El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-06-10


she. and. swiftly going behind the table
she disengaged the diamond cluster
from Mrs Rensselaers throat and
stripped the rings from the unresistine
| fingers. Even as she did this her mood
| changed again. and she whispered. III
is the best thing for you" Taking the
jewels in her hand. she cried. "A gift
from aristocracy TO equality and fra
ternity!' and she tossed them in the
air.
A hundred hands reached for them
as they came down. and a clamOr of
excited voices told how popular that
action had been
Come on" she said; I'VE have work
to do" And. followed by Blagg and
his score of picked men. she hurried
through the little rear room.
They found the closet door open and
its rear wall pushed back. revealing
the narrow secret staircase. Single
file they hurriedly descended this. Lii
Ian at the head. and turned into the
wide cemented vestibule where an
electric light was already burning
Lillian dropped down before the com
bination knob and turned it carefully
backward and forward several times.
Il feared So" she said to Blagg. who
knelt beside her. The coordination
has been changed"
Blagg took the knob in his long. SEN
sitive fingers and. not looking at ii,
bent his ear close to it. while Lillian
laid her bare arm loosely across his
shoulders. He turned the knob slowly
and gently. he stopped and turned it
backward. slowly and gently. and then
smiled as be gave the ring Of the door
a clutch and pulled The door came
open.
TITS a good thing that I practiced
those long. long hours every night on
that sample knob In my room upstairs"
be said as he went on 70 the next one.
Slowly. but with remarkable skill.
he worked his way through the four
iron doors until. with Lillian by his
side. he had thrown the last one open.
and there IN the vault, with a great
pile Of gold and bills scattered thickly
about him. with his robe and crown
still on and his scepter in his hand,
stood Henry Breed.
CASH he cried. CASH The
greatest force in all the world, The
great social dynamo, The golden lever
Of Archimedes. Cash. Salute your
master. Cash. loyal subjects. and your
masters master. the king of Cash.
Grandfather" said Lillian. hurry
ing to him. come with me- We want
to put this money away and lock it
up so no one can get it. See, You
have left ali the doors open!''
The babble of voices from the upper
part of the house caused him to
up, and his dim old eyes
grew wide
Hush. They are comingr' he said.
''They shan't have it, he suddenly
screamed 1T is mine. Mine. Every
dollar of iti''
He rushed toward the door to close
it, but he stumbled and fell upon the
floor and lay quite still.
AS soon as Henry Breed was carried
out there was room for thu full scores
of men in the big vault. and Blagg call
ed them all in by name. each one as
he came forward loosing two long
brown sacks from about his middle.
Gather up the money from the floor
first" Blagg directed. then take the
drawers Systematically. beginning at
the bottom and working up"
Eagerly the men began filing their
sacks. with many EXPLANATIONS of ami
NAL qualification as the siIken feel Of
the paper and the metallic touch Of the
metal glided through their fingers.
In the house above the gentlemen
and ladies of equality and fraternity
had hunted out the stores of food and
liquor. These dispatched. they swarm
ed over the house like rats, seeking
what they might pilfer or destroy.
They searched with almost whining
eagerness in every nook and Granny |
arge enough to conceal human life. |
They did not find Zelphan. but they
lid find Jens. and be faced them and |
fought and died standing. as he had |
preferred.
Had he remained concealed for but |
few brief moments he might still |
nave lived, for there came suddenly |
lpon the big gray house a new and a |
terrible sound. borne by swift, shad-
IVY engines that swept upward along
he wide curving driveway almost
loiseiess. except for a rush and a
Vhir. Out Of the purring silence
hey burst upon the rabble outside |
With sharp rafting hailstorm of lead
n death