Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, The Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Nick Rennison
complacency. He put the linen scraps into his desk to await developments. 'If that man escapes from that cell I'll â hang it â I'll resign.'
  On the third day of his incarceration The Thinking Machine openly attempted to bribe his way out. The jailer had brought his dinner and was leaning against the barred door, waiting, when The Thinking Machine began the conversation.
  'The drainage pipes of the prison lead to the river, don't they?' he asked.
  'Yes,' said the jailer.
  'I suppose they are very small?'
  'Too small to crawl through, if that's what you're thinking about,' was the grinning response.
  There was silence until The Thinking Machine finished his meal. Then:
  'You know I'm not a criminal, don't you?'
  'Yes.'
  'And that I've a perfect right to be freed if I demand it?'
  'Yes.'
  'Well, I came here believing that I could make my escape,' said the prisoner, and his squint eyes studied the face of the jailer. 'Would you consider a financial reward for aiding me to escape?'
  The jailer, who happened to be an honest man, looked at the slender, weak figure of the prisoner, at the large head with its mass of yellow hair, and was almost sorry.
  'I guess prisons like these were not built for the likes of you to get out of,' he said, at last.
  'But would you consider a proposition to help me get out?' the prisoner insisted, almost beseechingly.
  'No,' said the jailer, shortly.
  'Five hundred dollars,' urged The Thinking Machine. 'I am not a criminal.'
  'No,' said the jailer.
  'A thousand?'
  'No,' again said the jailer, and he started away hurriedly to escape further temptation. Then he turned back. 'If you should give me ten thousand dollars I couldn't get you out. You'd have to pass through seven doors, and I only have the keys to two.'
  Then he told the warden all about it.
  'Plan number two fails,' said the warden, smiling grimly. 'First a cipher, then bribery.'
  When the jailer was on his way to Cell 13 at six o'clock, again bearing food to The Thinking Machine, he paused, startled by the unmistakable scrape, scrape of steel against steel. It stopped at the sound of his steps, then craftily the jailer, who was beyond the prisoner's range of vision, resumed his tramping, the sound being apparently that of a man going away from Cell 13. As a matter of fact he was in the same spot.
  After a moment there came again the steady scrape, scrape, and the jailer crept cautiously on tiptoes to the door and peered between the bars. The Thinking Machine was standing on the iron bed working at the bars of the little window. He was using a file, judging from the backward and forward swing of his arms.
  Cautiously the jailer crept back to the office, summoned the warden in person, and they returned to Cell 13 on tiptoes. The steady scrape was still audible. The warden listened to satisfy himself and then suddenly appeared at the door.
  'Well?' he demanded, and there was a smile on his face.
  The Thinking Machine glanced back from his perch on the bed and leaped suddenly to the floor, making frantic efforts to hide something. The warden went in, with hand extended.
  'Give it up,' he said.
  'No,' said the prisoner, sharply.
  'Come, give it up,' urged the warden. 'I don't want to have to search you again.'
  'No,' repeated the prisoner.
  'What was it, a file?' asked the warden.
  The Thinking Machine was silent and stood squinting at the warden with something very nearly approaching disappointment on his face â nearly, but not quite. The warden was almost sympathetic.
  'Plan number three fails, eh?' he asked, goodnaturedly. 'Too bad, isn't it?'
  The prisoner didn't say.
  'Search him,' instructed the warden.
  The jailer searched the prisoner
  On the third day of his incarceration The Thinking Machine openly attempted to bribe his way out. The jailer had brought his dinner and was leaning against the barred door, waiting, when The Thinking Machine began the conversation.
  'The drainage pipes of the prison lead to the river, don't they?' he asked.
  'Yes,' said the jailer.
  'I suppose they are very small?'
  'Too small to crawl through, if that's what you're thinking about,' was the grinning response.
  There was silence until The Thinking Machine finished his meal. Then:
  'You know I'm not a criminal, don't you?'
  'Yes.'
  'And that I've a perfect right to be freed if I demand it?'
  'Yes.'
  'Well, I came here believing that I could make my escape,' said the prisoner, and his squint eyes studied the face of the jailer. 'Would you consider a financial reward for aiding me to escape?'
  The jailer, who happened to be an honest man, looked at the slender, weak figure of the prisoner, at the large head with its mass of yellow hair, and was almost sorry.
  'I guess prisons like these were not built for the likes of you to get out of,' he said, at last.
  'But would you consider a proposition to help me get out?' the prisoner insisted, almost beseechingly.
  'No,' said the jailer, shortly.
  'Five hundred dollars,' urged The Thinking Machine. 'I am not a criminal.'
  'No,' said the jailer.
  'A thousand?'
  'No,' again said the jailer, and he started away hurriedly to escape further temptation. Then he turned back. 'If you should give me ten thousand dollars I couldn't get you out. You'd have to pass through seven doors, and I only have the keys to two.'
  Then he told the warden all about it.
  'Plan number two fails,' said the warden, smiling grimly. 'First a cipher, then bribery.'
  When the jailer was on his way to Cell 13 at six o'clock, again bearing food to The Thinking Machine, he paused, startled by the unmistakable scrape, scrape of steel against steel. It stopped at the sound of his steps, then craftily the jailer, who was beyond the prisoner's range of vision, resumed his tramping, the sound being apparently that of a man going away from Cell 13. As a matter of fact he was in the same spot.
  After a moment there came again the steady scrape, scrape, and the jailer crept cautiously on tiptoes to the door and peered between the bars. The Thinking Machine was standing on the iron bed working at the bars of the little window. He was using a file, judging from the backward and forward swing of his arms.
  Cautiously the jailer crept back to the office, summoned the warden in person, and they returned to Cell 13 on tiptoes. The steady scrape was still audible. The warden listened to satisfy himself and then suddenly appeared at the door.
  'Well?' he demanded, and there was a smile on his face.
  The Thinking Machine glanced back from his perch on the bed and leaped suddenly to the floor, making frantic efforts to hide something. The warden went in, with hand extended.
  'Give it up,' he said.
  'No,' said the prisoner, sharply.
  'Come, give it up,' urged the warden. 'I don't want to have to search you again.'
  'No,' repeated the prisoner.
  'What was it, a file?' asked the warden.
  The Thinking Machine was silent and stood squinting at the warden with something very nearly approaching disappointment on his face â nearly, but not quite. The warden was almost sympathetic.
  'Plan number three fails, eh?' he asked, goodnaturedly. 'Too bad, isn't it?'
  The prisoner didn't say.
  'Search him,' instructed the warden.
  The jailer searched the prisoner
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