The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1914-05-05

mo. but
shut upi" breathed Pollard ana
bounded to his feet.
In the blackness the door was still
open. lie closed 1t quickly and
pounded with both fists N he cried:
'Captaini Captainl What's the
matter? WHAT
And just there even Pollard dropped
into insignificance - . noise ma king
been let loose In the respectable little
hotel.
Doors were banging. men running
and shouting. woman screaming and
crying for police. Feet were pound
Inc down their own corridor and
yes, stopping at the door and pound
ing and kicking there. Pollard. coat
and vest and shirt torn away, In tho
effort more nearly to resemble a man
reused from deep slumber and hur-
riedly clothed, staggered to tho door
and tore II open-and was swept back
before q surging tide Of humanity.
BsIlboys there were and porters. .
white-faced bockkeeper with . rack
Of hand Rrenades, and behind tho
doorkeeper a flock Of plain hotel
guests In various stages Of undress
and the last stage Of excitement.
But mainly there was . big boned.
rod haired man, with hateful eyes
and an ugly mouth. who acted az
night clerk Of the establishment; and
be was the one to thunder:
Where IL ri Where is ~ Where's
There ,s--no nrs!" Robert Pollard
said with diff,cult calm.
Then. what happened here"
IL don't know-yet." the master
mind said.
And then. since someone seemed TO
have switched on tho lights. he
turned to the opening door between
the rooms. Capt. Velvet stood there,
utterly calm and with a hood OF slcc-
trio illumination behind him.
lie was even smiling. indeed, and
in either hand he held q long revolt
YER, from which smoke curled upward
as from a cigar.
81 think l pinked the son OF
gum" said tho captain.
"who7" cried the red-haired indi-
viduai.
TO steal my bag. son." replied the
night-Gowned guest. II thought this
was a reputable house?" And then,
before the other could quito assiIui-
late the picture. he sighed: "Fifteen
years ago I'd have had that Teller
like a sieve before he had chance
TO lump through the window. ] can't
seem to shoot good In the dark any
more. I--dunno!"
The red-hairsd man stepped close
to him.
III this was a nightmare. sir. beg
your pardon in advance" he said In
cisively. TT looks to me a good deal
more like a drunk. What was the
terrific racket In your room. and how
much damage have you done?"
He oven had the temerity to push
past Capt. Velvet and penetrate tho
room beyond; and there. As Pollard
followed, n little cry escaped both.
Because the really handsome ma
hogany bureau lay fiat. wrecked; and
the chiffonier. which matched, also
lay nat, and was also wrecked; and,
between them, a poor little mahogany
desk had been caught. apparently.
before It had time to slip out Of
troubles way, and II was wrecked,
too.
A flying section OF bureau seemed
Ia have passed through the window.
for fragments still chung to tho shat
tered pane: another flying section.
which CHANGED to DO part OF the late
mirrors carved border, cluns to tho
captains bed.
There were. approximately, a dozen
hullet-holes In walls and ceiling and
woodwork. and q thick haze OF pow
der smoke drifted lazily at about
head-height. Otherwise tho room was
quite all right: and when they had
finished swarming about IL and cx-
claiming in an entirely senseleFs and
unreasoning fashion, Capt. Velvet
pushed his black bag out of tn. way
and beamed innocent enjoyment.
"You see." he said. this grip OF
mines valuable. and I rugged up a
little sort OF burglar alarm" He
turned to the gathering and expand
ed. And this In something you want
to remember. folks. You take little
bit OF llne--forty feetll do--and tic II
to your bag tho way did. Then you
hitch tho other end on TO your bureau
and stick n book or something under
the hind legs. SOS she'll fall over easy
II any one pulls the rope. Sometimes
It takes two books to give her the
right tilt. Then II you're extra eau
tious, the way ! was. you take your
limo and give n turn around the rest
OF the furniture and
Wait" said tho red-haired man
from the depths Of his throat.
"I'll guarantee that n you rig 1t
Just right no burglar living'll ever
get away with what ne came for"
the captain concluded instructively.
IT'S a nice thing to know" tho
red haired man said between his
tceth. "But"---
IT'S all Of that" agreed tho guest
NJ the house. an tell you who
taught II to me: II was Hell.bent
Harry Blinn. tho greatest Teller that
ever lived for little stunts Ike that.
Anybody hero over know Hell-bent
Harry"
He looked them over. tossed his
pistols on the bed. and beamed.
"I'll have 70 tell YOU all about
Harry" he said. THE first time 7
over got really acquainted with him
was back in the summer ~ eighty
one, when we was trying to work q
sodden old hulk ~ a brig away from
the Gold Coast and over to Say.
whatn thunder are you wiggling
about?"
~ Just want 10 say that you've
done two hundred dollars damage In
here" the n'Snt clerk cried Wildly.
II lust want TO asy"-----
Pollard spoke with the sof,r.S ~
the cooling dove:
"Wlil two hundred dollars cover It.
sir?"
THE damage, yes. Rut"----
Then will YOU take this two hun