The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-04-30

AS he Whirled down the street in
his rakish car, John Helitrope medi-
tated sweetly on life. He thought for
a moment upon his wife, and tenderly
imagined his return at dawn, laden
with gifts visualized her joy, her
kisses, her gratitude.
She had invited number of friends
for her birthday party. There would
be meat and drink and laughter. AS
he pondered upon these things Hello
trope drew from an inside pocket 4
note book. Bringing his car to a stop
under an arc light, he turned his at
tention to the interior of his book.
There were certain addresses and
notations inscribed therein Having
refreshed his memory thus, he started
off again, and was soon rolling down
stretch of dimly lighted avenue on
each side of which doomed elegant
formal homes.
He lessened the speed Of his car,
and with a keen eye on upon these
domiciles progressed more slowly
down the road In front of one almost
concealed in it's own darkness, he
came to stop. At this point his en-
tire demeanor changed. The dream:-
ness and nonchalance were gone from
him. He stepped out nimbly, walked
dir ectly in the darkness engulfng the
house, and with a sharp glance about
Linn proceeded at once about his bust
ness.
Twenty minutes later he returned,
leaped into his car and drove off. A
puzzled light was in his eyes, and a
look of indignation. He twisted the
wheel viciously in turning a corner
and seemed altogether out of sorts.
"Of all the damned nuisances," he
kept muttering to himself. Failure
lad befallen him. Double-barred win
dows, peculiarly fastened doors, un.
usually protected porch screens had
resisted his sinister advances. AT
every turn he had been met by some
newfangled burglar-proof contrivanct
and as he pondered upon his fruit
less labors of the 20 minutes a rags
slowly possessed him and he swore.
His next call was at the curb of a
brightly lighted corner. Again leav
ing his car, its engine running, he
penetrated polite wilderness of trees
and shrubs, achieved a point directly
under a masonry porch, and with ar
agility purely Darwinian, mounted one
of the stone pillars. Arrived on the
| porch, he brushed his trousers and
fell to work upon the French door:
confronting him. An exclamation OIL
joy escaped him as the doors yielded
under his skilful fingers. John Hello
trope found himself inside a large
heavily carpeted room. With sinai
fash he lighted up little circles of thi.
room and progressed into other fields
1t was barely ten minutes later tina
q shot startled the neighborhood anC
that John Heliotrope dropped courage
ously from the cement porch to thu
soft earth below and fled with grea
haste toward his car. Behind hin
came a man dressed in a white night
gown and flourishing a long revolver
| The man, however, stopped at thu
edge of the porch and unloaded hi;
weapon in the darkness. Leaping int
his car the burglar started off at full
speed, bent low over the wheel ant
cursing outrageously as he flew
through the night.
To follow John Heliotrope in hi.
further nocturnal adventures wouIt
| be to record merely a series of hear
breaking episodes, fruitless, infutil'
performances in which the vaunteC
skill courage, penetration of this art
full creature came all to naught.
Fate seemed utterly opposed. For
tunes lips seemed entirely disinclinet
| TO smile. With the first dim light
of dawn breaking over the streets
John Heliotrope sprang into his car
emitted final round oath, and dashed
eff. For the sixth time he had beer
fciled. His plans, matured during {
week of study and observation, hat
for the sixth time encountered tn
unforeseen, a kennel of dogs, fierce, ex
ultant, vastly hinged. Behind him as
he sped empty handed down the road
another car flew, car containing
load of outraged citizenry. Through
the quiet, family lighted streets the
chase led. Bullets whistled by Johns
ears. thudded against the back of his
machine. With gasp of joy he
heard the noise of the pursuer growing
less. turned for an instant and perez
we'd it a mere dot in the distant road
He was safe. He turned off at right
angle and drove on at diminished
sreed. There came to him sudden
realization of his complete failures
Ii was too late to try again, and If
any case to try an unchartered house
was madness.
He drove on, thinking now OF
his wife, of her party, of her disap
pointment. Home and bed called him