Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-10-01
The Brass
BOWL-===-
Continuation of Chapter XIV.


Evidently Anisty had been received in
force which he had not bargained for.
Maitland instinctively reversed the lever
: and sent his own car upward again, slow
~, waiting for the other 10 overtake It.
? Peering down through the iron lattice
/ work he could indistinctly observe the
growing cube OF light, with dark
shape lying huddled in one corner of the
floor a second figure, rapidly taxing
shape as Anisty's stood by the controll-
er. braced against the size OF the car,
one hand on the lever, the other posing
n shining thing. the hesh-cOlored oval
OF his face turned upwards in
suppositious attempt to discern the loca-
ton OF the dark car.
! Hickey, by firing prematurely, lent him
adventurous aid. The criminal replied
with spirit, aiming at the fash, his bull
let scattering against the back wall OF
I the shaft Hickey's next bullet rang with
beIl-like note against the metal-work.
Anisty's presumably went wide-though
Maitland could have sworn he felt the
cold kiss OF its breath upon his cheek.
And the lighted cage rOcketed past and
up.
Maitland needed no admonitiOn to pur-
sue; his blood was up, his heart singing
with the lust OF the man-hunt. Yet An
Iisty was rapidly leaving them. his car
soaring at an appalling pace. Toward the
/ top he evidently made some attempt 70
slow up, but either he was ignorant OF
the MANAGEMENT Of the lever. or else the
thing had got beyond control. The cage
rammed the buffers with a crash that
ECHOED through the sounding halls like
/ a peal OF thunder-claps; IL was instanta-
tneously plunged into darkness. There fol-
lowed a splintering and rending sound,
and Maitland. heart in mouth. could make
out dimly a dark. falling shadow In the
further shaft. Yet ere IT had descended
score of feet the safety-clutch acted
and. with a third tremendous Jar, shaking
the building. the car halted.
/ Hickey and Maitland were then some
five floors below stop 'er at 49, ordered
the detective There was a Tilt Of exult-
ancy in his voice. 1--WE got him now, all
right. all right. He'll try to get down
by-Therer' Overhead the crash Of
gate forced open was followed by sour
~ OF footsteps over the thing. stop 'er
and we'll head him of. So now-eeeasy"
/ Maitland shut of the power as the car
reached the 18th floor. Kicked opened the
gate and jumped out. shut that" he
commanded sharply as Maitland followed
him. Gin case he gets past us"
! He paused a moment in thought. heavy
head on bull-neck dropping forward as
he stared toward the rear of the building.
7
his many deficiencies. Maitland found
time. quantity enough, to regard him with
detached curiosity, a rare animal, illus
trating all that was best and worst in
his order Endowed with unexceptiona-
BILE courage. his address in emergencies
seemed altogether admirable.
''Yeh. guard them stairs" he decided
suddenly. ''rll run through this hall. md
see what's doing. Don't hesitate to shoot
| IL he tries to jump yeh." And was gone
dumping briskly down the corridor to
the rear.
Maitland. yielding the initiative to the
others superior generalship, stood senti-
mel. revolver in hand, until the detective
returned, overheated and sweating, from
his tour. "nothin' DOM" with character
istic brevity He had the same report to
make on both the 10th and 21st floors,
where the same procedure was observed,
but as the latter was reached unexpected
and very welcome reinforcements were
gained by the arrival Of a third car,
containing thre patrolmen and one
roundsman Yet numbers created delay;
Hickey was seized and compelled to pant
explanations. to his supreme disgust.
And. suddenly impatient beyond endur-
ance, Maitland left them and alone
sprang up the stairs.
That this was simple foolhardiness
may be granted without dispute. But il
must be borne in mind that he was very
young and ardent. very greatly perturb-
ed on behalf of an actor IN the tragedy
in whom the police. to their then knowl-
edge, had no interest whatsoever. And
IL in the heat of chase he had for an In
Dtant forgotten her, now he remembered;
and at once the capture of Anisty was
relegated to the status Of matter OF
secondary Importance The real matter
at stake was the safety or the girl whom
Anisty, by exercise of an Internal inge-
nuity that passed Maitland's comprehen-
sion, had managed to spirit into this
place. OF death and darkness and whis-
pering halls Where she might be. in
what degree of suffering and danger
these were the considerations that sent
him in search Of her without a thought
of personal peril. but with a sick heart
and overwhelmed with sitting sense Of
anxiety.
More active than the paunch- burdened
detective. he had sprinted down and back
through the hallway of the twenty-second
floor, without discovering anything, ere
the police contingent had reached an
agreement and the stairhead
There remained two more floors, two
final flights. A little hopelessly he
swung up the first. And as he did so
the blackness above him was riven by
past his head. fiattened itself with a
vicious spat against the marble dado OF
the walls. Instinctively he pulled up,
finger closing upon the trigger OF HE
revolver; flash and report followed the
motion. and a panel of ribbed glass in
a door overhead was splintered and fel!
in clashing fragments. all but drowning
the sound Of feet In flight upon the up
per staircase.
A ciamor OF caution, warning, encour-
agement, and advice broke out from the
police below. But Maitland hardly
heard. Already he was again in pursuit,
taking the steps two at a leap. With a
hand upon IlIe newel-posr he swung
round on the twenty-third floor, and
hurled himself toward the foot Of the
last fight. A crash ----e rife shot rang
out above, and for a second he fancied
that Anisty had fired again and with a
heavier weapon. But Immediately he
realized that the noise had been only
the slamming Of the door at the head
Of the stairs-tne door whose glazed
panel doomed above him. shedding a diff
+, fused light to guide his Footsteps. it's
opalescent surface lettered with the
name Of
HENRY NJ. BANNERMAN.
Attorney and Counselor-at-Law.
the door of the office whose threshold