The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-08-22

and leave us alone up here?"
But, Miss-Miss''- stammered Arch
er, who hadn't yet got it through bis
head that the family had returned I'M
expectedly
I'VE have two watches and three
diamond rings up here. but If you
mnst have them let me get them.
won't be gone more than a minute,
and wish you would be very quiet
while I'm gone. ! wouldn't have moth
er wake up for thousand dollars"
But see here, miss, II don't want
your rings and Watches" the blushing
and confused young man managed to
articulate.
Hush Not SO loudr' she cautioned
as she raised her hand and entered her
room.
He stood there. feeling and looking
like a polite idiot for the next two
minutes, and then Betty reappeared
held out the watches and rings on her
palm and whispered:
These are all l have been very
honest with you. We are not keen for
jewelry Now won't you please go?"
'.Will you tell me whom I'm speak
ing to-" was asked as the girl contin-
ued to hold out her hand with her ear
bent to hear if her mother was stir
ring
I'm Miss Hardin
"Great Scots" with gasp 'Then
you must be Wits sister Let me say
to you that l am
Hush, You are Raffles-Mr Raj
fes, of course. Please, please go away.
/ wish we had twice as much to be
robbed of, but you win have TO be sat
isfied. Here-Tll put the things in your
coat pocket. Now go on tiptoe. Yo1
may leave the lamp burning after you
get through robbing downstairs, and
III come down after it. Hush, Softlyw
Young Archer wanted to stop and
explain, but she laid one hand on his
shoulder and urged him along, and the
first thing he knew he was at the foot
of the stairs and a white hand was be-
ing waved to him from the top. Where
should he go? What should he do?
There was an awful mistake, but how
was it to be rectified?
VIII had said that he would be back
on the O'clock train. He had missed
| 1t, but might be expected at any min
ute now The first thought was to go
outdoors and wait for him. The sec
ond was to turn out the lamp and sit
down in the library and wait for Will
or daylight or something or somebody
to come along and befriend him.
This second decision was final He
stood in the hall, turned the light out,
and somehow he felt that eyes were
upon his movements Ensconced in q
big leather chair, he had passed away
! half an hour in calling himself names
and hankering after his chun's scalp
when he heard a faint rustic outside
the window near which he sat.
He cooked his ear toward it, and q
moment later he knew that some one
outside had his hands on the sash.
Sixty seconds had not gone past when
the catch was thrust over with click,
and the sash was carefully and slowly
raised
Young Archer was excited, but he
/ wa SdAiC II lOOht0 IL d hluCl
Providence was sending q Raff1es to
help him out of his fix. He rose and
stood beside the window with his pis-
| tol in hand. He meant to shoot the
intruder If he stepped into the room,
but a sudden thought made him
change the weapon end for end The
report of the pistol would arouse the
whole house and he had tacitly prom
Used the girl upstairs to keep very
quiet. The man who had raised the
sash waited thirty seconds and then
stepped over the sill to meet blow
that dropped him like log.
He had just fallen when Will Hardin
opened the front door and entered. AS
he scratched a match to see his way
upstairs he noticed the lamp on the
hall tree and lighted it, and next in.
slant his sister Betty came running
downstairs to gasp out:
ooh, Will, we had to come home
and you didn't meet us-and mother is
very bad-and Raffies has been here
and robbed the house-and'-
Rats" interrupted the brother.
But 1T surely was Rafies / called
him Mr.. Raffies, and he didn't deny his
identity. / gave him all our jewelry
and then he came down for the plate
He acted real nice on mothers ac
count
The library door stood partly open
and of course young Archer had heard
all. Now was the dramatic moment
and he came forward and showed him
self. AS the girl uttered an exclama
ton and shrank back he said.
''Will, there has been a comedy Of
errors, with something like a tragedy
to end up with. If your sister will g
upstairs and you will come in here,
think that all can be satisfactorily ex
planned"
And all was. 1t was done in sec
tons and methodically. As a frs
move the arms and legs of the maj
on the floor, who was beginning to re
vive, were bound. When the masl
was torn from his face, they saw tina
he was indeed the Raff1es who had ter
rorized the manor houses for Ions
weeks.