The Washington herald., 1914-04-12

in front, or that Raffles had most in.
geniously fitted our lamps with dark
slides, which enabled US to leave them
burning.
j 1t proved sufficient to unscrew the
bars at the bottom only, and then to
wrench them to either side. Neither
of US had grown stout with advancing
years, and in few minutes we had both
wormed through into the sink, and
thence to the floor. 1t was not an abb
solutely noiseless process, but once in
the pantry we were mice, and no longer
blind mice. There was a gas bracket,
but we did not meddle with that. Raj
fles went armed these nights with bet
ter light than gas; if it were not i'm
moral, / might recommend a dark Ian
tern which was more or less his patent.
1t was that handy invention, the cleo
trio torch, fitted by Rafles with a dark
hood to fulfil the functions of a slide
had held it through the bars while he
undid the screws, and now he held it
to the keyhole, in which key was turn
ed upon the other side.
There was a pause for consideration,
and in the pause we put on our masks.
1t was never known that these Thames
Valley robberies were all committed by
micreants decked in the livery of crime,
but that was because until this night we
had never even shown our masks. II
was point upon which Raffles had in
sisted on all feasible occasions since his
furtive return to the world. Tonight
it twice nearly lost US everything-but
you shall hear.
There is forceps for turning keys
from the wrong side of the door, but
the implement is not so easy of manip-
ulation as it might be. Raf1es for one
preferred sharp knife and the corner
of the panel You go through the panel
because that is thinnest, of course in
the corner nearest the key, and you use
knife when you can, because it makes
least noise. But it does take minutes,
and even l can remember shifting the
electric torch from one hand to the other
before the aperture was large enough
to receive the hand and wrist of Rafies.
He had at such times motto of which
| might have made earlier use, but the
fact is that l have only once before de-
scribed a downright burglary in which
l assisted, and that without knowing it
at the time. The most solemn student
of these annals cannot affirm that he
has cut through many doors In our COM
pany, since (what was to me) the
maiden effort to which l allude. |, how
ever, have cracked only too many a crib
in conjunction with A. ]. Raffles, and at
the crucial moment he would whisper
Victory or Wormwood Scrubs, Bun
ny!" or instead of Wormwood Scrubs
it might be Portland Bill. This time it
was neither one nor the other, for with
that very word victory" upon his lips,
they whitened and parted with the first
taste of defeat.
MY hands held~ gasped RATES., and
the white of his eyes showed all round
the iris, a rarer thing than you may
think.
At the same moment heard the shut
fling feet and the low, excited young
voices on the other side of the door, and
a faint light shone round Raffies' wrist.
well done, Beefyl"
Hang on to him!"
Good old BeefyI"
"Beefy's got him!"
$50 have $50 have IP
And Raffies caught my arm with his
one free hand. They've got me tight"
he whispered. I'm done"
"Blaze through the door," urged, and
might have done. it had l been armed.
But l never was. 1t was Raffies who
monopolized that risk.
81 can't-it's the boys-the wrong
houser he whispered. Curse the fog-i
it's done me. But you get out, Bunny,
while you can; never mind me; it's my
turn, old chap"
His one hand frightened in affectionate
farewell l put the electric torch in 1t
before went, trembling in every inch,
but without word.
Get outl His turn! Yes, l would get
out, but only to come in again, for it was
my turn-mine-not his. What he would
have done in my place was the thing for
me to do now. | began by diving head
first through the pantry window and
coming to earth upon all fours- But
even as / stood up, and brushed the
gravel from the palms of my hands and
The knees of my knickerbockers, l had
no noting what to do next. And yet l
was hall way to the front door before
remembered the vile Grape mask upon
ny face, and tore it off as the door flew
open and my feet were on the steps.
Hes into the next garden" cried
to a bevy of pajamas with bare feet and
young faces at either end of them.
who? Who?" said they, giving way
before me.
Some fellow who came through one