CHAPTER XV
THE RAID AT MIDNIGHT
The disguised Shadow gazed curiously about the cellar. Then he again turned his attention to the box, removed the papers, and took out several counterfeit bills. He studied these under the light. He pocketed them; then rearranged the box exactly as Doc Birch had left it.
Although the pawnshop proprietor had stated to Spotter that he would soon return to the cellar, the roughly dressed visitor seemed entirely indifferent to the fact. He went from one part of the basement to another; and finally stopped by the coal pile.
Taking a long stick that lay against the wall, he probed the depths of the coal pile.
Although he performed this operation with very little noise, the sound of the shifting coal was sufficient to drown other noises. Hence The Shadow paused in his work occasionally, and listened for any sound that might come from the stairs that led to the floor above.
A click sounded from the coal pile. Probing, The Shadow found a flat sheet of metal. He examined it under the light. It was a plate used in the manufacture of counterfeit bills.
After a close examination, The Shadow compared the plate with the sample bills that he had taken. His disguised face was impassive for a moment; then a slight smile appeared upon the thick lips.
The Shadow had detected almost imperceptible differences between the plate and the bills. He replaced the plate in the coal bin, upon others that formed a stack. He swept lumps of coal over the plates. Suddenly he stopped in his work.
He stood in an attitude of attention for a moment. He wheeled with amazing quickness just as a man appeared from the far end of the cellar.