Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-08-17


thinking of his lawyers warning, he had
fancied "Ahr' said Maitland
softly.
A disk of while light. perhaps a foot or
eighteen inches in diameter, had fitted
swiftly across the glass and vanished.
"Ah. ah The devil the devil!'' MUIR
INJURED the young man unconsciously.
The light appeared again. dancing
athwart the inner wall of the room, and
was lost as abruptly as before. On i'm
pulse Maitland buttoned his top-coat
across his chest. turning up the collar to
hide his linen, darted stealthily a yard
or two to one side. and with one noise
less bound reached the floor of the We
randa. A breath later he stood by the
| front door. where. at first glance, he dis
covered the means of entrance used by
the midnight marauder: the doors stood
ajar, a black interval showing between
them.
So that, then. was the way! Cautious
ly Maitland put a hand upon the knob
! and pushed.
A sharp, penetrating squeak brought
! him to an abrupt standstill, heart ham,
mering shamefully again. Gathering him
self to spring. If need be, he crept back
toward the library windows, and recon-
noitering cautiously determined the fact
lllell tic DOllS Hdh just DCCu
on the inside OF one window frame, which
was swinging wide.
ITS a wise crook that provides his
own quick exit" considered Maitland.
The sagacious one was not. apparently,
leaving at that moment. On the contra
ry, having made all things ready for a
hurried flight upon the FIRST alarm, the
intruder turned back, as was clearly in
dictated by the motion Of the light within.
The clink of steel touching steel became
audible; and Maitland nodded. Banner
man was indeed Justified; at that very
, moment the safe was being attacked.
Maitland returned noiselessly to the
door. His mouth had settled into a hard.
. unyielding, thin line; and a dangerous
| light flickered in his eyes. Temporarily
the idler had stepped aside. giving place
to the real man that was Maitland
the man ready to fight for his
own, naked hands against firearms
IL 1t need be-. True, he had
but to step into the gun-room
to find weapons in plenty; but these must
be then loaded to be of service, and
precious moments wasted in the process
moments in which the burglar might
gain access to and make off with his
booty.
Maitland had no notion whatever of per-
UlllllllB any VI lAC SUIT " OCCuA-
He counted upon taking his enemy un-
awares, difficult as he believed such
feat would be, in the case of profession
al craftsman.
Down the hallway he CROPPED his way
to the library door, his fingers at length
encountering its panels; 1t was closed,
doubtless secured upon the inside; the
slightest movement of the handle was
calculated to alarm the housebreaker.
Maitland paused, celebrating another and
better plan, having in mind a short pass
ageway connecting library and smoking
room. In the library itself a heavy tap
estry curtained its opening. while an
equally heavy portiere took the place Of
a door at the other end. In the natural
order of things a burglar would overlook
this.
Inch by inch the young man edged in
to the smoking room, the door to which
providentially stood Enclosed. Once with
In, II was but a moments work to feel
his way to the velvet folds and draw
them aside fortunately without rafting
the brass rings from which the curtain
depended. And then Maitland was in the
passage, acutely on the alert, recognizing
from the continued click Of metal that
his antagonist-to-be was still at his diff
cult task Inch by inch-there was the
tapestry! Very gently the householder
pushed 1t aside.
An insidious aroma Of scorching warm
ish (the dark lantern) penetrated the
passage while he stood on its threshold,
feeling for the electric-light switch. IN
happily he missed this at the first cast,
and-heard from within quick. deep hiss
of breath. Something had put the burglar
on guard.
Another instant wasted. and 1t would be
too late. The young man had to chance
1t. And he did, without further hesita-
ton stepping boldly into the danger-Zone,
at the same time making one final, des-
perate pass at the spot where the switch
should have been-and missing II. On
the instant there came a click of a diff
ferent caliber from those that had pre-
coded it. A revolver had been cooked,
somewhere there in the blank darkness.
Maitland knew enough not to move. In
another respect the warning came too
late; his fingers had found the switch at
last, and automatically had turned It,
The glare was binding momentarily:
but the flash and report from which
Maitland waited did not come. When
his eyes had adjusted themselves to the
suddenly altered conditions, he saw, d.
rectly before him and some six feet dis
cloaked, resolute upon its two feet, head
framed in yelling, features effectually dis
guised in a motor mask whose round,
staring goggles shone blankly in the
warm white light.
On her part. she seemed to recognize
him instantaneously. On his. 1t
may as we'll be admitted that Matt
lands wits were gone wool-gathering,
temporarily at least; state of mind not
objectionable when 1t is taken into con-
sideration that he was called upon to
grapple with and simultaneously to as
simulate three momentous facts. For the
first time in his life he found himself
nose to nose with a revolver. and that
ing proportions. For the first time in his
life, again, he was under necessity of
dealing with a housbreaker. But most
Supplying of all he found the fact that
this housebreaker, this armed midnight
marauder. was a woman! And so it was
not altogether fearlessness that made him J
to all intents and purposes ignore the |
weapon; II is nothing to his credit for !
courage If his eyes struck past the black |
and deadly mouth of the revolver and !
looked only into the blank and express /
ionless eyes of the wind-mask; it was not |
lack of respect for his skins integrity. J
but the sheer, tremendous wonder of it,
all, that rendered him oblivious to the \
eternity that lay the other side OF q
slender, trembling flnger-tip.
And so he stared, agape. until presently |
the weapon wavered and was lowered /