Show C c C Q 0 c oo hickey was using his revolver 0 PICTURES or by 7 P 4 7 V rn an F MF A lt CO SYNOPSIS mad dan maitland Malt land on reaching lis 1 Is ne nev v york bachelor club met an attract ove tive young bonan won an at the door janitor 0 hagan assured him no one had been within that day dan discovered a worn an s finger prints in dust on his desk along mith n ath a letter from I 1 Is attorney maitland Malt Malti land and dined with bannerman his at torn 5 dan set out for greenfields to get his family jewels maitland on leaching reaching home surprised lady in gray cracking the sate safe containing his gems gem s she apparently took him tor for a well known crook daniel anasty half hyp noticed maitland Malt land opened I 1 Is safe took tl the jewels and gave them to her fir first at form g a partnership in crime the real dan anasty sought by police of the horld appeared maitland Malt land overcame him he ile and the girl went to new aorl in I 1 er auto he ile had the jewels ahe was to meet him that daa da A mr snaith introduced himself as a detec tive to shield the girl in gray maitland Malt land about to show him t the 1 jewels au supposedly lost was felled by a blow I ow from s cane the latter proved to be anasty himself and be he secured the gems anasty who was maitland Malt land s double masqueraded as the latter the criminal kept malt land lands s engagement with the girl in gray he gave her the gems fhe girl in gray visited maitland Malt land a apartments during his absence and returned gems maitland Malt land without cash called up his home and heard heird a woman a vo ce expostulating anasty sed as maitland Malt land tried to wring from her the location of tl e gems A crash was heard at the fiant door maitland Malt land overwhelmed the crook allow ing him to escape to shield the young woman the girl in gray made her es cape jumping into a cab an instant later bi w working ing a ruse an sty was at her side retook her to attorney ban nerman a s office there by torture he tried in vain to wring from her the loca ton of the gems he left her a moment and and she phoned 0 hagan only getting in tae the words tell mr maitland Malt land under the brass bo vl tl e hiding place in the lat ter s rooms wl en anasty hear hearl 1 her words bannerman also was revealed as a crook he and anasty set out to sect r re the gen a and leave town the girl was till still imprisoned maitland finding the girl gone searched his boons roo ns and unearthed the jewels under the brass bowl he ile struck anasty s trail in a big office build ing CHAPTER XV continued ah ali cut that cant can t yeh hickey got on all tours fours found his cigar stuck it in his mouth and fell into place at maitland Malt land s side hickey I 1 mean but how if yeh re M mi aland nd anasty s at the st luke tell that fool up there to drive maitland had no need to lift the trap the cabby had already done that all right the young man called its detective hickey drive on the lash leaped out over the roof arrack and the horse presumably convinced that no speed other than a dead run would ever again be demanded of it tore frantically down the avenue the I 1 ansom rocking like a top eail schooner in a heavy gale maitland Malt land and the detect detective lie vere mere bat ared against the side and back of the vehicle and slammed against one an ether with painful regularity under such circumstances speech was diff cult yet they managed to exchange a few sentences I 1 yeh gottuk guna anist s two taa cartridges jus a well I 1 m along I 1 guess gues and again how d 5 eh s pose an AIL sty got this caba I 1 dc i 11 t I 1 oft om ve v e been in the house I 1 told cabby to walt wait anisey seems to have walked out right on your heels hell and a moment later what s this about a woman in the caseb maitland Malt land took swift thought on her behalf too long to go into now he parried the query you help me catch this scoundrel anasty and put in a good word tor for yo i with the deputy commissioner A ah h yeh help me nab him grunted the detective nd I 1 won wont t need no good word with nobody the hansom swung into broadway going like a whirlwind and picked up an uniformed officer in front of the flatiron building who shouting and using his locust stridently sprinted itter them A block further down an other fell into line and he it was who panted at the step an instant after the cab had lurched to a stop before the entrance to the st luke building hickey had rolled out before the policeman had a chance to bluster lo 10 bergen he greeted the man yen yeh know me I 1 rn hid hicl ey central office I 1 eh re jus in time anasty s in this bulldis r was ten minutes ago we want all the help we c n get by way of reply the officer stooped and drummed a loud alarm on the sidewalk alk with his nightstick say he panted rising you re a wonder hickey if you get him uh huh grunted the detective with a sidelong glance at maitland Malt land C in m long the lobby of the building was quite deserted as they entered the night watchman invisible the night elevator on its way to the root roof as was dincov ered by consultation of the indicator dial above the gate hickey punched the night call bell savagely me nd him he said jerking the tree free thumb at maitland 11 go up and hunt him out begin at th top floor an worl wort down that s th way huha nd to the policeman yeh stay here an hold up anybody t tries tub tuh leave th bulldis there sin aint t no other en trance I 1 spose what basement door an ash lifts lift s round th corner comer responded the officer but that had ought tub tuh be locked night well f anybody else comes conies along put him there anyway for luck what a hell hells s th matter with this elevator 9 the detective settled a pudgy index finger on the push button and elicited a fai thin shrill peal from the an nun clator ator above but the indicator ar row remained as motionless as the car at the top of the shaft another sum mons gained no response in likewise and a third was also disregarded hickey stepped back face black as a atom torm cloud summed up his opinion of the management of the building in one soul blistering phrase produced I 1 1 is bandana ar ap I 1 used it vigorously uttered a libel on the ancestry of the i ight man and the likes of him 1 and turned to give profane welcome the policeman who had noticed cab at twenty third street and now panted in blown and perspiring much to his disgust he found assigned to stand guard over the base ment exits and waddled forth again into the street meanwhile the first officer to arrive upon the scene was taking his turn at agitating the button and shaking the gates and with no more profit of his undertaking than hickey after a minute or two of it he acknowledged defeat with aa an oath and turned away to browbeat the straggling vanguard of belated wayfarers boys slatternly drabs hacklen loaf ers and one or two plain citizens con out of their reputable grooves who were drifting jn lu at the entrance to line the lobby walls with blank curious faces forerunners of that mysterious rabble which Is ap parent ly precipitated out of the very air by any extraordinary happening in city streets it if allowed to remain they would in five minutes have waxed in numbers to the proportions of an un manageable mob and the policeman knowing this set about dispersing them with perhaps greater discretion than consideration they wavered and fell back grum bling discontentedly and maitland Malt land his anxiety temporarily distracted by the noise they made looked round to find his erstwhile cabby at his elbow of whom the sight was inspiration ever thoughtful never unmindful of her whose influence held him la in this coil he laid an arresting hand on the man mans s sleeve I 1 on ve got your cab kissir right hout side drive round the corner away from the crowd and wait for me it she the young lady comes without me drive hei anywhere she tells you and come to my rooms to tomorrow tomo moi row irow morning for your pay sir maitland Malt land turned back to find the situation round the elevator shaft in statu quo nothing had happened save that hickey hickeys s rage and vexation had increased mightily but why don t you go up after him 9 how n blazes can 11 exploded the detective he ile s got th night car F I 1 takes the stairs he comes down by th haft nd how in I 1 tuh trust this here mutt he indicated his assoni ate but humbler cut custodian odian of the peace with a disgusted gesture perhaps one of the other cars will run maitland Malt land suggested ah ali they re all dead ones hickey disagreed nith ith disdain as the young man moved down the row of gates try ing one after another yeh re only bastin he broke oft off with a snort as malt land somewhat to his own surprise managing to move the gate of the third shaft from the night elevator stepped into the darkened car and groped tor for the controller presently his fingers encountered it and he moved it cautiously to one side A vicious blue spark leaped hissing from the controller box and the cage bounded up a dozen feet and was only restrained from its ambition to soar skywards by an instantaneous release of the lever by discreet manipulation maitland worked the car down to the street floor again and hickey with a grunt that might be interpreted as an apol spot ogy agy tor for his incredulity jumped in let er rip he cried exultantly fan them folks out tb th street bergen nd watch ow oaut ut maitland was pressing the lever slowly wide of its catch and the lighted lobby dropped out of sight while the detective was still shouting admonitions to the police below grad ita bally ily gaining momentum the car began to shoot smoothly up into the black ness safety chains clanking beneath the floor hickey fumbled for the electric light switch but finding it ain Ined mediately lately shut the glare off again and left the car in darkness safer he explained sen sententious gentl ous anasty 11 shoot nd they says he shoots straight floor after floor in ghostly strata slipped silently down before their eyes halfway to the top Ilic hickey keys s voice rang sharply in the volunteer operator operators s ear stop ert er hold er steady others comin down maitland obeyed managing the car with greater ease case and less jerkily as he began to understand the principle of the lever the cage paused in the black shaft and he looked upward down doan the third shaft over the other cage was dropping like a plummet a block of golden light walled in by black filigree work and bisected verti cally by the black line of the guide rail stop that there car hickey s stentorian command had no effect the block of light continued to tall fall with unabated speed the detective wasted no more breath As the other car swept past maitland was shocked by a report and flash beside him hickey was using his revolver the detonation was answered by a cry a scream of pain from the lighted cage it paused on the instant like a bird stricken a wing some four floors below but at once resumed its downward swoop down down after em hickey bellowed I 1 dropped one by god T other can t how many in the cars car interrupted maitland opening the lever with a firm and careful hand only two same s us I 1 hit th feller fetter what was it steady cautioned maitland de creasing the speed as the car ap pro preached ached the lower lover floor other had beaten them down but its arrival at the street level was greeted by a short chorus of mad yells a brief fusillade of shots five in all ali and the clang of the gate then like a ball rebounding the cage swung upwards again hurtling at full speed evidently li anasty had been received in force which he had not barg bargained a ined tor for maitland Malt land instinctively reversed the lever and sent his own car upward again slowly waiting tor for the other ta to overtake over tako it peering down the iron lattice latticework work he could india indis observe the growing cube 0 light with a dark shape lying huddled in one corner of the floor A secona figure rapidly taking shape as anasty a 8 stood by the controller braced against q the side of the cai one hand on th the lever the other poising a shining thing the flesh colored oval of hia his fac face turned upwards in a supposititious at tempt to discern the location of the th dark car hickey by firing prematurely lent him adventitious aid the criminal re IL plied with spirit aiming at the flash his b billet illet spattering against the bach wall of the shaft hickey s next bullet rang with a bell ill e note against the metal work anasty s presumably went wide though maitland Malt land could have sworn he felt the cold kiss of ita its v N breath upon his cheek and the lighted 4 cage rod ed past and up maitland Malt land needed no admonition to pursue his blood was up hia his heart singing with the lust of the man bunt hunt yet anasty was rapidly leaving them his car soaring at an appalling pace towards the top he evidently made some attempt to slow up but either he was ignorant of the management ol 01 the lever or else the thing had got beyond control the cage rammed the buffers with a crash that echoed through the sounding halls like a peal of thunder claps it was Instant ane bously plunged into darkness then followed a splintering and rending sound and maitland Malt land heart in mouth could make out dimly a dark ballina shadow in the further shaft yet er it had descended a score of feet the safeth clutch acted and with a tremendous jar shaking the building the car baited halted hickey and maitland Malt land were then s five floors below stop er at 19 ordered the detective there was a ill of exultancy in hia his voice we go him now all right all right lie ile 11 II try tr to get down by there overheat the crash of a gate forced open wa followed follo Aed by a scurry of footsteps ove ave the tiling stop er and we 11 hea heat him off so now maitland Malt land shut off the power as th tho car reached the nineteenth floor hickey opened the gate and jumped out shut that he commanded sharply as maitland Malt land followed him in case he gets past us he ile paused a moment in thought heavy head on bull neck drooping for ward as he stared toward the rear of the building he ile was fearless and re for all his many deficiencies maitland found time quaintly enough to regard him with detached curiosity a rare animal illustrating all that was best and worst in his order endowed with exceptional courage his ad dress in emergencies seemed alad alt gether admirable yeh guard them stairs he decided suddenly I 1 III it run through this hall nd see what s doing dont don t to shoot if he tries to jump yeh and was gone clumping briskly down th the corridor to the rear TO BG BE CONTINUED |