"Something of a Poet."

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13596, 16 May 1908, Page 1 (Supplement)

"Something of a Poet."

(By Jack Browning.) -I'm something of » P«** myself,' Hadley murmured, his *y«* following the stream of moonlight through the open window and skvward to its source. ie-% lam something of a poet—but with a practical bent." So saying, lie turned and iotloweU the luminous stream in its path through the darkness of the room. At the table, polished top aglow in the light, he selected a. cigarette, stepped then to the bullet, and poured out a sip of brandy. _ Stid without a light, he drew a chair to the edge, of the streaming moonbeams and seating himself smiled into the night, enjoying his moon fancies. His smoke rings shimmered m the glowing vapor, dissolved lazily, and, like, winding ribbons of silver, reeled sinuously into darkness. The silence was absolute —quited were even those meaningkes, far-away sounds that became audible only by contrast with the stillness of night. "Not so much as a flutter of a leaf, he thought. " I can almost bear the flowing of this stream of moonlight. Silence seem* to have drugged the—" He strained forward and listened. From soma indeterminable part of the house came a low tapping, as of breeze-swayed bough on window pane. The sound continued onl-r a moment, however, and Hadky» interest sank to list leas curiosity, and thence to forgetiulnees. The moonbeams crept from the buffet, crept past the table, past Hadley, through the open •window, and up, slowly higher and higher, till the upper casement bid the fast of them.

A little longer the glow of the cigarette palpitated in, the darkness, then flashed comet-hke, througb the window jand Hadley, with a satisfied exhalation of the last puff of smoke, reset and stood a moment, refilling his lungs with the sweet night air. „ "What a night l" be thought. "I In a near-by chamber a door creaked, and quickly, "noiselessly he darted into the fold* of a heavy portiere. Peering cautiously from his biding place, he smiled and exclaimed silently t "By Jove! A burglar f * For, a thin shaft of light, croesong the doorway leading into the ball, darted left, light* up, down, like a furtive glance, and then, vanished. The pat, pat, of a cat-like tread drew nearer and paused, and Hadley, with excited amusement, could almost feel the finger of light exploring his biding place. A moment later be saw it on the wall near him, and then it darted througb the doorway into the library, followed by the cat-like tread. Warily the watcher stepped from the curtain, the thick carpet yielding silently to the pressure of bis feet. To ,the library door he advanced and, scarcely breathing, peered into the room, ready to draw back hm bead if the flitting light should turn toward bis direction. Curiously he followed the shaft of light which, like a long, slender, and incredibly nimble probocis, guided by a dimly and grotesquely outlined monster, was exploring every nook and cranny of the large room. Books, books, books—row upon row. fell under the light as the walls were examined. And, as the circle of exploration narrowed, the inquisitive probocis draw covers of darkness from chairs, leather and invitingly huge ;from a table, long, polished and massive, holding scattered books and magazines; from a fireplace, covered, but alluringly reminiscent of dancing flames of winter evenings, surmounted by a by a mantel, whereon a email marble Venus appeared for a fleeting instant, dazzlingly white, then vanished.

"No lover of art, oar bagbr!" thought whimsical Hadley, whose eyes sought instinctively to pierce the darkness, for a second plixißjjseoS' the. snow-white goddess. Then Be ttrrnHTfcjs> aiteßaton'again to the diminutive searchlight."""* * Chi a desk, which fißed a comer with Its oaken bulk,, the light had settled; from top to bottom, from side to side, fingering: drawer after drawer, it woved Apparently interested, the monster behind the light advanced to the table and placed his keen-eyed assistant on the top, and then followed the low ring of metal on metaL

"Hope he doesn't mar that desk," thought Hadley. "It's altogether too fine a piece of furniture to be battered- But I caa't stop the play in the middle of the first act. By Jove!" he added. "Hejs orthodox I—cap. mask —even to the week's growth of black whiskers'." For the burglar, bending over the desk, I had come full into the light, and surely a better specimen of burglar never cracked «t 6afe for the edification of a breathless gallery. Three unlocked drawers spared Hadley the pain of seeing the desk marred, but the fourth and last failed to yield. Key after kev from the eoftly tinkling bunch was tried, and then the burglar, with a whispered oath, drew forth a small jimmy and pußed a curtain from a near by window over the resisting drawer. The sound of splitting wood was muffled by the curtain,'but, for all that, the marauder hastily extinguished the light and waited several rohrntes before resuming operations. The open drawer forced an oath of disappointment that w»sr ineautioustv load. and a hoarse whisperer grumbled:— " Photo*! Photos!— Letters r—Bah !" " Sorry, old man f The d€spoiler turned with a snarj, his right hand flying towards a side pocket, but he stiffened suddenly into a rigid, crouching statue at flight of a revolver gleaming in the path pi light—a revolver. a hand, and part of an arm—back of which loomed a dim shadow. > "Sorry, old man!" the taunting voice repeated. The revolver, hand and arm wer? unwavering—maddenly so. " What the " '-Hands in front—up" The burglar's hands went up. '-Now lower them just enough to take off your coat—Be careful £ There, toss it to me- Now turn round—all the wayGood—no projections about the hips, bit on that desk stool. And raise your mask a trifle—raise it. I say t-Horrors r Lower rt-orrickr The taunt in Hadley s voice bright the unflattered burglar to hj» feet, hn+ the- revolver motioned hnn back. The captor laughed softly, then placed the coat on the table and began to fumble through the pockets, careful ail the time, howefver. to keep at least one eye on the cSive. A revolver from one side pocket, Slowed by a bunch of keys Hadley g ?!e these artkks hardly a gbw*. «»l sought another pocket. " Ah, here we are I .- f First came a necklace unci m of himself Hadlev's eyes were drawn to the SngofM-hing gems, before which, the lantern Ifeht became: pfcle and lustreless Site thl cowling spectator sprang t*> Sffcet! a g ain S thTrevolver mot.ooed Hadlev exclaimed. ""Yc* are a painstaking burglar to prowl through .* Jt«k with a fortune like. to*, m ywu Set T He dropped the fortune into B?own pocket, and again prospected the C °"A pendant- Tinsel hem** wcklace tata beauty." The pendant follow-

! eagerness, and. with a low exclamation I of admiration, he caught up the card. "What a face! The rarest jewel of all r The snarls anil muttered oaths of th* the burglar suddenly ceased, and Hadley glanced up suspiciously in time to motion warninglv with the revolver. 'Don't tlisturb roe!" Again he scanned the face in the photograph, intently following with an artist's eye.every delicate line of each beautiful feature. " Bant if ul I What wouldn't I give to Hadkv was interrupted by a sudden light that Hooded the room with blinding brUlianev. Instinctively he glanced at the burglar. The rough-moulded creature no longer snarled, ite was breathless, and the. tens* muscles of his powerful bothshowed through his clothing. •■ Bob— Brother dear: Is that yon? Hadley clutched the photograph and smiled expectantly. "Her voice! A proper voice for such loveliness! I must see her face!'' The thought ended in a glow of admiration. , In the hall doorway stood the girl, as little lite the photograph, Hadley thought, as the round moon is like the electric light. She was clad in a loose dressing robe, as if she had risen from bed, sleep was still in her eyes. But, as Hadley loofced. terror flashed into her /ace, and she took a faltering step backwards, ier lips parted as if to scream. " Please do not scream 1" Hadley admonished her. "There is no danger." He followed her terrified glance towards the burglar, and just in time. " Stop!" he commanded. " Down !" as if speaking to a dog. "So I Now don't move again—on your life!"' Then, once more addressing the girl, and smiling reassuringly : "I am an officer. I noticed this viLtian prowling about the house, and when he «ntered, I followed, hoping to take him in the act. I have been quite successful, as you see." To Hadley the relief that flickered across the girl's face was joy enough. "Oh!" her exclamation was almost a sob. "I—l thought it was my brother!" Her voice faltered, and she leaned against the door casing, weeping softly. "Please do not be alarmed! You can help me, if you will. "Oh, how"?" The girl looked up with a timid courage, and sought to dry her tears. *

"If there is a telephone handy." Hadley continued, his voice 6oftly encouraging, "you mar call another officer. Central will do it for you. Alone I may have trouble with this scoundrel."

" Oh, there is a telephone at the other end of the ball. Just tell central to have an officer sent to this number? Is that sufficient?"

Hadley smiled and bowed, and the girl, answering in like manner, tripped down the hall on her errand.

'"Now!" Hadley whispered to the burglar. "This way—quick!" And before the astounded knave had time to think, he was bustled into the smoking room, and througb the window, from which Hadley bad watched the moon.

"Wot!" He finally found breath to gasp, as together he" and Hadley were making their way over the second back fence. "Ain't you a cop?" "Cop!" Hadley laughed, and involuntarily felt to reassure himself that the photograph was safe in his pocket. "I tiling of a poet, but—" and coming to a promising alley be slipped away, finishing from the darkness: but with a practical bent!"

set with diamond*, but a trine." The trifle join** the necklace and pen&a*. "Another pendant. Pearfc-wry pwttj. I have a weatae& tor pearf*. And ring*. rinWxings! Dear me! What an avariona scoundrel you must be! H you should «t into Tiffany's* safe. I suppose yon would steal the janitors coat on the way ' Finding- nothing more of interest in the coat, Hadiey moved the bull's-eye to the desk, compelling: the burglar to shift ha seat into the glare. Carekwh- he moved one of the photographs into the light, but »t the glance bJs indifference became