Yes, there ought to be a good opening in the shoe line. There wasn"t an exclusive shoe-store in the place. The dry-goods and general stores handled them. Business in all lines was fairly good. Hoped Mr. Spencer would decide to locate in Elmore. He would find it a pleasant town to live in, and the people very sociable.
Mr. Spencer thought he would stop over in the town a few days and look over the situation. No, the clerk needn"t call the boy. He would carry up his suit-case, himself; it was rather heavy.
Mr. Ralph Spencer, the phoenix that arose from Jimmy Valentine"s ashes--ashes left by the flame of a sudden and alterative attack of love--remained in Elmore, and prospered. He opened a shoe-store and secured a good run of trade.
Socially he was also a success, and made many friends. And he accomplished the wish of his heart. He met Miss Annabel Adams, and became more and more captivated by her charms.
At the end of a year the situation of Mr. Ralph Spencer was this: he had won the respect of the community, his shoe-store was flourishing, and he and Annabel were engaged to be married in two weeks. Mr. Adams, the typical, plodding, country banker, approved of Spencer. Annabel"s pride in him almost equalled her affection. He was as much at home in the family of Mr. Adams and that of Annabel"s married sister as if he were already a member.
One day Jimmy sat down in his room and wrote this letter, which he mailed to the safe address of one of his old friends in St. Louis:
DEAR OLD PAL:
I want you to be at Sullivan"s place, in Little Rock, next Wednesday night, at nine o"clock. I want you to wind up some little matters for me. And, also, I want to make you a present of my kit of tools. I know you"ll be glad to get them--you couldn"t duplicate the lot for a thousand dollars.
Say, Billy, I"ve quit the old business--a year ago. I"ve got a nice store. I"m making an honest living, and I"m going to marry the finest girl on earth two weeks from now. It"s the only life, Billy--the straight one. I wouldn"t touch a dollar of another man"s money now for a million. After I get married I"m going to sell out and go West, where there won"t be so much danger of having old scores brought up against me. I tell you, Billy, she"s an angel. She believes in me; and I wouldn"t do another crooked thing for the whole world.
Be sure to be at Sully"s, for I must see you. I"ll bring along the tools with me.
Your old friend,
JIMMY.
On the Monday night after Jimmy wrote this letter, Ben Price jogged un.o.btrusively into Elmore in a livery buggy. He lounged about town in his quiet way until he found out what he wanted to know. From the drug-store across the street from Spencer"s shoe-store he got a good look at Ralph D. Spencer.
"Going to marry the banker"s daughter are you, Jimmy?" said Ben to himself, softly. "Well, I don"t know!"
The next morning Jimmy took breakfast at the Adamses. He was going to Little Rock that day to order his wedding-suit and buy something nice for Annabel. That would be the first time he had left town since he came to Elmore. It had been more than a year now since those last professional "jobs," and he thought he could safely venture out.
After breakfast quite a family party went downtown together--Mr.
Adams, Annabel, Jimmy, and Annabel"s married sister with her two little girls, aged five and nine. They came by the hotel where Jimmy still boarded, and he ran up to his room and brought along his suit-case. Then they went on to the bank. There stood Jimmy"s horse and buggy and Dolph Gibson, who was going to drive him over to the railroad station.
All went inside the high, carved oak railings into the banking-room--Jimmy included, for Mr. Adams"s future son-in-law was welcome anywhere. The clerks were pleased to be greeted by the good-looking, agreeable young man who was going to marry Miss Annabel. Jimmy set his suit-case down. Annabel, whose heart was bubbling with happiness and lively youth, put on Jimmy"s hat, and picked up the suit-case. "Wouldn"t I make a nice drummer?" said Annabel. "My! Ralph, how heavy it is? Feels like it was full of gold bricks."
"Lot of nickel-plated shoe-horns in there," said Jimmy, coolly, "that I"m going to return. Thought I"d save express charges by taking them up. I"m getting awfully economical."
The Elmore Bank had just put in a new safe and vault. Mr. Adams was very proud of it, and insisted on an inspection by every one. The vault was a small one, but it had a new, patented door. It fastened with three solid steel bolts thrown simultaneously with a single handle, and had a time-lock. Mr. Adams beamingly explained its workings to Mr. Spencer, who showed a courteous but not too intelligent interest. The two children, May and Agatha, were delighted by the shining metal and funny clock and k.n.o.bs.
While they were thus engaged Ben Price sauntered in and leaned on his elbow, looking casually inside between the railings. He told the teller that he didn"t want anything; he was just waiting for a man he knew.
Suddenly there was a scream or two from the women, and a commotion.
Unperceived by the elders, May, the nine-year-old girl, in a spirit of play, had shut Agatha in the vault. She had then shot the bolts and turned the k.n.o.b of the combination as she had seen Mr. Adams do.
The old banker sprang to the handle and tugged at it for a moment.
"The door can"t be opened," he groaned. "The clock hasn"t been wound nor the combination set."
Agatha"s mother screamed again, hysterically.
"Hush!" said Mr. Adams, raising his trembling hand. "All be quite for a moment. Agatha!" he called as loudly as he could. "Listen to me." During the following silence they could just hear the faint sound of the child wildly shrieking in the dark vault in a panic of terror.
"My precious darling!" wailed the mother. "She will die of fright!
Open the door! Oh, break it open! Can"t you men do something?"
"There isn"t a man nearer than Little Rock who can open that door,"
said Mr. Adams, in a shaky voice. "My G.o.d! Spencer, what shall we do? That child--she can"t stand it long in there. There isn"t enough air, and, besides, she"ll go into convulsions from fright."
Agatha"s mother, frantic now, beat the door of the vault with her hands. Somebody wildly suggested dynamite. Annabel turned to Jimmy, her large eyes full of anguish, but not yet despairing. To a woman nothing seems quite impossible to the powers of the man she worships.
"Can"t you do something, Ralph--_try_, won"t you?"
He looked at her with a queer, soft smile on his lips and in his keen eyes.
"Annabel," he said, "give me that rose you are wearing, will you?"
Hardly believing that she heard him aright, she unpinned the bud from the bosom of her dress, and placed it in his hand. Jimmy stuffed it into his vest-pocket, threw off his coat and pulled up his shirt-sleeves. With that act Ralph D. Spencer pa.s.sed away and Jimmy Valentine took his place.
"Get away from the door, all of you," he commanded, shortly.
He set his suit-case on the table, and opened it out flat. From that time on he seemed to be unconscious of the presence of any one else.
He laid out the shining, queer implements swiftly and orderly, whistling softly to himself as he always did when at work. In a deep silence and immovable, the others watched him as if under a spell.
In a minute Jimmy"s pet drill was biting smoothly into the steel door. In ten minutes--breaking his own burglarious record--he threw back the bolts and opened the door.
Agatha, almost collapsed, but safe, was gathered into her mother"s arms.
Jimmy Valentine put on his coat, and walked outside the railings towards the front door. As he went he thought he heard a far-away voice that he once knew call "Ralph!" But he never hesitated.
At the door a big man stood somewhat in his way.
"h.e.l.lo, Ben!" said Jimmy, still with his strange smile. "Got around at last, have you? Well, let"s go. I don"t know that it makes much difference, now."
And then Ben Price acted rather strangely.
"Guess you"re mistaken, Mr. Spencer," he said. "Don"t believe I recognize you. Your buggy"s waiting for you, ain"t it?"
And Ben Price turned and strolled down the street.
XI
CHERCHEZ LA FEMME
Robbins, reporter for the _Picayune_, and Dumars, of _L"Abeille_--the old French newspaper that has buzzed for nearly a century--were good friends, well proven by years of ups and downs together. They were seated where they had a habit of meeting--in the little, Creole-haunted cafe of Madame Tibault, in Dumaine Street.
If you know the place, you will experience a thrill of pleasure in recalling it to mind. It is small and dark, with six little polished tables, at which you may sit and drink the best coffee in New Orleans, and concoctions of absinthe equal to Sazerac"s best. Madame Tibault, fat and indulgent, presides at the desk, and takes your money. Nicolette and Meme, madame"s nieces, in charming bib ap.r.o.ns, bring the desirable beverages.