Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-24
VIII.
Dance Of the Hours.

TOUR OOuDie strokes. ana WINE Yet the
deep-throated music was dying into ST.
lence the telephone bell shrieked imperti-
nently
Maitland bit savagely on the gag and
knotted his brows. trying to bear it. The
effect was that of a coarse file rasped
across raw. quivering nerves. And he lay
helpless. able to do no more toward en-
durance than to dig nails deep into his
palms.
Again and again the fiendish clamor
shattered the echoes. Binding flashes
Of agony danced down the white-hot
wires strung through his head. taut from
temple to temple.
Would the fool at the other end never
be satisfied that he could get no answer?
Evidently not: the racket continued mer-
cilessly short series Of shrill calls alter
mating with imperative rolls. prolonged
until one thought that the tortured metal
sounding cups would crack. Thought.
nay. prayed that either such would be the
Sc. or else that ones head might at
once mercifully be rent asunder. 80
That anguish so exquisite should be the
means of releasing him from his bonds
seemed a refinement of irony. Yet Matt
land was aware. between spasms. that
strument. for obvious convenience. had
been equipped with an extension bell,
which rang simultaneously in O'Hagans
quarters. When Maitland was not at
home the janitor-valet. so warned. would
answer the calls. And now. in the still
intervals. the heavy thud of unhurried
feet could be heard upon the staircase.
OHagan was coming to answer. and TAX
ing his time about it. 1t seemed an age
before the rattle of pass key in latch an
nounced him. and another ere. all I'M
conscious of the figure supine the
divan against the further study wall. the
old man shuff1ed to the instrument. lifted
receiver from the hook and applied 1t to
his ear.
We'll. well?" he demanded. with that
impotence characteristic of the lliterate
for modern methods of communication.
"Phwat the divvle ails ye?'
"Rayspicts to ye' ma am. and it's sorry
I am didn't know twas Teddy"
Hes not"
Wan o'clock: there or whereabouts"
Faith and he didn't say
"Pawat name will !. be .ellin' him.
"Kape ut to yersilf thin It's none Of
me business"
of We do I'll not answer. Sure am I
to be climbin' two flights av stairs ivry
foive pinits-"
Goodbye yersilf." hanging up the re-
ceiver. And the divvle fly away wild
ye." grumbled O'Hagan.
AS he turned away from the instrument
Maitland managed to produce sound,
something between a moan and a stran-
gled cough. The old man whirled on his
heel. "Pwhat's thot?''
The next instant he was bending over
Maitland, peering into the face drawn
and disigured by the gag. 1.-THE saints
presarve US! And who the divvle are we
at all? Phwy don't We spake?
Maitland turned purple and emitted
furious snort.
mister Maitland, be all thot's strange!
Is ut mad I am? Or how did We
get back here and into this fix. sor. and
me swapin' the halls and polishin' the
brasses feminist the front dure iv'ry min
ute since We whit out?'
Indignation struggling for the upper
hand with mystfication in the 1rishman' 8
| BRAIN he grumbled and swore. yet busted
his fingers. In trice the binding gag
was loosed. and ropes and straps cast
free from swollen wrists and ankles.
And, with the assistance Of a kindly arm
behind his shoulders. Maitland sat up.
grinning with the pain Of renewing circu-
lation in his limbs.
vivid these two oies mesilf saw We
lave three hours gone. sor. and l c'ud
swear no sowl had inferred this house
since thin. Phwat does ut all name. be
all thOt's holy?"
TT means" painting. brandy and soda.
O'Hagan. and be quick =
Maitland attempted to rise. but his legs
gave under him. and he sank back with a
stifled OATH. resigning himself to wait
the return Of normal conditions. AS for
his head. it was threatening to split at
any moment. the tight wires twanging
Internally between his temples. while the
corners of his mouth were cracked and
sore from the pressure OF the gag. All
of which totted up a considerable debit
against Mr.. Anisty's account.
For Maitland despite his suffering. had
found time to figure 1t out to his personal
satisfaction-or dissatisfaction. If you pre-
fern the interval between his return
to consciousness and the arrival OF
O'Hagan. 1t was simple enough to de-
duce from the knowledge in his posses.
sion that the burglar. having contrived
his escape through the d:sobedience of
Higgins. should have engineered this
| complete revenge for the indiEnity Matt
land had put upon him.
How he had OWNED the fact of the
jewels remaining in their owners pos
session was less clear, and yet 1t was rea-
sonable. after all. to presume that Malt
land should prefer to hold his own. POS
sibly Anisty had seen the girl slip the
canvas bag into Maitlands pocket while
the latter was kneeling and binding his
captive. However that was. there was
no denying that he had trailed the treas
ulc 10 It's pace. anu
succeeded in taking possession of 1t with
consummate skill and audacity. When
Maitland came to think of it. he recalled
distinctly the trend Of the burglars in
QUESTION in the character of Mr..
Snaith.' which had all been calculated to
discover the location Of the jewels. And
when he did recall this fact, and how
easily he had been duped. Maitland could
have ground his teeth in melodramatic
raRe-but for the circumstance that when
first 1t occurred to him. such a feat was
a physical impossiblity, and even when
ungagged the operation would have been
painful to an extreme.
Slipping the grateful drink which
OHagan presently brought him. the
young man pondered the case, with no
pleasure In the prospect he foresaw. If
Higgins had actually communicated the
fact of Anisty's escape to the police the
entire affair was likely to come out In the
papers-all of it. that is, that he could
not suppress. But even figuring that he
could silence Higgins and O'Hagan-no
difficult task. though he might be some
what late with Higgins-the most discreet
Imaginable explanation Of his extraordi-
nary conduct would make him the laugh
ing stock of his circle Of friends. to say
nothing of a city that had been accus-
toned to speak of him as Mad Matt
land for many a day. Unless I"
All. he had 1t! He could pretend $50
long as it suited his purpose. at all
events) to have been the man caught
and left bound in Higgins care. Simple
enough-the knocking over of the butler
would be ascribed to a natural ebullition
hare-brained notion of running down the
nj a n hQd