Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-02-08

spirits and half pint of wood alcoh
hailed by mistake.
the kephole. He never had believed
in this putting up of iron-gates and
iron-shutters. A night-latch and
caretaker who came round once day
was enough for any sensible person.
He turned the key. Eth? 1t didn't
seem to 70 round. He tried several
times. but without success. Puzzled,
he struck a match and stopped before
the keyhole.
It was new one.
CHAPTER XXI
George stood trresolutely upon the
steps, A new keyhole! What the deuce
did the agent mean by putting new
keyhole in the door without notifying
him? AS the caretaker never entered
that door, it was all the agents fault.
There was no area-way in front, out
between Georges house and the next
there was court eight feet in width
running to the dividing wall between
the bank property and his own. "A
grille gate protected this court.
George had a key. The gate opened
readily enough. His intention was to
enter by the basement-door. But he
suddenly paused. To his amazement
he saw Just below the library curtain
q thin measure of light. Light! Some
one in the house! He did the most
sensible thing possible; ne stood sui
till the shock left him. Some one IN
the house, some one VINO mad no
earthly or heavenly business there!
Near the window stood tubbed pay
tree. Cautiously he mounted THIS,
holding the ledge Of the window win
his fingers. That he did not instantly
topple over with great noise was due
to the fact that he was temporarily
paralyzed.
Here was the end of the puzzle. The
riddle Of the Unitd Romance and Ad.
venture Company was solved. At last
he understood why Mrs. Chedsoye mad
sought him, why Ryanne had kidnapped
him. But for his continuing his jour-
ney upon the German-Lloyd boat, he
would have come home week too
late: he would have missed being a
spectator (already an innocent con-
tributor) to one OF the most daring
and ingenious bank-robberies known IN
the pages of metropolitan crime. There
was Mrs. Chedsoye, intrusively hand
some as ever; there was her rascally
cardsharper brother, that migrate who
called himself Ryanne, and three
unknown men. The impudence OF It.;
the damnable insolence Of 1T! And
there they were. toasting their sue
cess in a brace Of his own vintage
champagne! But the wine was, after
all inconsequential. 1t was what he
saw upon the floor that caught him by
the throat. His knees weakened, but
he held on grimly to his perch.
White bags OF gold, soiled bags OF
gold. and neat packets Of green and
yellow notes; riches! Twenty bags
and as many packets Of currency; a
million, not penny under that!
George was seized with horrible de-
sire to veil with laughter. He felt the
cachinnations bubble in his throat. He
swallowed violently and gnawed his
| lips. They had got into his house un.
der false pretenses and had tunneled
back into the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS bank
of which Horace's brother was presi'
dent and in which he, George r. A.
ZONES. always carried large private
balance! It was the joke of the cen
fury.
AS quietly as he possibly could, he
stepped down from his uncertain
perch. In the fine fury that followed
his amazement, his one thought was to
summon the police at once, to con
front the wretches in their villainy;
hut once outside in the street, he
cooled. Instantly he saw the trial ir
aOatn0f nor
own mother. That was horrible and
not to be thought of. But what should
he do? He was shaken to his soul
The stupendous audacity OF such
plan! TO have worked out every de
| tail. down to the altering Of the key
hole to prevent surprise! He saw the
automobiles. They were leaving that
night. II he acted at all, it must be
within an hour; in less than that time
thew would be loading the cars. His
mind began to rid itself Of it's con
fusion. without the aid OF the police
and presently he saw the way to do it
He was off at dog-trot, upon the
balls Of his feet, silently. Within five
minutes he was mounting the steps tt
the Mortimer home, and in another
minute was inside. The others saw di
rectly that something serious had hap
pened.
whats the trouble, George? House
vanished?" asked Mortimer.
"Have you got brace OF reviewers"
said George quietly.
1.-TWO automatics. But
"Give them to me-" less evenly II
tone. "Will you call up Arthur Wads
worth, president of the Merchandise
chanic bank?"
"The bank?"
ayes. the bank. You know, 1t il
| inst in the rear of my house"
| Here Fortune came forward. Al
1.-THE bright color was gone from hel
cheeks; the old mask OF despair hat
reformed. She needed no further en-
llightnment.