Show l I 7 U I i j 11 m H I 1111 TH E B B L L. L A A C CK K GANG G A N G By Cyril Copyright by George McNeile H. H Doran Co C Continued from last Jast Sunday nd And he was just going to tell tel Phyllis what what he had decided when ho heard beard a a sound that killed the words woi on his lips A door had op opened ned below and mens men's voices J came floating up the stairs atair t Llo Lie down darlin darlng darling he breathed in n her ear and pretend to be asleep sl ep I Without a word wor word the she did as a he told toki her while Hugh Hush tiptoed over Js the door There There were steps coming up the stairs sulu and he flattened flattened himself against the wall wal waiting The period o Indecision Inde hide was passed unless he wavery was wa very much mistaken the time Ume of ver action acton bad had arrived arved How it I would pan out whether out out whether luck would be In or whether luck would tan sail was wae on the lap Jap of t tlc the gods god AU All he could do was to hit hard and If i necessary necee- necee sary ary hit bit often oren and a tingle of pure Joy la spread over him Even Een Phyllis Phyl lis Us was almost forgotten at the moment he had had room in his mind for tor one thought only the only the man whose steps he could hear coming along aloo the tho pasa passage o. o A. A There was only one of them he noted with wih a sigh of relief relief but but releC-but but butor or o r all al that silence would be e es cs- cs i It I would take time to find the kc Key it would take even en longer to set et Phyllis free and ld out of the house So there must be no of an alarm whatever happened hap hap- I r The steps paused outside outsidE the thedoor thedoor door and he heard a muttered i ejaculation In Italian It I was his own particular friend trend of the motor motor motor mo mo- moi i tor right enough and he grinned gently genty to himself Apparently he lie I Iwas was concerned over o er and It I suddenly dawned on Drummond i that It was s 's the absence from Crom duty I of oC the long armed bird that was was was' causing the surprise In the excitement ex ex- i I moment he had of the clement forgotten nil all nI about him and for forone forone I Ione one awful second his heart stood still still- BUl Suppose the Italian discovered discovered discovered I ered the bod body before he entered the room then the game was up with wih a. a R vengeance Once the alarm was wa given hed he'd have ha to run rn the gauntlet gaunt gaunt- let of oC the whole crowd over ground he lie didn't know T r But his fears fear were groundless th the of the watcher b by the door took the Italian the theother other way His first thought was wan wanto to make sure the tho girl was safe sate and he flung open ope the door and came cune In He gave ave a grunt nt of satisfaction tion ton as he saw law her lying on on the bed then like a spitting cat ca he I swung round as ns he lie felt fel Drummonds Drummond's Drum- Drum I mends monds hand on his shoulder E ersi muttered muttered mut mut- i Hugh pleasantly recalling I Ithe the only Italian words he he knew 1 Dlo lo mb stammered the oth other r with trembling lips Like most most I southerners he was superstitious and ad to be ft r was wan dangerous danger danger- ous to lean out of ot the window by bya a man whom he knew to be drowned was too much for him It was a a ghost it could be bt no nothing nothing nothing no- no thing else elM and hl his knees s suddenly sudden sudden- i ly hr y felt fel strangely weak You Tou didn't knew I was a ln linguist ling ling- did you continued Hush Hugh still sUI more pleasantly and with wih every ever ounce of weight In his body behind the blow he ha hit the Italian en on the tho point p fit f the Jaw Without a a. a sound the man crumpled up and pitched on his nis lace face I pitched on his nis lace face And now there was wa not a moment moment moment mo mo- ment to be lost lost At any moment one of his pals might come up- up upstairs upstairs up up- stairs stirs and everything d depended on speed and finding the key Hugh hut shut the door and locked It I then feverishly he started to search through the Italians Italian's pockets Ev Everything up to date had panned out ut so wonderfully that he re refused ye- ye fused to believe e beJe that lu- lu lutr was waR going to fall fal him now j Ind nd sure ure enough he discovered the HIE hunch bunch hunCh in 11 one of the mis Mf min's mins waistcoat pockets pocket p p tr erf I four of them and th p ie e tried ted was ws the rI right ht on r n 5 was free and ho he her heard b hs' hs ive C a aUtte little sob of oC pure ure You Tou perfectly wonderful hov boy she ehe and Hu Hurh Huch h Tinned Well WelI hurl floral e or fons t p f- f my angel anle hp hF r med red Just at the moment moment I o 1 ms a n pity not to replace you vou u wll h some one He heaved heaved the lt Italian 1 n on 1 tf o the bed and snapped p. p tb l brace bracelet let Jet on to his arm Th Than n hi hp hI slipped t the keys Into his own wn r ket M et od crossed to the winnow window The was wa still going on nn ePT ee d dIn In al any way dif different No H ht 1 came cae from tom the th room ronni t them thEm em everything lied had worked p than he be had dar dard dad d to hor ho hoT p H Fn FA t only 01 to lower tower Phyllis phymA ot of of f t P p window win in 1 dow and let tet lie be v i-v I to o n the he bed slower bed fower-bed and and ts tt tin n In him lm self After thit t I me 9 on v. v I Come alon d df- df i b ho p jM j- j M I urgently Tn 11 P W 0 lo pr you ou out first first thi f i T T io 0 A Ad 1 Once once nce were we're do o- o t t t to o otrice I J trice up your our r A i 1 f ir i v-n v p a a 1 tag across t 1 t V t v w j under cover o of f t tt- tt V I VA fu out of f t th no They n t IM vt Tt Tt was as just as Phyllis 1st pt go pd hp he hf saw SW her dart dar cro across the lawn that thit he hehe hehe hehe he heard head a noar r In the house below belo and men 3 came ame me pound nJ tip up tp the stairs There Tere were ere excited voices In the tte passage e outside and for tor a moment he ho hesitated what on rth had cau caused ed the alarm atar Then Ten realizing that this was as no notime notime time for guessing acrostics he vaulted over the 1 him him- 1 lf tt and lowered himself to the full fun of or hl his ar arms Then he too let r go And on nn to the flower bt bed helot below elo And f Jt St was 11 as ashe 11 he be was picking himself 1 tin un atory tor to following whom whom whom he he- be could p se faintly across the te lawn wain waiting for him th that t he heard beard someone Salone In fn the hn house nae shout an order In a a hoarse hoar e voice Switch Swich on the th power 1 nt st t nce once you damned fool switch It on at once once CHA CHAPTER XVI f fIn v In Which Th Haoen at May May- Halt HAi Hart Hati the Italian N 1 jp ft fv v es sooner a I mut V n n. n all an have h been wAll Pt A As f It was wal I pi af tt t th the very VET nt when whon Drum Drum- T onda b ow liv tnt c J hn on fh the flip point ont nf ot th jaw jw w Ith th m mh h matral jon mathematical mathe mathe- law hl han nf to operate elsewhere else plse- where here the te taw law of gravity some Rome thin fell feU from the pin onto to a afable t fable In the room mom below that ceiling cell ceil cel- cel fn ing even as in days gone by an i I i i I i I i I I I I i apple descended Into the eye ee of the discoverer of ot that law law The two men seated In the room below belo the ceiling In question queston failed to notice It i at first first They were not Interested In mathematics but they were interested In in their con con- One was the the red man of whom Phyllis had hod spoken the tho other was was-a a I nondescript type of ot Individual who looked hooked like hike an ordinary middle class clas professional manOur manOur man Our organization of cou course se has grown Immensely he was wa saying Our socialist Sunday schools schools' as ns you may kno know were started five ty-five years ago aso A A. very ver small smal be beginning beginning be- be ginning nW nd but the result now would stagger you And washy wishy-washy stuff was wa taught to start with lh too Now I think even you u would be satisfied Something splashed on the table beside him but he took no nu no no- tice Blasphemy of ot course course or coure or rather what the bourgeois call cal blasphemy my Is is Instilled at once We Yo teach them to fear feaT no God Cod we drive Into them each ech week that the I God is la merely a a weapon of ot the tho capitalist cap cap- class cass to keep leep them quiet and that If I It I had not that effect I they would see what a machine gun would do And It i is having Its Is effect Get at the children chil chU I dren has always been i my motto for they are the next generation They can bo like plastic I t clay their parents so often oten are ae I set In a groove We 0 preach class lus I hatred hatred and and nothing but class hat- hat red We Ve give them songs to sing sing sing- I songs with a real catchy tune There's Theres one ono very ver good one ono In w which the ch chorus rus goes Come worKers sing a rebel j I song a song of love and hate Of or love unto the lowly and of hatred to the great I He paused to tu let full tul effect of ot the sublime stanza sink in and again something splashed on to the table table I nodded his head head i ferent I admit its Is value my friend frend h hi he I remarked in a curious hURk husky whis whis- I per And in your country I suppose suppose sup sup- i pose you ou must go o slowly I fear my ray inclinations lead towards somo-I somo some some- rapid and and and er er drastic Sooner or I later hater the Bourgeoise must be exterminated ex cx- terminated All l the world over On that we are Agreed greed Why Why- not make makeI It I sooner as we did in Russia Tho Thio best treatment for any of ot the the capitalist capitalist cap cap- class is ISa a a bayonet in the stomach and a butt tutt on the head He lie smiled reminiscently a thin cruel smile smie and once again there came an unheeded splash I have heard it said remarked tho other othel man With Wih the faintest hesitation that you YOt yourself were responsible In Russia Russia for a good I many of them The smile grew more pronounced and ad cruel It I was I I. I m my friend who battered battered bat bat- out the brains of two members of ot the Arch Tyrants Tyrant's family Yes I I-I I I who sit here His voice rose to a sort of ot throaty shout and his eyes gle gleamed med You can guess who I 1 mean cant can't you Two girls muttered the other recoiling a little in spite pf pt hm- hm self I Two Two The foul TwO epithet went was staring stating fascinated at the table Holy Mother Moth Moth- ci er i what's tu that I ci er i what's tu that His companion swung round and every vestige of color left ler his face On the table was a big red pool and even as he watched it there came another splash and a big drop fell tel into It f. f j Blood he stammered and his lips were shaking Its Is blood And then he heat rd hea-rd the Russians Russian's voice low and tense Look nt at lt the ceiling man look at the tho ceiling o He stared upwards and anti gave a little cry of ot horror Slowly Spreading spread Spread- In ing over the white plaster was a great crimson stain whilst from a j crack in the middle the steady drip I I fell fel on to the table I I It was who J I himself recovered reco ered first he was more used I to o such sights than his companion usel Ther Theres S 'S been murder done he shouted hoarsely and dashed out of ot r the room Doors were flung open and a half halt dozen n men rushed upstairs up up- I stairs after him There was vas no doubt which the room was and headed by they crowded i in only in-only only to stop and stare at what lay fay fayon on the Ule floor 1001 Its the Greek Creek Is muttered one of them He Re was ivas guarding the girl And someone has bias severed the main I artery in his arm With Wih one a ac accord ac- ac cord they dashed across the passage passage pass pass- age to the room where Phyllis had been In a second the door was broken in In and they saw the un un- conscious Italian lying on the bed The Black Gang muttered I someone fearfully and I cursed cured him for tor Or a cowardly swine s j I And it I was his hoarse voice that 1 Drummond heard shouting voie I for the I t power to be switched wi ed on as he 1 turned tunel and darted across the lawn Completely Ignorant of ot what ha had l I taken place he was Just as Ignorant ignorant ant of at what was meant by Switching Switch Switch- ing on the power Hi His Hf one was ivas to get away with wih Phyllis A A. start meant everything and at the best he couldn't hope for tor a R I long ng one With Wih his arm ar through hers he urged her forward while be behind behind be- be hind him him he heard a confused contused shouting which gradually ly died away under the orders of ot someone who seemed to be in command And almost subconsciously subconsciously subconsciously he lie noticed that the thudding thudding thud thud- ding noise had ceased only th the faint humming of the engine broke the silence Suddenly In front of him he saw the fence which had caused him to wonder earlier earler In the evening It I was Just the same Bame In this part as it I had been In the other but he n concerned with wit speculations about it now The only thing heas he was as thankful for was that it H was wa easy to get through He was not five feet teet from It f when It I happened the happened the amazing and at the moment Inexplicable I thing For months after he used to wake watce In the night and He lie le sweating sweating sweat sweat- ing with wit horror at the nearness of the escape For it would have have been Phyllis who would have gone through first it would have been h Phyllis who who But But it i did happen happen- just jURt in time Ire Ife sa saw a dark shape dart across the open towards the I fence an animal carrying something in hi n its mouth It I reached reachEd the fence fenc and the next nex instant it i bounded an Incredible I height in the air only to fall fal backwards backwards backwards back back- wards onto the ground grund and lie lio motionless motionless mo mo- l almost at Drummonds Drummond's f f f-et f Pt It was so utterly unexpected th thai v I j he paused Instinctively and stared at It Jt It I was wai a n fox tox and the fowl towi I it had been carrying lay Jay a yard away It I lay Iny there rigid and motionless mo mo- and end completely bewildered he bent and touched It I. I only to draw drawback drawback drawback back his hand as if hed he'd been stung A e sharp stabbing 1 pain sot sot up UI his arm as if hed he'd had an electric shock shock and and suddenly he understood j and with wih a cry cr of fear he dragged Phyllis back Just jus in time The brain moves rapidly at times the Inherent connection of oC things takes place in a flash fash And the I words ho he ho had used to the Italian E B took him back to Switzerland where the phrase M is 11 written on every railway carriage carrage And in Switzerland you may see those heavy steel pylons with i curved d pointed hooks to prevent I people climbing up and red bands bands' painted with wih the words Danger de mart mort mort I Ivo wires there are aE at the th I Imort top carried on insulators Insulators even even as the fence wires were carried I through Insulators In the uprights Danger de mort And tho the fox had I been electrocuted That was what 1 the tho man had meant b by shouting for tor forthe forthe the power to be switched on And Andas Andos as os he stood there still clutching Phylliss Phyllis's arm and shaken for tor the moment out of ot his usual calm cam there came from the direction of the house the deep throated baying of ot ofa a big hound I What Is it I Hugh said Phyllis Phyllis' In tn an agonized whisper With Wih terrified eyes she was starIng staring star star- st Ing InS at the body of the fox tox stiff |