The Burglar and the Blizzard: A Christmas Story | Page 9

by any chance the
story were true,--if there was a woman at his doors freezing to death,
how could he sit enjoying the fire? But, on the other hand, could any
one have a more evident motive for deception 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 robberies. The wind whistled round the
house with a suggestion of difficulty, of combat with the elements, of
actual danger, perhaps, that suddenly gave Geoffrey a new view of
delay. Had it not something the air of cowardice, or at least of laziness?

He found his eyes had read the same page three times, while his brain
was busy devising means by which McVay could be secured in his
absence--if he went.
At length he rose suddenly to his feet.
"I'll go," he said, "but before I go, I'll tie you up so safely that, if I don't
come back, you'll starve to death before you'll be able to get out or
make any one hear you. On these terms do you still want me to go?"
"Oh, yes, I want you to go," said McVay, "only for goodness sake be
careful. If you should feel any temptation to lie down and go to sleep
don't yield to it; they say it's fatal. The great thing is to keep on
walking--"
"Oh, shut up," said Geoffrey. In view of the possibility that he was
going to meet death at the hands of his fluent companion's accomplices
he found this friendly advice unbearable.
"This hut, I take it," he said, "is an old woodcutter's shanty in the north
woods?"
"Yes, something over a mile and a half north of here."
"I know the place," said Geoffrey, "now come along, and we'll see how
I can fix you up until I come back."
He had in mind a heavy upstairs cedar-closet. It had been designed by a
thoughtful architect for the storing of summer wearing apparel, and was
strongly built. It had besides the advantage of having 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 McVay's part that
seemed to prove either that he was sincere in his belief in Holland's
safe return, or else was perfectly confident of being able to open the
door as soon as Geoffrey's back was turned.
"But he'll find himself mistaken," Geoffrey murmured as, having
locked the door, he turned away. At this instant a faint knocking was
audible, and, gathering that McVay had some final instructions to give,
Geoffrey again opened the door.
"By the way," said the burglar, and for the first time a certain constraint,
amounting almost to embarrassment, was discernible in his manner,
"my sister has no idea about--it would be a great shock to her--in fact,
you understand, she has not discovered exactly how our money comes
to us."

"Do you expect me to believe that?" asked Geoffrey.
"I grant it does not sound likely," returned McVay, "and indeed would
not be possible with any other man than myself. But I hit upon a pretty
good yarn,--worked out well everyway. I told her--"
"I don't want to hear your infernal lies."
"But it might be convenient for you to know. I told her," McVay
chuckled, "that I was employed as night watchman at Drake's paper
mill. That of course kept me out all night, and--"
"She must think night watchmen get good wages."
"That was just it. I told her Drake was an old friend of mine, and just
wanted an excuse to give me an allowance until he found me a better
job. You see I just lost a nice job in a bank--"
"I suppose it would be indiscreet to inquire why?"
"Well, we won't discuss it," said McVay with an agreeable smile. "Of
course she could understand that such an inferior position as a
watchman's had to be kept a 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 held such a poor position, it
would interfere with my getting a better. So, if you should happen to
find that you have to explain to her why I am detained here--"
"If I should explain to her," said Geoffrey. "What