THROUGH THE WINDOW
For a moment Bat Scanlon stood as one petrified; there was Nora,
beautiful Nora Cavanaugh, the yellow light in the meshes of the glorious
bronze hair, the splendid figure held tense and quivering, the revolver
in her hand and her face turned toward the two men. Then he exhaled a
long breath, and wiped the drops of perspiration from his face.
"It's Nora, all right," he whispered. "It's Nora! But what in the name
of the seven staggering Siwashes is she doing here? What does she----?"
he paused abruptly, his eyes still upon her. With the revolver held
tight she crept stealthily toward Big Slim and the Swiss. The breath
drew hard in Bat's throat as he proceeded. "But why bother to ask what
she's doing? If I ever saw a person's meaning spelled out in full by the
actions, here is the time. Those two guys at the table have only another
second or two, and then they are due for the surprise of their lives."
But just when it seemed as though the girl could reach out her hand and
touch either of the two, she stopped. To Bat's surprise she sank down
upon her knees, turned her head sideways, and was motionless.
"What's that?" demanded Bat, whisperingly, his eyes wide open. "What's
she doing?"
But even while the words were still in his mouth he sensed the meaning
of the thing; shifting his position to the other window he saw that the
illuminated windows below belonged to different rooms; there was a wall
between Nora and the two men, and it was at this she was kneeling, one
ear held to it, listening.
"Ah!" said Bat. "That's it, eh? Good! Things are not to go off with the
excited bang I expected. I'll have at least a couple of minutes to get
myself in hand."
His first thought was of the big Colt which hung under his arm; a touch
assured him that it was still there and free. His next was as to the lay
of the land; to reach the main floor was simple enough; but how to get
to the rooms in which were Nora and the two men was another matter. As
he weighed the situation anxiously, an idea occurred to him. While
looking along the hall a while before he had seen a small red light
burning.
"Why, of course," he said. "A fire-escape. Just the thing. It's sure to
lead down into this courtyard; and from there it's only a step and a
smash, and I'm in and asking them about this little matter."
Quietly he opened the door and stepped into the hall. The red light
burned over a window some dozen feet away; he lifted the sash and in a
moment was out upon the platform. Below, all was darkness, save for the
light which came from the two windows he had been watching; and down
into this shadowy gulf went Bat with careful steps.
The courtyard was paved with the uneven stones of another day, and
gingerly Bat picked his way across it toward the light. This was thrown
out in two wide shafts, which met and merged in the first dozen feet of
their projection.
"I must hang around on the edge," Bat reflected. "If I dip into the
light they'll see me before I'm ready to have them do so."
Craftily he approached the window through which he had seen Nora, and
looked in. She was still there, but was now erect, talking with some one
whom Bat could not see. She stood with her back to the window, her hands
behind her; the revolver was still held in one of them, and while she
was in this position, she placed it upon the stand.
"Clever work," said Bat, as he watched and saw the manoeuvre
successfully accomplished. "Disarming in the face of the enemy, and the
said enemy never the wiser. But I wonder why the armament is not now
necessary, and was so much so five minutes ago?"
He shifted a little, taking a chance of being seen in the streaming
window lights. The person to whom Nora was talking was Big Slim. The
burglar leaned upon the tall back of a chair with his elbows; his hands
propped his chin, and he was steadfastly watching the girl and listening
to what she said. And the Nora whom Bat now saw was greatly changed from
the cautiously moving, fearfully listening creature of only a little
while before.
"She's laughing," said Scanlon, amazed. "Laughing!"
She was; with her splendid head thrown back, her teeth shining white as
milk. And then, as she spoke to the lank desperado before her, there
were little ripples of amusement in her face; her hands gestured as
though in mockery. But all this won no reflection in the cadaverous mask
of the burglar; his shifty, green-colored eyes were as hard as stone,
and as pitiless. He changed his position and began to speak; his
utterances seemed slow and emotionless. His whole manner was of
disbelief; time and again he seemed to strike at the same point; and Bat
finally realized that he was charging the girl with something. But she
stood before him, the look of amusement still in her face, her
beautiful teeth gleaming when she laughed.
Finally with a sweep of his hand, Big Slim overset the chair, and with
rigid anger in his hollow face moved toward her. The big Colt left its
holster and appeared in Scanlon's hand. In the lanky gentleman's career
as a housebreaker he had, doubtless, had many narrow shaves; but never
had he stood so close to death as he did at that moment. And it was the
girl who saved him.
With a gesture of amused contempt, she waved him back; turning, she took
a wrap from a chair and threw it about her. Then with another
motion--one of command--she stood facing him.
"She's telling him to open the door," said Bat "And," amazedly, "by
George, he's doing it!"
For the tall figure of Big Slim disappeared into a part of the room
outside Bat's vision. And now for the first time since he had seen her
shadow crossing the wall, Nora Cavanaugh hesitated. For a flashing
instant the watcher got a full view of her face as it was held away from
the burglar. The laughter was gone; in its place was fear--pale, dumb
fear; the hands which fumbled with the wrap were purposeless, with no
direction. And then she, too, disappeared out of the range of the
watcher's vision.
Disregarding all thought of possible detection, Scanlon now approached
the window in the full glare of the light. He saw a door in the room
standing open, and through this Nora was passing. Then the burglar
pulled it shut and the place was a blank. Bat considered for only an
instant as to what was best to do. His strong fingers gripped at the
sash, and to his satisfaction and gratification it slid upward; with a
pull he had lifted his heavy body upon the sill and was in the room. His
steps were soft and long as he moved toward the door through which the
two had just gone; his hand was reaching out for the knob when he saw it
turning slowly. He shrank away intuitively, and against the wall, while
the door opened with him behind it. He heard a hesitating sort of
breathing, and then a step within the room. Around the edge of the door
Bat could see the gas branch as it projected from the wall; a hand
appeared and turned off the light, then the footsteps sounded once more,
leaving the room, and the door closed as softly as it had opened.
Bat waited for a few moments, and then, under his hand, the door opened,
and he looked out. There was a short and rather wide hall, and at the
far end was a door which instantly suggested itself as the one leading
to the street. And that was not all. At the door, holding it open about
an inch, was old Bohlmier, and he was furtively peering out.
"He was the party who turned off the light," said Bat, as he drew the
door to and stood waiting.
In a little while there was a faint click which told that the street
door had been closed; then Bat heard the old Swiss enter the room
adjoining--the one in which the athlete had seen him from above. With
careful steps Scanlon went down the short hall, and slipped back the
lock. Peering out he saw a narrow street, and a taxi standing at the
curb. In this was Nora Cavanaugh, and beside it stood Big Slim. Scanlon
saw Nora perfectly, for the street light shone full upon her; once more
she was smiling, once more her head was thrown back in amusement. The
attitude of the burglar was threatening, his big bony hands clutched the
door frame of the cab, and his shoulders were rounded doggedly.
"Laugh!" Bat heard him say, "laugh all you like. But as long as you do
the rest of it, I don't care. So, get busy, and I'll be waiting to hear
from you."
With this he stepped back and the girl signaled the driver. The cab
started away and Big Slim turned toward the door. Swiftly Bat left it,
and was back in the room from which he had entered the hall; dropping
quietly out of the window, he crossed the courtyard and scaled the
fire-escape. Then, once more in his own room, he sat upon the edge of
the bed.
"Well," said he, "the new one is here. I felt sure it was coming; but,"
and he gripped the edge of the iron cot hard, "I never expected it to be
anything like this."