The Washington herald., 1914-04-19

IN the next room.
"Hellor
That you, Bunny"
"Yes-are you Raffies?"
What's left of me! Bunny, want
you-quick."
"I'1l come at once. Are you at the
Albany"
mo, no, at Maguire's."
And where's Maguire:"
IN Half-moon street"
Il know that. Is he there now:"
"No-not come in yet-and I'm
caught"
Caught"
In that trap he Dragged about. 1t
serves me right. | didn't believe in it.
But I'm caught at last-caught-at last y
In utter panic rushed back into my
bedroom, and flung myself into the
crumpled shirt and evening clothes that
lay where l had cast them off. But l
knew no more what l was doing than
what to do next
1t was only the week before that Raf-
fes and l had been introduced to Ma
guire at the Imperial Boxing Club.
Heavyweight champion of the United
States, the fellow was still drunk with
his sanguinary triumphs on that side,
and clamoring for fresh conquestS on
ours. But his reputation had crossed
he haf IL
The grandioSe hotels had closed their
doors to him; and he had already taken
and sumptuously furnished the house in
Halt-moon street which does not relet
to this day. Rafles had made friends
with the magnificent brute, while | took
timid stock OF his diamond studs, his
jeweled watchchain, his eighteen-carat
bangle, and his six-inch lower jaw. /
had shuddered to see Raffles admiring
the gewgaws in his turn, in his own
brazen fashion, with that air of the
cool connoisseur which had its double
meaning for me. And when we finally
went home with Mcguire to see his 9TH
er trophies, it seemed to me like en-
tering the tigers lair
The trophies were still greater sur
prise. Among other offerings, we were
permitted to handle the jeweled belt
presented 10 the pugilist by the State OF
Nevada, a gold brick from the citizens
OF Sacramento, and a model OF himself
in solid silver from the Fistcuff Club in
New York. ' still remember waiting
with bated breath for Rafies to ask
Glaguire if he were not afraid of bur
glars, and Mcguire replying that he had
alive, but fatty refusing to tell US what
1t was. Yet it was easy to see that Raj
ficS had accepted the braggart's boast as
challenge Nor did he deny it later
when l taxed him with his mad resolve
he merely refused to allow me to i'm
plicate myself in its execution
Within the last twenty-four hours
barney Mcguire had fought his first
great battle on British soil. Obviously,
he would no longer be the man that he
had been in the strict training before
the fight; never, as | gathered, was such
a rufian more off his guard or less
capable of protecting himself and his
possessions than in these first hours OF
relaxation and inevitable debauchery for
which Raffies had waited with character
istic foresight.
And yet-and yet-what could have
happened? l must nave asked myself |
the question between each and all of |
the above reflections, made partly as l |
dressed and partly in the hanson on the
way to Half-moon street. 1t was as
yet the only question in my mind. You |
must know what your emergency is be-
fore you can decide how to cope with it a.;
and to this day | sometimes tremble to |
think of the rashly direct method by
which set about obtaining the requisite
information. I drove every yard of the
way to the pugilist's very door.
Yet at the last l had rough idea of
what | meant to say when the door was
opened. 1t seemed almost probable that !
the sudden end of our talk over the tel
sphone had been caused by the arrival
of Barney Mcguire. In that case | was
resolved to tell him that Raffies and
had made bet about his burglar trap,
and that | had come to see who had
won. If, however, l was wrong about
Maguire, and he had not come home at
all, then my action would depend upon
the menia1 who answered my reckless
ring
had the more time to come to some
decision, since | rang and rang in vain.
The hall, indeed, was in darkness; but
when l peeped through the letter box l
could see faint beam of light from the
back room. That was the room in which
Mcguire kept his trophies and set his
trap.
A brougham rolled sedately down the
street from Piccadilly; to my horror, it
stopped behind me as l peered once
more through the letter box, and out
tumbled the disheveled prizehghter and