CHRISTOPHER ESCAPES BEING A HERO
Leaving the repairing department, Christopher strolled to the edge of
the balcony and idly looked down. Below all was bustle and brilliancy.
Brass, copper, silver, and jewels flashed in the light of the galleries
beneath him, which despite the fact that Thanksgiving was barely over,
were already astir with the vanguard of Christmas shoppers. Far down on
the main door he could see men and women in eager consultation over
Colonial silver, Sheffield trays, gay-colored feather fans and
multi-hued parasols.
For quite an interval he watched, deriving no small degree of amusement
from the uncertainty, anxiety, animated gestures and helpless
bewilderment of some of the less inspired of the visitors; then,
wearying of this entertainment, he descended by the stairway to the
third and afterward to the second gallery, where he again paused to lean
over the carved rail and obtain a closer view of the panorama.
It chanced that just beneath him was a long showcase filled with gems
before which two gentlemen in fur coats were standing, earnestly
conversing with the salesman. On the counter lay a tray of rings and
these one of the men was trying on and examining. It was plain from the
clerk's eager manner that his prospective purchaser was wavering
between two costly articles, neither one of which quite suited him. With
desperate earnestness the salesman pleaded, cajoled, and argued, and
unconsciously Christopher, looking down, became almost as interested as
he to see what would come of the matter.
The taller man slipped a band of diamonds on his finger, turned it
round, held the hand it graced at arm's length, then frowned, took off
the ring, and tried the other.
Meantime his friend was called on for his opinion and advised
sympathetically. Christopher pursed his lips scornfully. The two were
like a pair of vain old peacocks and silly as women, thought he. How
foolish for men to be wearing jewels, anyway. You wouldn't catch him
arrayed in a big diamond ring. And the strangest part of it was that the
man who was thus frittering away his money did not look at all like a
fop but was tall, muscular, and had a scar, not unlike a sword cut,
across his right cheek. It was a strange mark that ran from his ear
almost to the corner of his mouth, and it gave his face a disagreeable,
sinister expression.
His comrade was less robust--a small, wiry fellow, who seemed lost in
the heavy coat he wore. In spite of the heat of the room, he had not
turned down his collar, which all but concealed his face, and once
Christopher noticed that he leaned surreptitiously forward and drew that
of his companion higher about his ears. Thus they dallied, laughing,
joking, objecting, until the distracted clerk, fearful lest he lose
such promising customers, was well-nigh out of his wits. It seemed as if
they never would be suited, and at last, suddenly inspired, the salesman
dashed off to the farther end of the show case in evident search for
something he had forgotten to show them.
It was during the instant he was thus occupied that Christopher saw, or
thought he saw, the taller of the men wrench the ring he was wearing
from his finger, drop it inside his glove, and substitute for it one his
companion handed him. The exchange--if exchange it was--took place in a
flash and was over so quickly the boy could scarcely believe his eyes. A
second later the clerk returned triumphantly, displayed another ring,
and renewed his attentions without noticing anything amiss. But his
purchasers shook their heads, pushed the rings aside, and moved away.
Then, and not until then, was Christopher urged to action. He awakened
as out of a dream, wondering whether what he had witnessed was real, and
if it was, what he ought to do. The two fur-coated gentlemen were almost
at the door. If he was to do anything at all, it must be now.
Fortunately a stairway was at no great distance; and he raced down it as
fast as his feet would carry him. When he reached the street floor, the
door had, alas, closed on the suspected thieves. It came to him now how
much wiser it would have been had he shouted from the balcony, instead
of waiting to descend. If he had done that the men might have been
stopped before they got away. But it was all so unbelievable that he
hadn't the nerve to cry out. Had he been mistaken, a pretty sort of
fool he would have appeared; besides, he had not thought of it. His
bright ideas always seemed to come afterward.
Well, at any rate he was alert enough now. It took him no time to rush
up to the perspiring clerk, who, discouraged, stood mopping his brow,
and gasp:
"Those men--one of them took a ring--I saw him."
"_What!_"
"He did. He put it in his glove."
"But the rings are all here."
"It was another one," panted Christopher. "His friend slipped it to him
and he--"
The salesman paled. Breathlessly he dragged out the tray of rings and
pounced upon one of them.
"My soul!" he faltered weakly. "You're right. It's a fake. There's no
mark on it. Ring, Grant! Ring that bell for the detective. The
'phone--quick--and call headquarters! We'll put somebody on their track
as fast as ever we can." Then, turning to Christopher, he shouted
accusingly, "Why in the deuce didn't you sing out before they got away?
And where were you, anyhow, that you saw the affair?"
While the other clerks at the counter gathered round Christopher, he
related exactly what he had witnessed.
"You'd know the chaps again?"
"I'd know the big one--I'm sure I should, because of the scar on his
cheek."
"Scar? I didn't notice it," murmured the unhappy salesman. "I was too
busy listening to their blarney, I guess. They meant I should be,
too--idiot that I was. I can't see why you didn't sing out, kid." The
clerk, thoroughly demoralized, had apparently entirely forgotten that
Christopher was the son of the senior partner.
"I was too surprised! It was all so quick, you see. It almost seemed as
if it hadn't happened," repeated the boy wretchedly.
"Why blame the boy, Hollings, when you yourself hadn't the wit to be on
your guard?" put in the man called Grant.
"That's so! That's so!" moaned the unfortunate fellow.
"At least he has lost little time. He has given us pretty prompt warning
and enabled us to get our nets out much sooner than we should have
otherwise. But for him, you might not have discovered anything was wrong
before night."
"I know. Yes, he's done a big service, certainly. But it would have been
a bigger had he stopped the thieves before they made their get-away."
"There is no use to go back to that. Neither you nor I would, perhaps,
have done better. Had he shouted from the balcony and accused two
innocent customers of stealing, we should have been a sight worse off.
The lad was just being prudent."
"Yes! Yes, he did the wise thing, I guess, since he wasn't sure."
"We cannot insult patrons without proof."
"No."
"Besides, if Master Christopher took good heed of the rascals and can
help to identify them, he will do still further service."
"To be sure--yes--yes--of course," the distraught clerk answered. "But
it is all very unfortunate. To think of their putting it over on me--me,
who have been here twenty years and never lost an article. It's
terrible!"
"Cheer up, Hollings."
"I shall lose my place," wailed Hollings. "Lose it as sure as the world.
Wait until the boss hears of it."
"My father is never unjust," Christopher put in stoutly.
"Your father? I beg your pardon, Mr. Christopher. I'd forgotten you were
here, sir. No, your father always does the square thing," Hollings
hastened to declare. "But he'll not understand. He'll think I should
have been more careful! And so I had--I won't deny it. But my wife and
children--my God!"
"Come, come, Hollings," interrupted a newcomer, whom the group greeted
as Mr. Rhinehart. "There's no good crying over spilled milk. We may get
the ring back again, you know."
"Oh, do you think so?"
"There is a good chance of it. I have telephoned and headquarters has
its nets set already. The pawnshops are watched and so are the roads out
of the city. The police, too, have their orders. Any minute we expect
the inspector to talk with you and this young gentleman here."
"With me?" Christopher exclaimed with a start.
"Surely! You're the hero of this adventure, son."
"Not much of a hero, I'm afraid."
"Well, you're the one who escaped being the hero, then," laughed Mr.
Rhinehart. "At least, you know more of the affair than does anybody
else."
"But I'd be scared to death of the inspector," faltered the boy.
"Pooh! He's only a man, sonny, like any other. You've nothing to fear
from him, since you are on the right side of the fence. If you were on
the wrong side, then indeed you might tremble."
"The inspector has arrived," a messenger from upstairs announced. "He is
in Mr. Burton's office with the members of the firm. He wishes to see
the house detective, the salesman, and young Burton."
"I guess I'm in for it," Hollings whispered to Mr. Rhinehart.
"Nonsense! Tell the truth--that's all you've got to do."
"But I was such a duffer!"
"I fumbled the ball, too, Mr. Hollings," interrupted Christopher
consolingly. "Remember I didn't play a very brilliant game."
"The game wasn't up to you, sonny," Hollings returned. "It was I. I did
the foozling."
Up they shot in the elevator.
The messenger in his uniform and buttons went ahead and opened the
door.
"Mr. Hollings is here, sir," announced he. "And Mr. Christopher and the
detective, Mr. Waldron."
As the three crossed the threshold and entered the office, Christopher
saw Mr. Norcross and the inspector. A deep hush was upon the room. Not
only did its occupants look grave--they looked severe--awesome. One
glance and the lad did not wonder poor Hollings' knees knocked together.
Mr. Norcross was imposing enough, but the inspector was even worse; and
as for the senior partner of the firm--well, he was Mr. Christopher Mark
Antony Burton, third, arrayed in his most awful dignity. Even his son
trembled before him.