THE RUSSIAN'S TALE.
Garry crawled under the bed, laying so that he could both look down into
the room and hear what was being said. Then he arranged the rug that it
could be flipped back into place in an instant.
Then he peered down into the room below. One was Jean LeBlanc, who, of
course, he knew. The second man he placed as Lafe Green, a great hulk of
a man with flaming red hair. He recognized him from the description
given by Ruth. The other three were strangers. Two wore the ordinary
garb of the woods, but the third was dressed in well-made clothes. He
was a striking looking man with a lustrous black beard and moustache.
As Garry listened, LeBlanc again took up the conversation. It seemed
that the details of the trip to bring the consignment of furs across the
border had been settled. Garry was sorry he was too late to hear this,
but of course there was no help.
"Now we shall come to the main business of the evening, ma fren's. I
have already told you, this man, his name is Boris Borefski, who comes
from Russia with a great scheme, a fine scheme, oui, it is magnifique.
Beside it, the bringing of a few furs is nothing. Were it not for the
fact the furs have been bought, pouf! we should throw away the plan like
so many dead leaves. M'sieu Boris shall himself tell you his story. He
speaks not the English, so me, I shall act as the interpreter and tell
you what he says as he goes along. Eh bien, M'sieu, begin."
Speaking rapidly in French, as many well educated Russians are able to
do, and being stopped occasionally by LeBlanc while a translation was
being made, Boris began:
"My new acquaintance and already my good friend LeBlanc has told you
that I have a plan. True I have, one that will make for us all much
money.
"I was for many years the private secretary to the Grand Duke Sidis in
Russia, a man immensely wealthy. Among his prized possessions were a
number of magnificent jewels. They were only second in value to those of
the Grand Duke Boris, cousin to the Czar.
"Of course you know what happened during the war, how the masses arose
against the Czar and took the government away from the ruling classes.
At first all went well, and then the Bolshevists began their reign.
When the homes of the wealthy were raided and despoiled of their
valuables, my master confided in me, and together we contrived a secure
hiding place for the jewels.
"To save my own life, I pretended to be one of the Bolshevists. But,
bah, they were nothing to me. All the time I thought and thought of the
magnificent jewels hidden away from the light of day where the Grand
Duke and I had placed them.
"The more I thought, the more I pondered over why I should stay in that
land, or why I should continue to live a life of poverty. Confiding in
my brother, who had joined the Bolshevists as I had, merely to protect
his life, we decided that we should make a break for liberty, taking
with us the jewels of the Duke.
"Scraping together all the money we could by any means whatsoever, we
took the gems one night and fled. Of the long trip across Siberia I
shall not bother to tell you; it is sufficient to say that we suffered
much. Finally we reached the end, and in a big Japanese fishing vessel
were brought to the western part of Canada.
"In British Columbia we made an attempt to cross the border, but in some
way suspicion rested upon us, and again we fled. A Canadian Customs man
followed us all the way across Canada, but we managed to give him the
slip and we landed in the home town of my good friend LeBlanc. Fortune
favored us, for we made his acquaintance.
"He has agreed that he will help us bring the jewels across the border,
and more than that, he will help us sell them in places he and his
companion Green know about. For all of you there is much pay if you
help. And that is all there is to tell you," concluded the Russian.
Without waiting for any reply, the Russian fished in an inside pocket,
and brought out a small leather bag.
"See, here is only one small part of the fortune," and as he spoke he
unloosed the string and shook out on the table a magnificent bracelet,
set with diamonds.
In the light of the oil lamp that stood on the table, it flashed and
sparkled. The men gazed admiringly at it, and Garry himself could
scarcely restrain a gasp of astonishment.
LeBlanc silenced the talk of the men and said:
"We shall help this man in his work, for the pay will be great, very
great. The plans to be made are simple. Tomorrow night we shall bring
the furs over the regular route and store them in Green's place here
till our friends with whom we deal come after them. Saturday night when
all is quiet we shall bring the jewels here, where our friend will give
us as pay a share of the jewels."
Turning to the Russian he explained something that Garry had wanted to
hear since he and his chums had started on their mission; this was the
location of the lane over which the stuff was brought.
"We cross the border at a point almost on a line with Green's house
here, for then we can come down through the woods and across the fields
with little danger of being seen by anyone. Once we are here we are
safe, for Lafe here has a place to hide things that is beyond
discovery."
Although pressed to stay for a while and join a card game that was about
to start, he refused, declaring that he was tired and needed sleep, and
would return to the place he was staying for the night, meaning, Garry
decided for himself, the restaurant and rooming house conducted by
LeBlanc's French friend.
Lafe let the Russian out and then returned to the room, rubbing his
hands together with the thought of the big reward they would get for
their help in the smuggling of the jewels across the border.
As he returned, one of the men asked:
"I say, Jean, what pay will we get for all this business?"
"Ah, ma fren's, we will get big pay, trust Jean to see to that. Did I
not tell you tonight I had the big plan in my head? You have not heard
the whole of that plan. Once we get those jewels across the border, we
shall simply help ourselves to the whole of them. That will be our pay,
share and share alike."
The others looked at Jean in amazement, for this thought had never
entered their heads.
"What about old Whiskers, the Russian, and his brother?" asked one.
"Pouf, what can they do? They can appeal to no one, for they are trying
to break the law and would only get prison for their pains. We have only
to laugh at them. Now let us have a little game of cards, while Lafe
goes to the cellar for some of that very excellent stuff he has in
there."
Garry thanked fortune that he had not obeyed an impulse to hasten to the
cellar and make his getaway while the Russian was being let out.
Then he was startled almost out of a year's growth at the turn that
events took at that moment.
"You fellows can play cards all you want, but go out in the kitchen.
There's a big table there," said Lafe.
That meant to Garry that his retreat was to be cut off as long as the
card game was in progress. This might be so long as to exceed the time
limit set for his return to Dick and Phil, and consequently give them
cause to worry.
Then followed disaster number two.
"If you chaps want to play cards and drink, you can do it without me.
I'm dog tired, too tired even to go home, and I'm going upstairs and
turn in for a while," said one of the quartet.
"All right, if you want to, take the room over this one," said Green.
Escape seemed to be cut off at all angles from Garry, not to mention the
chances of detection.
Quickly flipping the rug back in place over the register, he rolled back
under the bed, hugging up against the wall as close as he could. He
didn't know what he was going to do. For the present the only thing
possible was to remain where he was, trusting to chance not to be
detected.
For a moment he thought of making a dash for the hall or the other room,
but decided the danger was too great. It was well that he remained where
he was, for the door opened, and the man came in, yawning audibly.
He threw his clothes off and tumbled into bed, while Garry hardly dared
breathe for fear that his presence would be detected.
Fortunately the man was so tired that he did not lay awake long, and his
stentorous breathing soon told Garry he was asleep. Garry took counsel
with himself as to what was the best course to follow. He could stay
where he was till the card game broke up, and then steal down the stairs
and back through the cellar passageway, or he could make his way down
the front stairs and try and let himself out of the front door. There
was one drawback to this. Green might have locked the front door and
pocketed the key, and then, too, there was the danger that one of those
remaining up might go wandering through the house just as Garry made the
attempt.
There was one other alternative. He could remain in the house till
morning, and then when they had all gone, make his way out easily. Then
Garry remembered that this was impossible, as Everett would have a posse
come to the house if he were not back at six. That would be disastrous
now, for it would halt the bringing of the jewels across the border, and
Garry was determined that their seizure should be part of the grand
finale in cleaning up the smuggler gang.
He must get out of the house as soon as possible. But how?
Then he bethought himself of the tree outside of the window. He
remembered that the branch swung very close to the house. Could he make
his way out of the window, then he could swing onto the branch, and so
descend to the ground with no danger of being discovered.
The only element of danger was that the man should wake as he was making
his escape. Still Garry reflected, he had been in a tight place ever
since the moment he had entered the passageway, and this would be no
worse.
Assuring himself that the man was still sleeping soundly, he began to
edge his way from under the bed. His way across the floor was one of
infinite precaution, taking many minutes. After he had squirmed for a
foot or so, he would stop and listen to see if the regular breathing of
the man on the bed continued. Once as he was half way across the floor,
he heard a creak, as the sleeper rolled over in his slumbers.
Garry didn't dare to move for nearly five minutes after this. Then he
started again, and after what seemed an age, reached the window.
Cautiously he raised himself up, and thrust a leg out of the window.
Then followed the other, and he was sitting on the sill. Leaning out, he
let his body fall towards the limb, caught it, and swung clear of the
window.
In a trice he had thrown his leg up over the tree, his practice in the
gymnasium making this an easy feat. Crawling carefully along the limb,
he worked his way to the trunk, and then the descent to the ground was
accomplished without trouble. Without bothering to put on his shoepacks,
he sped away from the house.
Finally he reached the road, and here he slipped the heavy shoepacks on,
and in a few moments had rejoined his companions where they were
nervously waiting under the big elm.
They hailed his coming with delight, pounding him on the back and
shaking hands gleefully.
"What luck, old topper?" was Dick's first question.
"All the luck in the world, boys. Tonight our quest was crowned with
success!"