Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-08-20
BY
LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE
Author of The Private War
Terence O'Rourke, Gentleman
Auventurer
Copyrigh', 1907, The Dobhs-Merrill Company

you-oh, heaps of trouble in other-ah-
lays"
She shrugged helplessly. "If I must
! then do accept. We are partners, Dan
! Anisty and IT,
He nodded mute satisfaction, brushed
| the tools out of his way, and bent an
attentive ear to the combination.
The girl swept across the room, and
there followed click simultaneous with
1 the total extinction of light.
Startled, WHY he demanded
THE risk" she replied. I'VE have been
! fighting careless and thoughtless."
! Helplessly Maitland twirled the COM
bination dial; WITHOUT the light he was
wholly at loss. But breath later her
! skirts rustled near him; the slide of the
hulrS-eye was jerked back. and a cir
Gle of illumination thrown upon the lock.
He bent his head again, pretending to lis
ten to the fall of the tumblers as the
dial was turned, but in point of fact COW
| ertly watching the letters and figures
upon It.
Tho room grew very silent, save for the
{ family regular respiration of the giri
who bent near his shoulder. Her breath
was fragrant upon his cheek. The con-
seriousness Of her propinquity almost sti
= fed him. One fears that Maitland
lte SluNy VI AiAC
combination unnecessarily.
! Notwithstanding this, she seemed amaz-
ed by the ease with which no solved It.
, "Wonderful!' she applauded, whispering,
as the heavy door swung outward without
a Jar.
| Hush he cautioned her
| In his veins that night madness was
running riot, swaying him to its will.
With never a doubt, never a thought of
4 - hn NIL full
blind OF consequences. On the face OF
I 1t he was playing a FOOLS part; he knew
IL; the truth is simply that he could not
have done other than as he did. Con-
sciously he believed himself to be merely
testing the girl; subconsciouslY he was
plastic in the grip OF an emotion stronger
than he-moist clay upon the potterG
! whirling wheel.
( The interior of the safe was revealed
/ in a shape little different from that of
the ordinary household strong. box. There
were several account-books ledgers and
( the like, together with some packages Of
/ docketed bills. in the pigeon-holes. The
cash box, itself a safe within a safe.
showed a blank face broken by a small
/ combination dial. Behind this, in a Sc
GREETED compartment, the Maitland heir
looms languished, half-forgotten Of their
needless owner.
The cash-box combination offered less
difhculty than had the outer dial. Matt
land had it open in a twinkling. Then,
brazenly lifting out the inner
( framework bodily, he thrust a fumbling
hand into the aperture thus disclosed ana
pressed the spring, releasing the panel
az the back. 1t disappeared as though
I by witchcraft. and the splash OF light
#, from the bulrs-eye discovered a canvas
bag squatting humbly In the secret COM
partment; fat little canvas bag, consid-
! erably soiled from much handling, such
as is used by banks for coin. sturdy,
matter-of-fact everyday sort of canvas
bag, with nothing about IL Of hauteur,
no air of self-importance or ostentatioIl,
10 betray the fact that it was the recep.
tRcle of a small fortune.
At Maitlands ear. incredulous, How did
you guess?" she breathed.
| He took thought and breath, both brief
ly, and prevarieated shamelessly: "Bribeu
the head-clerk of the safe-manufacturer
who built this
Rising he passed over to the center
table, the girl following. STEADY with
the light" he whispered; and loosed the
string around the mouth OF the bag, pour
ing it's contents, a glistening. priceless,
flaming. iridescent treasure horde. upor
the table.
"oh." said a small voice at his SIDE Ano
again and again: "Oh! Oh! Oh!'
Maitland himself was moved by the
wonder Of it, The jewels seemed to fill
the room with a flashing, amazing, corus-
cant glamour. rainbow-like. His breath
came hot and fast as he gazed upon the
troye a queens ransom, fortune In
| caIculable even to it's owner. AS for the
girl he thought that the wonder of II
must have struck her DUMP. Not SOUND
hcame from the spot where she stood
, Then, abruptly, the sun went out; al
T. h. NArhf ~
the hand-lamp vanished utterly, leaving
a parti-colored blur swimming against
the impenetrable blackness, before his
eyes.
His lips opened; but small hand fell
firmly upon his own, and tiny, tremu-
lous whisper shrilled in his ear,
: "Hush-ah, hush!'
/ WHAT"
Steady. some one coming.
He heard the dull musical clash OF
them as her hands swept them back into
the bag, and cold. sickening fear rem
ldered him almost faint with the sense Of
trust misplaced Illusions resolved into
brutal realities. His fingers closed con-
lvulsiyely about her wrists; but she held
passive.
"Ah, but might have expected that"
Icame her reproachful whisper. Take
them, then, my-my partner that was"
Her tongue cut like a knife, and the
touch Of the canvas bag, as she forced
IT into his hands, was hateful to him.
Forgive me-" ne began.
But Iisten!"
For a space he obeyed, the silence at
FIRST seeming tremendous; then, faint but
distinct. he heard the tinlkle and slide of
1.-THE braEen rings supporting the smok-
ing-room portiere.
His hands sought the girls; she had
not moved, and the cool, firm pressure of
her fingers steadied him. He thought
quickly.
-"ouick" he told her in the least of
whispers. Leave by the window you
lopened and wait for me by the motor
car"
mot"
There was no time to demonstrate with
her. Already he had slipped away, shap-
ing a course for the entrance to the
passage But the dominant thought in his
mind was that at all costs the girl must
, be spared the exposure. She was to be
saved. whatever the hazard. After
wards
The tapestry rustled. but he was yet
too far distant to spring He crept on
, with the crouching, vicious attitude. men
tai and physical, Of a panther stalking
its prey.
Like a thunderclap from a clear sky
the glare of the light broke out from
the ceiling Maitland paused transfyed