Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-04

"To whose order?" I queried, with pen up.
raised.
"To bearer" he replied, in tones that seemed
to me very far from insane, even in my own ex.
cited condition.
| ''Humor him for a few moments more, so that
I can slip away and procure aid" whispered
Delacrox to me in an undertone; and the luna
tic seemed to take note of his departure from
the room.
"That's all right" commented the modern
highwayman in CHEEKY tones as he carefully
amined the check, which he had taken from my
trembling fingers. Now want you to come
with me. I don't intend to hurt you If you
obey me-" he added meaningly.
| Mindful of Delacroixs parting words, and ex'
pecting to be delivered each moment from out
of the hands of my tormenter, did as he re-
lquested, and soon found myself in the genera.
managers electrically Illuminated office. To my
Igreat qualification the madman then retreated,
closing the door after him For fully five or ten
minutes l remained perfectly quiet had just
about made UP my mind to reconnoitre when
the door was again opened, and one of the ban
Iqueters Ia wealthy dry goods merchant by the
name of Benedictl, looking extremely pale and
frightened, walked in. There must have been
somebody behind him, because the door closed
again directly he had entered.
THANK Heaven Help has come TO me at
last" cried exultingy. "Have they secured
the madman YETI"
sudden fash that looked very much like un-
derstanding seemed to spread over his counte-
nance He fairly threw himself into an easy
chair, and remained in deep self-cogitation for
lseveral minutes. He just about to address
me when another of the Universal Investment
and Security Company's clients and guests "a
retired merchanN entered the room in the self
lsame frightened looking manner as his predeces
sor. Again the door closed
| Friends, cried Benedict, "there is foul play
going on here, and l AM very much mistaken il
io-fa - ID IL
bottom of it,"
What. Delacroix? Impossible Are you
lcrazy! we replied in incredulous tones, for the
rogue had played his part exceedingly well.
| No more crazy than that make-beleve mad
man, who compelled us all to sign our checks
payable to bearer" hazarded Benedict looking
at us questioningy; and, in spite of predca-
Iment, l noticed that half-smile Of vanity over
his superior powers of penetration lit up his
face.
Then the seals fell from our eyes. We saw
that we had been duped, certainly; but it was
rot altogether irreparable. We three, knowing
how the matter really was, could rush upon the
madman and overpower him until the help Of
Jour numerous companions and the police could
be sumomned.
Gentlemen" spake the voice of the general
manager through the keyhole Of the door;
please bear in mind that you are in a modern
office building with soundproof walls, ceilings,
and floors. That pisto-shot cannot be
distinguished beyond the fourth or fifth room of
the suite. That while you have but portion Of
your worldly wealth at stake, we are working
flor our very freedom and our lives. We are
lwell equipped with revolvers. Any attempt to
Irush out of the room you are in will mean
the sacrifice of many lives, even if it should in
clude our own. Advise your friends accordingly
as they join you, in order to prevent accident"
Every word of the speaker true that we
merely looked at one another and groaned. Then
we huddled together in one corner of the big
room and awaited developments with wildly
beating hearts.
| Tn they came one by one, with the same terri
fled facial expression, broadening into wonder,
land contracting back again to CONSERVATION as
1.-THE whole significance of the thing dawned upon
them. 1t was the butcher, the baker, the
Idle.s stick maker etc, in revised version; name
Ily, the Beef Trust magnate, the Biscuit Syndi-
cate millionaire, the Lamp Pool potentate, and
Iothers of similar ilk When the last lamb had
been lured to the fold, there dull, rum
bling sound directly behind the closed door.
Then all was still.
After some five minutes space, which seemed
much more like an hour, we found courage to
look mp at one another. 1t was then that my
eyes beheld upon the managers open desk
letter addressed to elisha Skimpbins ct al"
read it aloud to the assembled company. II was
typewriter follows:
"Gentlemen You are in here for two days
| (forty-eght hours). Ample provisions and drink
Offices have all been secured, and the iron fire
doors drawn down and fastened outside. Even
Iif you were skilled mechanics with a complete
array of tools, you could not get out very much
under the time. To those frequenting the Atlas
Building all will seem The clerks will
be working each day in outside Offices en-
ltirely innocent of their employers deeds, mark
Iyou-and the elevators running with their usual
crowds of passengers. But you have absolutely
no chance to make them of your presence.
No place in the world offers such advantages to-
wards hiding away a body of men as do the re-
tired rooms of modern Office building located
in the very centre of city, and surrounded and
occupied all the while by hosts of buzzng NOR
tails II it were not for our thoughtfuness in
providing you with food, and having the author
lities notified of your whereabouts after the two
davs have elapsed, You would perchance perish
ere your searchers could trace you out. Owing
to our extensive daily operations in big checks
payable to bearer and gold coin, we expect to
have no difficulty in realizing five six mil
lions for our company, and will be far away
upon our travels before You again see the light
of day.
''With assurances of our most distinguished
consideration we remain,
'Your obliged and obedient servants,
THE UNIVERSAL INVESTMENT AND Sc.
! CURTTY COMPANY, LTD.
p. S-As our bank acounts all closed up,
Ivou will save protest fees by not attempting to
negotiate the dividend checks"