The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1912-04-03

laid her bare arm loosely across his
shoulders. he turned the knob slowly
and gently, he stopped and turned 1t
backward. slowly and gently. and then
smiled as he gave the ring of the door
a clutch and pulled. The door came
open.
"It's a good thing that practiced
those long. long hours every night on
that sample knob in my room upstairs"
he said as he went on to the next one.
Slowly. but with remarkable skill.
he worked his way through the four
iron doors until. with Lillian by bis
side. be 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.
"Cashr' 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 1t
up so no one can get 1t. See, you
have left all the doors open!'
The babbie of voices from the upper
part of the house caused him to
straighten up. and his dim old eyes
grew wide.
"Hush! They are comingv' he said.
'sThey shan't have it,! he suddenly
screamed. 1T is mine! Mine! Every
dollar Of itr'
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 the full score
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 filling their
sacks. with many EXPLANATIONS of ami
mai qualification as the silken 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
large enough to conceal human life.
They did not 6nd Zelphan. but they
did 6nd Jens. and he faced them and
fought and died standing. as he had
preferred.
Had he remained concealed for but
a few brief moments be might still
have lived. for there came suddenly
upon the big gray house new and a
terrible sound. borne by swift, shad-
owy engines that swept upward along
the wide curving driveway almost
noiseless. except for a rush and a
whir. Out Of the purring silence
they burst upon the rabble outside
with sharp rafting hailstorm Of lead
en- death.
Kelvin and his squad Of flying Cat.
ings had arrived, and close behind him
trotted the detachment that had been
bivOuacked nearest the gates. He
moved down men as If they had been
weeds. StasWart men In khaki car.
ried a Calling and planted it in the
very doorway. pouring its deadly
blight back into the hall. They set II
up next at the library door and swept
that room as bare and clear of living
humanity as II food had washed il
out. while the men in khaki swarmed
through the house. pursuing the follow
ers of Blagg into bloody corners and
exterminating them as If they had
been vermin. A detachment. with
Rensselaer, and Kelvin in the lead
stepped over the CHASTITY. huddled heaps
tn the library. hurried back through
the little room and poured down the
narrow secret stairway. As they had
swept through the library Rensselaer,
had caught brief glimpse of a gray
haired woman In a black silk gown
with her bead upon her folded arms
sitting at the table. but the picture was
confused with others Of its riddled and
useless kind. and he hurried on ahead
Kelvin had promised himself to be
In the lead as they went down the
stairway. but as he turned into the
closet entrance q huge black form
thrust Itself In before him. and Sam
led the way. unarmed except for the
formidable weapons with which nature
had provided him.
The greedy garnerers Of Breeds
golden harvest were taken by com
piete surprise. They turned from their
tasks as the men In khaki streamed
In upon them. but their weapons had
been laid aside. and they had only
bags Of money with which to fight.
and these were too heavy.
Sam was shouting aloud. An TIRE
sfstibIe demon. he clutched first one
thin throat In his mighty hands and
cracked 1t and threw the limp. resist
less body aside and sprang for anoth
er. and the second man to fall before
his savage onslaught was Ben White.
Blagg. with a mighty oath. sprang
for Kelvin. who had entered just be-
hind Sam. but one of Rensselaer's
deutenants was quick enough to inter
cept him. Blagg gradually bent his
assaiiant backward and in the act
managed TO dra " the lieutenant's pis
tol from its bolster. In place of turn
ing 1t upon his own antagonist be lev
plod II over tho mans shOuldpr