Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-02

first ] could notsee him, outside. Then
I heard his voice, q whisper, from be.
yond the sill.
Duck he said. "Cop!"
dropped below the window, and
above the rain could hear the squash
Of the watchman's boots in the mud.
He flashed night lamp in at the win
dow next to ours, but he was not very
near, and the open window escaped
his notice. felt all the nervous dread
Of real malefactor and when heard
the gate close behind him, and saw
Burton put leg over the sill. was
almost as relieved as I would have
been had somebody's family plate, tied
up in tablecloth, been reposing at
my feet.
Burton had an instinct for getting
around in the dark. lighted another
match as soon as he had closed the
window, and we made out our general
direction toward where the stairs
ought to be. When the match went
out. we felt our way In the dark; had
only one box of wax matches. and
Burton had dropped his in a puddle.
We got to the second floor, finally,
and without any worse mishap than
Burton banging his arm against q
wheel of some sort. Unlike the first
Moor, the second was subdivided into
rooms; 1t took a dozen precious
matches to find our way to the side of
the building overlooking the club, and
another dozen to find the window we
wanted. When we were there at last,
Burton leaned his elbows on the sill,
and looked down and across.
could anything be better!" he said,
There's our theater, and we've got q
proscenium box. That room over
there stands out like spotlight"
He was right. Not more than fifteen
4 feet away, and perhaps foot lower
than our window, was the window OF
the room where Fleming had been
killed. 1t was empty, as far ae we
could see: the table, neat enough now
was where it had been before, directly
under the light Any one who sat there
would be an illuminated target from
our window. Not only that, but ar
arm could be steadied on the sill, al
lowing for an almost perfect aim.
Nov, where's your staircase?'
Burton jeered.
The club was evidently full Of men
as he had prophesied. Above the rat
tie OF the rain came the thump-thuml
OF the piano, and half-dozen male
voices. The shutters below were
closed; we could see nothing.
| think It was then that Burton had
his inspiration.
.s'I'll bet you a five dollar BILL" he
said, "that If I fire of my revolver
here, now, not one of those fellows
down there would pay the slightest at
tention.'
"I'll take that bet" returned. "I'l
wager that every time anybody drop.
a poker, since Fleming was shot, the
entire club turns out to Investigate"
| In reply Burton got out his revolver
and examined 1t by holding 1t against
the light from across the way.
'Ill tell you what I'll do" he said
|"'Everybody down there knows me
It'll drop in for a bottle Of beer, and 70,
fire a. shot into the floor here, or int,
somebody across, If you happen to Sc
any one you don't care for. sue
4 gest that you stay and fire the shot
because II you went, my friend, an,
! nobody heard 1t, you would accuse m,
of shooting from the back Of the build
ling somewhere"
He gave me the revolver and left m,
with final injunction.
"Wait for ten minutes" he said. II
will take five for me to get out Of here
and five more to get into the club
house. Perhaps you'd better make i
fifteen"