appeared in the doorway.

Burke watched him, thinking hard. Perhaps they were planning some
deviltry, but he could not divine the purpose of it. At any rate he
was armed with his night stick and his trusty revolver. He had a clear
space in which to protect himself, and he was not frightened by ghosts.
So, alert though he was, his mind was not uneasy.

He turned casually, on his heels, to look up the Avenue. He was
startled to see two stocky figures within five feet of him. That quick
right-about had saved him from an attack, although he did not realize
it. The approach of the men had been absolutely noiseless.

The rain beat down in his face, and the men hesitated an instant, as
though interrupted in some plan. It did not occur to Burke that they
had approached him with a purpose.

He looked at them sharply, by force of habit. Their evil faces showed
pallid and grewsome in the flickering light of the arc-lamp on the
corner by Shultberger's place.

The two men glared at him shrewdly, and then passed on by without a
word. They walked half way down the block, and Burke, watching them
from the corner of his eye, saw them cross the street and turn into the
rear entrance of Shultberger's cabaret restaurant.

"Well, he's having some high-class callers to-night," mused Burke.
"Perhaps he'll need a little help after all."

Even as he thought this he heard a crash of broken glass, and he turned
abruptly toward the direction of the sound.

The arc-light had gone out.

Burke walked across the street and fumbled with his feet, feeling the
broken glass which had showered down near the base of the pole.

"I wonder what happened to that lamp? They don't burst of their own
accord like this generally."

He walked back to his position. The street was now very dark, because
the nearest burning arc-lamp was half a block to the south. As Burke
pondered on the situation he heard footsteps to his left. He turned
about and a familiar voice greeted him. It was Patrolman Maguire.

"Well, Burke, your sins should sure be washed away in this deluge! I
thought that I'd step up a minute and give you a chance to go get some
dry clothes and a raincoat. You've another hour on the peg before I
relieve you, but hustle down to the station house and rig yourself up,
me lad."

It was a welcome cheery voice from the dismal night shades. But Burke
objected to the suggestion.

"No, Maguire, I'll stick it out. I think there's tr