The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-07-31
CHAPTER III.
10 Triumphel

Once safely in the street, Kenneth /
GrisWold, with a thousand dollars in /
his pocket and the packet Of bank /
notes under his arm, was seized by an /
impulse to do some extravagant thing |
to celebrate his success. 1t had proved /
to be such a simple matter, after all
one bold stroke; a tussle, happily |
bloodless, with the plutocratic dragon |
whose hold upon his treasure was so
easily broken; and presto! the hungry
proletary had become himself a power
in the world, strong to do good or
evil, as the gods might direct.
This was the prompting to exulta-
! ton as it might have been set in
words; but in GriswoId's thought it
was but a swift suggestion, followed
instantly by another which was much
more to the immediate purpose He
was hungry; there was a restaurant
next door to the bank. Without think
| ing overmuch of the risk he ran, and
/ perhaps not at all of the audacious
subtlety Of such an expedient at such
a critical moment, he went in, sat
down at one Of the small marble
topped tables, and calmly ordered
breakfast.
Since hunger is a lusty special
pleader, making itself heard above
any pulpit drum of the higher facul-
ties, it is quite probable that Girls
void dwelt less upon what he had
done than upon what he was about to
eat, until the hue and cry in the
| street reminded him that the chase
was begun. But at this, not to appear
suspiciously injurious, he put on the
mask Of Indifferent interest and asked
the waiter concerning the uproar
The serving man did not know what
had happened, but he would go and
find out if Msieu' so desired. "M'sieu'
said breakfast first, by all means, and
information afterward. Both came in
due season, and the hungry one ate
while he listened.
Transmitted into the broken English
of the Gascon serving man, the story
Of the robbery lost nothing in its SEN
sational features.
1t was very evident that the pluto
cratic dragon did not intend to accept
defeat without a struggle, and Girls
void set his wits at work upon the
problem OF escape.
'It's a little queer that I hadn't
thought of that part of it before he
unused, slipping his coffee as one who
need not hasten until the race is actu-
ally begun. 81 suppose the other fell
low, the real robber, would have fig
ured himself safely out OF it-or would
have thought he had-before he made
the break. Since I did not, I've got to
do it now, and there isn't much time
to throw away. Let me see" he shut
his eyes and went into the inventive
trance Of the literary craftsman-''the
keynote must be originality; must
do that which the other fellow would
never think Of doing"
On the strength Of that decision he
ventured to order a third cup OF cot
fee, and before it had cooled he had
outlined plan, basing 1t upon q cross
questioning Of the Gascon waiter
There had been but one man con-
cerned in the robbery, and the side
walk gossip was beginning to describe
him with discomforting accuracy.
Griswold paid his score and went
out boldly and with studied noncha-
lance He reasoned that, notwith-
standing the growing accuracy Of the
street report, he was still In no imme-
date danger so long as he remained
in such close proximity to the bank.
/ It was safe to assume that this was
one OF the things the professional
'strong-arm man would not do. But
/ it was also evident that he must
| speedily lose his identity If he hoped
: to escape; and the lost identity must
| leave no clue to itself.
Griswold smiled when he remem-
bered how, in fiction of the feIon-catch-
: ing sort, and in real life, for that mat
2 ter, the law-breaker always did leave
) a clue for the pursuers. Thereupon
: arose a determination to demonstrate
practically that it was quite as pos
] sibIe to create an ineTrant fugitive as
: to conceive an infallible detective
5 Joining the passers-by on the side
: walk, he made his way leisureiy to
] Canal street, and thence diagonally