The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-19

"RAFFLES''
By CASPER GREEN

Pooh! Poohi It's all nonsense!"
Iney had been talking at the club
ABOUT new "Rafhes" who was doing
some daring things in the way of
entering houses in the city and sub
urDs. His exploits numbered 80, and
me police had not even caught sight
oL MIN as yet. Some Of his victims
mao seen dark figure and fred at 1t,
put there had been no bloody trails to
, Ioiiow to success. He had robbed
householders at dinner time and he
nao robbed others as they slept the
sleep OF the Just. In the instance
most talked about, he. had visited
seven different bedrooms in a country
mouse and robbed each one, and had
tnen sat down In the dining room for
lunch and a smoke before depart
ing, Half a dozen OF the club men,
pers agreed that he must have nerves
OF steel, but the seventh was the ex-
ception. 1t was Howard Burt, a young
broker, who had sat quietly listening
for the last half hour.
Yes, it's all nonsense" he repeat
ed as the others turned to him in
surprise. There is no nerve in
robbing a sleeping house, or in porch
climbing when you know that there
Is not one chance In fifty of meeting
anyone upstairs"
Thereupon arose a discussion In
which there was considerable acri-
mony. and in which the seventh man
held his own against the six so well
that one Of them finally resorted to
blum and said:
There is a way to prove your
contention. Turn Raffes and give
US the honest results of the expert
ment."
There are six of you," slowly re-
piled the young man. 'Tll lay you
one hundred each that / enter some
house within week as Raffes and
bring to this club some article that
you will all recognize"
Done! Donei Donei" was shouted
at him from all sides. and with a
laugh he rose and left the club to
keep an engagement.
The family of General Birney, oc-
cupying a manor house ten miles out
OF the city, consisted of the general
and his wife, both of whom were well
along in years, their son, Fred, who
was in an insurance office In the city,
and Edith, who had finished her educar
ton at Vassar and had returned home
to wait the great event of the life Of
every young woman, matrimony. Raj
fes had visited the houses to the east
| and west, but had deferred his call on
the general. There was plumber there,
but It was taken by the general to
signify that the robber was afraid to
tackle an old veteran of the wars, who
had turned the family bedroom into
an armory and had had the, house
rugged out with all sorts OF burglar
alarms and electric bells and traps
for the unwary.
Some young ladies'. while waiting
for prince charming turn to poetry.
Others write a play. Miss Edith had
had the plot of a comedy-drama in
her head ever since she was ten years
old. The time had now arrived to
develop It. For a month she had
been resting and thinking all day and
working with her pen until IL or
o'clock ut night. There came a par,
ticular night when she was bothered
more than usual. She had brought
her hero under such a cloud of sus-
picion that It seemed as II career
must end In his being dubbed BY a
policeman and dragged to jail, and
the girl was thinking deeply when a
slight noise behind her made her
turn. She turned to see "Raffies."
She was in the library on the first
floor, and father, mother, brother and
servants were all on the second and
third, sound asleep. Raffies was
masked, but there was no trouble In
figuring out that he was not the hired
man who had come In to tell her that
one Of the horses In the stable had the
collie or that he was the gardener with
the announcement that q COW had
broken into the grounds and eaten up
her favorite rose bush.
1t was well for Miss Edith that she
had been writing play In which her
heroine swan rivers, jumped over
cliffs and pursued the James brothers
to their lair. She represented the
heroine. 1t would not do for her to
faint away in the presence Of one rob-
Der, who did not even display pistol.
The two looked at each other for half
a minute, and then Raffies quietly sat
down In q chair a few feet away. At
the same moment the young lady re-
membered that there was a revolver
In a drawer of the desk at which she
was writing. She had used Il when
posing in the place Of her heroine.
you are up late" observed Raffies,
after he was comfortably seated.
who are you. and why are you
here?" she asked in reply.
Just Rafhes, II you please. The
first question will answer the sec
ond."
He had a pleasant voice. He had
an aristocratic foot and hand. While
he lounged carelessly, his attitude was
that OF a gentleman. AS her first chill
of fear passed away, the girl noticed
these things. They counted in his
favor, but only to an extent The
newspapers and the police had said
that Rafhes was a gentleman. II you
must be robbed, 1t is better to be
robbed by a gentleman than by q
tramp, but it is still better not to be
robbed at all. Miss Edith figured
that the intrduer must have been In
the house for some time. and that he
had made up his bundle Of plumber
and was ready TO lave when he had