The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-01-08
Or austark O1V NAIN0 McCucheon

mark. You mean l am to stoI
breathing altogether"
Something like that"
"Why?"
IL don't know"
"You don't know? Well, who
|does?"
You'll find out when the boss
Igets good and ready"
You are fine Americana"
Look here, young Teller, I've
been polite to you, SO don't gel
gay. I'll come over there and
kick your jaw in"
Come ahead. Anything tc
break the monotony."
Didn't you get enough of the
|hangman's knot and the sandbag
Want more, Ell? Well, If wasn't
SO darned comfortable I'd come
over there and give it to you. Now
don't rile mel"
Il deserve to be kicked for be-
ing such a blithering fool as to
get into this mess. Come on and
kick me-"
You wanted to get poke al
the old mans eye, did ye? BY
thunder. that's like an American
Never satisfied to let things alone
|See what 1t got you into?"
THE old mans eye? What old
mani"
That's for you to find out, Il
Iyou can. You've made a hell Of
la poor start at it."
You're a good-natured scou1.
|drel."
Thanks for them kind words.
We'll, what are you going to
do with me? 1 don't like the all
in here. It's awful. How long
do I stay here?"
Say, you're a gritty little man
l like your nerve. Too bad we
amt on the same side. I'll tell
you this: you won't be here long
How would the old girl down
there put 1t? You're going on a
long voyage. That's it. But first
we'll get out of this rat hole, just
as soon as them other guys come
back from the cave. You'll get
fresh air purity soon. Now, don't
talk any more. I'm through gos-
Isipin't"
How doy on, an American,
happen to be mixed up in a deal
like this?"
Its healthier work than max
in barrels at was goin' to say
Sing Sing. but I hear they've
changed the name. prefer out
door work"
Fugitive, eh?"
"You might call 1t that. I'm
wanted in seven states. The de-
mand for me is great.
Truxton saw that he could get
nothing out of the satiricaI ras-
cal, so fell to specializing for him
self. That he was still in the
loft above the novel was more or
less clear to him. His mind, now
active, ran back to the final scene
in the kitchen. The trap-door in
the ceiling, evidently a sliding ar
rangement, explained the mysteri-
Gus disappearance of the owner of
the eye; he had been whisked up
through the aperture by confeder-
ates and the trap-door closed be-
fore it could be discovered. The
smoking kettle no longer puzzled
him, now that he knew of the Sc
Icret room above the Kitchen; a
skillfully concealed blow-pipe
could have produced the phenom-
|enon. The space in which he was
now lying, half suffocated. was
doubtless a part of the cleverly
designed excavation at the back
of the howell, the lower half being
the kitchen, the upper an actual
gateway to the open air some
where in the mountainside.
That he had fallen into the
hands of band of conspirators
was also quite clear to him.
Whether they were brigands or
more important operators against
the crown, he was, of course. in
no position to decide. Time
would tell.
1t was enough that they ex-
pected to kill him, sooner or lat
er. This, in itself, was sufficient
to convince him that he was not
to be held for ransom, but to be
disposed of for reasons best
known to his captors.
Like shot the warning of Olga
Platanova flashed into his brain.
Here, then, was the proof that
she actually knew of the peril he
was in. But why should he be
an object of concern to these men,
whoever they were? His guard
had mentioned ''the old man.
Good heavens, could he mean
Spantz? The cold perspiration
was standing on Kings brow,
|Spantzl He recalled the wicked.