Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1916-03-09

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"
81 have stopped, Miss Shannon, The
Lone Wolf has prowled for the last
time. l didn't know it till just now
when / woke up an hour or so ago
but I've turned my last job"
But why?" she demanded in bewil-
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. 81 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
its secret. They're the successful
criminals, like myself-but they're no
less stupid. no less failures than the
other n~inety-nine in every hun
dred, because they never stop to think.
1t never occurs to them that the same
intelligence, applied to any n 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, l had been think
ing all this out in my sleep. l saw
myself for the first time clearly, as ]
have been we since l can remember
"a crook, thoughtless, vain, rapacious.
ruthless, skulking in shadows and
thinking myself an amazingly fine fel
low because, between coups, l would
play the gentleman a bit, venture into
the light, and swagger in the haunts oil
the respectable. In my poor, perverted
brain l believed there a something
fine and thrilling and romantic in the
career of a great criminal and myself
a wonderful igure-an enemy of SO
ciety-potentially as deadly as a rattle
snake, always ready to kill-if / never
did!"
why do you say this to met" she
demanded abruptly out of a phase o.
profound thoughtfulness.
He lifted an apologize shoulder an(
laughed with a sheepish air.
Because, l presume, I'm no longel
self-suficient. l was all Of that twenty
four hours ago, but now I'm as lone
some as a lost child in a dark forest
l haven't a friend in the world. In
like a stray pup, groveling for sym
pathy. And you-are unfortunat,
enough to be the only person l can de
clare myself to. It's going to be
fight know that too well-and with
out something outside myself to strug
gle toward I'll be heavily handicapped
But if"-he faltered, with a look o
wistful earnestness-"n l thought tina
you, perhaps, were o little interested
that l had won your faith and had tina
to respect and cherish-if l dared hop
that you'd be glad to know / had wol
out against odds-it would mean
great deal to me; it might mean m,
salvationi"
Watching her narrowly, hanging VI
on her decision with the anxiety Of
man prescribed and hoping agains
hope for pardon, he saw her eyes clou
and shift from his, her lips parted bu
hesitant, and before she could spea
he hastily interposed:
please don't say anything yet. Firs
let me demonstrate my sincerity. S
far I've done nothing to persuade 20
but-talk and talk and talk! But Civ
me half a chance to prove I mea
!, what 1 say"
, "How"-she enunciated only wit
! visible effort and no longer met his al
peal with an open conference.-the
can you do that?"
I'm the long run, by establishing m,
self in some honest way of life, hoy
ever modest; but now, and principal,
by making reparation for at least on
: crime I've committed that's not |
reparable."
I He caught her quick glance Of Il
t quiry and met 1t with a confident nc
. as he placed between them the moro
co-bound jewel case.
I'm London, yesterday" he sal
r quietly, Il brought off two big coup
One was deliberate, the other the /
! SEPARATION Of a moment. The one /
planned for months was the theft
!, the omber jewels-here."
Being Wet
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