Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-23

haunted by his Grant memory;
street whose atmosphere was heavy
with impalpable essence Of desuetude;
in two words, Frognall street.
Kirkwood identified it with a start
and guilty tremor. He stopped stock
still. in an unreasoning state Of semi.
panic, arrested by silly impulse to
turn and fly; as if the bobby, whom
he deserted approaching him with
measured stride, pausing now ana
again to try door or flash his bulls
eye down an area, were to be expected
to identify the man responsible for
that damnable racket raised ere mid
night in Vacant Number 9.
Oddly enough, the shock of recogni-
ton brought him to his senses TEN
porarily. He was even able to indulge
himself in a quiet, SOLDERING grin at
his own folly. He passed the police
man with nod and a cool word in
response to the mans good-natured,
Good night, sir" Number 9 was on
the other side of the street; and he
favored it's blank and dreary elevation
with a prolonged and frank stare =
that profited him nothing, by the
way, for crazy notion popped incon-
tinently into his head and would not
be cast forth.
At the corner he swerved and
crossed. still possessed Of his devil Of
inspiration. It would be unfair to him
to say that he did not struggle to re.
sist it, for he did. because it was
fairly and egregiously asinine; yet
struggling, his feet trod the path TO
which it tempted him.
why" he exrostulated feebly Il
nights we'll turn back and beat that
bobby over the head with a
cane, y IS"
But at the moment his hand was in
his change pocket, feeling over that
same brass doorkey which earlier ne
had been unable to account for, anil
1 he was informing himself how very
easy it would have been for. the
sovereign purse to have dropped from
his waistcoat pocket while he was
sliding on his ear down the dark stair
case. To recover it meant at the least.
shelter for the night, followed by a
decent comfortable and sustaining
morning meal Fortified by both he
could redeem his luggage, change to
clothing more suitable for daylight
/. travelling, pawn his valuables, and
enter into negotiations with the steam
ship company for permission to eX-
change his passage, with a sum to
boot, for transportation on another
liner. A most feasible project! A
temptation all but irresistible!
But then-the risk. SupposiHs
for the sake Of argument) the
customary night Waterman to have
taken UP transient residence in No
8: supDosine the police to have enter
ed with him and found the stunned
man on the floor: would the watch
man not be vigilant for another
Nocturnal marauder? Would not the
nolce now, more than ever, be keep
ing a wary eye on that house Of
suspicious happenings?
Decidedly to re-enter it would be e
incur q deadly risk. And yet, un
doubtedly. beyond question, his sover
eign purse was waiting for him some
where on the second fight Of stairs
whileas his means of clandestine en-
try lay warm in his fngers-the Ike.
to the dark entry which he had b,
force Of habit pocketed after lockin:
the door
He came to the Hog-in- Pound
It's windows were dim with low turned
gas lights. Down the covered alley
way, Quadrant News slept in dual
but ftfully relieved by a lamp or twt
round which the friendly mist clunl
!, close and thick.
There would be none to see q s
l Skulking, throat swollen with fea,
{ heart beating like snare drum, Kiri
I wood took his chance ButtOnino-N h
e overcoat collar up to his chin an
t cursing the fact that his hat mus
!