Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1923-09-07
Lefty and the
Burglar
Bv H. IRVING KING

! Dc. .s generally called Letty-whici
i ~" much more appropriate name
I her. She was at the age wher
! rug ladies' are apt TO take W iauS
rs was psychology.
obo took to analysing her own minc
~ 40 minds of her friends, but dis
! s ~ nothing very startling-com
! IOnplace minds yieio dis'fessinsi'
! ommonplace results
i wbat Lefty wanted, she felt, was q
: ,",,na, 70 experiment upon. To delye
/ NJ the "subconscious ego Oh GRIM
i ~ she was sure, would be produc-
ve of any number Of thrills.
|. Tottv lived In one Of the few re-
a,r,ng "insulae" Of New York com.
Iosed Of brownstone houses occupied
brownstone people. She had been
sending the evening with her friend,
harriet Brooks, who lived only five
,0ors away. 1t was now half after
ION and she was hurrying home.
4 Five brownstone fronts make such a
hort distance to go that she and Har-
8,ot were accustomed to pass between
Zach others homes at all hours with
Bbut thinking of or needing an escort.
81ust half way between her own home
nd the Brooks house stood the jeffrey
sVilson house. AS Lefty approached
m she saw. to her establishment, man
emerge from the areaway and stand In
|3the shadow of the high stoop.
Now. the Jeffrey Wilson house had
been closed for five years, the family
being In Europe An aged couple, old
seryants of the Wilson's, lived In the
basement as caretakers. Once week,
as Lefty knew, this aged couple paid
visit to a married daughter In the
Bronx and stayed overnight; and this,
as Lefty also knew, was their night
kaway.
n What could a man emerging from
n the areaway Of this house at this time
& mean? Clearly a burglar. His paus-
e ing in the shadow of the stoop con-
h frmed it. She might have been scared,
b but every other emotion was swallowed
I'D in the thought that here was treas
ure trove for her fad. Close upon him,
she could not help slackening her pace
81 q little and peering curiously into the
face Of the man standing In the
shadow.
Lettys desire to question him was
betrayed by her countenance and the
burglar, as if in answer to the look,
and also as if little annoyed at the
scrutiny, stepped forward and lifting
his hat said: "Well, mademoiselle?"
"Oh," gasped Lefty; Il don't mean to
be inquisitive-but are you a burglar?"
"Why yes replied the man in evil
&nt surprise; "but how did you
gss?"
Why, I saw you coming out of the
area said Lefty, land I am so IN
tsNsted in criminals-psychology. you
Know"
oh, l see," unused the man, 81 see.
thought at first you had discovered
NY He broke off and seeing Lefty
gazing with disapproval at the long,
ohck furlined coat he wore said ooh,
picked this up inside. The rest of
my costume is, trust, more to your
liking
Where's your mask?" asked Lefty
under her breath. She could not &C
cept burglar without a mask.
Right here" replied the man, and
o. ~r-1~ Ii ,1- nt
ne adjusted it to his face. "That bet
ter" he asked.
oh, yes" said Lefty. Just then a
limousine stopped at the curb close to
'nem- so you would like to apply the
tests Of psychology to my criminal
mlnd?' said the man. "At some future
ume' my dear lady, promise to give
you an opportunity. But just now here
Is the car in which l must make my |
getaway" He stepped into the ma
chine and was gone.
Wnat fascinating burghrl'
uought Lefty. She felt she could have
$1,000 there and talked with him for
,ours-if 1t had been proper She won
iered If she would ever see him again
IL he would keep his promise of Civ
Hs her a chance to delve into his
iiinlnai ego. She hoped he would not
ohsider it necessary to burglarize her
rune IN order to do II. She wondered
she ought to report the burglarizing
\ 'he Wilson house 10 the police No.
we uld not want to be mixed up with
n arair Of that sort. The caretakers
'ouio report the break when they re-
urned ana discovered IL. She decided
say nothing about her adventure TO
Hspody' She thought of her burglar
very Dag, however, and for two weeks
"nneu the papers 10 see II there was
nsuling about the Wilson house bur
'"3 Seeing nothing. she concluded
p" police were working "On the quiet
A. me end Of two weeks Lefty radi-
~ Wild youth and health and beauty,
'e attending a dlnner-danee az the
,'N' OF thar paragon Of POSSESSES,
~ aiuyyesnnt Mandeyille, what
-" '''l hma1emenf 90 see, moving Don
,',N'lF about among the guests, her