The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-03-24
CHAPTER XXI
Hardy BUYS an overeoat

FldTuy buys an ONGFCOdS.
They were in utter darkness now.
Above could be heard a hoarse uproar.
faint and confused, shouts and sounds
of heavy boots on the flooring; here
in the cellar the shuffling feet of the
escaping nihilists, the bump or rattle
Of an occasional obstruction kicked or
run against, muttered oaths. Morde-
cal, still holding Hardy by the arm,
pulled him rapidly across the cellar
until they stumbled against the feet
of men crawling on their hands and
knees. The American pitched for
ward on the back of one of these,
who kicked him savagely and swore
foul oath under his breath.
Get down." whispered Mordecai,
"and crawl, crawl with met"
They passed through an opening in
the wall, so low that it brought the
American fiat on his stomach, and
still scratched his back That it was
barely wide enough for two at time
was evident from the fact that,
though he had crowded close to Nor
decai, the wall scraped his right side.
They were through in a trice and still
in utter darkness. The sound of
scuffiing feet again could be heard
the sound of nihilists fleeing.
The FOOLS" muttered Mordecai
they forgot to put back the stone"
1t was evident from his grunts and
a scratching sound that he was strug.
Cling with some heavy object.
There" he muttered at last, 1T is
flush now, and just in time! Listen,
my dear pupil, do you not hear them?
They are in the cellar. Put your ear
against the wall"
Hardy did as was requested, and he
could indeed hear faint sounds on the
other side of the wall
Where are we now?" he asked
I'VE are in the cellar of the ad-
joining house, belonging to a member
of the Order. The brothers have es-
capped by an underground passage
by an old forgotten sewer But it will
not be safe for you to follow them.
They will have recovered their wits
by this time and some of them will lie
in wait for you and kill you, feeling
sure that you will tell what you have
seen and heard"
Hardy's eyes were becoming accus-
toned to the darkness, and in the dis
tance he could see a slit of dim gray
light. He felt his way to it, striking
a barrel and hitting his head against
hanging shelf on the way. By the
sense of touch he assured himself
that he had arrived at the cellar win
dow, boarded up, and that the slit of
gray light came through an imperfect
joining. The door must be somewhere
near. With his fingers against the
wall, he took several steps to the left
without finding it; then he returned
to the right, made the same expert
ment, and his efforts were rewarded
with success.
Mordecai was at his side.
What are you going to do?" asked
the Jew.
Il am going to walk boldly out of
this door," replied Hardy. "The ex-
plosion will have drawn the whole
neighborhood to the front of the
house, on the other street, and shall
not be noticed. If l am, can explain
how l came here, and how escaped.
l am going to chance it, and the
quicker l go the better"-and he
pushed back the heavy bolt which he
had found by this time. "Good-by,
my friend, and thank you. l suppose
you will reioin your brethren. You
have saved my life and shall never
forget 1t. For your sake, will say
nothing about what l have seen and
heard this night. The nest is broken
up for the present and the police DO
not seem to need my aid"
The American walked couple OF
squares. then turned sharply to tho