Show A gur ars BRASS ow MV X lauia osmam VAMON ake au suppose T p s that you aroused tonight by the stealthy presence of a masked pro prowler in your bedroom covered him with your pistol just as he was about bo to plunge a long knife between your ribs and ered he wits waa an old friend would you turn him ov over r to tile the police and prosecute him or would you assume he was crazy and have him rent cent to an asylum perhaps you will find an answer to such a lem in this installment previous installments told how hugh whitaker thinking he was about to die married an innocent girl to save her honor and left the country immediately five beare later he returned to new york healthy and wealthy and found the wife now a famous actress known as sara law engaged to marry drummond his old f friend she oho disappeared drummond supposedly as her previous lovers had done whitaker was assaulted in the dark and while recuperating at tho the country home of his file friend martin ert eider er discovered spies epics fought them and was helped by a charming and mysterious lou s young lady living nearby CHAPTER XI continued 13 ember pushed back bach hla his chair and rising strolled to the door arid and a line clear night lie ho said eald staring blaring through tile tho wire mesh of tile screen wish you were well enough to go riding with tile me however you wont bo be laid up tip long I 1 fancy arid and ill bo be back day titter after tomorrow now I 1 must cut along and within ten minutes whitaker board beard tho the motor car rumble off on the woodland rond road ile iio altogether sorry to bo be left to lila his own society hut but in spite eplite of hla his halfhearted half hearted irba uon tion and dissatisfaction tile weariness of a long full day was so BO heavy upon him that lie ho went to sleep almost be foru fore sum F fat at had finished making him blin comfortable E extinguishing tho the candle tho the chinaman moving with tile tho silent assurance of a cat in tho the dark closed and latched the iho shutters then sat down just out side the living room door to watt wait and watch sleeplessly alert an hour passed lit in silence and another and yet another sum bunt fat sat in tire shadow wa which itch blended so BO perfectly with willi ain lark dark blue ellk garments as to render him almost in ill distinguishable ft ligaro as patient and imperturbable as any bland stout graven god of his lils religion but lit in time thero there fell upon his cars another sound to which lio lie stirred it 1 imperceptibly drawing himself tensing find and flexing his tired muscles ills his eyes shifted quickly from one quarter to another of the darkened living room and alio still moro more dark bedchamber and yet apparently all that had roused him film was the drowsy whistle of a whippoorwill then with no other presage a n shadow flitted flirted past one of tile tho side windows and in another reappeared more substantially on the vern veranda rida slim pat grow grew altogether tense li ills gazo fixed and exclusively focused upon that apparition cautiously noiselessly edging inch by inch across tho veranda the man approached tile the door it was open A full long minute elapsed aven sum pat fat held his breath throughout that interminable at length reassured the man slipped into tho the room another ini manuto no sound pound detectable moro more untoward than that of steady respiration in tho the bedroom with a movement all aa swift and as the swoop of a vulture tho the man sprang toward tile tho bedroom door leaping front from a sitting bitting position willi a bound eliat was waa little less than a flight through tho the air tho the chinaman caught him balf halfway way there follower followed a s hrick a heavy fall that shook the bungalow the lie report of 0 a revolver sounds of scuffling whitaker half dazed found himself standing in tho the doorway regardless of his bis injury ile iio saw as ono one who dreams and yot yet la Is conscious that lie ho does docs but dream ember lighting candles applying tho the name flaque of a taper to ono one after another as lie ho mado made a round of the ho sconces scon ces sum pat fat was kneeling on nil all fours above something that breathed heavily and struggled without avail whitakers sleep numbed faculties cleared Ember Em berJ lio lie cried what in the name damo of all things ember throw threw him ft a flickering pratte oh there you tire oral lie ho said bald cheerfully ivo pot got something interesting to show allow you sum pat ho stooped and picked up a revolver pyou you may lot lct lc t now if you think ito hoa tafe 1100 safe enough sum fat rose roko grin ning had fillad plenty lie he mounted guard beside the door vor for on an instant lis bla captive seemed reluctant to rise ember moved to its bla aldo and stood over him balancing the revolver in ill hla palm come lie ho said impatiently up with you 11 I 1 the man sat up is as if galvanized by fear got moro more slowly to ills his knees then grasping grasp lm tile edge of thy tho table dragged himself hi laboriously to a standing ing position t ahl takers J jiw tw dro dropped aped and lifs hs eyes with wonder and pity ile he gouldh deny the ama yet lie he found it hard to believe that this quivering shaken creature with lila its lonn icon arid pasty face anal desperate desp orate glaring eyes cyca this roan mail in rough stained soiled and shapeless garments cougil bo be identical with willi tile tho well vot sot up prosperous and confident man of affairs lie ho demoin bored us its drummond and yet thy they were ono one appalling to contemplate the devastating course of moral degeneration that had spread like gan greno through all tile man mans physical und montal fiber take a good look ember advised grint grimly ly illow how about that pet guyt tiling thing now what price the astute sleuth ell eh perhaps like alko to ako take a n few more funny cracks nt at my iny simple falth lit in hallucinations 1 I had a W notion hod ii hanging around limber ember went vent on 1 I thought I 1 saw somebody hiding lit in tile tho woods wooda this afternoon arid then I 1 was waa sure burn I 1 saw him skulking round tho the edges of tho the clearing after dinner di tuter so bo I 1 set act sum built fat to watch drove back to the village to mislead him left luy cur car thoro there and walked back and sure donough 1 1 without comment whitaker unable to stand any longer without discomfort hobbled to a chair abd sat but down well livrsh ly in fit ft a snarl now that youve got ine you going to 10 do with me there was a high dyste hysterical cat accent in ills his voice that struck unpleasantly on it embers ear car lie ho cooked cocked lila his licad head to ono one side studying tile man intently drummond flung himself a step away from the table able paused and aguin faced ills his captors with bravado vall Vc ll tie ho cried again well danber nodded toward whitaker ask him lio lie said Nr lefly whitaker shook lils licad head it was difficult to how to deal willi tills this trapped tripped animal so BO wildly different from tho the cultivated gentleman lie ho always biad lit in mind when lio lie thought of drummond the futility of attempting to leal with him according to anny y codo code recognized by men of honor was wretchedly apparent drummond lio lie said slowly 1 I wish to god you dono done this thing drummond laughed discordantly keep your mealy mouthed ed compassion retorted for yourself lio ito retorted su edw allig whitaker aavo a gesture ot 01 despair if only been content to keep out of tile tho way i I 1 it if only lot let mo me alone alono 1 I then you lot let sara sar a law lav alone ayou hear tile interruption was short of it shriek ember motioned to sum bum rat pat who alio quietly drew nearer 1 I swear I 1 dont know what to do or suy say then shut up bo be about all ember interposed quietly at a t glance from sum bum lent fat closed in swiftly antl caught und pinioned Drum drummonds arms from behind A dip gusting change took lu lri drummnond Dru in an instant ho he was struggling screaming slavering his faco face congested eyes staling features working wildly na as lio lie turned and twisted in hla his efforts to freo free himself sum vat pat held him na as lio lie would havo held an unruly child when a bronk brenk in drum ino motifs lids ravings came at length together with a gradual weakening of the mans struggles the detective turned to whit liker sorry lie ho said bald 1 I dare take any further chances hed hn laivo 0 been nt at your throat threat in another minute it as if we had simply tin nn everyday crook to deal with willi ember went on approaching tho the man inan bios not to bo be trusted or reasoned with iles just short of a raving or I 1 miss my guess with a quick movement lie cau drummonds left oft arm pulled tho eve of hla his coat buck back to the iho elbow unbuttoned and turned back its ills cuff bimm yes ito ho continued bending oyer to inspect tile tho exposed forearm in spite of drummonds Drummond fl efforts to twist away ideally work of tho the buy little needle good lord hes bos fairly riddled with punctures puncture lP that explains whitaker ex mut guttero terO sickened it explains a lot ember readjust 4 ed cd tho the sleeve and turned a way away and it shows us our oui path of duty clear he be continued despite interruptions intel from the drug dead flond 1 I think ra a nice alco little sojourn in a sanatorium what hight whitaker agreed relieved well see eco what a curo cure does doea for him before wo we indulge lit criminal proceed proceeds ings shall we wol ny by all menns means 11 good ember glanced nt at lila his watch ill haw have to hurry along biow mu lt bo be in town not later lhnn nine tills this morning ril ill take him with tile inc no no dont worry I 1 can handle him easily its a bit of a walk to tile tho village lage but that will only help to quiet filin down ill bo be back tomorrow meanwhile bo be able to adeep soundly unless ile iio chocked checked frowning thoughtfully ot hileas what ember jerked his head to indicator 09 tile prisoner of course this by any chance tile the follow fellow you mixed it up with over on lie ho beuch and so forth V 1 nothing like him queer I 1 cant find any trace or of him tho other one nor can I 1 account for him ile ho seem hicom to fat t in anywhere However ble hla expression ligh tencil 1 I daresay you were right lies hoa probably only some idle light fingered prowler id keep my eyes open for him film but I 1 dont really bellert you need worry much I 1 within ten tell nit minutes lie ho was oft off on hla his lonely tramp through two miles of woodland and na its many moro more of little traveled country nt at dead of night with a lit in handcuffs hund cuda for sole eolo con co n pliny pany CHAPTER XII onshore offshore you nak ask mo me I 1 think very excellent quick cure sum still fat fen tenderly derly adjusted tile can ans braco brace and then with care inserted tho the toot foot in a high cut canvas tennis shoo lie ito stood up beaming with will benevolent lit interest you anko it easy ono one day or two no walk much just loaf 7 no go pretty ladles I 1 luo go way you go clean your teeth I 1 cried whitaker indignantly 00 11 rind and I 1 think bo be nil all well and bolind 11 concluded sum guru fat ile iio waddled away chuckling whit whir aker got up and willi tho the ald aid of a cano nindo a number of tentative expert merits menta in short 0 aam 0 the chinaman caught him half way vay tile results highly satisfactory lio ito felt little or no pain on oil tile tho other liand land lio lie felt tho the advice to which ho had find just listened was sound bound it would bo be unwise to attempt ti it neighborly call within tit at least another twenty four hours lie resumed sinned re his chair on tho the veranda and sighed it was into afternoon and lie ho was waa lonely ito iio inclined to sulks tho elie trouble rouble with him was ho he began I 1 to realize that lie ho lina had lived too longn longa longi I 1 hermit for six years lie had bet n practically isolated and cut oft off trofa from tile lio letter better linof of existence femininity had formed no factor in file fats cosmos cosmia cos moa hut but now of a sudden lio lie lind been granted a flash of into tho the truo true significance of companionship between betwee ni it i man end and a woman who had something in common aside from comma tilty in their generation not two hours houra altogether of such intercourse had been its his but it had been eno enough to lit in fuso fuse alt all its ills consciousness with a laitio but irking discontent ile iio lind had lashed himself into a very re ablo fran transport sport of resentful rago rage when chancing to lift his its eyes from their absorbed study of tho the plant blonks composing tho the veranda floor lio discovered a motch bont boat at the landing stage at once n cuillo of childlike displaced tile the scowl tho the woman mado made the little vessel fast and turning tu came swinging up tile ho gentle to tho file veranda enso and strength and joy of living inherent lit in every flowing movement no imaginable consideration however selfish could have kept whitacre fqy longer in his choir U 5 6 what do you think was wa drum monds purpose in killing whit aker Is ie there any connection between miss biske and drum mond mend i TO ito ra IA |