Show vv t to vv M an 0 NA loft dull U the adventures of a mobilized demobilized De cyril rr mcneile by officer who found peace dull ad sapper copyright h by gest B M IT doran twin f co DONT LAUGHS synopsis in december 1918 fail four 1 men aim gathered in a hotel in ileane berne and heard one of the quartet artel curl car peterson petern outline a plan to tiara para lyse great real britain and at al tile hie ame time an fn settle selie world arid polo the oil all or r three locking hocking amerlis Amer lii avid d Stel neman and ant von grim Grit tit germans mans all 11 II millionaires agree to the scheme gro id off nit enot another her man ma n I 1 I 1 iram potts pole an n Ameri tark la Is taken in capt hugh aull fugl mond consist a retired officer advertises adver advert tsei ses tor for work that will the gie him excitement signing XUI As A a result he be meets phyllis penton a young woman who ans answered sered lilt ble ad she tells him or of strange murders murder and robberies by a hand headed by carl peterson paterson and aid henry Lookin stion she ehr fears cr ser father in 1 involved drum govind goes to the barches Lar chea miss Ren tons home next door to the elms elma petersons place during the night drummond leaven the marches larches and explores the elms tie he discovers FA kington and nd bon using a thumbscrew on potts who signs a paper drummond rescues potts and takes him to hla his own home lie also alfo gets half the paper torn in the he struggle peterson visits drummond departing with a threat to return and recover roto potts and also the torn paper alch which potts polls alt neil the band abduct high hagh and a friend he ha has substituted for potts polls and take them to theelma the elms peterson pete n Is furious furlou the he rill mistake otake CHAPTER IV Conti continued hued 7 A fixed determination to flow nhat hat troy iny in that sinister brain replaced his temporary indecision Inder islon lverts up tip to 10 late date lad had moved so quickly flint lie had biad hardly md lied vine time to pet get ills bearings een boien now the last menty four hour kincad Kin cd altu orist a dreata and alto as lie looked at the lie broad bark back and nias lac trend dead of the man at tire the w inflow w and from flosom film to 0 o the girl idly smoking on oil the sors sofa tie lie sullied smiled a little primly grimly lie I 1 find just juit the lie thumbscrew of the llie precell ng Asgur assuredly edly tile alii er who mho found pence peace lull dull was as potting getting ills mortie moneys ys worth and drummond tin had a suspicion that flint the c viam nax only just beginning A sound outside in the garden made him look up ile he saw law the white gleam of a front 1 and the lie next moment a man luan pushed open often the window and came unsteadily into the room it was sir mr benton ri enton and quite obviously lie he had been seeking consolation in the lie bottle have ou on got him lie demanded thickly steadying himself till a hand on Peter petersons cons arm a nil 1 I have not said Pe delerson lerson shortly aej ig ilic the swaying figure in front of joint him contemptuously tor for he healers alens io fake ale sit loan down man before you fall slow doali is ile he pushed benton roughly into a chair and resu resumed ined ills his imps site stare into the hie darkness the girl took look not tile the nutice bof f tire clift new arrival who gazed stupidly at drummond ummond fr across like table we will to tie be in an at mop liere of cross purposes mr henton benton said the lite soldier affably 1 I hope your daughter Is quite well rr er quite thank you muttered the ole other tell r ll tier her will you that I 1 propose prop oie tu to call on oil tier lier before returning to ion dm dion tomor tomorrow raw with ills his hands ip tits his pockets peter son was kas drummond froia the window you propose leafing us tomorrow do you he said quietly drummond up 1 I ordered my car for teu tell he answered 1 I am quite sure that shall be more useful to mr peter ieter eon on at large than I 1 am cooped up here I 1 might even lend lead him hill to till aliis hidden treasure which tie he thinks I 1 le e got you will do that all right remarked peterson but at tile moment I 1 wag visa wondering lin dering whether a ut lit tl ti persuasion now might laight not ghe me file nil all lite lie information I 1 require mort more quickly and with jib lew less trouble A fi fleeting ong vision of a mangled thumb flashed iiii lied across huglin mind once again lie heard that hideous cry half animal halt half human which filch had echoed through the ili darkness a tire preceding night arid and for an ill tant his b breath come came a tittle little faster then he smiled and shook lit his Is head 1 I think you are rather too good gat n judge suf of human buman nature to try ana an thing a foolish lie he said bald thoughtfully thought fully you yoa we unless you km kill tile me w which I 1 dont think would suit gult your book you might find explanations it lit little difficult tomorrow for a chile there am a silence in lite lie roan broken at length by a short fough from peterson for a young man inan truly your per SPIR CItY Is treat great he fie retail remarked rk I 1 LA jr ir ain full Is 1 the blite room reada read it so ell ulal to lo show ghow captain drummond Dru inmond to it 1 I will law him myself she an alered rising hugh saw a look of annoyance pass over Ie tereon i face as a he turned to follow the girl and it truck struck him that that gentleman cen Henian was nag not best ti leaRed nt at ane turn of events then IAP door closed find and he followed hla file guide ede up tip tile stairs the girl opened the door of a room null mil switched oil n tire the light then she faced him smiling bottling and hugli hugh looked at her steadily tell me you ugly guilis the she murmured why fly you art are such a fool hugh sullied smiled avid and as has been sniff said before hughs smile transformed tits ills race 1 I must remember that opening lit hf blid it establishes a of intimacy timaly at once it site she daod a little toward him film and then lefore before he realized realize her la in lention irn llon slie site put a hand on his 1118 shoulder dont aou ou understand site she whispered fier nerr fly erly flint kill you site she peered past him half fearfully and then lien turned to him flint again go you idiot go while theres time get out cout or of it go abroad do anything out but dont fool foci round here it seems a cheerful household re hugh with ill a smile may 1 I ask ak why fly youre all so concerned about me your estimable father gave me the same me yesterday mornin morning gm dont ask why she answered fe ler lilily because beca bec iise auKe I 1 cant tell you only you must believe that what I 1 say is the truth you must its just possible that flint if aou ou go now flow and tell ill bliem ell where youve hidden tile american tie be all right cut but if you dont tier her hand dropped to her side suddenly breakfast will ile be at nine my hugh until then au all revoir ile he turned as she left lite hie room a little puzzled by her change of tone standing at tile the top of the stairs was iderson Ider sou watching them both 12 in silence TWO in the days alien m lien drummond had been a platoon commander he had done many dangerous things filings tile the ordinary joys of the infantry subalterns subal terns life such as going over tile the top null and carrying out raid had not proved sufficient for tits ills appetite ile he bad specialized in peculiar stunts of ills dmn ow n stunts over which fie ie was singularly reticent stunts oer which tits men formed their alic lr own conclusions and worshiped him accordingly pill but drummond was aas no fool and lie he had realized tile the vital importance of fitting himself for stunts to the best of tits ills ability enormous physical sit aig ill Is a great asset but it carries with it certain natural disadvantages in the first place piece its possessor Is frequently clumsy hugh had practiced in france till lie could move over ground without a single blade of gross grass rus rustling van dyck a dutch trapper had first shown him the trick ly by which a man goes forward on his elbows like a snake and Is here one intine moment nt and gotie gone the next with tin no one obe the wiser again its poe possessor Is frequently slow hugh had practiced in france till lie he could kill a man with till ills his bare hands in ili a second oakl a japa uese liese ues e had first taught him film two or three of tire secrets of tits his trade and lit in the intervals of resting behind the lines he had d perfected them until it was mag even money whether the jap or he fie would win min in it practice bout and there were mere nights in no ko mans land when lien his men would hear strange stun sounds ds and knowing that drummond was nas abroad on ills his wanderings would tell me you ugly man she mur inured why you are such a fool peer eagerly oer tire the parapet into the hie de leola solute tf torn up waste in ili front but they never saw anything even ebeo when bell lle ito krou gloomily nans flares went hissing up into the darkness and tire the sh shadow adom i danced fantastically all was silent and still the 1 shrill brill whimper bli oper was wag not repeated perhaps a patrol corning linck baek voi report a 1 ennan lying bud olied I 1 ID n with jib no nn trace of a w inonia to joll but only fl a firlit tt neck perl lupo till patrol never found anything but whatever the report hugh drummond only crin grin nned and saw to his mons men breakfast which la Is why there are in Fil fiegland gland today quite a number ol of civilians civil livni who acknowledge only two t 0 rulers the king and hugh drum niti biond ond and they would willingly tile for either the result on drummond was wad not surprising as nearly fix a a man may be lie was without fear and when the idea came to 0 o him as lie sat on in the lie edgr edge of ills his bed thoughtfully thought filly putting pulling off hn shoes oes no question of the possible risk entered into his mind to explore the house seemed the most natural thing in the world and with characteristic brevity lie he summed up tip the situation as it struck him blin they suspect nip me arif liow in fact they know I 1 took potts therefore elen if they catch me passage creeping im no worse off than I 1 A am to now and I 1 might find something of interest therefore carry on brave heart it was dark in the passage outside as lie opened the door of his room and crept toward the top of the stairs the collar of his brown lounge coat was turned up tip and ills his stocking feet made no sound on the heavy pile carpet like a huge shadow lie he vanished into tile the blackness feeling hla his way tiny fo forward rard with alth the uncanny ing instinct that comes front from much practice every now and then he paused and listened intently but tile llie measured ticking of the clock below and the occasional creak of a board alone broke the lie stillness to tile left lay the room in which lie he had bad spent silent the evening and drummond turned to the right As lie he lad had gone up tip to bed lie he food noticed a door screened by a heavy curtain which he thought might be the room phyllia Ih yllia benton had spoken of the room where here henry La kington kept ills ill III gulten gotten treasures lie felt ills his way along the wall and at length ills his land hand touched the die curtain only to drop it again at once front from close beside him had come a sharp angry hiss ile he stepped back a puce price and stood rigid staring at the spot from which the sound lad seemed to come but lie could see nothing then he leaned forward and once more moved the curtain instantly it cattle came again sharper and sorrier than before hugh passed a hand oer ills his forehead and found it damp germans lie he knew and things on two legs lees tint but what hot was as this that hissed so viciously in tire darkness at length he determined to risk it and drew from his pocket a tiny electric torch holding rt ft well away from ills his body he switched on the light in the center of the beam swaying gracefully to and fro was a snake for a moment he be wat viat clied elied it fascinated as it spat at tire the light angrily lie he saw the fiat hood flood where here A tile the vicious fiend was set on the upright body then lie he switched olt off the torch and retreated rather faster than he had come A household he muttered to himself through lips that were a little dry A hooded cobra Is an unpleasing pet hugh had just determined to recon the curtained doorway again to se see if it mas has possible to ta circumvent the snake when a low chuckle came distinctly to ili his ears from tile the landing above lie he flushed flubbed angrily in the darkness there was nas no doubt whatever hat ever as to the human origin of that laugh and hugh suddenly realized that lie was wag making the lie must most profound fool of himself to be laughed lau glied at by some dirty so swine mine eliom bom lie he could st strangle ranzle in half a minute was impossible ills his fists clenched clen clied and tie fie sio snore ilore softly under ills his breath then as silently as lie he lied had come down lie commenced to ellinb the stairs again ile he had bad a hazy idea flint he would mould like to hit something liang hard there were nine stairs in ili the first half I 1 of I 1 llie le flight glit and it was as lie he sion stood on fit alie fifth that lie he again heard the tow low chuckle at the lie same instant something whizzed past ills his head fiend so low that it almost touched lits ills hair and there wag 1488 A n clang on the it wall all lie be side him ile he ducked instinctively ane aw regardless of noise raced up the remaining stairs on till all fours ills his jaw m was as set like a ale ills his eyes were mere blazing in fact hugh drummond ummond Pr we wa seeing red lie he 4 when lie reached tile top crouching in the alie darkness close to cism he rould could feel some one else and holding his breath lie he 11 listened then lie heard the man move tinly only lite hie very faIn tAt sound bound hut but it was se enough without a seconds thought lie he sprang and ills his hands closed on human alosz flesh he laughed gently then he fought lit in silence ills his opponent was wag strong above tire the average but after a minute lie he was like a child in hughs grasp lie he choked onre once or or twice slid and muttered something then hugh slipped sll pied tits bis right hand gently onto the mans thront throat ills ill fingers moved slowly round ills lila thumb adjusted itself lov angly and the lie man limn felt ills his head being arced back irresistibly he fie gave one strangled cry and thi thin then n the pressure l elabd ela pd ore hulf half inch more my iry gentle hui irl qt hagli in his err er i ind nil your neck would have been I 1 loss 16 ask a it 14 ll it W wh 11 be he hegery iery mij or some out delvs ask ither time duail oot nugh we is thru then like a gh o 41 ito he alting lite lie in tle tile direct direction lon of ills his own room THREE at eight the ilie next moro loo a hurly invoking ruf livin brong lif in hot water nud and a cup of ln lea l n As lie pulled up the blinds the light fell full nn on his battered rugged face stiff and suddenly hugh out up in bet stiff anil stared at mm film good loril lord he cried arent you lein iem smith the man swung round like a flash air und glared nt at the hel bed 1111 wot sa file lie ell as that got to 10 to lo div tout on lie earled nar led pd anil and then ills fare c hanged changed why strike me pink it it at int young drummond Pru nimond hurb glufli grinned right in one jem what in the name of fortune are you doling doing in this given up tip the game it give roe me up tip when that cross eyed eved son of a n gun young baxter fought that flint c TOSS 1 down at |