Show liON IRON COUNTY RECORD C CF CIAR DAR CITY UTAH UTA J I The Sealed Trunk 4 CHAPTER XI Continued XI-Continued Continued 11 11 II He gained one on advantage though from Its Ita solidity There Ther would be no Larm Irm In making a light and having S a look at It ft He lIe got rot out ont his hi cigarette lighter and struck truck a light There were two 1110 small pieces of electrical apparatus apparatus ap ap- screw ltd to th the wall bo above the door One of them be recognized as II ex an electric buzzer butter and this at as b be bethought thought about bout It If teemed seemed rather queer Wh Why wasn't It the other way al around around- the push puah button on this tide side sad nd the loner In Formers Former's apartment Wh Why should anyone already In the apartment apart apart- went ment hue have to ring a door bell to get ft Into this public office omu The door Will was locked against the once office and end into the apartment Well ell then It wasn't a adoor adoor adoor door bell blI Of course coura It It was Willi n II signal and once it sounded In the stenographers stenographers' piers piers' bera room It seemed a reasonable Inference In ln ference that It was 81 Forster's way wOl of ot summoning a stenographer Hut what good load was It to buzz for tier her If she couldn't get Pt through the door Vat Wal tb the door left unlocked during durin office ome hours No Forster would want to tofel feel fel better guarded against Intrusion than that Martin Marlin hold hId up the lighter again In Inan Inan Inan an attempt to Identify the other thing II ne Ile had a hunch hunh that It would be worth looking Into Inlo Hed He'd have to have something something some some- thin thing to stand on though The ledge e of the door was 1111 two tt feet t above his hll Lead belld The top step wasn't wide Ide enough to 10 balance a chair on but one of those tho till big ste steel IMI t wastepaper waste baskets down in inthe the Ih stenographers stenographers' room would probably probably ably hold him up and would auld just JURt about give In him the added height he needed n ne lie brought one cIne of them up and ond tried It II It was 81 going to be a pretty precarious pre pr carious carlous perch and the easy possibility of ot his hll falling the whole length of ot the tho flight eight with the basket on top of ot him wasn't a one Well there was Will no u. u use ass thinking about things like that Hed He'd got at to hue have a look at the little sheet Iron box that was 1181 screwed to the wall all beside the buzzer lIe He got rot out his hl penknife and dropped M K open the side Ide pocket of ot his hi coat oat It and the cigarette lighter were an all 11 he had lied by way of ot tools tool Then putting one foot on the time rim of ot the basket he mil made de a sort ort of ot spring and clutched the top of the time door frame I lie Be found he could bold hold himself with one In hand Iland so 10 he got lot out his cl cigarette ardle lighter lighted lIa It a and d stood lood It on on the ledge Idl made by the door frame lie He recognized the little sheet Iron box bax now It was s transformer such luch il ai as hed he'd had hod when ben he be was wal a small boy to run run his hi electric train with The volt volt hOliNG current carne came 0 me Into one tide situ of at It from a steel cable A pair of la low voltage wires went out the theother theother theother other side hll connecting with the buzzer but also going down through h n a hole In the door frame Well he understood understood under under- stood It now The door was wal hold held by lIy bynn byon nn on electric catch such Ilich ns n. they use uie for r Inner vestibule rel doors of ot apartment houses A hutton button probably on Forster's desk sounded the time buzzer and anel nt at the tho same time released the tho catch The hf stenographer had to get et to the Il dour door wr before Furster took tOlk hi his finger Anger off the bull button on What Whal afforded Martin a br broad d grin 1 was the thought of previous precious security being betrayed by the careless electrician who had the put transformer transformer trans former outside the locked door Instead d of lit In All Martin Marlin had to do was t to scrape rape the Insulation off the wires an and d close the circuit and time the door would woul d be b. e unlocked Walt Wall a minute though Hed He'd hove have to disconnect the buzzer first Hed He'd Dearly forgotten that and he turn turned i e cold ld for tor an Instant at this the narrowness of ot hi his escape Hut But two minutes minutes' won work with his hI penknife sufficed to accomplish acom push his hi purpose As A. be he twisted tim th the e eed two 0 bare ends end of the wire lre Into contact contat et t he be heard a sharp harp click tUck which announced an an- pounced that the door was unlock unlocked ed lie sprang down from the basket an and d opened the door Luck was wat still w with it dh h dr him There was wa no DO one In on the other othe r tide side The whole hol corridor was Will d de de- e For a moment after hed he'd closed th the thedoor thedoor e door he be stood still and listened H 11 He c heard beard a man mant voice olee momentarily Y ratted raised In anger not on old mans man's vote voice e and not Conley's Conleys voice yet ct again on one e that he somehow felt that he shout hould d remember It guided him down th the e short hort transverse corridor and to the left down a longer one until It brought brough him to a halt outside a door At tha that J point the words word became distinguishable and the voice Identified Itself at tb the e earn same time Oh to h h l 1 with the three hundred dollars I 1 All right I took It It What Wins t are you yon going to 10 do about It Th The speaker was unmistakably Max Ma Lewis and it seemed equally beyond J doubt to Martin that the person h he heRI e was RI speaking to was Rhoda With a no warning knock he opened the door doo r a aM id stepped inside t There There was 81 a good deal more light t to In here r rn r t in the corridor and h he heh e ee h hid hid d to brine his bla eyes eves Into focus b before be e- e fore he could see ee te Hr very well It was a r girl rl Max In w wu was i talking to but she wasn't wasp t It oda Sk She was facing him and b before be be- e fore fre tax Max could turn she rapped ou out t Who ho are you ou What are you OU doin doing g hers here 7 Martin would woul never ne for forget et that the t rice It was waa Claire Cleveland C lie II He realized as BI time she stared at hl him m t tat tsat at she could ouM have bue no DO Idea who h he e was Shed She'd never even glanced at al hl him m b before Defort All she could coul recognize hl him m toy by was Ra ill imis voice Tolee lie He didn't answer r her question Stay Stal rl right where ber you IOU are Max x L By Henry KItchell Webster by r Tb Tb n. Bo BobU Dobb I 11 0 Ce 0 k s aid ald to Martin JIll Ills face tace was blotchy with rage fIIg yet ret th there re was a vicious sneering look of exultation about It too You Youve come com to exactly erectly the tbt r right ight places place Ive I've got something for you fOu Then be b. wheeled on Claire You Lou ran can get It out and you needn't watt walt I Y You ou needn't come com back either Im I'm t through with you You'd better go ro q quietly If It my undo uncle finds youre you're up op here you'll be riding In to a patrol wagon before you know It The Tb opening of the door seemed somehow how to bring her hn to a decision She stood roll considering for tor a moment mo mo- meat ment before the she walked out All Allright right the be said raid I f think Ill I'll just let him know Im I'm here and anel lee see what hat he does doea about It tt You toe see you really a arc re loo much of a fool Max closed the door lie He was ready to my ray something but bul Martin spoke loke first Ive turns corn up tip lucre here to get III Miss flu Rhoda White Whit he said paid It x will sere care time and nail argument If you will take meto me meto meto to her Youre too late Inte for tor her her Max ansa an an- sa ered She was III here but the she's gone Rone goneway one a an Iway way ay I taw aw her out myself Did HId you IOU think that was n whet what I 1 had for tor you you Well It tent isn't It Il Iti something rise else You'll save linn yourself time the worst ort of ot It If It you'll- you'll hand hanel over v a hat you IOU and that other girl stole from me this after atlEr noon noun I moan mean a railroad ticket and a trunk chock bock Come across acron now flow I Quick I Martin had bad a sudden realisation atlon of ot ofis h hit hi is folly oily In coming lute luto Max's Maxs presence pres pres- ence with the ticket and the receipt for trunk upon hl bI his f person erson There war was no misunderstanding what Max meant to do Martin who was 01 no boxer and Indeed Indeed indeed In In- deed no physical match on any Rny terms for hi his antagonist tried to slip around him hirn and get ret to the door Hut But Hut ax Max was quicker than he lIe was 1 and he met methis his ht rush with a blow on the jaw that was war like Ilka th the kick of ot a mule A crashIng crash crash- Ing lag sound lound accompanied by a brilliant I display of lights was the tho last thing Martin was 81 conscious of ot for several minutes The next thin was WOI a stream Irlam of ot cold rold air and wetness and a pair of ot light hands exploring beneath hi his bis unbuttoned unbuttoned toned coat lie did not bot remember trunk check and ticket that Max Mai had said he lie meant to get but all nil the sumo same he tried to push the hands an away ay Inn Even n as RI he be did so the tog fog lifted enough for him to realize that they were Ere a girls girl's hands and that they weren't picking his pockets The shaky voice oke that said laid Its nil all right Me Lie still 1111 still sounded d like Ithodas and tho time face he lie giddily saw bonding bending over oter him looked like Ithodas It couldn't be could roul It 1 What would she shebe shebe ah ahbe e be doing hEre Where was wo this nn anyhow anyhow any any- how And why was WIlS hits his head hrad drenched with water It II was Rhoda She Sue was Willi s getting clearer every minute It II really Is you ou Isn't It ft 1 he said She Sue nodded and amid said Dont talk i Lie still sUII As A. his vision blon cleared and things go got 1 I Iless less he saw aw that shed she'd been boon n crying ane and the shock of at that discovery I cry ery lifted the fog from his memory This Thle was Will the room where hed he'd encountered encountered encountered Max Lewis Le What b h. h been doing to you h he e asked Max 1181 Nothing He lie didn't kno know w I was here He lie thought Id I'd gone rone just justas justas as II he ho told you you Rut Hut you ou must have hue been here 2 to o have hare heard hIm tell me so o I was Was' D In that room In the dark Claire was In here waiting for him but she sue didn't see me when I carne came In O O z t Its All Right Might LI Lie Still I 1 heard all he be and Claire said aId white while they were quarreling Hut But they were both bolh so angry each tach with the other oilier that I 1 could hardly tell what it was as about aboul It 11 struck him bins that he ought to know the framework of their quarrel probably ably he would when be hed he'd come to a little better lie He asked Why W was S he chasing you around the place if It be he bethought thou thought ht joud you'd gone rone He lie wasn't thoda said 1111 I I wasn't running away from frolD him I Id I'd had a alon lon long talk ik with Mr 1 Forster I think I found out quite a lot from him Mar tin Un Then I talked tilled with WI Max All AU he ht wanted was Will to get It rid of ot me mf end and he thought bought he had And then I 1 heard beard my uncle talking to Mr Forster Fonter and I 1 simply bolted In to a panic It was U perfectly per per- perfectly silly but Im I'm glad I 1 did or I wouldn't hll have base tf been here now What hat happened after Mat In knocked I me me out ou lie had already begun a exploring ex fX his pockets pocket lIe He took an envelope she said ald Out of that pocket locht the first Arst one he felt In I 1 suppose e It must mURI hue have been the ticket and nd trunk front check he tie said ald you'd ou stolen from him He its didn't look loot inside Just Jupt crammed It In his pocket and nd went out omit as ea quickly as he bf could How flow long a ago o was 88 that thaU I mean man low how how lung long won was all I nut She ff turned away from him as 81 she he hf sn answered w rId I 1 dont don't know It seemed a 1011 long It time t to me mt Was It ft something i that he got IlOt sway away with He tie toM told her hr how hed he'd seen Max carrying car tying off If her trunk and anel the stratagem by hy which lint had trot rot the trunk check from Irom him Mm The he thing for u us UR to do do lie Ie decided Is Is 18 to get fret t out of ot here end and endt heat t It to 10 that room I 1 know now the way ay to the stairs Irs hat That's how I 1 got gut In Hut t t ns as he spoke poke there came the latter dotter of nt a metallic object f falling fall all allin Int ing in downstairs Somebody on the Ihl theother other side nt of that door had ju ja t hurl hud an nn un- un fon w eu enc encounter with Martins Martin's n I hn basket Then ns as they Involuntarily In voluntarily topped stopped with held breath they heard n kl key driven Into the lock flight HIght nt at hand win wn a door a little ajar Into what hot was probably a ll t. t Martin catching thoda up with lIh one arm as ns If It shed she'd been boon a a package pack age fairly lifted her Inside and shut I I the he door at ater r them They heard the stair door open olen they heard steps along the tile corridor lint Hut Instead of ot going by the steps paused outside the closet closel door CHAPTER XII Sound-Proof Sound The Time next moment they heard hurd the click of a key ky For some reason this closet was supposed to be kept locked What sort of closet W was l It Martins Martin's right hand reaching Into the corner rested on a cane That might come ome in handy bandy he thought and he be gripped It II The door swung open letting In fn quite a II lot of light from the corridor but nt at the time same time times rutting cutting off his hll view of If everything but hut the Inner face fae of the time door He lie heard a gasp alp from and a growled What the devil IH de l I In a mans man's voice rolce I I There was a n click of ot a switch and the closet light came on overhead So this Is where youve you've got to is ts isit it Conley said I had an Idea you yon were still on the promises premises Well the theold theold theold old roan man will wl be glad we haven't lost you Conic out of there 1 I At that Martin shifted his hl grip on 00 the cane cunE noting as ns he did that Its rubber shod furrule was as heavily weighted wc and kicked shut the closet cloel door with n a slam The TIle unexpected and unaccountable sound round of or that door slammed to behind him must have hate frozen Conley for tor a on n Instant for he tie and presented as aa Martin first Arst saw sav them the effect t of a tableau vivant m Rhoda oda backed flat fiat against the wall wall only was It a n wall o or r was that middle panel in n It a door Conley gripping her by one arm 1 In Inthe Inthe I the midst of his arrested attempt t thaul to o haul her away awny The next Instant li he e turned turn saw law Martin and jumped for fo r him Martin who had hod already shortens shortened his grip on the cane tane knowing that h he e wouldn't have hare room In that closet fo foa for fora r a full tull swing met the rush with a backhand back hand stroke at the time side of ot his ht assailants assailant's assailants assailant's assail ants ant's head Thanks Thanh to the thick rubber rubber rub rub- ber her cap cal with which the ferrule was wa shod flod the impact was practically noiseless noise less but the big detect detective he wilted an and d |