The Argosy, August 1905 — page 201: what you’re looking at

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

even in that condition, that my plan _ would have succeeded. The bumps on ik ae were not painful enough to take away the pleasure of that realiza- tion. I was brought back to the serious business before me by hearing mut- tered curses and a violent struggle at my left. The burglars must have de- scended and been stopped by the policeman! But upon investigation I found my reenforecement had simply fallen in with one of the barricading chairs and was having a fine time extricating himself from the tangle of rounds and uphol- stery-. “Thot’s the foinest skame I iver saw,” imuttered the officer. “ Thim’s foxy burglars to cook up a trap of thot kind.” It was unnecessary to explain to him then that the plan had been mine, so I suggested that we proceed at once to the capture. . I had nearly reached the top of the stairs when my foot came in contact with something which moved, and [ took a sudden drop. I was stopped by the policeman. “ And now phwat’s the matter?” he demanded. “TI stepped on some shoes, I think,” I whispered. “The foxy schnakes! Took off their shoes, did they?” Again I did not tell him the shoes were mine. It’s very curious how a person endowed with great reasoning facilities will do things unconsciously that are for the best. Now, if those burglars had struck those shoes they would have pitched head-first into my barricade, making t'e wreck and their consequent in iries much more serious. An explanation of all this would have been lozt on that policeman, and there was serious busi- ness before us yet. As I proceeded up the stairs I caught sight of the light from under the library door again, and actually felt a thrill of pleasure that the intruders were still there and about to be brought promptly to justice. ; _ . “There’s the light!” I whispered A PLURALITY OF BURGLARS. _I stepped down to the policeman’s side to point it out, whereupon the gleam promptly disappeared! ; The thing was getting almost un- canny. I was unable to explain the dis- appearance and reappearance of that light. The only explanation I could offer was that the intruders had heard us coming up the stairs and were now preparing to meet our attack in the dark. — But I was not in the least frightened. After getting my breath, I persuaded the policeman that there was really x nothing to fear, and elutching my ies firmly I followed him up the Stairs. * There it is,’ remarked the officer in a quiet tone before he had taken many steps, and lo! if the glow of light was not shining from under the library door again, just as I had seen it when I first entered the house! We crept on up the stairs, and, would you believe it, we had hardly started when that light went out again! Then the whole explanation flashed vividly upon me! That seeming putting out and relight- ing of the lamp in the library was caused by some one passing before it! Yes, that was the solution of the mystery. Well, I can tell you I did feel proud over figuring that out. But my pride did not take away my desire to see those burglars brought before the law. No, I was right on the heels of the policeman when he threw open the door! The most astonishing thing, you know! That room was absolutely empty! Surely no one had had time to get out of it since I last saw some one standing before the light not three seconds be- : fore! And ihe shutters were closed, the “7 windc vy locked, and there was no other ~ means of getting out of the room by is that door into the hall! A really sensible person does not be- 7 lieve in ghosts, but candidly, if I had ever given them any credence whatever, Me I would have thought they had been at : work now. But, on the other hand. I had never before heard of a ghost light- : ing a gas-jet. es rs No, there must be some one in the house! “ey ait comicbooks.com |