He showed them where the masked man vaulted
over the porch rail, and the course he took in crossing the terrace,
below which Courtney's coat was found where he had cast it aside
at the beginning of the chase. The first shot was fired as the man
climbed over the fence separating the old-fashioned garden from the
wooded district to the west, the second following almost immediately.
Thane was over the fence and picking himself up from the ground
after tripping when the last shot was fired. He ran forty or fifty
yards farther on and then his knee gave out. Realizing that pursuit
was useless under the circumstances, he hurried back to the house
to give the alarm.
It appears that he first saw the man as he was nearing the top of
the steps leading to the terrace. The fellow's figure, in a crouching
position, was distinctly outlined against the lighted window.
"Kind of a funny time for a robber to be monkeyin' around a house,"
said Charlie Webster, after Courtney had concluded his brief story.
"Eight o'clock is no time to figure on breaking into a house."
"He probably figured that the occupants would be at dinner," said
Courtney. "Or maybe he was getting the lay of the land while there
were lights to guide him. That is most likely the case. Lord, how
I wish I had had a gun!"
"Maybe it's lucky you didn't," said Charlie. "Guns are pretty
treacherous things to monkey with, Court.
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