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Show SOFT-HEARTED BURGLAR ... i H I , ?,' WHEN GREEK MEETS GREEK A HARD LUCK STORY GETS THE PLUNDER ' ' I '5.' ."'.. By E. V." COTTM AN " " nH '" " --- - iH i i -j l( , ' "We 7vill drink to your betitr employment and my letter fortune." JERRY DEEMS, pickpocket and second'Story man, paused a moment mo-ment In his delicto work of re-H re-H moving a pioce of glass from the din- I1 lag room window In one of tho fash ionable houBes on Rlversido Drive, He listened carofully, but could not hear h a ft sound. Outside the world lay H peaceful and quiot, InBlde all was as H ; 1 Silent ns tho tomb. Roaesured by the H r lavorable conditions, Jerry cautiously H !' i continued his operations, and In a M i taw seconds a seml-ciroular piece was M lifted out of tho pane, a cautious M l hand slipped through and sprung tho B catch, and Jerry's portly form M ; struggled through the open window. B i 2imo was when ho could slip H 'through h window as lightly as the H host of them, but several lengthy JH .periods of onforccd idleness "up the H grlver' had rendered him somewhat corpulent, and his waist'lino ha not the small measure of former years. It was long after midnight, and ho was tired. This was not tho first house Jerry had visited that night. Ho had made u few calls in another part of the city with satisfactory results, re-sults, and by all moans should now havo beon safely making for hiB quar-terB. quar-terB. But Jerry poBefeBBed a trait that many of ub havo that of not letting well enough alone. This ho soon realized, rea-lized, for when ho straightened up to get his bearings, the light was suddenly sud-denly flashed on, and ho found himself looking into the steely mouth of a bJx-ehootor, bJx-ehootor, in tho hands of a tall, Blender woman. ,rWell, I'll bo " h- exclaimed, and sat down heavily In a Cu- that happened hap-pened to bo near the window. "Surprised, areyou7" asked. j- cooi, mocking Toice. "1 think I am the one to be Barprlsed. My visitors do aot usually enter through the window." She Btood there, calm Ivnd amillng, holding the pistol In a way that Plainly showed that she know how to ubo It. She was dreaBed In a Ioobo pink bath-robe, and had a lace scarf twleted abont her head. "Don'tmoVe," she aald. "Now put your hands on the table." Jorry did so, and she looked him over scornfully scorn-fully with hor bright eyes. "Well, mum," Bald Jerry In a Bheep-ish Bheep-ish tone, "I'm yor meat You certainly cer-tainly got me dead to rights." As he spoke he gave a furtlvo glance around tho room. Her keen S f?llowlt1' Ms Saw an he measured meas-ured the distance from tho chair to tho window. , J'l wouldn't try that,Jf I-wereyou.'', she Bald. "I mean business, and I'll shoot at your first move." "All right, lady, all right," said Jerry "Sing out and lot's git it over. It's me for tho pon, I guess." "Not so fast," she answered. "I've always wanted to meet a real, live burglar, and now that I've got my wish I want to ask you a few questions." ques-tions." "Well, start tho ball rollin'," said Jerry, who was getting disgusted with tho whole affair. "Does you want to know what church I goes to, or would you like to know If I'm married or slngle7" The lady smiled. "Neither," she said, "but I would llko to know why an able-bodied man llko you can't And something better to do than sneaking Into other people's houses in tho night? Isn't there plenty of work for a man to do that Is honest and re-sptsotable? re-sptsotable? "Do you mean to cay that yon caa't make a living without taking what doesn't belong to you? Why can't you drive a wagon, or work In a mill, or do something to earn an honost living?" liv-ing?" Jorry squirmed uneasily In hlB chair. "Cut It out, mum," lie said, raiB-lng raiB-lng a wrathful pair of eyeB to hers. "Cut It out! I didn't como out tonight to-night to listen to a sermon on honesty. hon-esty. If you're goin' to call do cops, do it, an' hold yer jaw, fer I ain't in no humor just about now to be guyed." VBut you haven't answered me," persisted the lady. "Why don't you work " "Workl" broke In Jerry. "You're a perty dame to be talkln' about work. Have you ever worked in yer life? What do you know 'bout work? "Have you over been hungry or slept in the street? Have you over tried ter git er job that paid livln' wageB? Of course you ain't. It's fine ter talk whon yor pocket's full o' money, an' yor bank account's a mile longl What d'you know about beln' broke 1" "I know more about It than you think," Bhe returned, letting a little warmth croep into her dark oyes. "For that Is precisely tho position I And myself In at present." "You broke I" exclaimed Jerry Incredulously, In-credulously, throwing his oyes around tho richly furnished room. "You broke! Livln in-this housol Look at do silver over there. PBhaw! What yor givin' mel" "Nothing but the truth. We are ruined. My huaband'B fortune is swept away, this house is mortgaged, ray jewels even my very drosses have boen sold. It Is only a question of a few hours when I'll bo out in the world without a penny. "The silvor on tho sideboard Is the . 9?JXJtte .ihaLls Jejt. and.lt j?1U-jko J tomorrow. It wouldn't be hero now, but iyr the monograms. So, you Bee, I know a little about trouble myself." "Is what yer givin' me-on the level, lady?" asked Jorry as she closed her eyeB wearily for a moment "It certainly Is," she replied. "Can't you see how hard it is for me? One can never Judge by appearances. A rich dress does not always cover a light heart and a smile often hldos a tear. I suppose that thoro are many people who have envied mc, never dreaming that I have been living on the brink of ruin for months "Tho end has come sooner than I expected. Tomorrow will be Easter Sunday. I havo forgotten that it was so near," passing a slender hand wearily across her face. "Well." with a bitter laugh, "my Easter gown won't create a furore tomorrow. "Come,'' she said, rousing hersolf and turning to Jerry, "it lc tlmo you wore off." Ho opened his ey9 In astonishment. astonish-ment. "You don't mean ter let mo go?" he asked. "Certainly," Bho answered with a faint smllo. "I wouldn't turn a dog over to the pollco on Easter Eve. Come, bo quick! It will soon be morning, and daylight will overtake you." Jerry looked at her In a perplexed manner. "Say, lady," ho said in a voice shaking with feeling, "I'm sure sorry yer up against it" "Thanks for your sympathy," she stiid gratefully. "And now, 11 you will pass me that decanter and those gci lets behind you on the sideboard, we will drink to your better employment and my hotter fortune." "Thank you," as he filled tho heavily heav-ily chased cup and handed It to hor. She raised it to her lips and said, "To your future health and prosperity." "Same to you," warmly responded Jerry, smacking hlB lips and setting the gobleton the table. She made a quick gesture with her hand. "Take It with you as a souvenir of our meeting," she said graciously. "Tanka. lady," said Jerry, stowing it away In hlo pocket. Then he added: "Since you was so white to a fellow, fel-low, I'd like to give you, a souvorino tneself. Yer see," taking a small, oarefully wrappod bundle from his pocket and opening It. "I didn't moot with no setbacks tonight before I struck this crib, and you can seo fer yorsolf," revealing a number of jewel-od jewel-od rings, pins, nocklaoeo and bracelets to her astonished vision, "so If you will kindly accept this necklace," holding up a beautiful string of diamonds dia-monds and emeralds, "I'd be mighty proud ter give It ter you." "Why I don't like " 3he gasped. "Oh, take It, take It" urged Jerry, clcefog up tho bundle and stuffing it bach into his pocket "Easy oome, easy So, yer know. "ell, so long, and good luck," ho whispered, as he swung himself softly from tho window onto the roof and disappeared. Several minutes passed. The lady stood holding tho necklaco In hor hand, watching the light flaBh and scintillate on the gleaming stones. She pursed up her lips and gave a Iott thistle.. "What a beauty!" sho cried. "Worth five thousand dollars at leastl Oh, the fool, tho fool!" Slowly alio unwound tho lace scarf, from a sleek, black head, closely cropped, and Blippod out of the enveloping en-veloping folds of the pink bath-robe, standing revealed as a young man, Utba and slender. ' "Luckily for mo I oaxue through the "bathroom and heard Mm first," ho Baid to himself, bringing up a dark lantern and a black mask from somewhere some-where under tho table. With ono hand on the electric-button ho looked cautiously about, then turned out th light, climbed softly through the window, win-dow, and wp.b gono in the night. (CopurWit The Frank A. Munsey Co.) |