Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-01-20
CHAPTER VIII.
Face "a Face.

BILE for q moment after the brilliant
sunshine of the outer skies; but IN
second Birdsalls cropping hand had
found an electric push-button and the
room was flooded with light They
were in a small office of the kitchen,
apparently. Smoke of peculiarly
pungent odor and eye-smarting char
acter blurred all the surroundings; but
during the moment the Jap halted to
explore Its cause the others perceived
two doors and made for them. One
was locked, but the other must have
been free to open, since Haley, with
his watering.can, bounded through 1t
while they were tugging at the other.
Almost Immediately. however. Haley
was back again shouting and pointing
down the dark passage.
THE fires there" screamed the de-
tective. II can smell smoke! The
smoke comes through the keyhole!"
But while the Jap fitted key in the
lock and swung back the door, and
Haley, who had paused to replenish
his watering-can at convenient fau-
Get darted after the other two, the
colonel stood listening with every audi
tory nerve strained to catch some
sound. He yelled Fire! help!" at the
top Of his voice, but not moving q
muscle. "Too far off," he muttered,
then he yelled again and threw q
heavy chair as If he had stumbled
against it. Another pause: he got
down on his knees to put his ear to
the floor. Directly he rose; he did not
speak, but the words that he said to
himself we're only: "Just possible.
Some one down cellar; but not under
here" Meanwhile he was hurrying in
pursuit of the others as swiftly as his
stiff knee would allow. He found them
in SIDE hall with tiled or brick floor.
gathered about water.soaked heap OF
charred red paper.
"'Tis terrible!" announced Haley;
"a bum for sure! dinnermite bum"
fishing out something like tin to-
mato can from the sodden mass.
Anyhow. there goes the real thing"
observed the colonel, coolly, as a
formidable explosion Jared the air.
III you blow us up, kill you fist"
Kissed the Jap, and his knife flashed.
"Chito. Chito!" soothed the colonel,
lifting his revolver almost carelessly.
simultaneously two brawny arms
pinioned the Jap's. own arms ct his
sides.
"Shure, Mister Samurai, It's the on
grateful chap youse Isl" expostulated
Haley. II hate to RESTRAIN We, but
II ye thry any jehujits on me twill be
sahanara wild youse mighty quick"
mo understan'," murmured the
Jap, plaintively Why you hult me?"
Come, put out the fire FIRST, said
the colonel: you know the house, you
go ahead"
The Jap darted on ahead SO swiftly
that they had some ado to follow;
which seemed necessary, since he
might have clashed bolt on them at
any turn. The colonel's stiff leg kept
in the rear. but Haley was never .
hands breadth behind the runner.
They found smoke in two places, but
they easily axtinguished the tiny
flames. In both cases the bombs
turned out to be no more dangerous
than common kind OF fireworks
yielding q suffocating smoke In an in
closure, but doing no special damage
on safe and fire-proof ground, like a
hearth. They were quickly extin-
guished. In their search they passed
from one luxurious room to another.
the Jap leading, until he finally halted
in a spacious library hung in Spanish
leather, with ancient, richly carved
Spanish tables and enhancing Spanish
chairs of turned wood and age-mel-
lowed cane, and bookcases sumptuous-
ly tempting book-lover. But the colo
mel cared only for the soul Of q book,
not its body; the richest and clearest
of black letter or the daintiest Of tool
ing had left him cold; moreover. every
fber in him was strung by his quest;
and Haley, naturally, was immune;
strangely enough, 1t was the cheerful,
vulgar little detective who gave
glance, rapid but full Of admiration,
at the shelves and pile of missals ION
the table, anonymously jostled by
magazines of the day.
Winter faced the Jap, who was
sheathed again in his bland and i'm
passive politeness. Where is Mr..
Mercer?" said he.
The Jap waved his hands in an elo-
quent oriental gesture. He assured
the honorable questioner that he did
not know any MIR. Mercer. There was
no one in the house.
The colonel had seated himself In q
priceless armchair in .Cordoya
stamped leather; he no longer looked
like an invalid. "Show your star,
please" he commanded Birdsall, and
the latter silently flung back the lapel
OF his coat.
81 ought to tell you,' continued
Rupert Winter, that the game is up.
It would do no good for you to run
that poisoned bit Of steel Of yours into
me or into any of us; we have only to
stay here q little too long and the po-
lice of San Francisco will be down on
you-oh, l know all about what sort
they are, but we have money to spend
as well as you. YOU take the note
shall write to Mr.. Mercer, or whatever
you choose to call him, and bring his
answer. We stay here until he comes"
Having thus spoken in an even, gen.
tie voice, he scrubbed few words on