The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-05-12
CHAPTER X.
SOME BAD CHARACTERS.

.fsAIL ndppeIieu tndI Oh the HlBTt OIL the
great attempt the inquisitive Mr.. Lane,
I OF. rs Cawdor ST., was considerably ex-
, ercised In his mind as to the depleted
condition of his humble treasury. With
Mr.. Lane the difference between af-
Auence and poverty was a matter Of
Ahillings. His line of business was a
humble one. Lead piping and lengths
OF telephone wire, an occasional door
mat improvidently left outside whilst
the servant cleaned the hall, these rep
resented the scope and extent Of his
prey. Perhaps he reached his zenith
when he lifted an overcoat from hat
stand during the time a benevolent old
lady was cutting him thick slices of
bread and butter in basement
Kitchen.
Mr.. Lane had only recently returned
from short stay in Wormwood
Scrubs prison. 1t was over a trifling
affair Of horse hair distracted from
railway carriage cushions that COM
PEELED Mr.. Lanes retirement for two
months. 1t was that same affair that
brought about his undoing on the night
OF the attempt.
For the kudos of the railway theft
had nerved him to more ambitious
attempts and with depleted excheuuer
60 urge him forward, and the prestige
OF his recent achievements to support
him. he decided upon burglary. It was
q wild and reckless departure from his
regular line, and he did not stop to
consider the disabilities attaching to
q change of profession, nor debate the
unpropitious conditions of an already
overstocked labor market 1t is rea-
sonable to suppose that Mr.. Lane
lacked the necessary qualities of logic
and balance to argue any point to its
obvious conclusion. for he was, intel
1ectually, the reverse Of brilliant, and
was therefore Ill equipped for intro
spective or psychological examination
OF the circumstances leading to his de-
cision. Communing with himself, the
lnquisitive Mr.. Lane put the matter
tersely and brutally.
Lead pipin's no go unless you've got
= pal to work with; telephone wires is
30 covered up with wood casin' that IT. s
worsen hard work to pinch two-pen-
moth. I'm goin' to have a cut at
Joneses"
So in the pelting ran he watched
~'Joneses" from a convenient doorway.
He noted with satisfaction the work
men departing one by one; he OBJ
served with Joy the going of Jones'
himself; and when, some few minutes
'afterward. the queer looking old man,
whom he suspected as being a sort of
caretaker, came shutting out, slam
ming the gate behind him, and peering
left and right, and mumbling to him
self as he squelched through the rain.
the watcher regarded the removal of
this hnal difiiculty as being an especial
Act of providence.
He waited for another half hour. be-
cause, for some reason or other, the
usually deserted street became annoy-
Ang'y crowded. First came a belated
coal cart and a miserably bedraggled
.carman who cried his wares dole
fully. Then a small boy, escap-
1ng from the confines Of his domestic
circle. came to revel In the downpour
and wade eostatically but thoroughly
through the puddles that had formed
on the uneven surface Of the road.
Nemesis. In the shape of a shrill-
voiced mother, overlook the boy and
sent him whining and expectant to the
heavy hand Of maternal authority.
With the coast clear. Mr.. Lane lost no
time. In efecting an entrance to the
headquarters OF the Borough Lot"
Mr.. Lanes method lacked subtlety. He
climbed over the gate leading to the
yard, trusting inwardly that he was
not observed, but taking his chance.
Had he been an accomplished burglar,
with the experience Of any exploits
behind him. he would have begun by
making very thorough inspection Of
likely windows. Certainly he would
never have tried the "office" door. Be-
Ing the veriest tyro, and being con-
scious. moreover, that his greatest
feats had connection with doors care
lessly left ajar. he tried the door, and
10 his delight 1t opened.
And the skilled craftsman would
have suspected some sort Of treachery,
and might have withdrawn: but Mr..
Lane, recognizing In the fact that the
old man had forgotten to fasten the
door behind him only yet another
proof Of that benevolent providence
which exerts itself for the express SER
gice Of men I'm luck" entered boldly.