White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1914-11-15

cally walk over crockery without
causing a sound; he could climb a
house by the window lodges; and he
could hold his breath like those pro-
fessional tank swimmers.
Three or four nights after the
Paroff fiasco, Jones started the
rounds. putting out the lights. He
left the n In the hall till the last,
for it was his habit. after having
turned off that light. to stand by the
door for several minutes. watching.
One never can tell.
On the other hand, Spider" Beggs
never approached a house till an
hour after the lights went out.
Persons were likely to move about
for some minutes later; they might
want something to eat, a drink of
water. So he remained hidden behind
the summer house till long after
midnight. When at last he felt as
sured that all in the Hargreave house
were asleep. he moved out cautious
ly. Both his future and his pocket
book depended upon the success OF
this venture. II took him ten minu-
ties to crawl from the summer house
to the veranda, and to have detected
this approach Jones. had he been
watching, would have needed a
searchlight. Beggs Rugged the lat
tice work for another ten minutes
and then drew himself up and wig
gled to one of the windows. Here
was an operation that needed all his
and skill; to lift this window
without sound. But he was an old
hand and windows with ordinary
locks were playthings under his deft
touch. He raised the window,
over the sill into the libra
ry, and crouched down. He did not
the window; house thieves
never do. They leave windows and
doors open, because sooner ar later
they have got to make their escape
that way.
Presently he stood up, flashed his
torch. found the library shelves, and
tiptoed toward them. He then
selected three or four volumes
opened them at random and laid
neat packages of money between the
It was not real money, but
only a bank clerk could have told
you that. This done. he moved to-
ward the window again.
Stop" said Jones quietly.
Spider Beggs gasped. it was SO
unexpected: but at the same time
instinctively he plunged
beadlong through the window. and
the bullet which followed shipped
a lock of his hair. He threw him
self off the yeranda and scurried
the lawn, ziggag fashion.
But no more bullets followed.
Jones turned on the lights and in
vestigated the room. but he could not
find anything disturbed, and natural
ly came to the conclusion that the
intruder had been interrupted be-
fore he had begun his work. He
turned off the lights and sat up the
major portion of the night. Nothing
more happened. Florence came
down. but he sent her back to bed.
explaining that some one had at
tempted to enter the house and he
had taken a shot at him.
Spider" Beggs had a letter to
write. He was in high feathers. He
had tackled a difficult job and had
come away without a scratch. But
he had the misfortune to write his
to the secret service officials
in a hotel often f%requented by Nor
ton. And so Jim. on finishing his
own letter. blotted it and casually
glanced at the blotter. A single
word caught his eye. Being an alert
newspaper man. always on the hunt
for stories. he examined the blotter
with care. It was an easy matter for
him to read writing backward, hav-
ing fooled away many an hour in the
composing rooms. The word which
had awakened the reportorial sense
in him was counterfeit" He held
the blotter toward the mirror and
read enough to satisfy himself that
the Black Hundred had become ac-
tive once more. And this was one of
the best ideas they had yet eonceiv-
ed.
Hargreave had always been some
thing of a mystery to his neighbors.
Where he had lived in other days was
unknown; neither had any one the
remotest idea from what source his
riches had been obtained. and moth
l.Aa, 80 TN-Ao thA