Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 7, 1925 — page 136: what you’re looking at

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

he Wd Hine i Hi Lee Wipe Fae NA A 192 ys Yh ee Psy, id # $ > a Setart. floor of the sitting room, her heart pressed — taining other jewels; but Jessie, notwith- ie W Siuse i —nothing. with wide open eyes, listenmg? The mental 606 in the street below. Bray. clad watchman. The seund resolved — the house, and faded into: nothing again as he went on. Jessie could even. distinguish the air, it was Traumerei. Tt ¥eSE musical souls. turn up in the oddest places. much the better, she thought; if he has, a tender heart he will not be able to resist Bella. Every now and then. fessie cast the light of her tiny flash on the dial of her wateh. And each time she thought her watch must have stepped. It was the: fongest hour of her life. Meanwhile she debated how to sale the problem of the two guards below. Assum- ing that there are two men playing cards in the cloak room, what must E do? I must make a noise somehow t hat will draw exc them ouf. I must manage to r make a. noise ti : at a little distance from myself, $0 that ~ when they run out of the room, I can slip in. She thought. of Mrs. Sterry’s workbox on the center table. A. spool of thread! Quarter of an hour before the time she had appointed with me, Jessie. decided. to 4 As she snaked her bedy. across the — up suffocatingly into her throat. So this is what it feels like to be a thief, she ~ thought. Hereafter, I will always ~emem- ber it, when I catch one. How thankful she was then, for her long practice with the combination of the safe! - When her fingers met the knob, they knew: by instinct what to do. She turned it for- ward, then back, listening for the slight = sounds from inside that she had learned to know. ‘Through the open door on her right came the comfortable sounds of Mr. Ster- ry’s snoring; through the door on the left Was Mrs. Sterry lying there picture caused Jessie’s hand to tremble. At last the tumblers of the combination fell into place, and Jessie grasped the han- dle of the lock. She turned it with the most ~ stairs, and halfway down the second. There she sat down to consider her further moves. exquisite care, the grate of steel on steel makes so significant - a sound. Just as she was about to pull the door of OS safe to = 3 her, Mrs. Sterry spoke. - Jessie's heart seemed to: tom over in her ‘she sat she col out of nothing as he slowly approached : might come out and switch ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. This would be the breast. She clamped down the screws of self-control. For she had to turn that han- dle back to its normal position with equal it. One of them on the lights. Jessie slipped back to: her hiding place -be- eare, before she dared leave hind the screen, where she sat, sternly forc- Ing her tremble body nner control. - She heard Mrs. Sterry’s voice again, aS realized from the quality of it that the woman was asleep. In the sudden reaction that followed upon: her relief, she trembled more violently than ever, and was forced to stretch herself out on dee face, cleaching her teeth, before she could regain com- mand ef herself Yet, throughout her ter- rors, Jessie, true to her nature, was watch- ing herself from the outside with a. sort of amusement. Well, she thought, for pure excitement, there is nothing like commit- ybbery._ But TI can do with less. rned to the safe, and pulling open the door, inserted her little Key in the drawer, and pulled that out with infinite care. ‘The tiara was contained in a little : baize b ag, drawn tight with a tape. ‘Through 3 Y ma terial, . Jessie. could feel the bay points. “There ‘were also one or two flat cases In the drawer, “presumably con- standing Black Kate’s behest, let them be. The tiara would serve. her purpose. sufi- ciently. Keeping her hands ade iron annul Jessie closed the drawer and locked it; closed the door of the safe, and turned the handle. Finally she gave the knob of the combination a twirl to set it. There only remained to search Mrs. Sterry’s workbox on the table. Jessie chose the coarsest thread, judging from the size ‘of the spoot, and made for the door. She took whole minutes to turn the handle of that door— a door handle is treacherous—and to release it, when she was outside. When her hand dropped from it, she breathed a sigh of re- lief, That. frack was over: She went softly down the first. flight of She still had ten or. fifteen’ minutes before it was time to leave the house. From where ould see across the wide foyer, oe co micbooks.co is