Show NtA SERVICE INC fl Ems TODAY Sir sir- Charle Charles don asks ask Paul Harley Har Har- ley criminal criminal to find out by why Sir l C Charles Is kept ep In t fur sur- t fia fial fiao o by unknown n to him Harley HUle dines at M the the homo home JI sit fr Charles tall falls Crom rom ht his chair char In a words worda condition dons don's last lut NIcoL Brinn and Fire Tongue pronounces death du duo due to lo- rh e Harley Y Insists that thai Sir bir r. r was pot poisoned OI 1 01 goes fOO to call on on Nicol Dritto clubman Brinn receives his hla hisler ler er cordially but refuses to tell him ct b. b o Firc Brinn 5 l cba when Harley warns warna him that he ha J f Dds In pe-ll pe of his hi lit Ilta and that ht he w welcomes i n. n diversion OW GO co OS ON WITh TIlE THE rl You are out after one of ot the Dig og Digi i r fads of the crook world he said 7 knows it and hes he's trailing you j 1 lucks luck's turned How can I help larley HarJey stood U up facing Mr Ir Brinn 4 lIe He knows knowe It It as ac you say he re re- re plied and I hold my life Ufe in my Y bands But from your our answer t to te the question which I have come here to- to night to oak nak you ou I shall conclude whether or not your our danger at the moment Is greater than mine Good said eaid Nicol Brinn My question Is 15 simple but stran strange e. e said Paul Harley It Is this What do you ou know v of Tongue Fire CHAPTER V. V The Gates of Hell If It Paul Harley had counted upon Tongue Fire to have ef effect ct- ct feet fact upon Nicot Nicol Brinn Br he was not disappointed ted Tongue lire he said tensely tensel following following fol fol- lowing a fI a short silence For Gods God's I sake when did you sou ou hear that word WOld I heard It It replied Harley slowly tonight H He fixed his raze gaze Intently upon the sallow face of the American It r was es spoken r by Sir I tc Charles f Abing- Abing ton ton Sir Charles Abington echoed Brinn and In what way is 18 It connected connected connected con con- with your case case It In this way answered Harley was spoken by Sir Charles a few moI moments moments mo mo- I ments before he died Nicol Inns Brinn's drooping lids flickered i rapidly Before he died Then Sir Charles A Abington f is se sed d dead g f 1 When did i he ho die He died tonight and the last words he ho uttered were wee tongue Fire He paused never for tor a moment removing that fixed gaze from tho the others other's face tace Go on prompted Mr Brinn And Nicol Brinn Nicol stood still as a t carven earven man iian Indeed only by an added rig rig- ditty In his pose did he reward Paul Harleys intense scrutiny A silence charged with drama was finally broken brok en by the tho American Mr 1 Harley he said you told me that you ou were up against the big proposition of your career leer You are right With that h he sat down don in an armchair arm- arm chair and resting his chin in his hand gazed fixedly into tho the empty grate Glo o me tho the whole tory said Mr Brinn right from the begin begin- ning He 10 looked up Do you jou Know uS what you have done n tonight g t Mr Harley Paul Harley shook his head Swiftly like the tho touch of ot an icy finger that warning note o of ot danger had reached him again Ill Til tell teU you continued BrInn You have opened the gates of hell Not another word did ho speak while a Paul I Hartley pacing slowly O u up and n i down before the tho hearth rt gave e him l a plain account of ot the case omitting all aU reference ef ence to his personal suspicions aTIlt and to the measures which he had taken to confirm them You think he was murdered said Brinn In his high toneless voice I 1 have havo formed no definite opinion What is your own o I may not look it It replied BrInn I but at this present resent moment I am am tho the most hopelessly puzzled and badly frightened man In tn London He half turned In the big chair to face tace his Is visitor who now was standIng standing standing stand stand- ing before the fireplace staring down dowa at him I Ono day last month he ho re resumed re re- I r got out of ot my car in a big hurry at tho top of ot the Haymarket A fool on a motorcycle passed between the car and the sidewalk Just as I stepped down and I Im knew w nothing further until I woke up in a a. drug store close by feeling very dazed and with my coat in tatters and my left arm numbed from the elbow A m man was standing watching me me and and- presently when I had pulled round he gave me mehi hi his card r Ho He was seas Sir Charles Chari Abington who had been passing at the tho time of ot the accident That was vas how I met him and as as there was nothing seriously wrong with me I saw him no more professionally But he dined with me mea a week later and I had lunch at his cl club a about kte a fortnight r ago He looked up at Harley On On my i solemn word 0 of or honor he said all I know about Sir Size Charles Abingdon Then I can only suppose resumed Harley deliberately that the cause of or your fear lines in the term Fire r ngue n again rested his chin in his L n staring fixedly into the grate I Mr 11 1 Harley he began abruptly you ou have been perfectly frank with me me and in return I IVi Vi wish h to be as frank with you as I can be I tam am face tace to face with a thing that has haunted r me 1110 for fOD seven years rears and every step I take from now w onward has to be considered con- con carefully for any step might Ij he ic my last And that's not the worst of ot the matter I will risk one of ot those steps here bere and now You Xou asked aked mo mao moto of ot Fire Fire- to explain the significance Tongue there was sas a a perceptible pause before he pronounced th the word i Harley duly noticed t 1 am going going go go- It l 1 ing to o tell you 0 that Sir Charles I AbIngdon Ab- Ab Ingdon when I lunched with him at athis athis athis his club asked me mo precisely the same thing What He lIe asked you OU that so long longas as two weeks weel ago He did And what reason reon did cUd he give for forhia his hia inquiry Nicol BrInn began to tap the fender again with ihs foot He referred to an experience which had befallen him in India came Nicol Ni Nicol Nicol Ni Ni- col Brinn's belated reply I In India May I ask you to recount t that t experience Mr Harley Harle replied Brinn su su- su J- J deply up I cant can't You cant can't I ha hae ye e ai ud 1 so o But U Id I'd give a lot more more- than believe to know that Abingdon had told you ou the story he told me You are not helping Mr Brinn said Harley sternly I 1 1 believe and I think that you share my ray belief that Sir Charles Abingdon did not die from natural causes You al' al are repressing v valuable evidence Allow nta ma to remind you that If anything should come to light necessitating a a. post mortem examination examination examination ex ex- ex- ex of ot the body you will be forced to divulge in a court of Justice the facts which you refuse to divulge to me I know It it said Brinn Brian shortly He lie shot ou out one long arm and grasped Harle s 's shoulder as In a vice 1111 counted a wealthy man he continued but Id I'd give every cent I possess to see paid put to the bill of a certain person Listen You dont don't think I was in any way concerned concerned concerned con con- In the death of ot Sir Charles Abingdon it isn't thinkable But you do think Im I'm in of facts which would help you find out who is Youre You're right Good Go God cried Harley Barley Yet you remain silent Not so loud not loud not so loud implored Brinn repeating that odd almost furtiVe fur fur- tiVe tite glance around Mr 11 1 Harley you Harley you know me Youve You've heard of me and now youve you've met me rae Youve You've heard my place In the world Do you believe me when I shy say that from froths 1 this h moment O nII nI ih onward I dont don't trust u t my own servants servants servants' ser ser- Not my own friends friends' He re removed removed removed re- re moved his grip from Harleys Harley's shoulder der Inanimate things look like enemies ene ene- mies That mummy over yonder onder may have ears Im afraid I dont don't altogether understand un un- you See here Nicol Brinn crossed to a a. bureau unlocked it It and while Harley watched him curiously sought among a number num num- ber her of press cuttings Presently he found th the cutting for which he was looking This was said he explained handing th the tho slip to Harley at the Players ers ers ers' club In New York Yoa after a big dinner Jn n pre-dry pre days It was said in confidence But some disguised i im importer porter had got In and it came out U in print next morning Read it Paul Harley accepted the cutting and read the following NICOL BRINN'S SECRET AMBITIONS AMBITIONS AMBI IBI 1 Millionaire alre Wl Sportsman Who O Wants to Shoot Niagara Mr Nicol Brian Brinn of or Cincinnati who Is at present in New York opened his heart to members of ot the Players' Players club l last st st. night Our pI prominent citizen citizen citizen citi citi- citi- citi zen responding to a toast The uThe DIstinguished Distinguish Dis DIs- Visitor tor said Id like to live through months ol ci midnight frozen in among the polar Ice Id I'd like to cross Africa from east to west said jid get lost in the middle Id I'd like to have a Montana Montana- Mont sheriffs sheriff's posse on my heels for horse ste stealing ling andl and l Ive I've prayed to be n a desert r seg eg en enI island Robinson like b s CrusoS Cruso'S t to see iiI if ii I am am man enough to live it out I 1 want t tb stand my trial for murder and d own case and 4 I want to be found by the h eunuchs U sa in the harem e ethe of the Shah I want to dive for pearls and scale the I want to know where the tunnel leads t to the to the tunnel down under th the Gr Great at p Pyramid of and and Id I'd love to shoot Niagara Niagara Niagara Ni Ni- agara Falls in a barrel Ii It sounds characteristic murmured murmured murmured mur mur- Harley Harle la laying the slip on the com coffee e table Its true declared Brian Brinn I said It it and I meant it Im I'm Ima a glutton for danger Mr Harley and ana Im I'm going to tell you why Something happened to tome tome tomo me mo seven years ago ago ago- J In n Ind India Iodia la In India Correct Something happened happened happened hap hap- pene-d pene to me me sir which Just took tool the tho sunshine out of life At th the time I didn't know all aU it meant Ive I've learned since For seven years I have been flirting with death arid hoping to fall faU Harley stared at him More than ever I fall fail to understand Nicol Brinn dropped his chin into his hand haM and resumed that unseeing stare star into the open grate Paul Harley Harley Har Har- ley icy watched him Intently Continued tomorrow |