Life — November 5, 1908 — page 32: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

502 *~LIFE: (Continued from page $01.) his way an artist. He always worked alone. He never went on a job that wasn’t a big one. And he employed one or two “agents "" to tell him where he could make a good haul, giving them later a certain percentage of the profits. He was in reality an admirable, methodical specimen of a burglar. One of the great secrets of his success was that he never hurried. He had a theory, when he entered a house, that he should place himself mentally en rapport with the atmosphere. He robbed, so to speak, just as if he were a member of the family. This was his attitude. When he reached the upper hall, he did not hesitate an instant, but walked straight to the rear and paused in front of the door on the right. A gas jet had been left slowly burning. This he did not disturb. Its light enabled him to see at a glance that the door was on a crack. He opened it softly and slipped into the room, as ke did so drawing forth from his rear pocket a diminutive electric flash light. The window was open, top and bottom, and the cold air was flowing through the room. A large screen around the foot of the bed protected its occupant He went over to the dressing table. There were several jewels scattered over its top, but not the one he wanted. He picked up the odd rings one by one, so that they would not jingle each other. Then he slowly opened drawer after drawer. In one drawer was a jewel case. He opened it. A medley of gold and silver ornaments on the upper tray revealed themselves under his intermittent light. But not the pendant. He lifted out the tray. Underneath was a similar mass of ornaments—and a folded letter. He was about to toss it aside, when obeying his self-composed, leisurely instinct, he quietly opened it. It was from the well-known jewelers, Spottiswood, Trench and Smythe, and read as follows: Dear Marast: In teply to your favor of the 28th, we shall, of course, keep our agreement made with you at the tim: you purchased from us th: yellow diamond necklace, that any time within one year we will Upon request purchase it back from you at $12,000, or $2,000 under the selling price. We trust, however, that you will reconsider your determination to compel us to accept the necklace at the preseat time. As you know, there has been a severe set-back in trade, and while we are in honor bound to keep our agreement, we should cor sider it-a favor if you could grant us a six months’ extension of time. Awaiting vour reply. Respectfully, Srortiswooo, Trencu & Sayrite. T. The burglar, with a slight smile, put the letter in his pocket and replaced the jewels in the bottom of the case. Then glancing about him he went over to a small writ desk, and selecting from a pile of letters one which in its contour bore a resemblance to the one he had abstracted, he folded it similarly to the other and placed it in the same posi- tion in the jewel case that the other letter had been. Then, replacing the jewels in the top of the drawer, he closed it, leaving everything as he had found it. Also he put back the rings on top of the dresser. Then he stood silently for a moment in deep thought. Cautiously retracing his steps to the door, he closed it and locked it. Moving back the screen, he leaned over the bed, flashing his light over the face of its occupant. His inference had been correct. When the girl had come in she had kept on the pendant, sleepily but correctly conclud- ing that that was the safest place for it. Under the light’s purposeful glare, she suddenly opened her eyes and looked into the muzzle of a huge revolver. “Not a peep—or I'll strangle you."* He spoke low and distinct. And then continued quickly. “Don't be alarmed, Miss. As long as you keep quiet you're absolutely safe. I'll do you no harm. Take off those shiners.” At first she had turned decidedly white. Put, a girl of spirit and courage and youth, she recovered quickly, probably because in the suddenness of it all she could not grasp the full realization of her danger. “Don't, please don't!" she gasped. “No words, or I'll—" She reached up without a word, and unfastened the pend- ant. He gathered it in. Sorry to have caused you any alarm, miss," he said with a smile, “but if you'd only left it somewhere clse, you know—"* Her eyes flashed in anger. “ Little good it will ¢o you,"" she replied. pose of it. It’s too well known to—” “ Sh—Now if you make a sound until I get away I'll come back and—" He looked at her intently through his mask, flashed out his light, opened the door, locked it on the outside—and was gone You can't dis- A few moments later he leisurely stepped into a small motor car waiting in a side street in the next block, ard while the telephone was ringing, bearing its message to hea quarters, he was speeding away thirty miles an hour. When he arrived at his destination—a small, unoccupie! house in the suburbs—he made his way upstairs into an attic room, Here, in one corner were all the tools of his trate, and what was more to the point for his purpose, a coilection of paste stones of all sizes and shapes. Turning on the power that he got from the electric light current, he set to work. In several hours’ of skillful work he had constructed what was to all intents and purposes an exact duplicate of the real pendant. Selecting a chamois skin Lag, he placed the rea) rendant in it. The other he put loosely in his pocket. Then he dressed and went out to his breakfast. At ten minutes past nine a quietly clad young man walked into the offices and salesroom of Messrs. Spottiswood, Trench and Smyth. “Is Mr. Trench in?” Yes, sir. Back there in the office. The young man went back to the office. He respectfully removed his hat while he waited for that gentleman to look. “Well, sir.” “T beg your pardon, sir, but I'm from Miss Van Glen." “Oh, yes!” The “Oh,” on Mr. Trench’s part in this case was very ex- pressive. His manner changed at once. He got up. His visitor went on coolly. I'm from the office of Messrs. Grober and Scott, sir. Miss Van Glen's attorneys, and she sent me over here, in answer to your letter. Sit down.”” The young man sat down. “She wished me to say, sir, in reply to your letter of the 28th, that she was very sorry to trouble you in any way When she bought the pendant she hadn't the least idea that she would ever want to sell it, and only took the precaution because we advised her to as a matter of business. Mr. Trench looked at his visitor. “T understood that was her father’s idea,’ he said. The representative of Grober and Scott smiled. “Perhaps I shouldn't have said that, sir,” he said. (Continued on page sos.)