The Washington herald., 1914-03-22

past. Well, tonight | met him in Bond
street. Do you remember when / met
you fellows? He wasn't twenty yards
behind you; he was on your tracks
Raffles; he saw me nod to you, and
stopped me and asked me who you
were. | said Id tell him all about you
| if he'd give me a private interview.
He said he wouldn't. I said he should,
and held him by the coat; by the time
| let him go you were out of sight, and
| waited where | was till he came back
in despair. / made him take me home
with him, still swearing to tell him all
about you when we'd had our talk.
Well, when we got here | made him
give me something to cat, putting him
off and off and about 10 o'clock |
heard the gate shut. l waited a bit,
and then asked him if he lived alone
"Not at ALL says he; did you not
see the servantH
Il said I'd seen her, but I thought
I'd heard her go; if l was mistaken
no doubt she would come when she was
called; and I yelled three tunes at the
top of my voice. OF course there was
no servant to come. knew that, be-
cause | came to see him one night last
week. and he interviewed me himself
through the gate, but wouldn't open it.
Then / told him We could have our
chat at last; and picked the poker
out of the fender, and told him how
he'd robbed me, but that he shouldn't
rob me any more. l gave him three
minutes to write and sign settlement
of all his iniquitous claims against me,
or have his brains, beaten out over his
own carpet. He thought minute, and
then went to his desk for pen and pa
per. In two seconds he was round like
lightning with revolver, and l went
for him baldheaded. He fred two or
three times and missed; you can find
the holes if you like; but l hit him
every time-my God! was like
savage till the thing was done. And
then I didn't care. / went through his
desk looking for my own bills, and
was coming away when you turned up.
l said l didn't care, nor do l. I'll give
myself up and get it over"
'But listen to me-" urged Rafles;
we're here at our peril ourselves. We
broke in like thieves to enforce redress
for a grievance very like your own.
But don't you see? We took out pane
did the thing like regular burglars.
Regular burglars will get the credit of
all the restT
you mean that I sha'n't be sus-
pected?"
81 do"
"But l don't want to get off scot
free" cried Rutter Historically. "I've
killed him. know that But it was
in self-defense; it wasn't murder. l
must own up and take the consequences.
| shall go mad if don't!"
His hands twitched; his lips quiv-
cred; the tears were in his eyes. Raj
fes took him roughly by the shoulder.
Look here, you fool! If the three
OF us were caught here now, do you
know what those consequences would
be? We should swing in a row at New
gate in six weeks timel You talk as
though We were sitting in a club; don't
you know its o'clock in the morning,
and the lights on. and a dead man down
below: For Gods sake pull yourself
together. and do what l tell you, or
you're a dead man yourself"
Il wish | was one!" Ruttcr sobbcd.
Il wish had his revolver to blow my
own brains out. Its lying under him.
Oh, my God, my God!"
His knees knocked together. The
frenzy of reaction was at its height
We had to take him downstairs be-
tween us. and so through the front
door out into the open air.
All was still outside-all but the
smothered weeping OF the unstrunc
wretch upon our hands. Raffles re-
turned for moment to the house then
all was dark as we'll The gate opened
from within; we closed it carefully be-
mind US; and so left the starlight shin
ng on broken glass and polished
spikes, one and all as we had found
hem.
We escaped: no need to dwell on it.
Not soul did We meet between that
md WilleSden: and OF those who saw
Is later, did one think of the two young
nen with crooked white ties, support
ng a third in a seemingly unmistak-
.ble condition, when the evening pa
,ers appriscd the town of a terrible
ragedy at Kensal Rise?
We walked to MAZDA Vale, and
hence drove openly to my rooms. But
alone went upstairs; the other two
'roceeded to the Albany, and l saw no
norc OF Raffles for forty-cight hours.
lie was not at his rooms when ] called
n the morning; he had left no word.
When he reappeared the papers were