The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1915-01-28

pen " A1lllStl1. 0uppoSlnS tLle Dur-
glars were not satisfied with their
loot
Then, too, what if the girl at Cen
trail failed to understand the situa-
ton? Central had been known to
max things up before them and this
was such an unusual occurrence. He
had rot dared take time to let her
repeat his message to him for correc-
ton.
On the arrival of the officers, too,
a new danger would confront him.
Several burglaries had recently been
committed, possibly by this gang, and
the police, smarting under the severe
prodding they had received from the
local papers, were about in the right
humor to shoot on sight. Mason was
not large man; still there was a
great plenty of him at a time when
all there was of him would be in
danger.
In spite of his nervousness over
his impending fate the time and dis
lance Of his ride between his house
and Office seemed longer than it ever
had before. Of course that might
be due to his highly wrought nerves.
He was thinking so fast and of so
many things at once that the amount
of mental ground he covered evil
IDENTIFY made the material distance
seem great. Still he half doubted
whether they had come the most di-
rect route or not, and tried to peer
out of the cab to assure himself of
something, he hardly knew what.
While in the very act of doing so
the cab pulled up at his office door
so suddenly as to all but cause his
debarkation in a direction wholly
different from the usual course of
egress.
A glance around convinced Mason
that the building was still un-
wrecked so it looked as if they had
arrived on time.
Just as he was about to enter the
building it occurred to him that he
had seen no sign of a guard and he
considered it possible that the fuse
had been fired already and the bur
glars were seeking safety in flight.
Under those circumstances Mason
more than ever wished to avoid any
seeming dissension from their views,
so he rapidly concluded to wait
little before entering, and it also oc-
Cured to him that the opposite side
of the street would be a better place
for waiting.
Neither burglar nor explosion
came to reward his caution, however,
and naturally curiosity was fast gain
ing a mastery when he was suddenly
beset on all sides by rush of blue
coats, who were so elated over their
capture that it was several minutes
before their error could be proved to
them Then there was a simultane-
Gus rush for the office, over which
the wary chief had placed watchful
guard before their rush upon the
supposed burglar sentinel.
In the center of the room lay the
door of the safe, where it had fallen
when blown open. Scattered around
were such of the contents as could
not be converted into cash. The
money itself and all negotiable valu-
ables were missing. Evidently it
had been a deliberate job, where ev-
cry paper was examined and its value
carefully determined.
''And only to Think exclaimed
Mason, chat they did it all in the
few minutes | was coming from my
house here! l am certain they were
gone before / arrived"
NONSENSE said the chief, pass
ing his hand over the safe door
'"This job alone was never done in
seven minutes; and, besides, it must
have happened half an hour or more
ago, for the metal is cold"
"Then what the deuce was their