Show CAGE 0 by courtney ryley cooper service copyright by courtney ryley cooper CHAPTER XII continued 11 lemme lemma see there he commanded pushing the other man aside 1 I know where it Is drawing forth a bent piece of steel sharpened at one oae end all now wen men you this under the window and our shoulders to it well be inside a but at the veranda he halted and called over his shoulder well come on what the h 1 1 you stalling tor for joe followed him with lagging feet there was it moment ot of activity and the window yielded they were within carefully Full house pulled down the window and walking to the wall touched a snap light tills this joints right Full house bouse explained pla ined city power and everything ripe pipe the dump aint it a knockout joe carry barry looked about him with dazed eyes lie ile had bad never been in such surroundings as this the rugs were deep and soft beneath his feet tills this was the dining room paneled and furnished with a richness which joe barry had bad seen only in pictures cut crystal gleamed silver service shone from the heavy hunting style buffet buffel full house looked about appraisingly well grab some of that stuff solid just what we can carry without it being too heavy beavy what we want Is the jack out of that match box come on again with the familiarity he had shown ever since he had turned off the main road Full house moved from the dining room into a larger chamber A cabinet stood against the wall gilhouse Full FIl house glanced in its direction then with an afterthought smeared a palm ag against alast his bis forehead Hot tern h I 1 in here he said ill open a window he threw a lock and raised the heavy pane palle the air from without was refreshing Full house breathed it deeply A house sure gets sizzling shut up like this he nodded then to a large painting on thi th wall its behind that he said wed better pull the curtains answered joe nervously gee full house we cant work right out in the open this xay toy ll 11 why cant can t we he nodded theres the light switch right behind you switch it out and come here her joe barry obeyed feeling his way across the room in the darkness see anything no the woods come almost op to the house dont they yeh teh and its that way for fifty acres turn on the lights again then go get your kelster keister joe obeyed from behind him as he went through the big hall ball to the front door he be could hear full house mumbling at the cabinet against the wall he was still i there when joe returned thumbing curiously at dials at last to gain a response that aint so bad he said turning nonchalantly away from the concealed loudspeaker a jungle band squawked its jagged melody Full house glanced professionally at the oil painting on the wall guess we got to yank this thing down never mind trying to lift it oil off its look hook get that corner and give it a yank the fastening broke A small round metal appliance was revealed in the wall FuU Full houBe house stepped forward and gave a profess professional lonal twist to the knob humph Hump hl he said eald and walking away merely stood his big hands behind his back and his lips shoved forward the lousy bum hes switched that combination 11 ne he pursed his ups lips and rolled his eyes to the sweating joe wrong with the sate safe jammed with a new combo As it if that made a difference well soup it go on and grab that stuff out of the dining room while I 1 get the drill I 1 thought maybe thild happen he forced joe to his task the radio blared on to different melodies joe halted in its his work halt half starting toward the instrument then Full house came back fitted a steel bit to a heavy brace listen he said eald grab crab that chair get on it youre stronger than I 1 am weve got to drill that baby then soup it soup that means nitroglycerin you know all the words dont you asked Full rull house well what of it the daft whether we open it with our fingers or with will an ax as get up on that chair crawling things bilings had suddenly crept into joe larrys harrys heart ue ile stepped to the chair took the drill and started turning the shavings cutting grudgingly take fifteen or twenty minutes said Full house stay at it id better duck outside the house and do some keep watch you know on the long shot that somebody Bome body would show up and id have to stall em cm well dont stand there staring at me turn that drill 1 I dont like this Full house houie 11 well do you think im having any picnic listen I 1 tue the use of getting excited simply because we got to soup that baby it dont make no difference what we do now we went the route when we jimmied that window hop to it and lets get out of here lie he waited only u until all jo joe ha bad d returned to ills task ah then ile ha moved slowly out of the room at the hall joe thought that his bis steps grew a bit faster finally there was silence except for the 0 a it to d ile ha at scratching of the drill and the blatter of the radio again joe looked toward it and moistened his lips back to his drill he be went his arm turning unconsciously to the squeals of piccolos piccoloa pic colos and the blare of trombones then he halted baited again and suddenly descended from the chair As hurriedly he went to the radio to throw tue the switch that would stop tho the annoyance of jarring notes but with his hand on the dial lie he halted ue ile turned his lend head swiftly looking out toward the hall ball Full house bouse was not there tie he swerved to the radio again A minute passed and two he was crouching now his form almost hidden in the bulk bulb of tile the big instrument as on his knee lie he knelt there eager fingers turning the dials even as his big brain commanded that they desist station by station the results flowed in a jazz band matting its swift time music a woman singing band playing A band playing joe turned back to it and reached hurriedly for the volume control contro 1 stronger and stronger it came in the man sent a hand to his forehead brushing dazedly at black led hair his lips took on a new look of grimness now with a clearing of the air lanes the music became stronger filling ane great room until it literally en folded him tinsel anil and spangle and fluttering tulle queen of the tha sawdust ring A groan came from the throat of joe barry ills sweating trembling hands reached upward upward as it if to wrench the machine into st sl lonce lence but they only remained shaking there while the band repeated the melody the every note pounding like the blows of a trip hammer into the brain of joe barry then suddenly the roan man slumped his sweat lined hands grasping at the sides of the instrument for the blind band had ceased some onedas one was speaking across the miles it was the voice of sue dayton CHAPTER XIII GAUNT AUNT held in spite of himself him joe barry knelt there his body almost flat against the radio now dow while sue dayton spoke J just to him it seemed and now friends of the sir air lanes in closing our little circus program dayton brothers wishes you every happiness we want to thank those of you who have bare been good enough to visit us at the festival for your patronage and tor for the nice things you have sold said about the show especially about my rid ing act acl but I 1 must tell you that it was not my idea it was originated by mr joe bradley who first made my song and our air signature queen of the sawdust ring king a success mr air bradley Is no longer with our circus but we will always remember him tor for what he did and what he was to us a fine showman a dear friend and one who will always have our faith our good wishes and our love this la Is sue dayton speaking for the dayton brothers circus good night friends she was gone out of the cone speaker a new voice was sounding before the radio a haggard man rocked for a long moment neither knowing nor caring what now came over the air there was a stare in his eyes an expression however swiftly changing suddenly he whirled Full house housel I 1 he shouted you Full house I 1 there was no answer ne swung ung about to a halt half crouched position facing the door Full house housel there was a dominant quality in his voice you hear met come in here ive got something to say bay to you yon but there was only silence save for the croaking of the frogs a 10 1 f A A the use of getting ex cited it dont make no differ ence what we do now we went the route when we jimmied j that window rustling of the foliage outside the th e window you heard beard me Full rull house it if you yoi m want tills this drilling done come and anc lal do it yourself im through with ati this sort son of thing the silence had struck him a is ig strange lie rose and walked waited swift ft ly across the room halting at last lasi gt in the do doom doorway ay Full house I 1 in III the silence that followed joe jo oe barry heard the slightest of sound sounds ds behind him it was merely a click k ing as metal struck metal some ie thing heavy coming in easiest pos is sible bible touch with the copper liei er Ler stripping of the open window windo alvn if hi head turned swiftly v all it ln in an I 1 in stant he glimpsed it the long bi blui e steel barrel striving desperately ti 0 o j e m lal ati is ig ft gt oe ds k ie is er Ler e ti 0 o center on him the abc gaping hole bole nt at tl its end the shadow of a face be 1 yond and hands clamped behind a c metal drum joe barry waited for ai no more the light switch was at n ills his very finger tips where ills his hand g was braced against the wall A m spasmodic jerk aud and he had struck r it driving it home at the same saine in P stant slant he dived for the floor the Is room was in darkness save for the 11 spurting yellow ellow flame from the wins dow continuous spurting accoe u panted by ilia he rattle of machiner gun fire as bullets sought desperately viciously to find an equally desperate target so in the darkness ghastly calm came to tile the man on n the floor oe he doubled his arms bej him and rolled swiftly far E to one side while above him the 0 plaster chirped chipped sprinkling apran kalog its dust s upon him A tinkling sound came h from the hall behind followed by 11 tile hie crash of glass on the floor now 1 the yellowish red spurts began to J search downward but joe had I 1 crossed the room he was against E the back wall at the radio it had v come to him swiftly that it was this J position which had held him safe a for the long moments in which he had listened to a girls voice bolce from tar far away this was on a bad angle a from the window it could not be reached again and again and t again and again the ugly clatter s echoed through the room acrid odors came to his nostrils then silence with that stumbling getting 1 ills his direction only by instinct joe 1 harry barry was on his feet and run ning for the front of the house Full house he be shouted as he readied reached the veranda there was no answer the car stood there he be leaped for 14 it tile the pressure of ills his foot sending the starter into action instantly Full house housel 1 ue ile glanced desperate ls about him still there was no answer still no sight of his thin shouldered confederate for a last time he called cramping the wheels as he did so the cry was answered by a spurt of flame from the rhe side of the house joe barry meshed the gears and forcing the engine to the limit of its ability went onward out of the driveway the windshield split before his eyes and clattered in splinters upon the hood another bullet struck the dash light then all was quiet save for the roaring of the engine the screech of the ancient gears as he shifted anew the grating of swift wheels upon rutty ratty road he reached the highway and turned for town driving madly miles allies passed lie ile was driving slower now holding the car to legal limits by sheer force of will ceaselessly there pounded through his mind the thought of Full house there was one chance in a thousand that he had gotten away frightened into such desperate haste that he could give no warning ing and if he had there was but one more chance that joe could learn of it it the light of a drugstore showed on a far corner beyond the park joe sent the car to the curb and forcing an appearance of nonchalance went within the store to the telephone booth regis 11 he called there Is no such exchange ill give you chief operator A few moments later joe barry walked slowly from the telephone booth to the drug store then halted that operator says theres no such telephone exchange as re Is in washington there anaw answered ered the druggist a 0 joe barrys lips set suddenly Is there a hotel he asked yes les the big one you cant miss it straight down this street twenty minutes later joe barry pulled the car into a parking space and left it with no regard to regulations ions the brilliant lobby meant nothing to him except a route to the elevators at the ninth floor he stepped forth and started hurriedly forward searching the door numbers only to halt at a womans comans voice what room number please nine forty two said joe quietly the name please kendall L D kendall the floor clerk consulted her records no such person Is registered hes here though joe barrys voice had passed beyond excitement only the thinnest of it and the slight break gave indication of what went on within him ne ile may not have given his name he came in not long ago A thin in man an F flat int cheated 11 yes tea but not his room lies in there talking to mr jamison jamison Jam lson rie he glanced up and down the hall which way is the girt girl did not answer her unconscious glane glance e however was enough joe barry whirled his is right hand went to the sag sagging ing coat pocket cold fingers clamped upon equally cold steel from behind hini him came the call of the girl that he must be announced lie ile went on nine thirty six thirty eight forty he went on nine forty two A radio was squawking from the other side of the door joe barry twisted the knob tile the door of course was locked ile he raised hla his clenched fist pounding rapidly blurred voices came from the other side joe pounded again a a n the lock cli clicked ched there was tie the jerk of the lock the turn of t the I 1 e knob the door opened narro narrowly w Y instantly joe was against it t his a weight throwing off balance the le man on the other side they sprawled together through the en try way a stocky form tumbled over them and slammed the door then straightening joe barry stared stare d with dazed ey eyes es at the men before him Full house had bad dr drawn awn back bach with a shrug of ills his shoulders j and band an acquiescing nod of his bis nar j row head I 1 all right louie he said you yon edve swore it was greer lie he pressed his lips but its him in person I 1 As tor for joe he could only stand breathlessly his hand blind still clutched upon tho the piece ot of steel in his bis coat pocket his eyes striving to orientate themselves to the unbelievable tl 1 c ai n g m r P Is 11 u n E 0 s h 11 1 J I 1 E v J a a t s 1 1 e a things he saw the short armed louie bertolani coming from ills chair across the room a hoggish appearing man who stared with magnified ebes 03 es through thick gans glasses es from the bathroom door a washed tied out type of blond woman then there was a heavy shouldered person in chauffeurs clothes and lastly a trim quietly dressed man light of hair and blue of eyes who sat nt at a table with cards scattered upon 14 it his thin fingers ceaselessly rattling a stack of chips well joe he said at last youre back I 1 see there was no sound tor for a moment except the blare of the radio jangling every nerve in joes barrys body ile he tensed his hold on the kun gun desperately ile he took stock of those about halml F full house the chauff chauffeur chauffour our louie berto llna alternately pushing his cuffs back from his thick wrists then jamming them down again big friday joe had known lie he was |