Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1908-06-12

ladies. and l beg to assure you that |
wouldn't harm a hair of your pretty |
heads for any price whatever" con-
tinued this extraordinarily loquacious |
rascal
Eyes, yes" said Harriet impatiently, |
Eve know all that. Give me the let |
tiers and 60"
pardon me-" said the specious Mr.. |
Roderick Fitzgeorge, with a gallant |
bow, but I haven't quite finished yet. |
l want you to understand my position |
clearly, so that you may know I'm |
dealing squarely, though harsh |
world outside is logging my innocent
heels"
The much abused gentleman plung-
ed into a rambling tale of his misfor
tunes. speaking so rapidly that nell
Their of his auditors at times could fol-
low him even if they had not been
In a state bordering en- collapse. al
though Harriet, the cooler of the two,
wondered why the villain did not take
the money and go.
Had watcher been concealed In
the library he might well have I'M
derstood the motives of Mr.. Roderick
Fitzgeorge, or Mr.. Jack Bibbs, for
both names, among many others,
CHANGED to appertain to the same at
tractlve gentleman. No sooner had
the door of the billiard room been
closed when another form rose
steathily above the library window
sill. stepped nolselessly inside. crossed
the room and dropped on his knees
before Mr. Renwycks safe The man
was of medium height and slender
build. wearing mask over the upper
portion of his face. But his chin and
jaw appeared beneath the band of
black, showing a pale. putty-like com
plexion.
In his work upon the safe this sec
ond nocturnal visitor did not resort to
force or violence. He was far too old
hand to use such primitive means.
nor did he wish to arouse the house
hold by any su,.Ien noise. He press
ed u practiced ear against the iron
safe door, then turned the dial SLOW
ly with a feather touch till at last
he was rewarded by a faint metallic
! click as the delicate tumbler dropped
into its slot. by the aid OF his cleo
! trio flash lamp he made mental
note of the number, indicating his
starting point. Then he replaced his
ear and reversed the dial as carefully
as before. Again he heard the warn
ing click.
Left to sixty, right to thirty
he murmured to himself and bent to
his work once more
He tried four numbers, that being
+ the usual combination of smaller safes,
then confidently turned the dial to the
right. He scored blank. The work
must now be done again, though not
from the beginning, for three at least
of the numbers were known to him.
Twice more he tried and failed both
times, but at the third attempt the
dial locked and the outer door swung
open when the nickel plated handle
was softly turned.
The rest was simple. The burglar
produced bunch of skeleton keys and
in less than two minutes had forced
the lock Of the inner door, which
opened with q rasp of protest to the
pllferer.
The man with the putty-like complex
ion overhauled the contents of the
safe by the aiO of his fash lamp. Sc.
lected such vahiables as seemed to be
the least bulky, but most important,
and stored them in several capacious
pockets. This done, he carefully closed
and locked the inner doors of the rifed
safe. pressed upon the outer door, adj
justed the nickel handle in its proper
place and spun the dial Of the COM
bination lock.
For a moment the burglar listened to
the low murmur of his confederate
voice in the adjoining room, smiled
sardonically and slipped steathily
through the open window. Outside he
crept to point beneath the window of
the billiard room, cried out In imita-
ton of vagrant cat, then, crouchlng,
fed in the direction Of the river, with
the cases Of the famous Renwyck dia-
monds tapping deliciously against his
ribs.
ITO be continued.)