Argosy, Vol. 118, No. 4 — page 158: what you’re looking at

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

628 stood in the dark frame of the doorway, immobile, waiting. It was evident that his nerves: were of iron. Now silhouetted against the night-glow reflected through the dining-room window he saw a moving object. One hand shot out and pressed a button; the other brought the automatic on a line-with the window. In the flash of lights which followed he be- held a slim figure start back from the open window, a startled, white face turned to- ward him. Momentarily he surveyed the burglar. Then his lips curled as he thrust the re- volver into the pocket of his dressing-gown. “Come over here!” he calmly com- manded. ‘“ And let me get a look at you.” There came a gasp from the intruder; -under the compelling gaze of the house- holder he moved into the circle of light. ‘“An amateur, eh?” sneered his captor as he surveyed the drenched, wvoe-begone figure. Then his eye traveled to a bundle the young housebreaker—he was evident- ly still in his twenties—had half-concealed ‘behind his shrinking figure. ‘‘ What have. you got there?”’ he demanded fiercely. For answer the culprit brought the bun- dle into view. As he did so it unrolled from his shaking hand and dropped to the floor. It was the evening clothes the man had so hurriedly discarded some hours earlier, even to the crumpled piqué shirt in which the studs now glistened. _“ Here! Hand me those!” commanded the owner. With another frightened look the intruder passed them over. “Yowre a fine crook?” jeered the man as he removed a watch from a waistcoat pocket and a leather wallet from the din- ner coat. ‘‘ Why didn’t you take the stuff out of the clothes?” ‘‘ |—I—”’ attempted the youth; then his voice died away. The householder laughed harshly. “ For all you knew,” he said with a sar- donic grin, ‘“‘ there might not have been car- fare in these rags.” He surveyed the offender again. Though the young man’s clothes were rain-soaked, he could see they were clean and well made in the ready-to-wear sense. “ Your first job?” he inquired in a more casual tone. THE ARGOSY. The burglar shifted about uneasily on his feet and pulled his damp, bedraggled hat down still more over his eyes. ‘““Wha—what’s that to you?” he mur- mured defensively. - Though the attempt was brave enough, the voice was weak. It brought a dark smile to the older man’s face. ‘““Tt is considerable to me,’ he said la- conically. He stopped and fixed the pris- oner with a piercing look. ‘‘ In fact, what I decide to do with you,” he went on, “ will largely depend on your answers.”’ A gleam—perhaps of hope—came into the intruder’s eyes. ‘Really, I—” he started, and appeared to catch himself. ‘‘ Sure; it’s the first,” he added in a horse voice. ‘“T thought so,” commented the house- holder in satisfied tones. ‘“ How did you get in?” ‘* The—the window.” “That one there?” ‘“Ye-yes, sir!” “No; unlocked.” His questioner’s face darkened in a way that boded ill for some careless servant. Then the quizzical, tantalizing smile re- turned. ‘* Are you broke?” ‘* Always.” % ‘Do you consider that funny?” demand- ed his captor sharply. Under his searching gaze the offender faltered and fumbled with his words. ‘““No-no, sir!” he answered nervously. “ Tha-that’s the way I am most of the time.’ ‘““H-m!” sounded the older man doubt- fully. When he spoke again his tones were provoking. ‘‘ Don’t you think you could do better at some other calling?” The flush surging to the young burglar’s face told his inquisitor that he had touched the raw. With an amused look he waited for the other to finish the struggle with his emotions and speak. ‘““T guess so,” finally came the answer, ‘* Af-after this!”’ His tones were doleful, his look shamefaced. ‘““}’m sure of it,” remarked the house- holder, his gray eyes now dancing with mM (SO) NOOLK CO