, 1908-05-28

cabinet against the door and returnad
to the hall.
Meanwhile the blows at the front
door continued with increasing vic.
ience. Stoddard still stood where 7
had left him. Bates was not in sight
but the barking of a revolver above
showed that he had returned to the
F''aY to wreak vengeance ON his en-.
stoddard shook his head In depcsosr
ton.
lhey hred frst-we can't do less
IMAM get back at them" I said. be-
tween the blows Of the battering ram,
A panel of the great oaken door
now splintered, but in their fear that
we might use the broken panel as .
loophole, they scampered out into
range OF Bates revolver. In return we
heard a rain OF small shot on the up
per windows, and a few seconds later
Larry shouted that the thanking party
was again at the terrace.
This movement evidently h~eartened
the sherif, for, under a fire from
Bates, his men charged again and the
log crashed into the door, shaking IL
free from the upper hinges. The low
er fastenings were ~wrenched loose an
instant latsr, and the men came tum.
olng into the hall-the sheriff, Nor
gan and -four others / had never seen
before. simultaneously the thanking
party began smashing the small names
OF the library windows. We could
hear the glass crack and tinkle above
the confusion at the door.
In the hall he was certainly a lucky
man who held to his weapon a mo-
ment after the door tumbled in. 1
plaheu at the sher1n with my revolt
ver' put ne stumbled and half fell al
the threshold' 30 thai the ball passed
over him' ana he promptly gripped
,he oy the legs and mad me prone and
nan uazeu by the rap OF my head on
the moor.
suppose l was two or three min
utes at least getting my wits. i was
hrst conscious of Bates graphing
with the sherih, who sat upon me. and
as they with each other l
got the full benefit of their combined.
swerving, tossing weight. Morgan and
Larry were trying for a chance at each
other with revolvers, while Morgan
backed the lIishman slowly toward
the library. Stoddard had seized one
OF the unknown deputies by the col
lar and gave him a tremendous swing.
Jerking MIN high in the air and driy-
ing MIN against another invader with
a blow that Knocked 10Th fellows
jplnnlns into a corner
Come on to the library" shouted
Larry, n Bates, who had got me to
my feet, pushed me down the hall to-
ward the open library door.
Bates presented at this moment an
extraordinary appearance, with tho
blood from the scratch on his ace
coursing down his cheek and upon his
shoulder. His coat and shirt had been
torn away and the blood smeared over
his breast. The fury and indignation
in. his face was something | hope not
to see again in a human countenance.
MY God, this room-this beautiful
room!" heard him cry as he drove
me before him into the library. 1T
was Mr.. Glenarm's pride he NUT
tered, n sprang upon a burly Tel
low who had come in through one OF
me library doors ana was climbing
over the long taoie we hau overturned
o serve as a barrlcade.
We were now between two hres.
The sheriff's party had fought valiant
ly to keep us out OF the library, and
now that We were within, Stoddards
big shoulders held the door half closed
against the combined strength OF the
men in the hall. This pause was Tor
tunate, for 1t gave us an opportunity
TO deal slnsly Win the leiio"s VINO
were climbing in from the terrace
Bates a laid n or them low win a
| club and Larry disposed OF another