| Show OUT A i 1 BE 11 ESS I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 9 C J dutton a I 1 I 1 I 1 1912 aj and co ir C 1 I 1 t CHAPTER ijohn I john bartley tUy noted crim mr 1 0 gator recently re from froin bart t serpico work burink the war is 1 aked by br ur the iro vernor of new york to to a 11 mysterious royter loue lous attempted rob 0 the tto Rab lirt horn low at circle lax laxa a aar far saratoga 11 circum a ot of the th mao bartley and he b adopt ae opt tso CHAPTER IL alth his friend pelt bantit or kota to circle lk ur the pair ag the th guests of bob currie an a eld frieada the three allt the th ayko icyk bono wyk 1 resents harveya HarU eya eo 08 abiff say altae tax ho he Is satiated the two aa rim on for ur the attempted robbery wore barbey is i not next mom ing kyko te f aund doad 4 ad te to ba if hot AOL lil ui potter ehg U do deab wistar in law ur the village police chloc roche and na alm ilm th family n do boer kinc king ul oil abreo illyne kt kaled h hin lf but blat insists be he wai was murdered burdt fred myke bruy g finds ahat after ft card party he h had alven wa wax st et on an the th tower oc ur the h hou Us urto cwm and ail placed in bed D durlon alair hie his boce from the room someone removes k be fron fro band hand V pelt starts out to a tutor tw ur the member members of the card party ili lt to hia surp riso that had W ako brokers to ends oyid oges that to jail for attempted robbery of ke jink at the present moment every wa takes place on soa 74 io i o M lid ill J he said youre hearing thina tate late te Is or our bu blaness bael aness Bees I 1 want to knew know abt IL car ie la doing in thae wood woods at nate time of at sight oh c rik same aa it the rest of you am catie responded a beaution from bartley nt mot to adre aay ww noise we left the road and efel lf el the tb weeds woods it was wa lacky lucky for or va that there were net not many vines or sunk h or we should not luite aton very far there waa was no amk aed and we fell over stumps aad and broken braches bra achee aad and bumped loto lato kw fae at every step bortley bartley had a peeked with libe bet but he ut dm rom sot to aae it it oace once or twee cheh theu ete he be did gash it tor for a V so that we conid could the vises 1 that bad theoe thon elree wres around oer our beet feet we had xit 1 heard the motor for divka when a car ak e eddeath edd eaty oat out of the dark waw me ahead of ot us e that we almost fell ever it IL it was a great track truck loaded with small fiall cases its top a mrk darker i thus the bight night we made mf ev the figures of two men while a third itself from the glemb la in froat of the ear ar with ith a oath and climbed to the addreen 1 afat bat the car started cpr ward with a inage along the me road if it it X cerald could U celled that had been aade made by telling trees and leaving 4 their stumps still standing the driver mut have bave been familiar with 1 14 it for or ao no one who wag was not could ave drivear that track truck over it without USA 11 11 want to get the number bartley an tt it lurched bead be he cret crept softly up behind the slowly 1 car for por the niest part et at a second I 1 flaw saw the afif flash ab of hie him HAL the text he waa was back bick at oar our mio hj 1 side there in 1 no license plate oa an the ear theres something caw there come along I 1 i aa As the track lurching from adde to alde side waa was lacot going faster than three maes aa an how bour we had so difficulty in krefft RP p with it we had followed X fer r perhaps five minutes tol whee when it out ed bud deely deRly onto the road that carrie aid said led to house here dote jl pauw the motor rubbing running softly we wept clew ad heard beard a voice say aeu jim herve to luck we WM teake a nm ef of it k jet just at ahto noise t carrie currie tripped evee a root tie lie tried to save t k subbed ataw ana arm aimed and aud went 2 iwae te we grousd wk a loud crash ae an 40 e nd bartl bartley ey jerked ae nia to one ride aide 4 kv and threw throw me orf roy my face the bound sound of curries Currl cs tall fall was like a young CA earthquake rth quake and did not escape those oo 00 the truck As I 1 wa down if I aw ono one ot of the wen tura and alre the next second gaining speed with every foot the truck shot down the road with the truck gone wo we no longer needed to bide we roe rose and rushed to currie to see if he were shot am bar dares a om light flashed over bias hint we discovered that he was sitting up and swearing to himself ma 1 face was covered with dirt and one eye was to tura turn black bat but be he was oth otherwise erwine unhurt john be he demanded what the devil made that tire exploder that was wax not a ti Ure Bob someone on the truck beard board you as you fell an and d took a ahot allot at you took a shot at iter cried currie la in utter disbelief my 0 G why 7 hartley bartley helped him to hie his feet and brushed the dirt from his bla clothes before he fie answered its a darned good thing they mined you those mer on top of the boxes bases wore were there to protect them I 1 what was in then them bartley was anxious to learn what that truck was doing in the woods and why the men on it were so deter rained mined that no cao ono should know what they were carrying that they their were willing to tire upon anyone who in aa As we followed the tracks with the aid of 0 bartlene Bart leye lis pocket torch ire baw that the wheel wheels had bad sunk aunt a mot loto into the eod ln places and that wore than one heavily loaded truck had kind passed this ay we followed the road for about half a mile before it 11 ended in a clearing a of an acre square bartley the four aides sides of iha clearing carefully before he came back to u us and said in a voice that sounded strange la in the the read ends here I 1 ibave bave an idea that urie we Is in where they got their lead carte had been through the darkness as the flashes lashes of dart bart leys IWO light shot between the trees 1 havea bayer fool idea john 11 he said slowly that I 1 know where whom we awl are 1 you tou dor came the eager response oase yes if it I 1 am not nila mistaken taken we are within a hundred yards of the old cemetery that Is on ground it must roust be over a ix hundred years old and was founded by the early settled several years ago showed ae MO the place we bad the devil of a time rach lag it for there was no path to it IL all there thero Is left of it Is an old vault and half a dozen stumbling tombstones I 1 was unable to see a Bart lers face but his voice votes was eager A vault I 1 what be asked naked why my replied currie just a 19 vault one of those things dug into the side of a hill bill ahem deab boales are arb placed if I 1 am tight right there them to is a small hill only a few yards etow here e bartley turned and ard flashing his kw light on the ground moved it slowly back and forth as an he advanced Us reamed and beat bent to examine eine the 1 I guess I 1 lieve lt it he be call called ed to SL hero here are footprints without us time to exalia examine lne cheva be he went deeper deever into the woods and we followed some fifty feet frothi the clearing the little pah path we were werd on ended abruptly la in a small gli mound its your vault currle said add bartley ill his light rested OB cm the massive wooden door of an am old fashioned burial vault ault dug out of t the h a hillside and fastened securely by a large lockas hartley examined 14 it be he gave a little whistle well currle currie that may be an old vault and an old door but the lock on it Is rao modern dern it has bas been placed there within a short abort time I 1 am going to open it with a thin pince piece of wire and a bit of or stew bartley picked the lock thea then flung the door open and turned his into tho the darkness within I 1 think that currle currie and myself both held our breath as the light swept back and forth over the walls and floor it disclosed nothing more startling aling than thud a at of boxes similar to those wo we had seen sew oa cat the truck piled one on the other against the walh walls it was lala enough where the load had been gotten bartley Martl ky lede way in and closed the door va m once more he swept the vault with his torch and this time we WO noticed a lantern on a box and imd lit it athe he vault tault was about twenty five feet long and had been dug fitol the side of the hill but the ides ana roof were of stone along the walls Us were niches for tor coffins and these them were piled high and the floor as well with of small alval a boxes bm the fiame same of the lavatera flickered la in a draft and queer shadows danced on the walls want while Is i duety earthy smell amell rose half it was not the most roost pleas e r t A r be 1 nut bartley scein to boated nit it lie fie stood la in mo lio center of the 11 floer oar glancing n round the vault with esch ch an anile that I 1 know knew that soW ethIna lind pi pleased eusel him particularly cu suddenly lie went to t 0 uio nearest bos box ripped off tho tile cover and drew ont n bottle bo tl wo ive crowded around hire him he ht removed rel noved the thle paper and dax 11 the label of ft well known hrand of Itu imported ported whisky flints Tl ll ints int what I 1 expected hartley commented we know now what was k that what I 1 expected Expect td barley barger commented oo 00 tant truck captain lowe wont have to hunt any longer for the place where they hide smuggled whisky he ile made a careful search of the vault the bobee lined the walls to a height beight of 0 six feet on all eldee A few cigarette stubs on the dirt floor avowed that some one bad had been smoking but there was ras nothing to indicate whom he might have been As be he finished his examination bartley said 1 I guess we may ae as well go now 1 I had taken off iny hat when r entered the vault and placed it oa on baa of the boxes and now when I 1 looked for I 1 it I 1 could not find it it occurred to ine that it must have fallen behind a box and tak takina duj I 1 bartley Bartl cys s torch I 1 climbed upon the box and bashed the acht into the niche behind the one on an which I 1 thought I 1 had laid it IL thero thera it lay As I 1 reached for it my hand came in contact with something hard I 1 knew even as an my ray fini fingers Fers groped for the object that it wae was a revolver ClIm climbing bins down from the box I 1 went up to bartley look what I 1 found I 1 I 1 exclaimed abere did you get that be he asked excitedly aa a he lid took it from me I 1 told him of my hat bat falling behind the boxes and how hov the revolver bad had been in the niche back of them there seemed no reason for his being so ex cited over the find flud but his next words enlightened me nat 8 the 9 gun un that was in birkes hand id this morning I 1 recognize re the worn place on the barrel 11 but how did it get pt therel I 1 asked in wonder I 1 1 I dont know 4 was the reply it looks as if it the person that threw it bade back of the th e boxes boxe a did dl d it to bide id it he be may intend to come for it later 1 to IVY surprise he bent over suddenly and blew blow put out the lantern in a second the vault was in darkness currie started to remonstrate but a warning whisper from bartley stopped him both of you get back of that door at once there li Is someone outside dont make a move or a sound I 1 think he la Is going to come IWI in I 1 heard carrie mutter in surprise as we groped our way behind the door at arst I 1 could hear nothing then on the other side ade of the wooden door I 1 heard beard some one stumble and a it hand fumble for the lock what could it mean if the truck had come back tor for another load we were it in ft a bad fix indeed the men aho nho vho had bad fired at us before would not basi hesitate tate to shoot to kill this alm time and whoa we WO edre misling no one would think to search for ue us in this vault in a flight the odds adds were heavily against us as bartley alone was armed currle currie and myself bad had been placed by dartley so that when the deor door opened we would be hidden by lt it he took up bis blis position on the other side aide crouching flat against the wull nail it was too dark to make out hill figure or even that of currle currie at my side I 1 listened to his uneasy breathing WA w w 0 O bior for u secona won woe a dered e im w aliat b i t lie irv hii w thinking about whoever wae was opening the door had no re n r y jf it solm 1 lie stumbled into the vie vault and swung the door behind him blin with a clack then a kill slit oc of light pierced tho the dark rem and wo we crouched against the wall scarcely daring to breathe expecting every moment that he would see us just lust what lie fie had come tome for I 1 new never knew he played the light rather alm lemly long along the walla walls thee then turned in onto the floor all at once it paused and I 1 hoard board an IMAD a no wonder for the light waa waif resting on an Dart leya the next second he had it and waa was making is for the doon almost before he had acred bartley had fina flashed lied on his kis owe torch and wae was put up your hanft I 1 have you covered 10 the tho light ja jn artless art leys hand had been focused on the mans body leaving ble face in As he be gab to move it upward to hie lis face the brinn made a abiff flying dire at bartley Bort leya leg legs the attack was 5 ao 50 0 sudden that he waa was taken unaware arego and they fell to the floor together ax a hartley lyent down he track the button of bla torch and extinguished it ft leaving us o 0 in darka euk we dould hear the two meo men thrashing about oa on the floor but could not tu tell who waa was getting the beet best of it t then I 1 kemem heto the lantern and arched tor wr that Ite relighting lighting it r held tt it above my head so that the light fell oa ca the floii bartley waa was bitting sitting ea on the aaa awn that had attacked him hie his fa face and white suit streaked with dirt and a IL lump reddening over one eye but be he wie was arni sroUl ling nc he directed aw Y to and hia his torch which iad bad rolled half andor 1 box and relight bt it IL when I 1 aad bad compiled he rose to bla his feet and pulling the man up with him hira told me ra to throw the light on the face ehle lev uta have a look at this chap t we saw a black face fam aad and cruel el shifty eyes that blinked angrily currle currie cried why aitos chauffeur I 1 the man ud did not deay deny 14 it but stood ellent allent and glowering remembering what hartley bartley ard toldie fa the butler haung seen him hira on fhe aft stairs while we were in tie the tower rooms r wondered if he be ware the one who lied placed the revolver here when men bartley questioned him im to why he had come to the vault he be replied that it was none 0 of his business and when bartley suir that the police pollee might make it their business he lie only lau laughed glied sneeringly we were die dig cussins what we should do with him since there was no charge oa on which he be could be arrested when we re celled another shock the chauffeur had bad closed the door of the vault when he entered but in same way it had become unfastened during the struggle and now stood wide open the lighted interior plainly visible to anyone without we standing Bt grouped together near the center of the room our backs to the door when a voice said aup up with your hands the whole four 04 ol 01 you be quick about it I 1 I 1 have you all covered and will the tile first one that mo MI there wag was but one thing to do and ws we all did it with our hands brinds high in the air we turned to the doorway torsee who the 06 intruder was he was a tall heavy bet set man with a round toce face holdina a revolver in his hi righta hand handl who could this second man be for vor a second I 1 thought it must be some friend of the chauffeur but ono one look at his aston astonished fahad face told me he be knew no more inore who the loan man WM was thau than we did |
