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Show I The Benefit ol His Experience f -v f )By Edna B. Foley J 1 ' ; ) $ .1 i w' "CepyriiBlit, 19J7. by Dally Story l'ub. Co.) A slight noise caused mo to raise my oyes from tho typewriter and Klonco toward tho cntranco of tho study. A mnn was standing in tho doorwny pointing an ugly looking revolver re-volver nt my hea'd. Having always been noted for my hospitality I motioned to a chair nnd bald: "Won't you havo a seat?" "You're ti cool ono," ho commented. "What Is tho uso of being any other way?" I queried. Ho grinned. "It's kind of hard on tho muscles keeping this gun pointed at your head," ho said dryly. "Hut don't you get any notion of calling for help, for I can shoot quicker than greased lightning," ho threatened ns ho lowered tho arm holding tho deadly derringer. "It wouldn't do mo much good to call," I reassured him, "I am entirely nlono in tho liouao." I Bat helpless while ho camo slowly to tho table, watching' mo warily as ho selected ono of my cholco Havanas', helped mo to put my own half-finished cigar between my Hps, held a lighted match to it, then his own, backed over to tho cjialr ho had. been occupying occupy-ing and seated hlmsolf again. - Tho humor of tho situation was beginning be-ginning to anneal to me. "You'ro a thoroughbred, you arc," commented my visitor, but whether he drew his conclusion from- my- attitude, atti-tude, or tho cigars I smoked, ho did not explain. "I am very glad I meet your ap-. proval," I smiled, "nnd really you muat pardon mo for having laughed whon you sprung your abrupt command com-mand so forcibly, hut do you know I havo been wanting' to seo you for a month." Ho stopped smoking and, looked at mo in amazement. "Hcen looking for mo or some of tho profosh?" ho gasped. 1 "Yes," I replied, "you seo I am a writer." His face expressed disgust. "That explains tho fnlluro of my haul In tho other rooms," ho said. ' I laughed ngaln. "Didn't you find anything to suit you?" "Naw, If I had I'd a gono without troubling you I mako it a point not to trouble people when possible," ho oxnlalnod, "but when I ransacked everything else I came to tho conclusion conclu-sion you must keep your valuables on your person." "Walt until I mnko a nolo of that," I interposed, reaching for my pocket pencil. "You will not shoot me, will you, If I Jot down your Ideas?" . Ho looked Interested. "Go ahead, but I'd llko to know what you can got out of that remark." "It, ls this way," I said, "I am a writer, as)l havo Just Informed you. I am now engaged on a storj of a rob- borv nnd I wanted same kind of a now sensation all tho old plots aro so hackneyed and between you and mo I think some of thorn Impossible. Just boforo you camo in so abruptly I was wishing I could meet a bona lido burglar Just onco." Ho glanced toward my manuscript. "Is that tho story?" ho asked with a volco full of Interest. "Yes, and I had Just gotton to tho point whero tho burglar hns tho man of tho houso strapped to a chair and Is trying to find tho sum of money ho knows is In tho building. I havo hud him search every concoivnblo placo and now ho Is standing in a dcop study trying to think of Impossible places. Tho man Is unconscious from a well aimed blow of tho housobroak-or's housobroak-or's hilly, and ho does not daro dolay matters for fear of tlio victim coming back to life. Now, this Is whero I am ahiplr. I don't know wlioro to havo tho burglar begin his search. What would you suggest?" Ho was all Interest by this timo nnd his eyes wero shining. "Say," ho drawled admiringly, "it nln't so bad to bo ablo to epln yarns llko that, and I'm willing to help you out of a hole It I can. Did you have him look uudor tho rugs?" "I never thought of thnt," I ropllod ruofully, and Jotted it down. Ho grow moro nnd moro confidential as ho realized I was loaning bntlroly on his suggestions. m "Now havo him look in tho flro-placo flro-placo nnd seo if uny of .tho tiles arn looso." "Bettor nnd bettor," I murmured. "Is tho man supposed to bo In abed-, abed-, room?" ho .asked. "Yes." "Well, onco I found a roll of bills in tho wash pltchor In ono corner of a sleeping room," ho vonturcd. "Good!" I cxclalmod Joyfully, "I wouldn't havo thought of that in a thousand years." "My pals say I'm tfull-of, ingenuity," ho mpdcstly replied. "Do you know," ho wont on. "I've mado a haul in many a houso that soino of jho boys havo looked over and given up as hopeless, Just because they couldn't study out whero the folks kept their valuables?" "You don't say sol" I gasped.. "Fact," ho grinned, growing expansively ex-pansively communlcutlvo under ray sympathetic interest and admiration. "That's why I bpent so much time out yonder," nodding his bead toward the Inner room. "I thought I'd pipe tho pllo of long groon I saw you make at tho races this afternoon." "So that Is why you picked mo out for a call this evening?" I laughed. 'Yes, I knew it was too lato for you to put It In tho bank, and I learned your naino nnd looked your address up in tho directory." "Well, you. aro a wiso ono," I beamed. "Tho only placo whore you missed In your calculations was in not knowing I left tho roll In a safo of a friend of mine down town." His fnco changed and an ugly look camo Into his eyes. "Aro you kidding mo?" ho quoricd sternly. I looked him squarely in tho eye. "Do you think it I had tho roll with mo I would have given you ns cordial a welcome as I have? j)o I look as though I wero guarding $5,000 in crpnuhnr-lfs nt tirnsnnt?" Ho laughed. "You'ro so damned cool I think you aro speaking tho truth, all right, all right, but it doesn't pay to tako chances In my profession, so sit still until I soarch your pockets." I held up my hands, and for the next fow minutes looked down the barrel of tho derringer, which wai hold uncomfortably near my head whilo my erstwhile adviser In llterarj work went through my pockets. IU counted tlio loose change- and dropped It back with a sniff of disdain, looked critically at my golU watch and to mj lnilnlta astonishment returned it t( my pocket. "I nover tako anything that has In Itials on It," ho explained to my lool of surprise. "In fact, all I'm after li tho coin. 'It is' the safest. Once In I while I nab a diamond or something but not often." "I sco." I murmured. "Now, let's got back to tho story,' ho said. "This, trip is a dead one foi me, thanks to your friend's safe, but I'm always' willing to bo nccommo dating nnd ns it's getting lato we wlU havo ono more stab at it and then I'D havo to tear myself away" this last with a broad crln. "Whv not havo a book shelf in tho rpom nnd havo the roll behind a certain book say Sher 'lock Holmes, or Rallies ?" ho Bug gestcd. "Just tho thing," I replied dollght edly. "Which book would you suggest?" sug-gest?" "Oh, Unfiles by all means, there's nothing llko standing by your own kind." "Do you know, old man," I said, "you huvo missed your calling? You ought to havo been a writer yourself." "Not for mo!" ho hastily ejaculated. ejacu-lated. "It's tho coin for mo." "You'ro pretty near right," I smiled, "but I expect to mako my fortune wltji this story now that you havo given mo truo local color and tho benefit ben-efit of your experience. If I know your address I'd send you a copy of tho book when It's out." "So long as I know your namo, It's not necessary," ho grinned, "so I'll Just watch tho publishing houses and get ono through tho regular channels." chan-nels." Just then a clock In tho next room struck threo. "Geo whizz! I didn't know it was so lato," my companion ejaculated, beginning to movo toward tho door. "I am really sorry to seo you go," I replied, "I don't know when I havo enjoyed en-joyed anybody's company moro." Wo walked down tho brilliantly lighted hall togother, but it was not until wo reached tho door that ho felt his hip pocket. On tho Btops ho turned. "Tako It all around, old man, I'm glad you loft thnt monoy with your friend, for you'ro white- all through." "Thank you," I replied gravely, and Justified In slipping tho dorrlngor In then ho was gone. I shut the door and carofully bolted It, switched on tho light In tho back room, noted its confusion, bolted the window ho hnd pried open, then wont hack to tlio study, hurried to tho chair I had been occupying all tho evening, lifted tho shabby cushion nnd gazed lovingly nt the roll of greenbacks green-backs reposing thero. |