Show II 1 The he Case and The 1 he Girl JT i UNDER COVER An Answering w an ad adver advertisement vel calling for tor a young youns man to engage In service of ot daneel dancer danger dan eel ger Matthew Matthe West Welt ex e s man meets meeta Natalie Coolidge writer of ot the advertisement and without being be ing Inc Instructed ai as to his hi probable duties la le engaged enRaged by her and that same evening Introduced to her friends at as her nance Dance That night In the Coolidge home horn Wet Welt Is la startled star tied b by the appearance In his hll room of ot a young oung woman whom he takes taku to be Natalie Natali Next Nut morning Natalie Na talie talle tells tella Vest she Ia has al been ben troubled troubled trou bled by some om woman apparently her double who has haa been ben Imper Impersonating pr her Percival Coolidge Natalie Natalies uncle and guardian la Is disgruntled by Nests Weal's appearance as all Natalie's Natalies fiance nance Natalie Natali Cool Mae Idge and West plan h a vUlt visit of ot charity char r. It sty ity Leaving West Wet In the tar car Na Natalie tulle talie and Coolidge enter a small cottage Before Defore they the return We West t secures Information which leads leda him to believe Coolidge I la III deceiving Natalie for tor a purpose Natalie ln In forms torms West she ha has haa been mistaken In her suspicions and that she has no further need for tor his hla services West Is astounded but leaves leavell On I his hi way out of ot the tho grounds ground West I hears hear a revolver shot and nods find Percival Coolidge dead apparently a suicide 1 In the city West WestI Westla is visIted visited vis vie by S Sexton an old servant of ot the Coolidge tells tella him he ha has haa been abruptly dismissed for tor forno forno torno no apparent reason He lie thinks think Coolidge waR vas murdered Sexton Rexton ha tins haa overheard overheard a telephone conversation conversation conver conver- In the Coolidge home In to which a man demands Natalie Natalies presence e Immediately lie Rives gives vea an add address real and with Sexton West Wrt visits the place It I is III a disreputable able saloon West Vest 1 Is III taken by surprise sur lur price prise knocked out separated from Sexton Bexton and cornea to his hi senses censes to find and himself elf bound bond and helpless an and confronted by a man named Hobart The Tile man tells tella him he heWeet West Is le Interfering with his plans plane and anti If It he persists will be done away with West Nest refuses refuse an any compro compro- mise Hobart seUs ed for tor Natalie hoping she he can Induce West to give Rive up III hi his hI quest q Natalie releases release West est from hi his hili bonds bond and assures him that she he ha has haa no need for or his alii assistance stance tier Her action actions a almost convince West Welt she ha has guilty knowledge of Percival murder lie He defies Hobart and the thug with two companions attempt at tempts tempt to kill him After a terrific ter rifle right fight Nest leap leaps from tram the he win dow I I CHAPTER X 10 10 Under Cover A shed roof root W was l I below V I and ond he struck It fortunately feet first but the sharp slant of ot the boards sent lent him lihn hurtling forward over Ier the edge 1 Into a miscellaneous of ot boxes beneath he be neath his body finally re resting on the hard ground lie He lay loy th there re dazed the breath knocked entirety out of ot him bruised und and scarcely c certain whether ho he was dead end or all alive VI For or the time moment mo mo- ment he seemed to have lost o t all nil consciousness con on unable to realize even what had occurred In that upper room or to comprehend the necessity of ot Immediate Immediate Im mediate flight All about him was In Intense In tense darkness and lind after the crush crash of ot his fall no sound broke the silence He Ile II could see nothing hear nothing to arouse hI his hla faculties his flesh h quivered Bred ered with pain although he fie felt sure no hones bones were fractured f for r he could COllie move more both hoth arras arms and le legs s freely while after the first shock his mind returned to activity dominated by the single conviction that he must get getaway away awny from rom th there re before those men could get down stairs He lie endeavored to rise rolling partially par pore over o In the effort which foiled failed but hilt the tilt movement slight Might ht as os It was os left one hand dangling over O nn on excava excavation thou tion nt ot his right lily His fingers lingers explored the edge of ot this opening cautiously revealing a n ny way lending down Into the casement The opening was black Linck silent mysterious yet It was wasn wasa n a hiding place If It he could coult manage to roll down those steps Into those below he hide the there depths might unseen un an seen until he regained strength until the first effort nt at pursuit had bad been hen abandoned Then there might be a chance halle for tar escape escape West grasped the Idea Iden enough Those fellows would ull he there swiftly If It they found him hint gone they would have IlOre no doubt but hut what be II landed safely and had n U get get- away They would search of course perhaps out Into the 1111 alley hoping he hI might have hoe been Injured huh hilt It was hardly probable they would think to tn explore the cellar l Inn Kven vem If they did he be could surely creep rl I Into some Mine dark corner where he might escape ob oil lIer atlon An Anyway wu crippled ns os henns he hI this offered the sue one and only dill chance II He lie COli could III not argue und and debate debate de de- bate hute ho Imo must act lie rolled over 1 Ion lowered ered himself down Into the u opening I n. n locating I she ilie ht half dozen broken timid rotted steps Heps with hIs bis feet rt He lie made mole no un attempt to tn 1 hut but simply slid Ihl down dawn finding t n II partially doped closed door ni nt the bottom the time blocked by hy n litter the exact nature of which could not be Ill determined In the darkness With I tome seine and mutt mI than thun ever conscious on of nt his bis weakness nail the pain of bruises s he lie managed to raw crawl rawl over o this pile of ot debris and crouch dos do's do n Ii finally In the Intense blackness He th felt like a n trapped rat still sUI gasping for III breath lh his Ills lH body II I q gl erlo ering from Pet fet his Ida retreat had been hn none too rapid The above e WI I broken in t ry ty th the creak of or un an op O opening dune dour the limn round lt of ot excited voices ol u II sudden gleams gleam of nt lI light ht finding emit entrance Iii through the open cellar cellar vay et startled crept kiCk back tilt tilt into n II CM I. I r cr ry nerve p alert at approaching peril lie He reco recognized voice as mis the Ule By Randall Randal Parrish Copyright 1922 1912 by AUr Alfred A. A Knopf b lac c. c fellow plunged ed down the steps pS from the first floor out Into the yard Jard To h t h-t i of t course lies he here I he ha stormed My G d O-d d man he dived out head hend first I saw him Hell He'll be I dead ns os n a door nail now Come on with that Ion lantern tern Turner Where In thunder Is the ladder ladder does docs Oil any one ont know You think he lies on the roof Why riot not That's Thol's where Ue tie must have struck aint It Shorty Short I 1 dont don't know though It Is so 10 steep hed he'd most likely roll off Here lIere you ou let me take that gum glim Theres There's nothing here In these theRe boxes Ah thel themes e 8 the ladder climb up Shorty and see If the guy Is stuck anywhere on the roof root Go Co on I What ore are you OU afraid of If hes he's there hes he's a 11 stiff all right believe be be- sieve lieve me Turners Turner's voice hoarse oDd and rumbling en came me back hack from above There aint up here Jim D n D-n n me If I dont don't believe bellee the time cuss II it t jN Ke He Recognized Hobarts Hobart's Voice got tot clean clenn away oy Gee but ho lie was sure suren n a nervy guy all nil right Nervy Crazy you oU mean But nut he ht never took that fall without busting something The bird Is lying about here somewhere You make sure suro he be aint up there Shorty Well Nell he lie aint I kin see ace every cery Inch Incho o o 0 this root roof Perhaps he fell In between between be be- tween u them barrels down there The two evidently e searched thoroughly thoroughly thor thor- the rays of ot the Inn lantern tern lane dancing ing wildly about while Hobart say cursed cursell his companion and ond reiterated re na iterated his belief hellet that no man could take that plunge and escape unhurt It couldn't be done I tell yoi you maybe he could crawl but hut that would he be all Why he went down lawn head first I saw sow him go out the window v. and that drop would daze n a cat Say I Shorty maybe the stiff dropped down Into this cellar Lets Let's take tako n a look took The h light streamed In through the narrow opening and scram scram- hied cautiously ly down own the tho rotted steps West drawing himself securely hack behind the protection of ot his barrel borrel saw the lantern thrust forward and anti anda a It face behind ht-hlad It peering In the shad owe The Tho fellow did not advance Into the room meta but Hobart did pressIng pressIng press press- Ing his way roughly past and standIng stand stand- Ing there full In the time glow of light about Into the dim shadows 8 tie lie evidently saw nothing to 10 arouse Suspicion for his voice was angry with disgust Not n 0 d d u n sign sl-n here Iler mere Shorty It looks like the fellow tellow ma mn be he did get away Hut But It beats heats me how There Theft no place now for us to look but the alley olley An If It he there Then well we'll hop hof this dump lump mighty sudden Im I'm telling you ou With that guy loose nose It wont won't he healthy for me hanging around here lie Ho aint tt th goods hashe hns has got on you ou ho ht No Nn he lie aint got tho the goods hut but he heIs heIs heis Is dead wise to sime thin s J and h he lit didn't get nut out of that slimily upstairs without getting hurt Hell He'll he sore ore nil mill right and will trill raise all oil the h h I 1 he lie can ran Its It's safer to keep keel out of ot the way An what about that other tiler buck It wont won't do to hn hove have hum lIm picked up If this guy gets the harness hulls bulls to take n look around here That aint his style Shorty he be wont won't spiel f mm anything to the cops ops about toms row lies lie's nn na ex ex n II cal cal- lain and hes he's nuts on the girl That's why he lie dipped d Into tills trying mess mess trying to save her see her see Maybe 1 he ho wont won't be he beso so sn keen klell now after the song and 11 dance she gave JOl him upstairs Im I'm half Inclined In lIned dined to think time the guy will vilI drop out entirely d n d-n n glad to get off oIT alive now nov he believes es she I Is ns as rotten ns os the rest of ot u us lint Hut I suro SUrL mo sure may mayhe may may- he lIe he Is the kind that thol sticks Micks That's why liy II I dont don't take sly any chances just now null Things quite ripe o for tor aget u II get t sec wU l see Sure Suro she sho gave Ja him some straight stuff lilT ht hey tike Kh III lilt did she's ns as smart ns n H Ih sin she sinIs Is good looking It somehow dont don't me mc this Iu guy Is going to hother her nil any more amore Im I'm tl figuring that lies lie's out Gut of ot It It V r nut lint his partner Oh well we'll leave him somewhere propped up 8 against a door Likely hell he'll never ne know v what happened to him or where He lie aint nothing to tobe tobe tobe be afraid Just of-just just a butler with n a cracked nicked heed head It It Its It's the other gu guy who has hos got the brains Come on lets let's lake take a look out In the alley Their shadows vanished up the stairs the glow of or lI light ht disappearing and leaving the cellar In Impenetrable darkness I West did not venture to move hwe er content to walt wait until thoroughly assured the way for tor escape escape es- es es s cape was clear lie He had not hot lea learned me much from this tits conversation eX except to Increase his hi convictions that n a seri sent serious ous crime was being consummated The full tull nature of ot this conspiracy was wasas I ns as obscure re as ever r rendered even more doubtful Indeed ll by the active participation of ot Natalie Coolidge This wits was what puzzled ont and confused contused him the most He lie le could no longer loner question her direct Interest In the affair or willingness wll to assist In overcoming hits bis efforts Even without with out nut the free ree testimony of the men this fact was sufficiently clear She hind hn deliberately lie tied lied It to him attempted deceit and ond then when he refused ell to yield to her efforts had so O reported to and left leet him to his fate It ft was manifestly Impossible for tar him to believe In her any longer Yet what could ouM It nil all mean how could she site hope to benefit by by such an on association 1 Why could she thus shield time the murderers mur of Percival Coolidge What possible object could there he fIe In the commission of ot this crime except x to gain possession of ot her lIer own n fortune It was all mystery to hI his him mind a new unanswerable question arising wherever wherever ever he looked What strange Influence could this man mon Hobart exercise over the time girl To 0 West's judgment he was In III no nn noway noway way the sort of ot man to appeal to Natalie Na Nn tulle talie Coolidge He lie was of n a low cunning cunning cun ning order with some same degree of outward outward out out- ward polish to he be sure yet et Inherently tough and ond exhibiting marks of ot n 0 birthright ht which Indelibly stamped stomped him of ot a n social class far below her heron own o Surely site sill could not love lave the fellow yet et unquestionably he possessed possessed pos pOll n a mysterious power over her difficult to explain through any other hypothesis It If West Nest hind had not known the young woman under different conditions con con- conditions he might have accepted this theory theor and dismissed the whole mattel matter mat ter tel from mind Hut But It wo the tho haunting haunt ing memory of ot that lint earlier Natalie l' Coolidge the n Itress of ot Fairlawn which would nor noi permit his complete surrender She Sh had seemed nil that his dream of ot womanhood called for Unconsciously he bod bad given her his bis heart and he could not tear the remembrance re- re nce from mind There was something wrong terribly wrong what It was a he lie hind had no Int means of ot knowIng know know- In Ing yet et there therl In the dark dorle he determined deter mined he would know would never neer b be content until he learned the time whole truth All his hope nil all his future depended de do- on the answer and Turner were absent for tor some little while the round of ot their voices censed but the distant flicker of time the lantern enabled West Vest to trace their progress tip up the nUey anti then hitch hack again They returned In no pleasant humor convinced that their expected victim had escaped safely hut but male made no further effort to search surch the fhe yard West confident nt at last lost that the way oy was clear wriggled out from train his hits place of nf concealment behind the th barrel and stood erect relt lie He felt stronger stranger now nod and In If less pain con cnn convinced winced vinced that his Injuries were In no ni degree e serious The In darkness was WitS so 80 Intense he hind had to grope his way ay forward for foro- ward anxious to make mole nn no noise which might betray his presence Jn ln the Intensity of or the gloom his hili sense of direction fu failed II et taking him somewhat hn t further hack back before 11 be he finally located the exact position of or those outer I steps Then ns os he |