The Tupelo journal., 1916-09-29

BILE. The wind. a mouse, the swapping
of a fiber of dry furniture, the crum-
bling of mortar behind a wainscot-
these and many other quite normal
agencies will attract the wakeful ear.
John, however, could not remain un-
der a delusion when he distinctly
heard a window raised stealthily. He
swiftly switched off the light in the
library, opened the door as noiseless-
ly as possible, and crept on tiptoe
across the parquet flooring of the
hall.
The dining-room door stood .ajar. A
flood of moonlight rendered the in
terror sufficiently visible for objects
to be- distinguished with clearness.
John caught a sidelong view of a man
furtively examining the silver on the
sideboard.
1t was easy to calculate the distance
for an effective spring. Before the
would-be thief well knew what was
happening, the outraged owner of the
house had him pinned to the floor.
Incidentally, the marauder had re-
ceived such a blow IN the jaw that
he was knocked into momentary in
s~ensibility. Thereupon John picked
him up, running his hands lightly over
the mans clothes to make sure he was
not carrying a revolver. Then he
carried the burglar into the library,
put him in a chair near the table and
switched on the light. Without fur
Their ado, he went to the telephone
and called for the police station.
Busy" said the exchange operator,
but I'll call you just as soon as they
are through"
"All right" said John, turning his
attention to the captive, who showed
signs of reviving.
On the table stood a plate of
daintily made sandwiches and a glass
of milk.
The burglars face invited scrutiny.
It's general expression spoke of intel
~lectuality and gentleness. The chin
was weak, the foreheady lofty, the
nose straight and well-formed, the
mouth flexible and tender as a wom-
ans. Otherwise, the man was an I'M
savory object.
When the man recovered his wits, a
singular thing happened. His eyes
seemed to be fascinated by the sight
Of the food. With a sublime indif-
ference to all other considerations,
he stretched out trembling fingers,
grabbed a sandwich and ate it vora-
ciously. John let him do it, and
watched him. Then he swallowed
some of the milk, and seized another
sandwich. At that moment the tele-
phone bell rang. The metallic jangle
startled the thief into full conscious
ness. He gazed up at John with a
dawning look of terror that was pitt
full in it's abasement. Evidently he IN
derstood what the ring Of that bell
meant.
But he did not stop eating. On the
contrary, he was only more eager to
deyour the rest Of the food on the
plate. John watched him with in
creasing amazement. The bell rang
again. He picked up the receiver, but
put it back on its hook; then he moved
closer to his prisoner.
You're a poor sort of thief" he
said. (By this time the man had
emptied the plate.l What you seem
to want is q restaurant. Were you
hungry? Was that why you We're try
ing to steal?"
Yep"
You'd better finish the rest of the.
milk" said John.
The mar gazed up with a flicker Of
establishment on his eyes. However,
he took the milk, and set down the
emptied glass.
Now, I'm ready" he muttered.
Guess you better bring along those
cops. You're a white man, and I'm
glad I didn't get clear with any of
your stuff. But they'll put me away
for five years, just the same. A poor
devil like me hasn't a dogs chance"
John drew up a chair and sat down
Tell me- he said.
You're not going to play the mis-
sionary act, I hope? I'm through with
it. There was a minister Ia my last
prison, and he seemed to reel on a
straight spiel. But it didn't pan out
worth a cent when l tested It in actual
fact. So, back l go to the p~eniten-
tiary, and that's all there is to it,
The mans words sounded hard and
defiant, but they held an undertone
of sadness and despair.
That's for me to decide" said John
firmly. There's no fearful hurry
about it, anyhow. You're not a real
expert at this game. you know. See
what you can do with an honest story.
But eliminate the limelight and slow
music. 1t won't go. First. what's your
name?"
Gentleman Joe. It's a nickname,
and not a very good one at that, but
it's the only one I've known for