Show the he V ands alk 0 n I 1 ay adalet TUP J ua w rw n berj cawi e i shii w IN u V 1 CHAPTER IX continued 17 he came down with a crash ills his head struck tile the desk and his pistol fell ell from froin his hand and went bounding bound ilig along the floor toward the closet the man lay jay stunned and still sir george as tile the bank band in manger ilia 9 er turned put his finger to his lips and indicated that lie was to sit on the fallen bandli bandit and tie llin lit lip still keeping himself below tile glass of the partition and away from the doorway doon vay sir george picked packed up the pistol and crawled on the desk nearest the ile main office again thanking his stars for his height lie stood erect and peered over the partition paralyzed by the sudden appearance ance of three men without warning naming the clerks hod had been hacked backed up against the wall by one robber while the second second th thief lef who also had bad a pistol was as rapidly sweeping the money stacked near the tellers window nto into his pocket this man turned swiftly as though he hade badeyes had eyes ei in the back of till his head As he turned he fired the shot struck tile the partition a very little to one side as ag sit sif george ducked and anad fired III bilg bullet hit bit the mans pistol hand and as the pistol dropped and the roan man readied r for it sir george winged him again tills this time in the leg the third man near the door swung his pistol away from tile the clerks and clients he was holding at bay but sir george fire alred d first the fellow yelled and dashed outside to a waiting machine sir george jumped down from the desk ran through the doorway into the main maid bank find and hurried toward the doorway but tile the men in the car had started staked mid and as lie emerged one of them fired the bullet went through sir georges coat sleeve the car started across the llie bridge racing dangerously despite the shouts of the few people an the street from the back of the car came a succession of shots that discouraged pursuit sir gorge george hurried fiack cinto the bank the manager abe we ere rg still hardly aej I 1 y a able file ato 0 be aleve that what happened had happened de despite pIte tl th wounded met and the blood on the floor lie ile managed to caution the manager ag e r not a W work orli to the police or anyone else clie about the payroll before a small email crowd came in presently ahe the wounded men still unconscious were in a heavily guarded motor going to the nearest hospital while sir george was vas making his way up the river road at top speed f once across the bridge he whist whistled ed and as arranged august malietha Maliet Mac Betha hs chauffeur came and took the car im not coming in yet im going for it a walk up the towpath tell mr macbeth BIa cBeth that yes sir george said august and gazed dazed after him so intently that sir george had to check his inclination to teel feel his waist and see whether wll etler the belt was bulging what was vas wrong with ith august ile he could not possibly guess his errand anand august wiio lio had been instructed early that morning by macbeth that lie he was to take the car at once and say and do nothing to delay str sr george eorge was too awestruck awe struck to tell him that a wild tale of adventure halcome had come over the telephone an excited n neighbor who biad been down attebe at the drug store and had seen the police arrive had bad called up iiii to assure lady sandison that her stepson was all right and described the fight as reported in tho the village tillage As it lost nothing in the reporting and nothing from aggas indignant alk t recital robert Alfa macbeth cBeth had listened with some anxiety and roberta with open auld amusement think shame roberta said her aunt indignantly the lad in might I 1 have been hil killed led but he roberta reminded her and if you iou think I 1 b elleve believe an anything Y like ilke that happened inthis in this sleepy place e youre oure mistaken tuning having you there the slightest doubt of that aunt aggy sounds like one of rogers romances romance and well have haie beauty sandison himself sauntering ier IngIn in to join in the laugh her aunt glared at her it passes me roberta k slie she said with a sudden sweetness ewe etness that made her brother observe her carefully why I 1 you go so far out of your way to belittle the lad ind its my private belief youre as fonca of him as the athe rest of the lassies classies las sies flushed an ugly dull flush but she looked steadily at her aunt no auntie you can take your long legged laddle laddie safely back to bonnie scotland as soon boon as you like for au of me her father who had and it was unusual for him let them have lesve their say any without interruption now came back from bome far off place in his reind itna and said itin im sorry to idi say its very tery apt to be true I 1 gave the lad a job at the bank this morning but no oak cow could guess this would happen by the lord I 1 wish I 1 know knew where the leak was I 1 when I 1 find out there will lie be trouble roberta stared at him do you mean to say father that you believe all this impossible story etory about him hold holding I 1 pg ane one robber by the feet while he shot the other from over the partition and leaving them lying where hero they fell ran out and single handed stopped a car full of desperadoes desperado esi who were shooting right and left her father turned a wary eye on her well roberta adare I 1 dare say th that at there has been some little exaggeration but as lies hea a very ery tall man with a very long reach and better than all as he has a good scots head bend on top of his shoulders its possible were you sou expecting him to come right back to you robert or what demanded his sister 1 I left that I 1 robert Ifa macbeth cBeth said rather sullenly to his discretion roberta laughed again oh hes discreet enough father youre safe in trusting his discretion as far na as his own skin or lute rests are concerned lady sandison fixed her niece with a steely eye im no so sure its no dI discretion the sandison family have been famed for far far from it where Is he now rob macbeth illow how should I 1 know macbeth countered lie ile can as you say ay look after himself 1 1 I 1 but in his own mind he be was thinking with an anxiety that amazed him why he come home since his bis pr program has been cut to pieces III sir george went slowly up the towpath ile he was not easy in his mind ile he had not allowed for an open attack on the hank bank tills this morning concentrating the attention of the public and the police on him I 1 some one had undoubtedly glyen given tile the other side aide a hint and it had evidently been their aim to get the money before it left the bank the question was since that attempt had failed did they know he was vas scheduled to collect tile the payroll money from the bank today it wa was s a difficult problem for ithe ae desperate 67 gan greally knew ills his errand he be would be doing a very foolhardy thing in walking up the towpath abune he found it ft hard to believe that they con could d know positively and was fully persua persuaded ded that the chances chanted were against t their heir conceiving that lie he would venture alone with such a sum 0 of f money on his person anyway ray browne was on the lookout ile he was not really alone he was exceedingly troubled by the fact that chiq hi mind continually swung round to the roberta might be tangled tangred up in this why it s should hould he be did not quite under understand stana except that his suspicion of this man who had been lurking about her continued to worry him her attitude of distrust and some of her hints as to his hwn bad reputation made him sure that some one was slandering lim him but who would take the trouble and why he be could not comprehend all the way up from the bank to the bridgland bridge and after august had taken the car as agreed and his walk up the towpath had begun he had bad been wondering whether he was a wise man or a fool persevering in his folly his doubts returned to him now strongly suppose lie helas was not t met by ray browne as they hey had planned ile he decided that ills imagination was waa working overtime because lie he was hungry ile he took out a package of sandwiches wickles wi ciles which lady sandison Sand lson had had the cook prepare for him and unwrapped one slowly walking along alonar 0 one e han band aln in his pocket resting against a pistol he began to kunchit mun munch chit it there was something like joy in his bis heart for here in this quiet place where lie he hh hij least looked for it ad van ture had come and might even now be lurking round the next corner cornei ile he looked ahead sharply itna and then behind him in front nothing but behind li him in a canoe wai was coming along the ca canal nal propelled by swift strokes he mar marched clied steadily on until he came to a little bridson which spanned panned the canal he walked under it close io the stone wall odthe of the embankment on it rested ile he could see both up and down now he took out an au other sandwich and began batin eating it the canoe came n nearer e aber and he could se see a 6 the young roan man in it twist around looking about him rie lie realized then that where he was lie he was well hidden and the canoeist must come closer to see under the bridge the man stopped paddling up and down lie he looked Blinding his eyes with his bis hand sir george had a strong feeling that this a scout looking for him lie determined to find out ile he walked fro from under the bridge to the middle of he could have sworn that his movements were without noise yet something was overheard or seen by the man in the canoe for looking baci back sli sir george saw he was gazi gazing ng directly at him quickly the canoe began to turn about to go back down the canal sir george had also used ills eyes and he felt confident that the man was the same dark haired fellow lie he had seen with roberta that night on the towpath unless he was very much mistaken he was also the youth who had lied fled in the canoe the night of the party and if he was then somewhere at some time sir george had known him etwas it vas decidedly odd and suspicious that thae ho he should turn up here and at the first glimpse of sir george scurry away it might of course be that finding him here the fellow was simply ng back to find roberta time would tell but as time counted in this game and sir george had a good stiff walk to the trysting place lie he hurried on As he turned ills his back on the canoe and its occupant he be knew in a flash and positively who the man was his H Is minds mindi eye pictured the deck of the steamer he had taken from central cent ral america jack why had he been so stupid ld all this thin time that olly oily snake would be the very man to poison a girls mind against him halfway between the island and tile the colstr construction camp another quaint lattie bridge crosses the canal here ray browne waited browne sat near the bridge beside his car smoking a cigarette and rising every fe few W minutes to survey both towpath and canal after each ach survey lie he sank back impatiently keeping an eye on the road presently he saw sir george running along the towpath instantly lie he started lit hl engine running sir george hung flung himself into the car with hardly a word of greeting get on with it and dont stop to talk im hot arld and bothered I 1 think ive been followed theres a fellow in a canoe who could easily land anywhere on the bank near the road and inform a waiting motor ray kny started the car and once out on the ind i nd I 1 besan began to show what he be knew about speed and etwas it was not until th I a iad ad d passed several miles in their jouris tat ray bay asked safe safe now it Noth nothings lings safe until the workmen have the money in their pockets the bank was held up this morning what I 1 sir george nodded once around this point and ill tell you but when they were round the point there was wag a motor bedr car obviously placed so as 03 to block the rodd road while out on the canal bank looking up and down the tow were men tion ray nay who knew the road well ran up on the bank passed around safely and went on at full speed they glanced back and saw the men running toward the car ray and sir george looked at each other that lad ind I 1 saw in the canoe has bus spread the news that im headed up ap the river it look healthy here to me say no more the rood road seemed comparatively safe going and ray nay took curves and corners in a highly exciting manner sir george did nothing to discourage him they caught the ilie sound of a motor boat on the canal there was nothing sir george told himself frightfully unusual la in a motor boat coming along the canal hilt but when a shot came from the motor bottand boat boa tand and bythe by the narrowest margin missed their rear tire he judged it to be an im unusual usual motor boat he shouted where do your guards begin round the next curve luck held ht at least lonk long enough to allow them hem to rock around the next curve A car was waiting there witt one of the workmen seated in it IL sli sir george waved a hand and as they went by the car followed and ray nay called dont start anything luigi but if they ahey do ao shoot at their tires A cheerfull cheer fuli alla alia richtal right al followed them TO BE CONTINUED |