The Burglar and the Blizzard: A Christmas Story

ore a long fur-coat, for the morning had been bitterly cold in New York, and though the snow was now

, but there was no one to be seen. The station, which in summer on the arrival of the express was a busy scene with

frey sung out. "Is Mc

my for the old man," Harris replied

e got to dr

place? No, sir, I guess it

nge his mind. He stepped into the mail cart, and having stopped at the post-office to leave the ba

. May's house being robbed?" Harri

turned Geoffrey. "Five robberies an

day," said Harris, divided between pride in the noto

not by a

of a vigilance committee, if

wait for him to mak

city folks, and I guess the boys thought you could better afford to lose a f

. "That's a fine spirited wa

in order to collect and arrange his ideas. "'Tain't lack of sand exac

offrey, remembering

and a young woman, pretty as a picter, Will said, slips out of the wood and asks for a lift. Well, Will takes her some two miles, and when they got to that piece of woods at the back of your place she says

nge if I had been at home," returne

ill Brown, he's a liar, just like all the Browns; still this time he seemed to thin

phoned from the office, but that her husband was down with rheumatism, the second gardener dismissed, and the "boy" allowed to go home to spend Christmas, so that there had been no one to send. Geoffrey suggested t

turn about his house. The next day he intended removi

han he had supposed, that he abandoned all idea of entering it. It stood before him grimly like a mountain of grey stone, its face plastered with snow. He walked round it, feeling each door and window to be sure of the fastenings. Once past the corner, the house sheltered him from the wind. He was conscious of that

t was that of an old French clock he had bought, and had never had put in order. He had never been able to make it go, but once touching it ina

e moved quickly toward a side door which he remembered swung silently on its hinges. It was not so much that he believed that there was any one in

, streaming out of the library door, fell across the passageway before him. He stooped down and took off his boots,

standing before one of the bookcases with his elbow resting near the clock; he was holding a volume in his hands with the careful ease of a book fancier. The man's back was tur

e temptation to make his entrance dramatic. Creeping almo

of rea

ver, and had it knocked out of his hand with a benumbing blow. Geoffrey secured the

e stairs. Here Holland recognised at once that the burglar had a great advantage. The flight of stairs from the hall reached the upper story at a point very near where the back stairs came up, while they descended to widely different places in the lower story, so that the burglar, looking down, could choose his flight of stairs as soon as he saw his pursuer committed to the other, and thus reach the lower hall with several seconds to spare. Fortunately, however, Geoffrey remembered that there was a door at the foot of the back stairs. With incredible quickness he turned off the light again, threw his boots upstairs in the ingenious hope that the sou

he was going to do with his capture. He thought of the darkness, the storm, the absence of the two undermen, and the

look at you," with which warning he approached the telephone and, still keeping an eye on the other, rang up central. There was no answer. H

int the bu

ldly; "I can't stand here with m

Geoffrey with some temper, "un

n will t

ool of a Cen

rglar, "because, to tell the truth, I always c

not see the artless smile of satisfaction which wr

" He calculated that by that time, Mrs. McFarlane, alarmed at his absence, would send so

ward which Holland himself was making his way, knowing it to be the most comfortable for an all-night ses

mask," he said

thin, yet ruddy, and tanned by exposure so that his very light brilliant eyes flared oddly in so dark a surrounding. Above, his sandy hair, which had receded somewhat from h

The process of bandaging over, the man reached out his hand toward the bookcase and, selecting a volume of Sterne, settled back comfortably in his chair. Holland stared at him an instant in

gns of restlessness. He asked if it were still snowing, and looked disti

member me, do

ver was drooping in his right hand. He ran his mind over

mber

t school togeth

and then exclai

be able to wa

sti

are Skin

sense of humour, and yet saw nothing

you," said Geoffrey, "but you were

I took to this sort of

oment Geo

ear you were

the navy, but Heavens above! I could not stand the Academy. They threw me out. It

tion to judge?" as

he nevertheless had in

ity to point out that his heart was not softened by recollections

ively; "I've done a lo

intention of being drawn into an intimate interchange. The burglar

jection to my putting

wonderful dexterity, managed to start

k discouraged his companion, but presently rapping the pages

you know, really a genius, but so unfortunately different from other people. Ordinary standar

," roared

ng," said McVay, "only I

t talk as well wit

knew the number of things that I can do-that I am really proficient in. Anything with the hands," he waved his fingers sup

work for all whe

an instant, but never allowing him

elieve in a utilitarian Heaven, where we ar

to the penitentia

entional ideas; but to me they are just as admirable as any other great creative artist,-sculptor or financier. I see you don't quite ge

tance that I steal them from

not either in your place-rather think I would not. My sister is just the same way. Sweet girl, witty in her own way, but philistine. She is so good as to be my companion,

ey, "how much of all th

and the main thing is that I enjoy life,-a hard life too in many ways. Fate has dealt me some

ely a coincid

f prompt action. Nine men out of ten in your place-still, I'm not depressed. You cannot say, Holland, that I behave or talk like a man who has ten years of hard labour before him, can you? I dar

id not know whether to be most amused or

rried about my sister. In fact I don't see that there is any getting awa

ou do

ttle hut in your woods, and I am act

highly p

I must go a

a moment, and then sa

I am, but that is not the point. Think of a girl, Holland, alone, all night, in such a sto

d finding it inadequate, con

raughty, too, though there is a stove. Do you remember the house at al

Holland, thinking of the Va

o do last week. But one cannot foresee everything. The winters have been open until Christmas so often lately. However,

t for your skin you won

ight word, not wishing to be unjust,-"so obtuse. Listen to th

asant, I sh

ent wrong with the fire. It is not safe. It's a distinct risk to leave her. Let alone that a storm like t

you ought to have thought of that be

ea whatever of being caught, with old McFarlane laid up an

ly had no intention of even arguing the

row morning if anything went wrong with h

ean? Let you loose on the county for the s

rhaps you could not do that, but," he

d Geoffrey

ou ought to be

Holland, "you are somethin

d puzzled, but ro

m able to amuse people, but if you are cheerful yourself, you make other people so. I was just thinking that it m

ddition to prison life. It

erally enough. Come, Holland, you ce

y. "Do you really suppose that I am going, looking for a den

ve no accomplices. Anything I do I think I am able to do alone. Still," he added putting aside his annoyance, "i

r wh

were being a good deal tried. "Oh, anything you like,

rey drily. "But I'll tell you what I will do. After I get you safe

be too l

Geoffrey, and c

ion than his informant? What better opportunity for escape could be arranged? It was so evident, so impudent as to be almost convincing. What more likely for instance, than that the hut was a regular rendezvous for criminals and tramps, that by going he would be walking into the veriest trap? Yet again there was the report confirmed by Harris's story that a woman was in some way connected with these

rose suddenly

I don't come back, you'll starve to death before you'll be able to get

ful. If you should feel any temptation to lie down and go to sleep don't

t he was going to meet death at the hands of his fluent comp

aid, "is an old woodcutter'

er a mile and a ha

"now come along, and we'll see how

a door that opened in and so was difficult to break open from the inside. Here, having removed a complete burglar's outfit from his pockets, Geoffrey disposed McVay, being met with a readiness on McV

, he turned away. At this instant a faint knocking was audible, and, gathering

embarrassment, was discernible in his manner, "my sister has no idea about-it would be a great

to believe that?

would not be possible with any other man than myself. But I hi

to hear your i

cVay chuckled, "that I was employed as night watchman at Dr

night watchmen

and just wanted an excuse to give me an allowance until he fo

uld be indiscree

profound secret, hence our remote mode of life, and the fact that I don't allow a butcher or baker to come near us. I tell her that if it were known that I had

" said Geoffrey. "What do yo

of fact, I would much rather have you do it than do it myself. Still, you mig

l," said Geoffrey,