Show ll Af By UP ix MR WIL cN I By S ci AFI J tt JC y Rm AKOs ea Y THE RII AY WAY y I S BEGIN HERE TODAY S nope Hope Ran Ranger Hanser er 1 Is held prisoner In a sanitarium conducted by a group or of Dr criminals crIminal called the Combine Kelsey I Is detained In the same sam hospital because be flows of criminal dealings or of orthe tb the superintendent e DiV Dri S Hope and Je Kelsey lo Y escape In a acar car caT The two take refuge In an abandoned abandoned aban aban- housa o While I Kelsey sey sleeps Slope Hope hears Brie tows tow's voice and knows know that he has followed fol followed fol fol- lowed them Hope surrenders surrender to Brie Brie- tow and tells tella him that Kels b has ha s abandoned abandoned aban aban- her Bristow goes coes to o consult with his partner part part- ner Nurse Copley and with Alderman HiggIns the real head o or of the Combine Combine Com Corn bine Juarez Juares Cha Charlie II adventurer and friend of or Ranger Is following on a II motorcycle motorcycle mo mo- mo a clew leading to the sanita nun NOW GO ON OX WITh TUB THE STORY Higgins considered this but having neither 1 objection nor suggestion to offer offer of of- fer turned to another phase of the sit sit- a. a How w ab abut about ut this cockroach with the them m motorcycle he demanded What's he heup heup heup up to to since he got turned out of the 1 Sa Saving ng his hide I fancy He lIe knows enough to have a very ery wholesome re respect respect respect re- re for that message you ou sent Bent him They said he went to pieces pieces- badly badh when he saw It and he toll that this part of the country wouldn't see him soon I BrIstow thought a minute The Tho whole point Is this he said Bald finally What Juarez Charlie may know or suspect Is Immaterial we ve can take care of him if necessary But what he may have o told Ranger Is an another another another an- an other kettle of fish I hold thou though that every Indication points to his having said little or nothing Hobo Bill pondered this thoughtfully thoughtfully thoughtfully thought thought- fully rubbing his great protuberant knuckles Y You ou wan want t to be a Master Mind lIe He poured out a stream of obscene abuse What did you do when you that KelSey gettin an earful on you you If Id I'd Ida Ja a 30 been here hed he'd have made his hair curl Anita saw It was the only thing to do But you wouldn't listen to her You was running tl things You wanted to try an experiment and hardle the matter on smoother more scientific lines A nice mess your scientific sd handling has got us into He lie choked unable to go on His Ills face was purple his Is great sagging body shaking and quivering his arms beatIng beatIng beating beat- beat Ing on his chair Anita c Copley Cople was at his S side BendIng Bending Bend Bend- rc r roS ro Ing over r him sh she tried to quiet him Bristow stood aloof and very stiff The of subsided I gust gnat fury as suddenly sudden sudden- ly as it had d arisen Higgins I after I catching t ln his I Ib b breath la lay back In his i chair The purple slowly receded from his face and left It gray and Impassive once more Ills His hands ceased shaking and again rested motionless on the arms of his chair When he spoke at last it was in his usual grating monotone but the settled set tIed Impervious quiet of his hla voice was more alarming than his outburst of ot anger We Wo cant can't take no more chan chances s. s he ho said saM Well end this Hope Ranger Ranger Ranger Ran Ran- ger Job tonight You mean mean- Anita Copley asked sharply There Ther wont won't be n no such person tomorrow CHATTER One could l have heard a pin l drop o Oa dl Th There was dead e silence In t the room but it vibrated wih the crash of ot opposing wills n nAnita 0 Anita Copley had dropped drop her lids but the blItter of at her eyes showed beneath her lashes She was watching Bristow They were waiting for him HIggins Higgins Higgins Hig HIg- gins ready to negative e an anything he said Anita longing for him to expostulate expostulate expostulate ex ex- ex- ex postulate that she might have hav the tho satisfaction of deciding against him But even oven In this pass he took ook pleasure pleas pleas- ure In thwarting them In following thE tho opposite tack from the one they expected A Ah Extreme m measures measures' He Ire Heby that hat qUietly Implying by his tone decree Higgins ht had not given elven a final h but t had suggested an ext ex- ex t edlen which n was open f for tor discusSion dIscus dIscus- sIon i Well If f that is the only re- re I am for It ft But to gIve up I a struggle at thIs stage age to charge of so I promising an enterprise enter- enter prise as a dead loss loss- higgins higgins' wrinkled hand fumbled tumbled up to his chIn in He lie showed owed that In spite of 01 himself Bristow's arguments ments had h-d given him pause to think You talk alk like y yoU had ha-d something already up your fj sleeve he squint squint- eel l ghr shrewdly through roush his glasses I by recent Performances I I taint r babl I prObably F worth hell room But Ill I'll I lIsten What What's your bIg Idea Doc Spring It Bristow Bristow laughed deprecatingly I I YU You could fuld hardly dl dignify It b by r- r rnino nino- nino calling It I an idea ft Just a suggestion tion n that's h I tha a been floating around In my mind while weve we've been talking Its It's scarcely formed yet It will wUl take you jou ou to put It In shape s-hape and work put out omit the e details Bristow W paused the wing of ot an eyelash H and then plunged plunge My Mye idea Is return Hope Hopa Ra Ranger Hanger ger to her hr father e S' S SIt If It ho he had been seeking to create a dramatic he could not have succeeded ed better Miss Copley's lowered lowered lowered low low- ered lids sho shot up She expelled her breath brath in a gasp that sounded like a h hiss s Higgins reared back in his chair I stow BJ ignored d It It Suppose then h hs he was n-as talking working under cover and following our original plan of getting all we I can out of Ranger Hanger and then pU putting put pu- ting th the girl out of the way we weI 1 I I come bodIly Into the open open We noI notify notify no no- him that w we have reason to I suspect his daughter Is held here as asI asa asa I a pa patient lent We give him and his wife I the opportunity to identify and observe observe observe ob ob- ob- ob serve her bel But we do not let her hers s SG e or speak to them We explain that the shock might be ba disastrous rous In her present condition Meanwhile Meanwhile Mean Mean- while we are doing everything rean-I rean I possible for the gIrL girt We enlarge her privileges give her the ten ten- derest care distract her mind buoy ten I I up her spirits It and n eventually u cure her Dont Don't you H Imagine that it cg her parents will be so grateful that no fee I could name would wO seem e exorbitant More than that I Jean can easily convince convince con con- conI 1 I vince ince them hat that she will require prevent a recurrence of the neu- neu rosis Alderman we can capitalize that girl into an annual income Ill I'll occupy the position of ot family friend and benefactor with all the business and social opportunities that tha t the t term rm Implies All very ery nice Higgins ran his fingers through his straggling gray grav hair Got some points too But how the devil Doc Doe are you OU ever going o o e explain her bein here or square this up with your passin her off ort as sister r Oh that lIe Jle e examined his fin fin- Why Anita will simply have to disappear Go to Tokio or Buenos Ayres or some other charming place and enjoy herself Th Then n. n we can very Cry plausibly plausIbly- sa say that we were imposed on by bv one of ot our nurses who Introduced the dazed girl here as her sister elster Our suspicions bt became aroused but before before before be be- fore we could coul question the tIme nur nurse nure e she got frightened and took French leave We e can frame un up a suicide for to her If It Its It's necessary The rime Conley CODley womans woman's agitation which had been steadily rising sub- sub denly broke all bounds Sho She flung herself forward to face Bristow her herf f features contorted her eyes burning burn burn- ing So th that's ts t's your our beautiful scheme Is it It The low Ion restrained speech which she so carefully affected gave ave way to her natural shrillness Im to be the goa goat and shoulder er all an the blame am I I Im I'm to tobe tobe tobe be shunted out of th the way BO PO that you vou can carry on your I I I 1 I love affair Well not by a damn sight Harvey BrIstow I ought o to or order you dI I intO t a i st k He lie i l looked d at he her with cold scorn youre you're a candidate candidate candi candi- date for the violent ward with j your hysterical delusions Its It's all too absurd to answer Al Alderman I ask you he ap appealed appealed appealed ap- ap pealed o to o the old man who was it that first proposed this abduction Whose Idea was as it it We Ve all remember remember ber her the day Anita came home chuckling lIng because a a. salesgirl In a shop had mistaken her for Hope II Ran Ranger ger I Yes and you set right to work to see how you ou could do me andI and the Alderman I No o my dear I It was you who did that Do you think I haven't fathomed what Is in that warped calculating brain of ot yours yours yours' Loring I Ranger and his wife significantly significant sIgnificant- ly might soon oon die the die the weight wight of ot grief and all that tha Then you could appear as the missing daughter and lay claim to the estate The old man man man- scowling In his chair had bad listened keenly to their exchange of aspersions Now Tsow ow he seemed to weary of it and leaning leaI forward he banged down his fist S Shut up you two wo he ordered Weve had enough of ot this Ill I'll settie settle settle set set- tle tie what's to be done He glanced from one to the other reflecting What you'll do Anita he laid down his directions Is dress the Ranger girl in your our nurses nurse's clothes everything mind you shoes stockings and all while all while you get hers and take her place Then she passing off oft as you will go go out tonight on an automobile ride and have a fatal accident all smashed up beyond hope of ot Zion Ion Anita Copley will be dead and Verna Copley the crazy sister will be left on our hands with no relatives to look after her W Well We'll ll get In a new nurse that dont don't know of you to take care of ot other her but bu of ot course we cant can't keep a dependent girl in an expensive Joint like this And eo so In a da day o 0 or two we ship her ber off to a public asylum where she that she that is you youcan youcan youcan you you- can get well as soon as you please Then let Loring Ranger or or anybody any ny- body else snooping around here If it they want to There aint no to be he found out out She considered his eyeIng eye eye- Ing lug him doubtfully and then nodded d her assent Ill take it H on on she said but if it you vou two are double crossing me God help you Theres only one point that bothers bothers both both- ers era me Higgins debated we going to get this his girl out to the automobile so It looks like she goes willingly and of ot her own accord ac accord accord ac- ac cord Oh Ill I'll fix Ix that the woman woman promised Ill tell her she's going to drive with Dr Bristow She threw him hirni a glance lance venomously triumphant Shell go like a lamb lam b. b Continued tomorrow |