The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-12-29

beside the bread
"Whdt is tbats" cried Poe, pointing over
Torches shoulder to the closet door and
assuming a look Of horror.
Torche, thrown off bis guard BY the sim
pie trick. turned on his heel with a hiss and
stared at the closet door, his hand instinc-
lively seeking the knife beside him.
The door had not moved, but the ruse
allowed Poe to give strange little whistle,
almost lnnoticed; whistle curiously like
that which had issued frcm the bps Of the.
single man sitting at the far end Of the box
ns@t to the Blondells at the ChAtelet.
At that instant, while Torches gaze was
still fixed on the closet door, pink nose and
two CLASSY eyes peepsd out from beneath
the left leg Of the performers Tapping
trousers and Poe dropped one Of the bright
red cherries, from the bag he had purchased,
within foot or two Of the animal,
With swift swoop the sleek rat pounced
upon the cherry, clutched it between its
teeth and, Ike q fash, darted up the trou-
sers leg again.
Christopher Poe stood with a cynical
smile deeply grooved in his hard cheeks.
With a cultural snarl, Torche sprang to
action, clutched the knife in a leap and
dashed on Poe, only to find steady revol-
yer aimed between his eyes and the cool
voice Of Poe demanding
."Giss me Tie Royal Ra5y"I
"SG m0jssk diabo'iqnei Ls diablsW
Kissed Torche, backing from the gun, the
whites Of his eyes rolling and his hands
quivering up like the rays Of heat from a
stove, with steady motion "Yuu have the
secret You saw me in the box tonight
His agony-strained fingers, still clutching
the knife, had quivered up above his head
and with a sudden talst he jerked the whole
force Of his body behind the blade and
crashed it down upon his adversary. Be-
ford Poe could pull the trigger large wo-
man leaped on him from behind with a
bestial snarl and boTled him to the floor,
the knife hurting into the closet from
which the woman had burst forth unnoticed.
In the struggle that followed, the French
pair fought like saysgcs, Poe's revolver was
kicked from his hand, and Torche suddenly
leaped after it, giving pee.the chance to
twist from sbenestbsthe ISomsn with a
wrestling trick and dash through the door
to, the head Of the stairs, where Torcnt had
stopped to pick up the revolver! 90 VA.
Before Poe could grasp Torche the NO
man hurled herself upon him again, and in
the turmoil that followed the stopping
Torche lost his balance and hurtled down
the riekety flight Of steps; near the bottom
the body crashed through the rotten rail
and Poe trembled at the sound Of an
sSoniEing scream, as the man slipped
through the opening between the balus-
trades and dropped with kicking elatter to
the main foor, four stories below. The
woman stiffened up and released her hold
on Poe al che listened in awful silence, the
muscles In her face stretched tense with
horror. .s
Insthat instant Poe recognized her as an
Apache, dyed In criminaity, whom he had
encountered before.
She returned to the fight like a, lioness,
but Poe managed to skilfully bind her
ankles and wrists with the cord torn from
her dressing gown.
He left her struggling on the door-siL,
moaning, L'dia5ls Poel'' and snatching at
the cord with her teeth
She wriggled through the doorway into
the room and struggled toward one corner,
Kissing vie oaths at Poe meantime, who
stood with bis arms folded, watching her
direction intently.
Finding that she was surely edging to-
ward rickety desk in the corner, Poe antic-
ipated her effort, stepped to the crazy piece
Of furniture and picked up several articles,
one after another, the woman watching
him with greedy, cat-like eyes.
Suddenly his hand encountered a long
stemmed, deep-bowled clay pipe, fllled-xith
fresh tobacco. A hiss Of pent-up breath
greeted his movement and he turned with a
keen look at the woman. Her face had be-
come as stone, and not single feature be-
trayed her.
Christopher Poe smiled, dropped the
pipe into loose outside pocket with salts
faction in his manner, busted his clothes,
raised his hat to the woman who had sud
denly slumped into sobbing bundle, and
remarked: Goodnight, Mignon,' the po-
ice will call upon you soon"
Poe felt his way down the long, dark stair
way. The whole house had been raised by
Torches plunge and Poe found three ex-
cited members OF the gsndarmeyie admins
tering first aid They stopped long enough
to seize him as a stranger, at the advice OF
the regular dodgers in the house but Poe
only smiled, turned back Torches lett
trousers leg, showsA fhe astonisbed police
the big trisk~rM, still warm, but dead in
cleysssS-contrived pocket, its home,