Show HICA I 1 R A at bezi OHN LARKIN was too busy for frivolities on new years eve ere ile he sat at his massive desk ull till eleven and then to rest hit bin eyes turned off his lamp and sat eat lo in dark nos dom watching the lights and figures on the street below when he woke with a start an hour later at the sound of horns and sirens lie he was cold and stiff suddenly he be realized that some ome one else was in the room Us he sat very quiet scarcely A beam of light flashed and nd was gone A moment later the onsen visitor had picked out the safe vl and delicate fingers twirled the dial although he be realized that a shot might pass unnoticed in the din outside he could scarcely sit and be robbed with a sudden lunge he be grasped both of the intruders Intruder ts wrists and in his arms lay a frail form quite motionless he looked tor for a weapon found none and turned on the lights A girl he exclaimed la in boys clothes I 1 she stirred and sat up well he demanded tell me what you wanted in my sate safe nothing let lef me go 1 I suppose you were responsible for those letters that were stolen last week but they were in code so you came back for the key do you mean these she bhe took from her shirt a sheaf of papers 1 I was going to put them back I 1 have decoded them he took the papers above the cole code ran iran a perfect translation ne ile looked at t her a long time dont please the abe said bald and covered her face with her ber hands bands did anyone ever tell you how bow beautiful you aber are he be asked white and dainty like those snowflakes falling failing she me shrugged 1 I suppose if you were going to call the pollee police you would have done so by new no i yes ye are ar yu YOU going t to let me go gor more than that im going to take you home 1 I can get home all right even it if anyone recognizes this as a disguise athey they will think it part of et the night celebration As you say but wont you tell we me wh why Y at midnight on new years eve a beautiful woman returns a cleverly decoded message to ray my safe yes she answered sit down A week BO ago she bhe began 1 I was I 1 aery ve y down on ny irly luck I 1 have always aly Y 9 been kalher a gambler and I 1 boived wowed that I 1 would either be well off or flat broke by the last day of the year that night I 1 read in the paper of your exploits in the stock market how everything teemed seemed to rise or fall at your command I 1 decided to throw my lot with yours only I 1 knew that of course you would riot not divulge your methods to a stranger when the stranger Is so beautiful one might do many things he murmured was your ruse success successful full very I 1 now have ten times what I 1 had then but I 1 dont understand how you got into my office arid and found the comb combination lna to my safe gate she laughed that was easy my father was a locksmith when I 1 was it a child locks and their mechanisms mechanism 9 were my toys I 1 could open them by touch and decoded the messages that did take work I 1 sat up all that night trying again and again you see the pos of a code 1 had bad not dot occurred to me when I 1 first decided to rummage among your personal effects that was why I 1 had bad to take the papers paper away instead of 3 u a t reading them but at last I 1 was lucky and once I 1 got a start it was just a question of time you h have a v e a good start into the new year as a safebreaker safe breaker lie he observed please dont say bay that I 1 was so EO desperate and it hurt anyone but it has he insisted ill ne never T be the same unless I 1 am sure you are keeping out of such deviltry it if I 1 make a new years resolution neier neer to crack another safe will that satisfy you partly he answered as he opened the door for her only I 1 think I 1 had better come around now and then to see that you keep it what are you doing this coming year 0 lill iss western newspaper union |