Show The Th e Case C ass se of O f the tho thoe e Author BY of SCOTT Below CAMPBELL the DeadLine Dead i Broad roe Street treet Holdup o u On 0 n the t h Trail T I of f Big 8 lg Finger P er The Doto Doctors Secret Smet etc ct f Copyrighted 1905 by Street d Smith en enI I It began with a fight between t between two men as wicked a combat for tor upward of five minutes as one could wish to witness The combatants were a named Coyle and a longshoreman oreman or stevedore named Kelly Keily neither man weighing less than two hundred and the battle waged by these two husky giants on the steps of the wide vesti vestibule vestibule bule buie of ot a large office building in Broad Broadstreet Broadstreet street one morning was one not easily checked Snarls and imprecations the crash of heavy blows the clamor of an ex excited excited cited crowd on the adjoining sidewalk and curbing the scurrying thither of ofa ofa ofa a throng of or men and boys bops who gath gathered gathered gathered ered like swarming bees at the scene of the th sanguinary conflict con these were Mr Felix Boyds introduction to this case Following his customary duties be below below below low the deadline Boyd was about crossing Broad street nearly within a atones stones tones throw of the stock exchange when hen the tumult fell feU upon his ears As Aslie Ashe Ashe he lie ran toward the scene of the dis disturbance dIsturbance disturbance he caught sight of ot the cen central central central office man Jimmie Coleman hurryIng hurrying hur hurrying down from Wall street t and a second glance over his shoulder re revealed revealed two policemen Just rounding the corner of ot Beaver street treet the first officers to put in an appearance since the fight be began belan can Upon reaching the tho outskirts of the crowd Boyd saw for the first time the real nature of the trouble Upon the broad flight lIght of ot marble steps then stained red with the blood of both the two men were fighting like demons raining blows upon one another that might have felled an ox and plunging from side to side of the tha broad vestibule vestibule vesti vestibule bule like oata oats bowed by a cyclone To come between them appeared to be all allones allones allones ones life lite would be worth so BO frantic and ferocious was the combat and the crowd in the street about the broad door of the tha deep corridor Into which the vestibule entered hung back from venturing to Interfere with anything more potent than shouts and cries of or orI disapproval I Though not at an all in his ordinary line of It duty It was not In Boyds nature to shrink from stopping such an af ar affray artray affray fray tray With an ugly light in his eyes he ho saw Kelly land an uppercut on the Jaw of the that lifted lilted the latter squarely from his feet and ad a d as Coyle fell crashing to the steps Boyd violently forced his way through the crowd at ut the tho same time crying sternly stern sternly ly Iy Make room hero room I say Will you let these ruffians batter each other to Jelly Give Jive me room you fellows Thus he forced his way to the tho ves vestibule vestibule vestibule steps up which he sprang Just Justas as Coyle regained his feet and started st In Sn to renew the conflict Boyd seized the burly from behind how however however however ever turning him roughly against the wall wan near by and commanding sharp sharply ly Cut this thia out you fellows I Stand away there stevedore or You get out yourself or the same will be yours interrupted Kelly fiercely thrusting Boyd aside Dont you ou mix In mister or Leave ave them to us Felix Fe ilL more In our line tine The last came from Coleman Colem n the central office man as Boyd was R pushed shed violently down the steps and anong among the crowd on the sidewalk As he re regained regained regained gained his balance he saw the two policemen dashing up the steps then the gleam of a pair of steel twisters deftly twirled around one of Kellys wrists while Coleman and the other officer seized the burly and quickly clapped him in irons Plainly enough the fight on the steps was ended yet the case as aa remarked in the opening had but Just begun For as Boyd elbowed himself from the throng on the sidewalk he heard fran frantic frantic frantic tic cries from two young men at the open window of an office in the same building The office was as one occupied by the firm of ot Gaston Dill Ranger bank bankers bankers bankers ers and brokers members of the stock exchange and long included In Felix Boyds list of clients The several windows of their office orrice were some eight feet teet above the sidewalk there be being beIng being ing basement offices below and that at which the two young men had ap appeared appeared appeared was some thirty feet teet from the main entrance of the building and the t e vestibule In which the th fight had oc occurred occurred occurred Nevertheless Boyd Bod quite plainly heard their frantic cries as well as the mention of his own name their voices rising shrill above the tumult in the street Help Robbery thieves Sir Mr Ir Boyd I Weve been robbed in here Stop the man in a slouch hat Weve been robbed J Were racked locked in locked in locked in here Mr lr Boyd Look Lookout Lookout Lookout out for a n man in a slouch hat haU Despite the general noise and con confusion confusion confusion fusion Boyd quickly took In the mean meaning meanIng meaning ing of their frantic cries and gestures For a moment only he paused to glance sharply at the scene in the vestibule with brows suddenly knit and eyes eyes be beginning beginning beginning ginning to glow Then he sprang up the steps again seizing Coleman by the theann arm ann and shouting sharply to one of the policemen Hold those two men Ryan Take them into the corridor and wait walt till I return Dont remove them mind you till I give you the word vord You Tou follow tollow me Jimmie This way this way Theres something back of ot this scrap In the vestibule The last was to Coleman only as they hastened into the broad corridor of the building and toward the office door of ot the firm mentioned As they ran Boyd caught sight si ht of the elevator some thirty feet feel away Just vanishing above the second floor Through the theiron theIron theiron iron grating of the car he caught only onla a momentary glimpse of the legs of a aman aman aman man who appeared to be the only oc occupant occupant occupant of the tha car and who Boyd then inferred was the man who habitually had charge of it His attention chiefly was claimed by two clerks excitedly gesticulating at atthe atthe atthe the door of the banking firm which was heavy walnut with a window Within was a small square entry ent separated from the main office by double o or much mutI lighter construction designed merely to mask the office front the gaze of persons in n the corridor The two clerks were violently shaking the e out outer outer outer er door having for several moments been striving vainly to make themselves them themselves themselves selves heard by the people In the cor corridor corridor corridor whose attention had been en entirely entirely entirely absorbed however by true dis disturbance disturbance disturbance in the street vestibule That door is locked Jimmie shout shouted shouted shouted ed Boyd as they approached I shall break the glass A desperate game of ot some sort has just been played and andI I must know of what It consists Stand back In there Stand back beyond the With gestures more than words he made his intention manifest and with the butt of his revolver the two clerks having haYing withdrawn as directed dir ted Boyd shivered with a single blow the heavy plate window the crash of breaking glass quickly bringing the throng at atthe atthe atthe the street door toward the scene of ot this new disturbance Through the tha broken window how however however however ever Boyd gave gave his entire nUre attention to toone toone toone one of the clerks by whom he was waa rec recognized recognized recognized and who hurriedly cried In fn Ingre great gre t excitement Weve been robbed Mr Boyd The whole office was held up by a man with witha a revolver He has cleaned out the safe of ot cash and bonds and has been gone barely a minute locking this door after him and confining all hands in inside Inside inside side Which way did he go asked Boyd sharply That way waya a man in black with a heavy hea beard and a slouch hat He escaped by the rear door of ot the build building building building ing perhaps or But Felix FeUx Boyd had swung around without waiting to hear more and his frowning eyes fell upon a man in a gray cap and uniform who was among the throng Just come from the street door Who Wh are you the elevator elev man he demanded in a way that caused the theother theother theother other to catch cat h his breath in his haste to reply i Yes Tes sir What are you doing here bere Did you JOU Jus just leave your car carNo carNo carNo No sir I 1 ran out to the street door when the fight began and enough snapped Boyd turning sharply to the clerk still at the office door What members of ot your firm are in there young man manNone manNone 1 None sir answered the clerk Mr Gaston is I at the tho exchange and Dill has gone to keep an appointment at atthe atthe atthe the Astor house Mr Ranger went out outto outto to lunch about ten minutes ago and only But Boyd again interrupted Telephone to Gaston at once and bring him over here Ryan hang on onto onto onto to those two men and bring them Into this office as soon as Gaston comes with the key l ey Ill return presently You Jimmie come with me Watch the elevator while I am upstairs and detain any man who comes down Here Hero my man are you the Janitor Much lluch of this was shouted over his shoulder while Boyd and Coleman were running toward the elevator well and the main maln stairway As they approach approached ed the latter a man came hurrying from the rear of the corridor to whom Boyds last question was curtly ad addressed addressed addressed dressed Yes sir I am How long have nave you been out yon yonder yonder yonder der between here and the rear door Some time sir Nearly five min minutes minutes minutes utes Id Say ay Has any ny man passed out of the building by that way y Not while I Iw was s out there Ive been sweeping the rear steps ste s all Watch the elevator Jimmie Ill sing out to you from above a little later With the last hurriedly called caned as he departed Boyd started at the top of his speed up the stairs mounting flight after flight three stairs at p ft n stride and glancing sharply into each ea h corridor through which he passed un until until until til he arrived at the eighth and upper floor of the building There panting for breath he discovered the elevator motionless and deserted at the closed door of the well All that had transpired as thus far depicted had occupied barely five min minutes minutes utes and Boyd flushed by his exer II and with an ominous fire m in his I dilated eyes eyes now shouted lustily down I the deep shaft and bade Coleman have the elevator man lower the car the lever of which Boyd was unable to I reach through the closed door and Join him on the top floor When Coleman came up he ha found Felix Boyd in a narrow offshoot of ot the corridor seated on the lower round of ofa a fixed ladder which led up to a tle or trapdoor opening upon the flat roof roaf of the building The scuttle was open and the midday sunlight was shed brightly down upon Boyd who then was engaged in studying a bank note which he had found on the floor His haste and ex excitement excitement excitement appeared to have haye abated however for tor he did not arise when Coleman approached merely remark ingAh ing Ah here you are JimmIe Ive been waiting for you Did you come up alone With the elevator man replied Coleman He has gone down again with the car carId carId carId Id have sent it down to you if I had not found the door guarding the well securely closed A curious fact too JImmie that Is That a 3 man in n headlong flight after at tei teia a robbery should have delayed to close both the elevator door and anI that guard Ing the well Coleman failed to see the real point but asked quickly Do you JOU think he came this way So it looks on the surface And escaped by way of the roof I found that scuttle slightly open replied Boyd with a rather quizzical smile Also this bank note on the floor back of the ladder l Theres no doubt of it then Cole Coleman Coleman Coleman man growled The thief must have dropped it when hurriedly mounting the ladder Why are arc you stopping here you been up on the roof roo Not yet et The dickens Felix Ive been waiting for tor you And possibly your delay has let the rascal escape Why in thunder you follow tollow him to the roof I never knew you to go lame at a time like this 12 It he heWell heVell heWell Well Vell go up there now Jimmie interrupted Boyd rising Perhaps you arc are right Theres a 3 mighty small chance of finding our man now frowned Cole Coleman Coleman Coleman man as they climbed the ladder and reached the roof It was still damp after a rain of the previous night and a sharp breeze was blowing Yet the broad expanse of roof root which was somewhat higher than those of the neighboring buildings pre pro presented presented only one object of interest inter st which immediately caught Colemans eye ce It was a n length l of stout line Jibe knotted securely around the base of a chimney then running over the edge of ot the roof TOOt and down to that of the next building some twelve feet teet below There you have It cried Coleman even more censoriously Your delay gave the scoundrel time to give you the slip sill You must have been close upon his heels The rascal went down this rope and through that scuttle on the roof root below By Jove It does look so JImmie admitted Boyd BOd a 8 bit dryly Look so echoed Coleman with a growl of disgust Felix it is so The knave had his way of escape all prepared It beat taking chances at the street door and he was lucky enough to find the elevator down and vacant All owing to that fight murmured Boyd with a curious twinkle lurking in his hla clear gray eyes The devil take him he may be a amile amile amile mile from here by this time added Coleman with obvious disapproval of Boyds conduct No one in that build Ing would have known of ot the robbery nor have had any occasion to detain him Im blessed If I dont think you hung fire in this case Felix to say the least We know so little of at the robbery ourselves JImmie that I think wed better hasten back and get the facts said Boyd Theres yet a chance of landing the rascaL I want a word with those two ruffians In Ryans keeping Do you think that they Stop a bit Jimmie Notice the roof around this trap door Very nearly dry eh Yet on the floor below and Just back of the ladders Jimmie where I found the crumpled bank note you will see a considerable spot still damp from a slight leak at or near this cornet cor corner corner ner net of the scuttle The water dripped down there during the rain of last night Well well what has that to do with the case Coleman Impatiently growl growled ed as they descended the ladder What In thunder can you make out of that Merely that the owners of the build building building ing in should repair the scuttle laughed Boyd quizzically as they started for forthe forth forthe the th elevator By the way Jimmie since I now nov think of It leave mf mt to handle this affair after we reach Gas Gastons Gastons Gastons tons office e Also kindly execute any Instructions I possibly may give you youVe We Ve yet may weave a a net around our man manTh There Th re was that in Boyds voice which caused the central office man to start slightly then stare intently at the th speakers forceful face He might as well have stared at the he ceil cell ceiling ceiling ing overhead II It was as twelve when the fight in the ve vestibule occurred and only fifteen minutes had bad |