go to Lydia Van
Schaick and ask her to lend US the money!"
That's ridiculous,"
No more SO than what you proposer
Durkin, drawing back from her closed
his right fist and with it pounded angrily
on the palm of his left hand.
to Lydia Van Schaick. and I'll get her
money. too. Ill go as second-story man
as a porch climber! I'll go after that
money as common burglar and house
breaker, But III get it in the end or know
the reason why!''
"Oh!" she gasped, Mortified. You
wouldn't. You couldn'tr'
81 say willi' he cried. in passion.
"Oh. you couldn't!' she reiterated
Couldn't I?-Fve got this machinery
started and it's going to be kept moying.'
Something In the scene carried her years
back to the times when her father emerg-
ing from his prolonged orgies sick and
shaken. stormed and wept for the brandy
the struggle would end only, when in fear
of his collapse she surrendered the bottle
TO his auivering fingers.
MY God-Pve got to have itr Durkin
was crying and storming.
There crept over her the same slowly
eviscerating pity for the defiant man who
now stood before her so tragically weak in
his very protests OF strength
She turned and caught at his arm, with
sudden inward surrender that left her