The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1913-06-05

close to the hole in the window. That
voice had heard before, in the years
that had gone, tense, cursing, as he
had sent down the blows which had
feIled my husband. 1t seemed the
revelry had ceased now. They were
discussing something more important.
I heard the voice of the Jew, then the
voice recognized again:
well, I'm not goin' to go at this
thing alone, and I'll tell you that right
now it's got to be too quick
a haul; there's enough OF us to make
a cleaning of the whole place; we
can get in while they're at the show,
do the job in a half hour, then get
out. 1t it's going to be done at all,
it'll have to be done that way. That's
all there is to it, and if you guys
want to try it some other way, we'll
Another voice had broken in.
"a fine set of dubs we'd be,
whole gang of us, paradin' out there
like a circus mob! What d'you want,
an army?'
"'Which'd be worse, six of us han
dim tn thing right an gettin' away
with tn junk in a way we wouldn't
lot of stuff an gettin' pinched for
investigation? came the voice that l
knew.
"A third chimed in.
"'That's right"
How her eyes flashed, as the pic
lures of the past came before them!
Once again she was huddled on that
fire escape, listening to the formation
of plot beneath. Cafe, lights, music,
all had faded for Alice Clement. She
was what her profession made her, a
tracker of men again. The story went
on.
II knew that sooner or later the ad-
dress would be spoken, for the expla-
nation of everything had come to me
now. This secondhand shop was
that only in name. In reality it was
fence for thieves, meeting place and
rendezvous for robbers-and l had
stumbled into the knowledge of their
plans! Oh, if some one would ask
for that address! If some one would
speak it! l felt numbly that I was
cold, that l was shivering, that my
fingernails were biting into the flesh
of my tightly clenched hands. Just
for the address, just one word!
1T started I pressed closer against
the window. The men, who evidently
had been sitting at table, were
moving around. l sprang to my feet
and hurried up the fire escape. The
address had come!
There was a maze of a few mo-
ments in which I neither knew nor I'M
derstood what did, nor why. When
came to myself, l was turning the
corner of Chicago avenue and State
streets on half run for a street car
with my baby in my arms. What !
was going to do, did not know. The
thought of the police had not touched
my mind; all knew was that l must
get to the house they planned to rob
before they got there, that I must
find some way to circumvent them.
The street car stopped. l boarded it
1T was not until reached the
block in which the fiat was that be
gan to realize the risks l was taking,
It dawned upon me then that l was
carrying my baby into a place where
it would not only be in danger, but
where it might cause danger for me.
What if there was no one at home, nc
one I could warn? The realization
flashed. upon me that there would be
no one, for knew that in the plans
had heard the robbers felt sure they
would be safe in their work, for a
while at least l hurried to the fiat.
I rang the bells, one after the other
Not a tube answered. l circled to the
back. l pushed the buttons for the
servants. There came no reply. I
started to hurry across the little yard
to where the rear Of another fiat
showed. l stepped of the porch,
made my way to the side of the house,
then, with gasp, rushed back.
81 had seen a shadowy form-two
of them-three. The thieves had ar
rived. Like the little fool that had
been, l had allowed myself to be
caught, l had spoiled everything.
gave one WHO glance aUOuL Lie III tAo
dim light, then jumped for the rear
porch again. A dumbwaiter had
shown before me. A leap and had
climbed into it, closed the slide, and
was praying, yes, praying, that the
child in my arms would remain as
quiet as she had been-a whimper
would have meant death for me.
Maybe there's something in pray
ers," Miss Clement added thoughtfully.
THE baby turned in my arms the
least bit, it raised tiny hand that
touched my throbbing throat, then it
settled back to sleep again. heard
= step on the porch. Muhied voices
came from q few feet away.
"D'ye think I'd better shin it to
the second story?
"A voice from the door answered in
p whisper:
"'No need of It. It's 4 connected
Joint. Family affair. Old man and
his wife on the first floor, two married
daughters and their husbands live on
the other floors. All connected with
| a stairway; We, can get into from
down here. Hand me the nippers.'
There was grating, scratching
of metal, soft cursing. The man at
the door seemed tn have turned