The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-03-07


steadied and grew stronger. but ever
leaped and danced so that he, lost in
wonder of it and forgetful of himself,
thought of it as the ardent face of a
happy child dancing in the depths of
some brown autumnal woodland.
YOU" she breathed incredulously-
you mean you're going to stop
Il have stopped. Miss Shannon. The
Lone Wolf has prowled for the last
time. l didn't know it till just now
when l woke up an hour or so ago
but I've turned my last job
But why?" she demanded in Devil
derment. "But why do you say that?
What can have happened to make
you"
IF it won't bore you, I'll try to ex-
plain" He drew up his chair and sat
down again, facing her across the lit
tered table Il don't suppose you've
ever stopped to consider what an es-
sentially stupid animal a crook must
be. Most of them are stupid because
they practice clumsily one of the most
difficult professions imaginable, and in
evitably fail at it. yet persist
There's another class, men whose
imaginations forewarn them of dan
gers and whose mental training, tech
nical equipment, and sheer manual
| dexterity enable them to attack a
formidable proposition like a modern
safely way of illustration-and force
&c Iln ft11
criminals, like myself-but they're no
less stupid. no less failures than the
other ninety-nine in our every hun
dred, because they never stop to think.
1t never occurs to them that the same
intelligence, applied to any one of the
trades they must be masters of, would
not only pay them better, but leave
them their self-respect and rid them
forever of the haunting dread of arrest
that dogs us all like the memory of
some shameful act. All of which is
much more of a lecture than l meant
to infiict upon you, Miss Shannon, and
sums up to just this: I've stopped to
think
With this he stopped for breath as
well and momentarily was silent, his
faint, twisted smile testifying to self
consciousness; but presently, seeing
that she didn't offer to interrupt, but
continued to give him her attention
so exclusively that it had the effect
Of fascination he stumbled on, at first
less confidently.
when l woke up just now it was as
if, without my will, had been think
ing all this out in my sleep. | saw
myself for the first time clearly, as
have been ever since | can remember
"a crook, thoughtless, vain. rapacious.
ruthless, skulking in shadows and
thinking myself an amazingly fine fell
] low because, between coups, l would
play the gentleman bit, venture into
the light, and swagger in the haunts of
the respectable In my poor, perverted
brain | believed there was something
fine and thrilling and romantic in the
career Of a great criminal and myself
wonderful figure-an enemy of So
ciety-potentially as deadly as rattle
snake, always ready to kill-if l never
did"
why do you say this to me?" she
demanded abruptly out of phase of
profound thoughtfulness.
He lifted an apologize shoulder and
laughed with sheepish air.
Because, | presume, I'm no longer
self-sufficient. I was all of that twenty
four hours ago, but now I'm as lone
some as lost child in dark forest.
l haven't friend in the world I'm
! like stray pup, grOveling for SYM
pathy. And you-are unfortunate
enough to be the only person l can de-
clare myself to. It's going to be a
| fight know that too weI1-and with
out something outside myself to strug-
gle toward III De heavily handicapped
But if'-ne faltered, with a look of
wistfdi earnestness-'i thought that
you, perhaps, were little interested
that had won your faith and had that
to respect and cherish-if dared hope
that you'd be glad to know / had won
| out against odds-it would mean
great deal to me; it might mean my
salvation!'
! },
| on her decision with the anxiety of q
man prescribed and hoping against
| hope for pardon, he saw her eyes cloud
] and shift from his, her lips parted but
| hesitant. and before she could speak
he hastily interposed:
Please don't say anything yet First
| let me demonstrate my sincerity So
| far I've done nothing to persuade you
but-talk and talk and talk! But give
| me half a chance to prove l mean
what l say
'How'-she enunciated only with
| visible effort and no longer met his ap-
peal with an open countenance-"how
can you do that?"
In the long run, by establishing N.Y.
self in some honest way of life, how
| ever modest; but now, and principally,
by making PREPARATION for at least one
| crime I've committed that's not ir-
| reparable.''
He caught her quick glance of in
quiry and met it with a confident nod