The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1923-10-03
Lefty and the
Burglar
By H. IRVING KING

me was generally called Letty-Whlch
seemed much more appropriate name
for her. She was at the age when
young ladies are apt to take up fads-
hers was psychology.
She took to analysing her own mind
md the minds Of her friends, but dis
covered nothing very startling-com-
monplace minds yield distressingly
commonplace results.
What Lefty wanted, she felt, was a
criminal to experiment upon. To delve
into the "subconscious ego" Of Grim
inal she was sure, would be produc-
tive Of any number Of thrills.
Lefty lived In one of the few re-
naming "insulae" Of New York COM
posed Of brownstone houses occupied
by brownstone people. She had been
spending the evening with her friend,
Harriet Brooks, who lived only FIVE
doors away. 1t was now half after
ten and she was hurrying home.
Five brownstone fronts make such a
short distance to go that she and Har-
net were accustomed to pass between
out thinking Of or needing an escort.
Just half way between her own home
and the Brooks house stood the Jeffrey
Wilson house. AS Lefty approached
II she saw, to her establishment, q man
emerge from the areaway and stand In
the 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
servants Of the Wilson's, lived in the
basement as caretakers. Once q week,
as Lefty knew, this aged couple paid
a visit to married daughter in the
Bronx and stayed overnight; and this,
as Lefty also knew, was their night
away.
What could a man emerging from
the areaway of this house at this time
mean? Clearly burglar. His paus-
ing In the shadow of the stoop con-
firmed 1t. She might have been scared,
but every other emotion was swallowed
up in the thought that here was treas
ure trove for her fad. Close upon him,
she could not help slackening her pace
a little and peering curiously into the
face of the man standing In the
shadow.
letty's desire to question him was
betrayed by her countenance and the
burglar, as if in answer to the look,
and also as If a little annoyed at the
scrutiny, stepped forward and lifting
his hat said: "Well, mademoiselle"
''Oh." gasped Lefty; 81 don't mean to
be inquisitive-but are you burglar?"
'Why, yes" replied the man in evil
dent surprise; "but how did you
guess?"
''Why, saw you coming out of the
area" said Lefty, land 1 am so In
terested in NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. you
know"
"Oh, see," unused the man, II see.
thought at first you had discovered |
He broke Off and seeing Lefty |
gazing with disapproval at the long, |
black, furlined coat he wore said: "Oh, |
picked this up inside. The rest of |
my costume is, I trust, more to your
liking"
where's your mask?" asked Lefty
nnder her breath. She could not ac-
,ept burglar without a mask.
fright here" replied the man, and
taking a black mask from his pocket
lie adjusted It to his face. "That bet
err" he asked.
"Oh, yes" said Lefty. Just then a
stopped at the curb close to
hem. $50 you would like to apply the
ests Of psychology to my criminal
nind?" said the man. "At some future
lime, my dear lady. promise to give
'ou an opportunity. But just now here
5 the car in which I must make my
getaway" He stepped into the ma
hine and was gone.
"What fascinating burglar!"
hought Lefty. She felt she could have
TODD there and talked with him for
ours-if it had been proper. She won
ered If she would ever see him again
If he would keep his promise of CIV
ng her a chance to delve into his
riminal ego. She hoped he would not
onsider 1t necessary to burglarize her
ONE In OrOer TO 90 1t. Sne wondered |
she ought to report the burglarizing
( the Wilson house to the police. No,
he did not want to be mixed up with
n affair of that sort. The caretakers
-ould report the break when they re-
1rned and discovered it. She decided
} say nothing about her adventure to '
nybody. She thought of her burglar i
very day. however and for two weeks {
canned the papers to see if there was I
nything about the Wilson house bur- |
larry Seeing nothing, she concluded
lie police were working ION the quiet g
At the end of two weeks Lefty, radi- l
ut with youth and health and beauty, c
as attending q dinner-dance at the t
Dme of that paragon of hostesses, I
RS. Stuyvesant Vaudeville. What S
as her amazement to see, moving non 4
lalantly about among the guests, her
lrglarl What should she do? Should
he warn her hostess of the presence
) the criminal? No. she would take q
e misguided man aside and by the
fence of applied psychology induce
=, to o,.iO inf |