His Last Crib

"I ain't, " observed Bnrglar Joey Brown as, wheezing and gasping, he struggled through Lorü Heathington's ncnllery window, "I ain't as narrer as J-nsed to bo when I fust entered the nurfession, not by a long chalks. I'm tmttin on flesh, that's wot I'm doin, nnd it's time I leít off burglin and ♦iiok a pnb. Lawd, but that's inado me gorter snltry!" Bnrglar .Toey Brown took a large red lifiudkerchieí from one of his suspiíiously capáciona pockets and wiped bis face with onergy. He was an oíd hand at the game, was Joey. True, he had been "quodded" once or twice, but what of that? Every burglar whose soul ts in his work must expect to be ' 'quodded" ocnasionally during his career. Besides these doses of "penal" afford time for refleotion and rest. Joey had made his way eautiously iroin the mews which lay at the back of Lord Heathington's town residence, and when he had reached the small courtTiird whieh separated the stables from the main building the rest had been asy, and here he was in the soullery. Joey rubbed his face until it shone Hke a copper kettle and then returned the handerkohief to his pocket. "If this 'ereexploit," said Mr. Brown, aildressing the tubs and bowls around him, "tnrns up trumps and brings in the dibs, well" - with a satisfied hnckle - "Joe Browu and burglin will part company. Joe Brown is getrin too fat for this kind er work. And jiow, as Macbeth observes in the play, 'Lot us away, ' and inspect 'is lordship's valyoobles. " Joey, whose boots, it is hardly necessary to explain, had been lef t in a shady corner of the mews, made his way jioiselessly out of the scullery into the .kitchen and thenco into the corridor. "These footmen, " said Joey, who tremed to be perfectly aoquainted with his whfireabouts, "snore like 'ogs. I might do a 'orupipe in boots 'ere and nover be 'eard with that hawful row goin on. ' ' After looking in on the slumboring footman for a moment Mr. Brown proeeded on his way and ascended to the íirst floor. "They'vo several littlo articles in the rorin room wot I want to inspect, ' ' he mnrmured, "after which we wiü pay oar custom'ry wisit to the píate closet. " Joey made his way quietly into the ■árawing room, bnt before annexing ;mything of valué he deposited himself vipon a divan and grew poetical. "Justto think, " he murmurad, "on'y this oue crib, and then I've done with the purfession forever. Little pub in the country - shady medders - cows and theep baain - new laid eggs and inilk - there will Joe Brown spend the hautumn of his days - the evenin of a useful career. 'E will go to church, be a churchwarding. " Hore Joey gave vent toa most unctuous chuckle. "Just fancy, Joey 'andin the bag! Oh, wot delighta are in Btore for Joe Brown when 'e retires f rom business! It won 't be long afore there's a Mrs. Joseph either. Wot, oh, wot is home without a mother? And ow, Joe, you must gag a bit and get to work on these 'ere golden" - Creak! Joe sat up with a start, and then, with wonderful alacrity for a man of his bulk, left his Beat and slid behind a screen which stood near hini. Creak! "Somobody on the move, " said Joe i-oftly. "There's a door goin. " He listened intently, and his quick ears soon detected the sound of footsteps crossing the hall. Arrived at the foot of the htaircase, the person, whoever it was, began to ascend, upon which the burilar left his place of concealment, crawled to the door and peeped out. " 'Is lawdship!" Joe quickly got back to his screen and docided to give the master of the house a good half hour in which to get To bed and to sleep. ' 'That was a narrer shave, " he soliloquized. "Supposin I adn't 'eard 'im and 'e'd como plurnp in 'ere and found me restin on 'is sofay! W'y, it 'ud 'ave ineant goodby to the pub and 'ow ore yer?' to the Scrubbs or Portland. This ought to teaoh you, Joey, that, like' other wocations, burglin is never entirely learnt. Now, suppase we" - Creak! "Some one else abaht!" was Joey's classic utterance as he unce more crawlA to the door and peeped out. There was some one else about. As Joey peeped out a tall, dark man in tvening dress issued from the room facing that which was honored with Mr. Brown'ü presence and stood for a moment examining something which glistened in the moonlight, for, contrary to Joey's expectations, the moon had disugaged herself from the clouds which had previously enveloped her and was now shedding her soft light on the ■world beneath her. Whatever the thing was that he was examining the man put it quickly into the inside pocket of his dress coat and then riiade his way to the staircase. Aa the ray which came throngh the fanJight over the door feil on his face .Toey saw that it was convnlsed with rage and every evil passion. His teeth were clinched, aud his dark eyes gleamed with fury. At the foot of the Btaircase he pansed. "He refuses!" he hissed. "My own brother refuses me this favor - a trifle to hiin, all the world to me. Very ■WfllL " He stopped speaking and seemed to wrestle with his better fielf for a moment. Then, with an oath, he began to ascend the stairs. "Well," said Jooy to himself as he rnbUl !ns eyos, ''this 'era's a rum go. ' Fust 'is lawdship soes to bod at 1 o'clook of tbo inoroin, wben I kiiow fur certin - "aviu 'ad it from rhc second footman 'imself over a glnss of boer - 'is nsual hour is 1 1 at nigat, aud tJieu, close on his heels, comes 'is lawdship's brovor a-swearin and cussin dreadful to 'ear and lookiii at smnmat wot shines. Joey, my lad, we'll boo this nout. ' ' So fsaying, Mr. Brown crept softly up stairs, stopping at intervals to listen and make sure that he was unpercoived. j fíe reaohed the first floor and paused as iL nncertain whither to direct his steps. "Lot's see, " he said, " 'is lawdBhip's bedroom looks on to tbo street, and yours - I remember now that the powdered haired cove iksplained - 'er ladyship is out 'er town. Vrery weil, then. The rnewses is to my back, so the front of the 'ouse must be afore me. Ah, they'rea-talkin, andls'pose they've got this part of the 'ouse all to theirselves, since there uin't no children or guests. ' ' The talkin g was evidently going on ' in a bedroom which opened into a ridor that lay on Mr. Brown'a right hand, and so, with the utmost caution, the burglar crept softly down the passage untü ho reaohed a door that was partly ajar. A little investigation ; ed to show Mr. Brown that tho j ber to which the door belonged was a i dressing room, and that, furthermore, the dressing room opened into the bedroom in which the conversation was taking place. Very stealthily the i breaker entercd and crawled to the ! room door Arrivod thcre, he experienced uo dilBonlty in hearing uvery word that was spoken. "I reí uso - emphatically, " Lord Heathingtou was exclaimiug, "and; I'll trouble you to leave this room at once." "Mot uutü I get what I want," an6wered the other in an iiisolent tone. "You shall never have another farthing from me, ' ' said the peer. ' 'You have run thiongh all your own money aud a considerable portion of mine, and 1 won't stand your blackmailing any longer. Now, you can leave this room and my house as soon as you like. " The younger man uttered a fierce imprecation. "If you won't give me what I want," he shouted, "i'll flud a way of making you. ' ' "As you see fit to descend to vulgar tbreats, " returned Lord Heathington quietly, "I shall have to have you put out of the house. ' ' So saying, he advanced toward the bellrope aud was about to pull it wben his brother sprang forward, and being by far the more powerful of the two knocked him down with one blow of hi:i fist. Then," as Lord Heathington attempted to rise, his relative dropped on to his knees and beid him down by the throat. "Help! Help! Murder!" exclaimed the prostrate man in half stifled tonos. Joey, looking through the door, saw the younger man put his hand insida his coat and draw a shilling object from bis pocket - the same object that ba had examined so intently in the hall. Joey was not an individual possessed of much virtue, but he was an Englishman, and in common with his countrymen was always inclined to side with the weaker party when any struggla was going on. He knew that any interference on his part would lead to his detection and subsequent arrest, but he did not allow that thought to deter him from the course of action which he resolved to take. He saw the uplifted weapon. He heard Lord Heathington's cry of "Murder!" and he could see the diabolical look on the face of the other man. Joey took in the situation in a moment. The events of a few seconda take some minutes to describe, and it must be remembered that the occurrence we are describing was of less than a minute's duration from first to last. It was a large room, and between the door and the struggling couple was j a üuge four poster. Joey, on seeing the nplifted weapon, i snatched a pillow from the bed and threw it with all his force at the would be murderer's head. ïhen he sprang across the bed and grappled with him ere he had time to take his brother's life. With an exelamation of baffled reven fie Lord Heathington's brother tnrned on the burglar and buried his ( dagger - for the weapon was a poinard of Italian make, which usually hung on tho wáli of Lord Heathington's study - in Jooy's side. Simultaneonsly the burglar dealt him a tremendous blow on his head with a jimmy, and when the frightened domestios, aroused by their master's frantic tugs at the bellrope, arrived on the scène they found housebreaker and peer's brother lying side by side, the first dying, the second only unconscious. An hour later Joey recovers coneciousness, thanks to the efforts of the doctors who were bastily oalled in. Lord Heathington's brother, dangerously but not mortallyhurt, lies in his ownroom. Joey himself rests on his lordship's bed. His life is fast ebbing away, for the physicians say that they cannot save it. Lord Heathington, eternally grateful to the mau who has saved his sita by the bedside, auxiously watching the sufforer's face. Joey's lips move, and the peer bends over him and listeus for what he would say. "Didn't - take - nothin- yer- lawdship, " murrnurs Joey faintly. "My - my last crib, yer lawdship. Goin to turn h on est, yer 1" - Joey's voice fails him, and tho doctor by his" side puts a cordial to bis lips. "Take - pub - country, ' ' continúes Joey, with an efiort, "medders- cows and sheep, yer lawdship, turn honest- crackod this- larst crib- lawdship"- And then, with a long sigh, the burglar's soul takes wing. and who wili say that by his last brave act Joey did not redeem his crimes of the past?-