The Winslow mail., 1911-07-01


fore
Mr.. Lawrence McGuirk, better
known as 'Tubby'," Tom said cheer
fully. "A celebrity in his particular
line, which is second-story man and
all-round rascal. A victim of the
quarantine, like ourselves
We've missed him for a week"
one of the guards said with a grin.
We've been real anxious about you,
Tubby. Amt "a week goes by, when
you're in health, that we don't hear
something of you
Mr.. McGuirk muttered something
under his breath, and the men chuck
led.
Aunt Selma rose suddenly and
cleared her throat.
Am l to understand" she asked Sc
verely, that from now on we will
have to add two newspaper reporters,
three policemen and a burglar to the
occupants of this quarantined house?
Because, If that is the case, l abso-
lutely refuse to feed them"
But one of the reporters stepped
forward and bowed tremendously.
Madam" he said, Il thank you for
your kind invitation, butt will be
impossible for us to accept. | had in
ended to break the good news earlier,
but this little game of burglar-in-a-
corner prevented me. The fact is,
your Jap has been discovered to have
oh
pox, and-if you will forgive a poul-
try yard joke, there is no longer any
necessity for your being cooped up
Then he retired, quite pleased with
himself
One would have thought we had ex-
hausted our capacity for emotion, but
Jim said joyful emotion was so new
that we hardly knew how to receive
il.
Then we all sat down and had some
champagne, and while they were wait
ing for the police wagon, they gave
some to poor McGuirk He was still
quite shaken from his experience
when the dumb-waiter stuck. The
wine cheered him little, and he told
his story, in a voice that was creaky
from disuse, while Tom held my hand
under the table.
He had had a dreadful week, he
said; he spent his days in closet In
one of the maids rooms-the one
where we had put Jim. 1t was Jim
waking out of a nap and declaring
that the closet door had moved by
itself and that something had crawl
ed under his bed and out of the door,
that had reused the suspicious of the
men in the house-and he slept at
night on the coal in the cellar. He
was actually fearful when he rubbed
his hand over his scrubby chin, and
said he hadn't had shave for a week
He took somebody's razor, he said,
but he couldn't get hold Of a portable
mirror, and every time he lathered up
and stood In front of the glass In
the dining room sideboard, some one
came and he had had to run and hide.
He told, too, Of his attempts to es-
cape, Of the board on the roof, of the
homemade rope and the hole in the
cellar, and he spoke feelingly of the
pearl collar and the struggle he had
made to hide it. He said that for
three days it was concealed in the
pocket Of Jim's old smoking coat In
the studio.
We were all rather sorry for him.
but If we had made him uncomfort-
able, think of what he had done to us.
And for him to tell, as he did later
in court, that If that was high So
ciety he would rather be burglar,
and that we starved him, and that the
women had to dress each other be-
cause they had no lady's- maids, and
that the whole lot of us we're in love
with one man, 1t was downright ma
licious.
The wagon came for him just as he
finished his story, and we all went to
the door, In the vestibule Aunt Selma
suddenly remembered something, and
she stepped forward and caught the
poor fellow by the arm.
Young man." she said grimly I'll
thank you to return what you took
from me last Tuesday night"
McGuirk started. then shuddered
and turned suddenly pale
Good Lord!" he calculated ION
the stairs to the roof! You'll"
They led him away then, quite brok-
en-, with Aunt Selma staring after
him. She never did understand.
could have explained, but it was too
awful.
On the steps McGuirk turned and
took farewell glance at US. Then
he waved his hand to the policemen
and reporters who had gathered
around.
"Good-by, fellows" he called feebly.
Il amt sorry, amt Jail'll be par
adise after this"
And then we went to pack our
trunks.
Note from Max which came the
next day with it's enclosure:
My Dear Kit-The enclosed trunk
tag was used on my trunk, evidently
by mistake. Higgins discovered it
IL 4