The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-05-17
. CHAPTER VI.
The Ouestion Of a Lodging:

T seemed a veritabIe age before we
reached the end Of that first flight
Of stairs I remember that 1
found time, in intervals OF chok-
ing the man on top OF me. TO make
him reIinquish his very evident inten-
ton Of gouging out one Of my eyes
found time TO wonder, I say, II the
edge Of the steps would so dent my
back that 1t would look like a section
OF galvanized iron
know IL felt as il It were going 20
be that way, at any rate
But finally we brought up with a thud,
and the other fellow cracked ms mead
on the rckety banisteT, and I could feel
by the relaxation Of his fingers that he
has been knocked senseless-
Scrambl1ng TO my feet bethought
me Of the revolver which I had taken
from Faraday. and you can believe I
thanked heaven as I Withdrew II from
nay nip pocket
on the floor above some one lit the
gas, and at my elbow one Of the tenants
OF the house opened . door and pCEed
out SLEEPY, startled face beneath the
lamp which ne held above MS head
BY its light / made out that the man
who had fallen with me was Earacayr
and that there was on bench al the
loot OF the stairs bucket OF sLagnant
water marked In Case Of Fire Only.
The man with the lamp started 70
say sometime but ] pokeQ the gun IN
der his nose. and he vanished with a
ING along the pltCh-daTk hallway, I
tipped the bucket OF water over Far
a.oays and took a Pot-shOt into the o.
That had triple effect to our advan-
tage- / suppose u made the people
upstairs LrIfie wary about coming
nOI-aDd Il discouraged the advancing
person. Re took 10 his heels and dis
appeared
As for Faradzy- 1he water reused
he -
swearing and rubbing his head lie
was getting ready 10 scrap with me
again when I told him who I was and
hurried him along the han 10 the win
guessed and hoped that there would
be a lre-eSCape there. knowing fuI
vel that to attempt the stairway would
be TO court something very near 10 Ger
tain d6aIh-nearer Il than I cared 70
approach, at least
On one Of the lower landings, which
We're in total darkness. almost any
thing could happen TO US or. escaping
That danger, We would be practical II
sure TO blUnder into the arms OF the
For, following Immediately upon ny
Snot- I had heard the drumming OF a
night stick on the pavement below In
but the matter Of few minutes be
fore the patrolman below would be re-
enforced.
There was q fire escape at that win
20 return thanks I told Fara6av TO
follow. and swung myself quietly out
upon the iron ladder and made the de-
scent undiSturbed, ne almost treadiug
on nv head in his anx fetv to get out
Of that death trap-
Within We could hear the stamping
OF heavy feet going Up the stairs, and
guessed that these would be the police.
Their advent was fortunate for Us IN
more ways than one, since Il drew the
curious tenants from their FIRE escapes
O. 10 rs-T-
70 get away practically unnOtiCed- ex-
Cept for an aFatheCic ls5Orer or so.
too deeply laden with liquor TO more
than glare at US Srupidly-
At the bottom We must needs swing of
over q black void and drop, we could
not know how far Il was 2 risk that
was impossible 70 refuse. however and
we took it with as good grace as we
might
From the feel OF it. as the blackness
seemed 10 sweep upward around us, we
might have fallen fifty feet; but the
chances are chat II was no more than
twenty, inasmuch as we came of with
nc harm other than soles that sched
from the impact upon the stones.
We found ourselves IN a hack yard
enclosed by high board fences Fara-
day gave me a back while Z negotiated
one Of these. and then I caught his
hands and helped him over. From this
adjoining court we made our way
through the bowels Of a tenement to
the street
For one, I was IN no pleasant mood
being weary and breathIeSS, and bat
tered and bruised from head 10 foot
but I made shift TO control my tongue
ere we left the hallway. and warned
Faraday to conduct himself as If Moth
ing had happened until We were clear OF
the block at least
He seemed cool and collected enough
in spite Of the pounding and banging
he had undergone and the aching head
20 which he later confessed, and prom
ised 10 obey me implicitly
He said he began TO think that there
were people IN the world who were
qualified TO advise him as 70 his conduct.
SO We Sauntered out, ignoring the
crowd which had collected IN front Of
the alleyway that led 10 the gambling
Joint We had just vacated so uncere-
Cn0nC 1OHE "Dr