Lakeland Evening Telegram Newspaper, September 26, 1914, Page 2

PAGE TWO 25R5252525252525252525252525252525 | 53 a drink. T 1aid 1t on the floor, and | Bmoke together, too. No telling when FRIEND IN THE DARK By F. J. CLARK. e S AP BOTOZOTOTOTOTOTOTITOTeTOTOTOTOTOTOTOTTOTOT0TOTNNN (Copyright.) I'd been waliting to see the notice a whole year, and when I saw it one Thursday afternoon, you can just bet it made me whistle some. And the joke was, I'd not as much as two dollars to my name, and it felt just the same as if I'd stumbled on a gold mine. 1 tore a generous slab out of the paper, being careful to allew a good margin around the notice, put it care- fully away in my pocket, and hiked over to my friend and adviser, Jim, the Turk. He was asleep, after being out all night, and I'd quite a time to awake him. “Read this!” I said, thrusting the piece of paper in his hand. “I'm go- ing to blow his coop tonight, and I want you to come along.” “Who is he?” he asked after he had read it. “Don’t know him.” “Why, that's White, the banker,” I said. “He's worth half a million. He lives over in Jersey and has a reg- ular Solomon's temple of a home.l That states he and his family are go- ing to attend a swell wedding in this old burg tonight, which means that he’ll not be at home and that we’ll make a clean-up.” He shook his head. “Sorry, but I can't go along with | you, Spotty, my boy,” he said. “Got & very important engagement on hand | for this evening, and I can't turn it down. But don't allow that to inter- fere with you. That's a chance you | don’t want to let slip by. But you want to be mighty careful. You know | them suburb jobs ain’t as easy as they always look. For my part, I prefer those at home.” There was a train left the city at 12 m. an ideal time, and I board- ed it. I arrived in the Jersey town ' at 1:30 a. m. 1 knew just where the house was located, for one afternoon, several months before, I had taken a sur- vey about to be in possession of the facts, when the time arrived to do the trick. Well, in three-quarters of an hour I'd the place gone over from top to bot- tom. I'm a quick worker, and I| worked my best. And I'd made quite & haul. I'd a big bag chock full of | solid silverware, and besides I'd about fifty dollars’ worth of jewelry—rings, bracelets, cuff-buttons, and breast- pins I'd run across upstairs in the dif- ferent sleeping rooms. I chucked the bag of silver over my shoulder whep it occurred to me I want- HORSHE 4t Ggngrd 3 B PPPE B B DB e o PP PPN YRR R LR T | But sit down. went back into the dining room, where 1 remembered having seen a flask of whisky while I was helping myself to the silver, and a box of cigars on the buffet. I picked up both of them and returned to where I'd been, which room happened to be the library. I lowered myself into a big, com- fortable Morris chair, poured out a good sized drink of the whisky, and gulped it. Then I lit a cigar. Of course, I was all smiles. Two hundred would put me in clover for the coming month, at least. And I was in a position to enjoy the clover. I took another drink, puffed several times more on my cigar, and told my- self I'd tarried around about long enough. As a farewell drink, I poured out an- other one, and was about to raise it to my lips when a soft sound behind me broke the quietness of the room. 1 shot around, and found myself in ¢ the line of the shining barrel of a big revolver. It was backed by a tall, smooth-faced, grinning individual. He was framed in the doorway leading into the hall. “How do!” he greeted pleasantly. He'd knocked the speech clean out of me so that I didn’t find it for a minute or so. “Well, I guess you've got me, all right,” 1 said. “Yes. Looks very much that way,” he smiled. “But just for safe keeping, put that bad looking pop you have there in your hand on the table. I'll feel easier, besides I like to have such things where I can easily see them, and you might be tempted to use it if | you got the least chance.” 1 didn’t do his bidding right oft, for, when I gave up my pop, I might as | well tie my hands for him. But when he commanded me again, and made it very plain by the way he said it that he meant what he said, I threw it on the table. “Now, empty out your pockets,” he ordered, “and be careful not to leave anything behind.” 1 did without saying a word. “Is that all?” he questioned, frown- ing. “Here's my pockets,” I invited. “Go through them, if you think I have more.” He chuckled again. “It seems so small, though. I'd think they'd have more jewelry about. They're wellto-do people, you know. But, then, I suppose, they wore the good stuff to the wedding. I'd forgot. Drink up. And just pour me out ome. You don't mind my drinking with you?” “Not at all,” I said. “There’'s plenty of it here, and you've got as much right to it as I have.” He gulped the stuff and smacked his lps. “The rich chaps have the good goods all right,” he smiled. “Now, just pass me a cigar. We might as well have a SEPSEPPE < : %mws» your big, expensive booklet. mix the above ingredients in just the right proportion. when we do it, looks just right. out errors in it, that will make you ashamed of it. we'll meet again. | “I hope it will be under different cir- cumstances,” I said. He smiled thoughttully. “They could be worse.” 'He umd-! fed the end of his cigar. “It strikes | me, my friend, you're somewhat green at your business,” he observed as he blew out the first puff of smoke. “I'm inclined to believe an old hand would | not have stopped to enjoy himself as you did, but would have made to safer grounds, just as soon as he got every- thing available.” “You're right,” I agreed. “I surely am a greenie at the game. And now I'm satisfied I'm a rank failure at the business. I've proved it by my foolish conduct this very night.” He knocked the ashes off his cigar and looked over at me. “Did you ever stop and think what kind of work you're engaged In?” he | questioned seriously. “Really, did; you ever stop and think?” “No, I guess I never did,” I an-! swered. “I thought so, my friend. Well, you want to stop and you want to think, and think hard, too. It may be a good thing for you. You may come to realize you're in the most dangerous business in the whole world, and the one that pays you least, when you come to consider all things. You'rei going about with your life in your | hands, and on every job you tackle! you're inviting a bull, a regular, or l] watchman to try his aim at you. And| besides, state’s prison is staring you in the face. Take tonight, for in- stance, couldn’t 1 have plugged you full of lead just as well as not, and done so before you'd have time to say boo? Just as easily as rolling off | a log. And let me tell you right now, there’s a good many, if they'd been in my place, would have done go, too. They'd not have taken any chances. They wouldn't have given you a show to pull first. But somehow 1 felt you were different. I sized you'! up quite a while before I spoke. I felt you wouldn't kill a man unless you had to.” “I wouldn’t kill under any circum- stances,” I said. “I'd submit to cap- ture every time first.” And then I began the story I'd been waiting from the first to get going, that raised good, fell-through-somebody-else’s-fault and | forced to turn burglar because of no open legitimate paths, that motherat- home game, and the promise to turn- over-and-do-better, if let go, all of it, | just the hash we have stowed away in our noddles to pull for sympathy on such occasions. When I'd finished he faintly smiled and slowly puffed on his cigar. “And your mother's living?” asked. “Yes, sir, and belongs to a very! prominent family in Boston." ' | He turned around and looked ) straight across at me. ) | --“Have people been in the habit of he Accuracy Taste, Style 0 mimw,;&osoa FARM WAGONS PP POIPP PR OIRI OO PLDOPY o b 21 B et ey DB CRul S0 2 (_ We can save you money on Wagons. and 2-horse Wagons is complete, for hauling fruit this fall, see us. “COLUMBUS” make and the name is a guarantee of quality, ————————— ODEL HARDWARL Go Phone No. 340 We Want YOUR Business PaTrat T oe i el e FOEOIQTQLOT - | T A S 0310 SOBOEO PRI DSOS IHORS050:0 5 5, Our stock of and if you need a Wagon . We sell the C. E. TODD, Mgr. QHQ3 QEQE’%MWWWW&C using you kindly?® he asked. "Have they been using you as you'd like to be used?” 1 shrugged my shoulders and smiled. “It's been so loag since a kind act fell my way that I've forgotten all about it,” I said. the world has always been mine and always will be, I suppose.” “For the most part you may deserve it,” he.said. “You may not be the kindliest on earth yourself. One thing sure, you cannot expect to find kind- ness and encouragement when you follow what you're at now. But sup- pose now, I should do you a kind turn, would you benefit by it? For instance, all I've got to do is to take up that transmitter over there on the table and call in the police and have you dragged off to jail. But suppose 1 don’t do it, but instead let you go, would you call that a kind act? You asked me a little while ago who I am. I said I might be the chiet of police. Well, I'm not, and it strikes me, if you'd done a little thinking of your own, you'd have come to the conclusion that Mr, White wouldn’t go away and leave such a beautiful home after him as this without somebody on guard. You wouldn’t yourself. And he didn’t. plain, everyday watchman. I'm going to let you go. we'll have another drink together, and And now “The rough part of | | eity. He left me here, an I'm a | into the open grip. It was choking 1 then make yourselt scarce! You can’t tell what might happen.” ' Of course, 1 was delighted to get away, and 1 told myself I'd pay him back if I had to wait till I was dy- ing and remember him in my will It was daylight when I got into the came up and Bit me in the foraies! at least I thought it did, but it wy really me takin’ a tumble when [ rest! | ized I'd fell for his phony guft ay let him make the clean getaway, And being yet broke, the two d°1'| Baby's Punchwork Coat. lars that Jim the Turk, had loaned me For the lingerie coat of the ven going for car fare, I went up to Rosen- ' gma]]l baby punchwork would probaby baum's, the pawnbroker, to make & pe too elaborate, but for the little o borrow. He had loaned me some, and | two years old and upward a lingeris 1 was over in a corner of the store, coat embroidered in punchwork is vey reading the paper. The door opened | pretty. The design used, howev, and a tall, smooth-faced man stepped | must not be very large. Clover leavy in. In his hand he carried a g0od-| gre about the right size, and for th sized grip. Rosenbaum greeted him | child who is somewhat older a flover and took the satchel. as large as wild roses or dogwol “I'l be back in half an hour or| plossoms can be used. The leavs so and collect,’ he said, turning to- too, may be dome in punchwork, a ward the door. though some might consider this lef “Who {8 that guy?” I asked Rosen- | punchwork, together with the flowen, baum as he went out. too ornamental for the little people “Him!” smiled Rosenbaum. “Don’t| When the little batiste coat has under you know? Why, he's Red Andy, the | it its padded lining of colored silk thy slickest bureau-tapper that Chicago | effect is charming. The lining mus ever turned out. He blew in here a | be one of only three colors, whit couple of months ago. He made a | pink or blue. Other colors would ut good haul somewhere last night, too. | be suitable for baby. The edges ai Just look.” hem of the coat may be either hex I leaned over the counter and looked | stitched or scalloped and worked i buttonhole stitch. with the silverware I'd oallected at So mow, Mr. White's home. Then_the counter Lakeland Evening Telegram The Lakeland News SHAT’S what you want in your Printing, no matter whether it be on your visiting card, your little advertising dodger, or For every kind of printing we Your printing, People won’t criticise it, and point The paper will be neatly and squarcly cut—and not look like it was hacked out with a The type used will be the latest and most stylish faces; the presswork will be sucb that every letter will show up just right. Your printing won’t look pale and sickly, nor be daubed with too much ink. Workmen who know how, with thousands of dollars worth of the most modern machinery, enable us to “do it better.” handsaw. 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