Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-01-07
CHAPTER XIX.
GA NORTH

That my legs, without conscious eff
FORT of my own, should carry me up the
avenue n around the corner after
the cab in which / had seer Godfrey
was a foregone co:lclusion, and yet it
was with q certain yeXation of spirit
that | found myself racing along. for /
realized that Godfrey had not been en-
tlrely frank with me. Certainly he had
dropped no hin of his intention to fol-
low Armand; but. j told myself, that
might very we'll have been because he
deemed such a hint unnecessary. {
might have guessed, in spite of his
seeming u~nconcern, the he would not
allow the cabinet to pass from his
slght; IL he had been willing for me 20
turn 1t over to Armand, it was only
ecaus he expected developments OF
some sort to follow that transfer.
And it suddenly dawned upon me
that even | did not know the cabinets
una 1t had not occurred to me
to lnjulre where NJ. Armand proposed
to take 1t. II he had Volunteered no
information.
so. after a moment, 7 tool up the
chase more ~contentedly, telling myself
that Godfrey would not have waved to
mo IL he had not wanted me along, and
l reached the corner in time to see tha
a turn northward into Sixth avenue.
AS soon as it and the cabs which fol-
lowed 1T were out of sight, l sprinted
along the sidewalk at top speed, and.
on arriving at the corner, had the sat
1sfaction of seeing them only a little
way ahead. Here the congestion OF
traffic was such that the van could
proceed put slowly, and l had no diff
Guilty IN keeping pace with it, without
n necessity of making myself conspic-
uous by running. Indeed, I rather hung
baek burylng myself in the crowds on
the sidewalk, for fear thai Armand
mlght ehance to glance around see
me in pursuit.
l saw that Godfrey and Siumonds
mad the same fear, for the cab in which
waited there until the van got
some distance ahead. At Sixteenth
street 1t turned westward again, and
then northWard into Seventh avenue.
what could Armand be doing in this
part OF town, asked myself? Did he
propose to leave hat priceless cabinet
IN this dingy quarter? And then / paus-
ed abruptly and slipped into an area
way, for the a had topped some dis
n ahead n was backing up to the
curb.
Looking u discreetly, I saw the cab
containing Armand stop also, and that
gentleman alighted and paid the driver.
Inc other cab ratified on at q good pace
and disappeared up the venue Then
~ ~
and, with Armand showing them the
way, carried 1t into the building before
which the van had stopped.
Ihey We're gone perhaps five minutes,
rom which | argued that they We're
carving It upstairs; then they reap
peafed, with Armand accompanying
them. He tipped them and went out
also to tip the driver of the van. Then
the porters climbed aboard and it rat
tied away u of sight. Armand stood
for a moment on the step, looking up
down the avenue, then disappeared
indoors.
An instant latter. 1 saw Godfrey and
another man whom / recognized as
Slmmonds, come out Of a shop across
the street and das over to the house
into which the cabinet had been taken.
They We're standing on the doorstep
when / Joined them.
1t was a dingy building, entirely typ
ical Of the dingy neighborhood. The
ground floor was occupied by a laun-
dry which the sign on the front win
dow declared to be French; and the
room which the window lighted extend
ed the whole width of the building ex-
cept for a door which opened pre-
sumably on the stairway leading to the
upper stories.
G%odfrey's face was flaming with ex-
cltement as he turned the knot Of this
door g~ently--gently. The door was
locked. He stopped and applied an eye
to the key hole.
The key is in the lock-" he whis-
pered.
Eimmonds took from his pocket a
pair Of slender pliers and passed them
over.
Godfrey looked up and down the
street, saw that for the moment there
was no n near. inserted the pliers In
the keyhole. grasped the end OF the key
and turned 1t slowly.
'Now!' he said, softly opened TIL,
door and slipped inside. / followed
and Simmonds came after me like I
shadow. closing the door carefully be-
hind him.
Then we all stopped. and my heart
at least. was in my mouth, for, from
somewhere overhead. came the sount
OF g mans voice talking excitedly.
Ever In the semi-darkness, I coull
see the ook of establishment and alarm
on Godfrey's face. as he stood for {
moment motoinless, listening to tina
voice. I also TODD with ear a-strain
but I could max nothing of what 1
was saying; then suddenly | realized
that At was speaking in French. Ant
yet Y was not Armand's voice-of tina
was certain.
Fronting uE was q narrow stall
Mounting steeply to the story overhead
JEtlnd after that na0maut,s amayod hAnfta