TONY’S DOUBLE CAPTURE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3861, 13 March 1928, Page 81

TONY’S DOUBLE CAPTURE.

By

Wallace J. Brooks.

(Copyright.—For the Otago Witness.) Tony Franklyn had been closeted with the colonel for quite half an hour, pleading his cause—he had fallen deeply in love with Olive, Colonel Dugdale’s only daughter, and was now asking his consent to their marriage. The coonel had known Tony since he was a boy, Major Franklyn having been a brother officer of his. The only objection Dugdale had to the young man, was that he had not served in the army or navy, and therefore, in his opinion, had not proved himself a man. “ Now, my boy, think it over—do something, anything, to prove yourself a man; then come back and claim your prize.” Tony was met in the” hall by his fiancee. Well, Tony dear, what news ? ” “ If you will forgive me for speaking disrespectfully of your father, darling, I should say that he had swallowed a blessed gramophone record,” answered Tony, smiling. “ You see,” he went on, standing up to his full height, which was six foot and a half-inch in his sox, " your father declares that I have not proved myself a man, because I have not served in the army—like himself, and my father.” “ Nonsense!” said Olive heatedly. “ I agree with you,” assented Tony, “ but the old gentleman would not have thanked me for pointing that out to him.” It was quite true that Tony had never worn uniform, not even during the Great War; his services had been more usefully employed with his successful experiments with high explosives, but modesty forbade him to remind the colonel of this. “Well, I fail to see what father expects you to do,” said Olive with a shrug. “ So,do I, dear, but.l’ll go home and do a bit of thinking,” replied Tony, trying to show an optimistic front. Nearly a Week passed after Tony’s interview with the colonel, and Olive was beginning to feel anxious at his absence, when, to her relief, one morning her maid knocked at her door while she was dressing, and handed her a letter on which she recognised her lover’s writing. She ripped open the envelope, and quickly ran her eyes over the notepaper. My own dearest Olive, —You will be surprised to hear that I have joined the City Police Force I While I. am writing this note I am sporting a: fine blue uniform with polished buttons, helmet, and gloves. I should like the colonel to see me—perhaps he will some day unless I make a smart capture and come to claim my prize very shortly, in which case I expect I should resign. I am on night duty at present, but will call-to see you soon. Best love and kisses.—Yours for ever, Tony.

Tony had been in the force for six weeks, but smart captures seemed to be out of his line altogether. What he required was to catch someone red-handed in a big jewel robbery, but it seemed, to Tony that he would have to organise the robbery himself if his dream was to materialise. . , ; t

He was trudging around his beat for the last time .that morning. . He had just looked at his watch, which informed him that it was 5.30. Another half-hour, he

thought, as he glanced down the quiet street that he had to traverse to reach his station.

“ What’s that ? ” he ejaculated, as he espied a ladder leaning against a large stone-built dwelling, with one of the upper windows wide open. He moved cautiously towards the house when he noticed a man, dressed in a long coat, with a large fur collar turned up about his ears, and a brown trilby hat set at a rakish angle on top of a thick crop of red hair, working laboriously at the handle of a kinematograph camera.

As he drew closer the camera man greeted him with a bland smile. “ Good morning, officer. Going to get some rain, I think.”

“ Yes, the wind is in the right quarter for it,” answered Tony, “ but you’re out early for that business, aren’t you ? ” he asked.

“ Yes,” agreed the camera man, “ but the boss wanted this film completed this morning, and we only required the burglary act to finish it —it’s called ‘ The Get-a ay,’ ” he went on. “ Don’t miss it when it is released—it’s great! Here’s Bill,” he added in a relieved tone as the head and shoulders of a rough-look-ing character appeared through the open window. He gave all his attention to the handle of the camera, while his partner slithered down the ladder with a bulging canvas bag under his arm, and made his way towards them. “All serene?” asked the man at the camera.

“ 0.K.,” answered his companion, whipping off his mask. “ Stow the old film box, and let’s get back to the studio.” The two men wished Tony a “ Good morning, officer! ” and departed, leaving him, strange to say, without a grain of suspicion in his mind. He made his way to the station to sign off duty, and as he entered observed the sergeant in charge with the telephone receiver glued to his ear, and a worried look on his face, jotting down notes. “Ah, Franklyn,” he almost shouted on seeing Tony, “you're the very man I want. Lady Warner has just rung me up to say that there has been a burglary at her flat during the night. As far as I can gather at present there are several thousands of pounds’ worth of jewels missing. It’s on your beat,” he went on. “ Did you notice any suspicious characters during the night ? ” “ No, sir,” answered Tony, * nothing to arouse my suspicions. In fact, the only persons I have seen or spoken to were a couple of film actors doing a sham burglary about half-an-hour ago.” “Where, man? Where were they?” shouted the sergeant, unable to control his excitement.

Tony slowly unfastened his greatcoat, and just as slowly took his note book from the pocket of his tunic, while his superior stood gnawing the ends of his moustache and inwardly fuming at his calm behaviour.

Tony licked his thumb and turned the pages over until he came to the entry he was seeking, then he looked at the sergeant with a sheepish grin. “It’s strange, but those film chaps were acting in the very same block of flats that Lady Warner is occupying at present.”

“Strange!” snorted the sergeant. “ Nothing to arouse your suspicions! Good lord, man, you ought to be in a circus, not the police force!” Tony was subjected to a severe dress-ing-down before he signed off duty that morning, which gave him a queer sensation of his uniform being several sizes too large for him. He swore an oath, not loud enough for the sergeant to hear. “ I’ll run ’em in, no matter what excuse they make, next time I get the chance! ’’ His chance came sooner than he expected. The next night he kept an observant eye as he tramped his beat; he had ben on duty since 10 p.m., and it was 3 o’clock in the morning as he quietly padded down a very select neighbourhood, feeling rather sore about his last night’s adventure. His attention was drawn to a taxi that had turned the corner about 100 yards ahead, and was coming slowly towards him, as though the driver was not familiar with that particular quarter. The taxi stopped when only a few yards away from Tony, who kept in the shadow of a large beech. The driver leaned over and reached the handle of the door, which swung open, and a gentleman, in an evening cloak, stepped out and quietly closed the door again. . " ,

As he slipped his hand into his hippocket to pay the driver, the light from one of the side-lamps shone full upon him, and Tony’s suspicion was aroused by the brief glimpse he had of the very shabby clothes covered by ..the smart evening cloak. The taxi moved off with a grinding of gears and a gruff “ good-night ’’ from the driver, while its late fare lifted the latch of a pair of stout oak gates, and made his way up the short drive, towards a large ivy-covered old building, closely followed by Tony, who saw his quarry walk up to the front entrance, fumble about with the lock, as though trying a key, then, mumbling something under his breath, turn around, and make his way to the rear.

Tony thought it was about time to make his presence known, so quietly stepping up behind the man, he shone his bull’s-eye upon him. "Now, theny'my man, what are you doing prowling around here!’’

Taken by surprise, the man wheeled round and stared full into the face of the young constable. “Ah!” he.ejaculated. “I thought so —you’re a new recruit, or you would have known me. It’s all right, my man,” he went on. “I’ve just returned from the police fancy-dress ball.” He laughed as he removed his cloak, revealing a tattered old brown coat, a pair of once-blue serge trousers, now made up of more patches than original serge. A red and black scarf was knotted around his neck, while a dirty green slouch hat, which up till now he had been holding beneath his cloak, completed the attire of the most realistic tramp that Tony had seen for some time.

“ You’re quite right,” answered Tony. “I don’t know you. I’ll trouble you to come to the station with me.”

“ Don’t be silly,” replied the man. “ I am Superintendent James.”

“I don’t care if you’re the King of Timbuctoo,” said Tony stubbornly, “you’re coming along with me.” Then minutes later the sergeant-in-charge was surprised to see a very excited constable bundling a tramp into the charge room.

“Here, Jenkins,” shouted the captive, “ tell this fool who I am, and let me get home.”

The sergeant rubbed his eyes, as though he had been dozing; then he quickly brought his hand up to the salute, which action told Tony more forcibly than any words that he had made yet another mistake.

It was a very downcast young man who called on Olive the next day, and after relating to her his sad experiences, said suddenly—

“ Look here, Olive, let’s run away and get married—you know I love you madly, and your father hasn’t any real objection to me, except that he wishes me to become a hero, which I never shall be! ” he added.

Olive raised no objection to his proposal, for only a few days ago she had overheard her father remark that “ if young Franklyn really loved Olive he ■would come and take her, and chance the consequences.”

It was arranged, before he left, that he would be waiting with a car at 5 o’clock the next morning, and that they would catch the 5.30 boat ti ain for Southampton, get married by special license, cross the Channel for Paris, there to spend a fortnight’s bliss —and incidentally to wire for the usual blessing and forgiveness.

Everything seemed to work smoothly for the runaway lovers. Tony had the car just around the corner exactly at three minutes to 5 the next morning, while promptly at 5 o’clock Olive slipped quietly away, and found herself bundled unceremoniously into a luxuriously upholstered car, ' quickly followed by her impetuous lover. On reaching the terminus, which even at that early hour was alive with innumerable porters, scurrying here and there with luggage, newspapers, aud mailbags, and the noisy rattling of trolley loads of milk churns, Tony dismissed the car, and found that they -still had 10 minutes to wait before the departure of the train. After securing an empty first-class carriage for Olive, he rushed over to the booking-office for the tickets, and was soon beside her again, and, befoie they realised it, the train was slowly steaming out.

“ Well, darling,” said Tony suddenly, as he noticed the thoughtful look in her eyes, “ we have embarked on our greatest adventure—you don’t regret it, dearest, do you ? ” “Regret it!” she exclaimed, as she nestled closer to him, “Oh, dear, no! How could I regret it so soon loving you as I do,” she asked a little shyly. Tony’s answer was a fierce storm of kisses, making further conversation impossible. How long their state of silent bliss would have lasted is a matter for conjecture, for they were rudely brought to earth by the sound of loud guffaws, apparently issuing from the next compartment. The conversation which followed suggested the occupants to be of doubtful manners.

“ The sliding door in the corridor must be open, or we should not be able to hear them so plainly,” said Olive. “ Yes,” answered Tony. “ I wonderwho they are—their voices sound familiar to me.”

They had no intention of eavesdropping, but could not avoid overhearing a gruff voice say, “ It was the easiest job we’ve done for some time, partner.” “ Yes,” answered his companion, “it was a grand wheeze of yours taking that old camera along.” “ Oh, dear, I shall never forget how easily that young cop took it all in. I’ll bet he had a good time when he met the ”

- “Not such a good time as you two beauties will get,” interrupted Tony, calming entering the compartment, and covering them with a business-looking automatic.

“Here,, what’s the game, guv’nor,” blustered the red-haired man, whom Tony at .once recognised as the camera-man of a few nights ago. ' ■ “It means,” answered Tony grimly, “that your film, ‘The Get-away,’ will be locked up instead of released at the next station.” • v ;

It was a matter for a few moments for Olive, who had followed her lover, to bind their wrists behind their backs with the strap taken froin their very good imitation of a camera case, which after-

wards proved to contain the whole of Lady Warner’s stolen jewels. At the next station Tony promptly handed, his captives over to the police. Refusing to stop, but leaving his card behind, he hurried back to the station, and proceeded by the next train to Southampton. They missed the boat they had intended to sail in, but, as Tony remarked, _it gave them more time to visit the most important person in the town, namely, the parson, and also to send a wire to the colonel:

Olive and I married this morning. Awaiting forgiveness.— Tony. The colonel had evidently read hia newspaper before replying, for he wired i Congratulations on your double capture.— Dugdale.