Show 7 1 5 I 1 afy W 00 COPYRIGHT 1907 www SYNOPSIS mad da dan n maitland MaUla ml on reaching his hl new bachelor club met un an tia ahn oune wom 1 in lit at the door janitor Ol laffan a him no ono litta been bf en within n ih that it day dan discovered vere d a worn wom ans antio finger prints in dust on hla his desk alone with ith a loiter letter front from liln fits attorney malt Malti and dined will hla fits attorney tor itte y an set out for Green gelas to ret get chill hla 4 II 11 1 jewels ewels on rea n home u lady in gray far ay iy ladet era king the auto contact ng ills is get s she apparently tork tonk him for or a well I 1 linn known vii erok crook daniel anisey oralf hyp not ltd maitland ope otoneil med hla his safe took the jewels and RIO gave them to her firma farming a in crime tho real linn dan anisey lit ly by volice of the world M and him allu if rind and llin went to NW york in her auto II 11 ald had tit alio aneli q was waa to mt lim film that lay day A ti mr fill deduced educed himself na as n det detec to sided ahn girl in fit krny gray maitland eliout at tit to show hm bilm the awIs jya lost loal was wait felb d by y a bauw brorn I 1 cane can latter annul to be ba anasty himself und anti lip lie alie gems anlita wlm who won a mils double its as it alio 1 to latter the criminal kept ahalt lands with the girl in gray UP gnan her the llin gem acma the girl in gray atay visited I 1 maitlandt Mal MAIt lands apartments fluting his abbene and sema gems maitland ind WI without ti t cash calla call A ur up ills hil home and hen heard rd a L wo goinns Inns voice o expostulating anlita disguised an tried to wring from lier her the location of 0 the tha gems A crash waa vis I 1 card ett the front door Nr altland overwhelmed the iho allowing him tl eicove to shield alio fie young woman the girl in irray gray made her cn anpo jumping into a cab an instant later lafr by working a ruse wim was tit nt lier her tilde ife took her to attorney Attorn py uan dan rier mans ollic w there by torture lie he tried in n vain aln to wring from her the loin loca linit of the tha kina llo lie left lier her a moment a tind nil min vorst hn tied OUa Kiin only getting in t the h gordn tell mr entler the brass bowl the hiding place in tho latter B roans when an sty henril her words almo wan revealed tia its ft a crook ifa and anisey set out to secure lie kenis geni anti leave town the girl wits wai till imprisoned maitland the ho girl his and unearthed alp I 1 e under un I 1 er t alia lie brasis howl bowl llo struck itri ants t ys trail i in a big balce building CHAPTER XV continued maitland yielding the initiative to the others superior sup eilor generalship stood 1 n tine revolver in hand until the detective sw returned overheated and eating from hla his tour to report leport nothing not liln hint doln with characteristic brevity ho had the same report to make an both tho the awen twentieth aleth and awen ty ali st floors where the same procedure wa was 8 observed but as the latter was reached unexpected anil and very welcome come reinforcements were vere gained by tile arrival of a third car containing three patrolmen and ono one lound smon yet numbers created delay was selled aelier and compelled to pant explanations pla nations to his bis supreme disgust and suddenly Im t beyond endurance maitland Malt land left them and alone sprang up lip tho the stairs that this was simple foolhardiness may be granted without dispute but it must bo be borne in mind that he be was very young and ardent very greatly perturbed on behalf of an actor in the tragedy in whom the police to their then knowledge had tie no interest whatsoever and it if in the heat beat of chase he had for an instant forgotten her now he remembered and at once 1 the he capture of anisey was relegated 1 to 0 the status of a matter of secondary importance the real matter at stake was the safety of the girl whom anisey by exercise of an internal ingenuity that passed Malt lands comprehension had managed to spirit into this place of death and darkness and whispering halls whore where she might be in what degree of suffering and danger these were the considerations that sent hin in search of her without a i thought of personal peril but with a sick alck heart and overwhelmed with a stilling stifling sense of anxiety moro more active than the paunch burdened detective ho he lind had sprinted down and back through the hallway ballway ol of the twenty second floor without discovering anything ere eie the police contingent had reached an agreement coment and the a tat r head there remained lemal ned two more floors two final flights A little hopelessly he swung swims up the first and as he did so the blackness above him was riven by a tongue of fire and a bullet singing past his head flattened itself with a vicious spat against the marble dado af 0 the walls instinctively he pulled up lip finger closing upon the trigger of hla his revolver flash and report followed the motion and a panel of ribbed glass in a door overhead was splintered and fell in clashing fragments all but drowning the sound of feet in flight upon the upper staircase A clamor of caution warning encouragement coura gement and advice broke out from tho the police below but maitland hardly heard already he was again in pursuit taking the steps two ata at a leap with a hand upon tile newel post he ha swung round on the twenty third floor and hurled himself toward the foot of the last flight A crash like a rifle shot rang out above and tor for a second he ha fancied that anisey had bad fired again and with a heavier weapon out but immediately lie he realized that the noise had been only tho the slamming of the door at tho the head of 0 the stairs the door whose glazed panel loomed above him shedding a diffused light to guide his footsteps its opalescent t surface lettered with the name 04 0 HENRY at BANNERA nAN NEUMAN IAN attorney counselor at adlaw law the door ot of the office whose threshold he had so u often crossed to meet a friend and adviser it war wait with a shock that he be comprehended this a thrill ut of wonder lie had all but forgotten gotten that bannerman owned on an office i in the building in the rush tho 5 I 1 dearest Dear dearest pst he said gently please dont run away from me again i urge of this wild adventure strange that anisey should have chosen it for the scene ot of his last stand strange and strangely fatal tor for the criminal crimin I 1 td for altland AI know that from this is eyrie there wasi was no means of 0 escape other than by the stairs well and goedl then they had the man and the thought was flashing in hla his mind illumining Illum ining the darkness ot of his despair with tho the hope that ho he would be ba able to force a word as to the girls whereabouts from the burglar ore ere the police arrived foot was on the upper step when a scream ot of mortal terror her loicel broke from within nall halt maddened he throw threw himself bodily against the door twisting the knob with frantic fingers that slipped upon its immovable polished surface the bolt had bad been shot ho he was barred out and with only tho the width ot of a mans hand between them the girl was in deathly peril and terror A sob that waa at the same time an oath rose to his lips named baffled be helpless pless he be tell fell back tears of rage star starting ng to his eyes her accents ringing in n his ears as terribly pitiful as the c cry of a lost and wandering son soul godt ho he mumbled incoherently and in desperation sent the pistol butt bilett crashing against the glass it was tough stubborn the first blow scarcely faced it As he redoubled his fits efforts to shatter it hickeys hand shot over his shoulder to aid him and with startling abruptness the barrier seemed t to 0 dissolve before their eyes the glass falling inward with a shrill abrill clatter quaintly with the effect of a picture pie cast by a cinematograph in a darkened auditorium there leaped upon maitlandt Malt Mait lands field of vision the picture of anasty standing at bay face drawn and tense lips curled back eyes lurid with de defiance flance and despair ile he stood poised upon the balls of his feet like a cat ready to spring in the doorway between the inner and outer offices lie ile raised his hand with an indescribably swift and vicious gesture and a flame seemed to blazo blaze out from his fingertips finger tips at the same instant hickeys weapon spat by Mal cheek the young man felt the hot furnace breath of it the burglar reeled as though from a tremendous alov blow ills his inflamed tea features were suddenly whitened and hs right arm dropped limply from the shoulder revolver falling from fingers involuntarily relaxing dickey covered him surrender ho he roared and fired again for anisey had gone to his knees reaching for the revolver with his uninjured arm the detectives second bullet winged through the doorway over AnI anistes head bead and bit through the outer window As anisey with 96 tremendous strain upon his falling failing powers struggled to ills his feet maitland Malt land catching the murderous gleam in the mans eye pulled trigger the burglars answering shot expended itself as harmlessly as Malt lands both went wide of their marks and of a sudden hickey hackey had drawn the bolt and the body of police be hind bind forced maitland Malt land pell mell into the room As aa he rm recovered ho he saw hicke hackey y hurling burling himself at the criminals throat one second too late tr true ue to his pledge ne never verto to be taken alive anisey hail had sent his last bullet crashing arashin g through hla his own skull A cry of horror and consternation forced itself from Malt lands throat the police halted each where 11 he stood transfixed anisey drew diew himself up with a trace of 0 pride in his pose smiled horribly put a hand mechanically to his lips and died heckey caught him as aa he be fell but maitland Malt land unheeding leaped over the body that had in life resembled him so BO fatally and entered bannerman Danner mans Is private office the gray girl lay at length in a carner corner of the room shielded from observation by one of the desks her eyes were closed her cheeks wore ware the hue of death the fair young head was pillowed billowed pill owed on one white and rounded forearm in an attitude of natural rest and the burnished hair its heavy colla slipping from their fastenings tumbled over her head and shoulders in shimmering glory like a splash of living flame with a low and bitter cry the young men dropped to his knees by her side in the outer office the police were assembled in excited conclave blind to all save sae the momentous fact of Ani anistes last supremely consistent act for the time Malt II altland land was utterly alone with his great and aching loneliness after a little while timidly he touched her hand band it lay upturned white slender fingers like exotic petals curling in upon the rosy hollow of her palm and it was soft and warm lie ho lifted it tenderly in both his own and so BO held it for a space brooding marveling at its perfection and inevitably he bent and touched it with ills lips as if their ardent contact would warm it to sentience the fingers tightened upon hla his own slowly surely and in the blinding joy of that moment he was made conscious of the ineffable sweetness of opening wondering eyes CHAPTER XVI recessional hm brumell brumm ll thus hickey the inopportunely ubiquitous lumbering hastily in from the other office and checking in an extreme of embarrassment in the middle of the floor maitland Malt land glanced over ills his shoulder and subduing a desire to flar flair the man alive released the girls hand 1 I say he observed wd carefully suppressing every vestige of emotion will you lend me a hand here bring a chair please and a glass of water the detec detective tIvo stumbled over nil his feet and brought the chair at the risk of his bis neck then he went away and returned with the water in the meantime the girl silently enough for all that her eyes were speaking with Malt lands assistance arose and seated herself you will have to stay heft a few he told her until er 1 I understand sho ab told atra la in a choking tonu tono hickey awk awkwardly warIly Jari landed ded her the glass slie she sipped tit echan lea I 1 y I 1 have a cab bolow continued JI Malt altland land and ill try to arrange it so that we e can get out of tile the build ing without having to force a way through the crowd she I 1 ian iced him with a glance theres 1 th freight elevator sug IlIc hickoy koy helpfully thank you Is there any tiling thing I 1 can do for you anything you wish continued Malt lind to the girl standing between her and the detec tive she lifted her face to his and shook her head very veri gently no so she breathed through trembling alp lips you youve auvo been but thero theio was a sob in her throat and she hung her head again not ot a word ordered Al altland Malt land sit here tor for a few minutes it if you can drink the water arid ali ah fix up your hat you know damn battin hickey why hy the devil did the fellow insist on hanging round sol set anti and I 1 will vill go and make arr ange ments th rh thank you whispered the small voice maitland Malt land hesitated i a moment then turned tinned upon hickey in sudden exas eias pe aeration ration ills manner was enough even aven the obtuse detective could not ignore it malllard Mal lland hid had no need to speak lit 11 im 1 in sorry sir lie ho said standing his ground manfully but with a trace more of respect in ills manner than iad had theretofore characterized it but ti ica uh gentleman uh your fren Banner hanserman Han nerman mans s outside nd wants tub speak tuh lull yeh tell him to excuse me ile he says lies hes gottuk abi set yeh it yell yeh dont don t come out hell ho 11 come after yeh I 1 thought yeh d ruther luther that a kindly thought or of malt tit land and relented ill be there in a minute he added hickey took an lim passive taco face to the doorway where whether or n not t with design he be stood precisely upon the threshold filling it with ills his burly a shoulders b 0 alders Malt lind bent again over the girl and took her hand band dearest lie he said gently please dona don t tun run away from TOO me again her eyes were brimming and he re read ad his answer in them quickly lt it was no time to hirry harry her emotions further but so much he had felt he roust say say lie he brushed her hand with his lips and joined hickey ickey fl thrusting tho the detective gently into the outer room with a not kunfi bendly hand upon his shoulder maitland Malt land closel closed the door mow see se here ho he said quietly and firmly you must help me arrange airanne to tb get this lady away without her becom ing identified with the case hickey im I 1 m in a position to say a good word for you in the right place she had positively nothing to do with anasty t this III Is so fir far as lie he could tell wa was 8 a as a black a lie as ho he had bad ever nj buted under the lash of necessity and theres there s a wad in it for the boys who help me out well the detective shift ed from one toot foot to the other eying him intently I 1 guess we can fix it freight elevator nd side entrance yeh have the cab walela nd ill go with the lady you ou under stand and assume all responsibility fly you can come round at your lour con vengence ven lence and arrange the details with me at ray my rooms since you sou will be so kind TO DO BG CONTINUED CONTI NUnU |