New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-08

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He can read your lips"
She nodded and smiled to Barney,
who watched her blankly. AS they
went out, taking the card table, he
heard the man mutter something
about "blndfold."
And he sat staring at the closed
door as if he were indeed dummy.
He had been so intent upon his own
deceits-and Babbing' s-that he had
neither seen nor suspected the de-
ceits of his opponents. He had ac-
copied Mrs. Dart as mildly schem-
ing bore, who had been tricked into
admitting them to her house, and he
had despised her. Her "Sh! He can
read your lips" followed by her af-
fected smile to him as she went out,
had goose feshed him, less with fear
of her than with panic at his own
stupidity. What were they up to?
How had he failed to see any signs
of it before? How far had they
gone in it?
At o'clock the doorbell rang and
Barney put his ear to the hall door
alertly. He heard the maid go to
answer the bell. In a moment he
heard her returning down the hall,
followed by a heavier football. He
darted back to his seat by the win
dow in time to be busy with picture
book when she knocked. He disre-
garded the knock, of course. She put
her head in. "That's him." she said.
Barney looked up. A young man
with a wrinkled mouth smiled false
ly at him, shifted his fat-brimmed
derby from his right hand to his
left, took an envelope from the
pocket of his natty blue serge and
crossed the room to deliver it.
The letter was typewriter note
that read: "My Dear Boy: am to
Lave dinner with friend uptown.
am sending an automobile for you.
Come with the bearer" 1t was
signed "Your affectionate Papa" in
the handwriting of Babbing's in
scription in his picture books.
Barney guessed it was a for
gerry. He understood that he was be-
ing kidnapped by "a bunch Of crooks
He knew, from the sample before
him, that the men might be murder
Gus. Yet the situation, for the in
slant, seemed almost amusing to
him, and the men nearly ridiculous.
Conceive the emotions of a street
mongrel when it sees itself stolen,
with infinite precautions, by a thief
who expects to get reward for re.
turning it!
He put the letter in his pocket and
went to his bedroom for his hat. He
noticed himself in his glass-rather
pale-and he smiled at his reflection
reassuringly. OF course, Babbing
had planned for all this. He had
expected them to kidnap him. They
would take him to some secret den,
and he would overhear everything
they said, and then, when he had
been rescued, his testimony would ,
convict them Of all the crimes that
had ever been pictured in the Sun
day supplements.
He was returned to the realities
by the sight Of the young crock who
waited for him. The fellow was ob-
viously nervous and in a hurry to
get away; his anxiety put Barney
more at ease, and he looked around
the room as if he were in search Of
something. His kidnaper stood at
the hall door, cycling him Impatient
~. Barney went back to his bed
room.
The crook followed to the bedroom
door and beckoned to Barney to
come along, and Barney, of course
stopped to ask, on his fingers,
"What?" The other choked down his
Impotence and tried to smile allur-
ingly. Barney gazed at that smile
like Graded infant who sees teeth
for the first time He was repeating
the success Of his performance with
Corcoran and enjoying an artists
triumph.
1t took nearly five minutes to get
him to the street entrance, and there
his impatient abductor went ahead.
down the steps, to open the door of a
ramshackle taXicab that was wait
ing for them, with its motor thump
ing.
Barney saw Corcoran far down
the street.
He slipped back into the house
again to give the detective time to
reach them, and he grinned in the
privacy of his room, enjoying him
self At the thought that the men
might get frightened and go of