The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1908-09-05
whose round, staring goggles shone
blankly in the warm white light.

H.,
On her part, she seemed to recog-
nize him instantaneously. On his. :.
1t may as we'll be admitted that
Maitland's wits were gone wool-gath-
ering, temporarily at least; a state of
mind not objectionable when it is
taken into consideration that he was
called upon to grapple with and stimuli
taneously to assimilate three momen-
tous facts. For the first time in his life
he found himself nose to nose with a
revolver, and that one OF able-bodied
and respect-compelling proportions.
For the first time in his life, again, he
was under necessity Of dealing with a
housebreaker. But most Supplying
, OF all he found the fact that this house
breaker, this armed midnight maraud-
! er, was woman! And so it was not
altogether fearlessness that made him
to all intents and purposes ignore the
weapon; it is nothing to his credit for
courage II his eyes struck past the
black and deadly mouth of the revolver
and looked only into the blank and ex-
pressionless eyes of the wind mask; 1t
! was not lack Of respect for his skins
: integrity, but the sheer, tremendous
wonder of it all, that rendered him
oblivious to the eternity that lay the
other side of q slender, trembling fin
ger tip.
And so he stared, agape, until pros
emily the weapon wavered and was
lowered and the woman's voice,
touched with irony, brought him to his
senses.
"Oh," she remarked, coolly, ITS
only you"
Thunderstruck, he was able no more
than to parrot the pronoun: "You-
you!"
Were you expecting to meet any
one else, here. tonight" she inquired
in suavest mockery.
He lefted his shoulders helplessly,
and tried to school his tongue to CO.
: herence. II confess. Well,
certainly didn't count on finding you
here. Miss Wentworth. And the black
cloak, you know"
/! Reversible, Of course; gray inside,
as you see-Handsome DAM" The
girl laughed quietly, drawing aside an
edge of the garment to reveal its in
ner face of silken gray and the fluted
ruflles Of the gray skirt underneath.
He nodded appreciation of the de-
vice. his mind now busy with specula-
lions as to what he should do with the
F.; girl, now that he had caught her. At
the same time he was vaguely vexed
by her persistent repetition of the OBJ.
solescent nickname.
Handsome Dan," he iterated all but
; mechanically. "Why do you cali me
that, please? Have we met before? I
could swear, never before this night!''
But you are altogether too modest"
She laughed. Not that it's bad trait
in the character of professional.
But really! it seems bit in
credible that any one so widely ad-
vertised as Handsome Dan Anisty
should feel surprise at being recog-
nized. Why, your portrait and biog-
raphy have commanded space in every
yellow journal in America recently"
And. dropping the revolver into a
pocket in her cloak, II was afraid you
might be servant-or even Matt
land" she diverted the subject with
nod.
/; "But-but II you recognized me as
7, Anisty, back there by the ford, didn't
/, you suspect Id drop in on you"
| why, of course! Didn't you all but
| tell me that you were coming here?"
| But"
II thought perhaps I might get
through before you came, Mr.. Anisty;
but I knew all the time that, even IL
you did manage to surprise me-er-
on the Job, you wouldn't call the po-
! lice" She laughed confidently, and
! oddly enough-at the same time
nervously. "You are certainly very
! bold man, and as surely a very care
i less one. to run around the way you
do without so much as troubling to
grow a beard or a mustache, after
your picture has been published broad
cast"
Did he catch a CLEAN of admiration
! in the eyes behind the goggles?
Nov, II ever they get hold OF my
| poiLIolC anu pEluI well!
sighed the girl wickedly, lifting slim,
bare fingers in affected concern to the
!. mass Of ruddy hair. Gin that event l
| suppose shall have to become .
! natural blonde!"
Her humor, her splendid fearless
ness. the lightness of her tone COM
! bined with the half-laughing half-se.
/ rious look that she swept up at him, to
! ease the tension Of his emotions. For
| the first time since entering the room,
he smiled; then in silence for time
regarded her steadfastly, thinking.
So he resembled this burglar, Ants
ty, strongly enough to be mistaken for
him-eh? Plainly enough the girl be-
! lieved him to be Anisty. Well,
! and why not? Why shouldn't he be
/! Anisty for the time being, II 1t suited
his purpose so to masquerade?
/ It might possibly suit his purpose
He thought his position one uncommon
ly difficult. AS Maitland, he had on his
| hands a fona 10 thief a ho rdopod oho r.