Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-08-23

have suggested It. You made ne

have suggested t. You made me
nervous"
1or Z nomsnt Il Was % II The mask
had been dropped. - II they openly
ACKNOWLEDGED one another - tmplaca-
Bile enemies. And again Coast re-
marked that Blackstock Quivered a.
no had when surprised. an hour be-
fore; ripple Of tensed muscles, hard
" 70 b detected. seemed to shake
him from head to foot-and was gone
in . twinkling. while the hard smile
reappeared on the Satyr's features.
DO you really tote . gun. Handy.
side?'
Always" Coast rsjoined briefly.
"Why-up here"
"You never can tell what's going to
happen"
perhaps you're right" Blackstock
conceded the point graciously. Il
don't mind. but. you really ought not
to take Joke so seriously. However,
I'm full of sleep and you
must be. John-hat. cane"
One Of the servants brought them in
stantly "G'd.night, Hand yside"
Blackstock hesitated an instant.
then got his bearings and found the
back door with unerring accuracy.
On the stoop he paused long enough
to say: Well get together after
breakfast and talk business" and the
blackness received him.
Mystihed, Coast waited. staring at
the spot where he had last seen the
man, until one Of the Cinnamon mild
ly suggested that his room was ready.
He followed the fellow stupidity, pre-
occupied, his mind ranging far in fu-
tile speculation as to the riddle Of
Blackstock's conduct. Long after he
was left alone in tho room that had
been Powers he sat on the edge of the
dingy bed. his gaze fixed upon
the reflection Of the lamps flame in
the window panel-absorbed in the
enigma.
He could not rid himself of the I'M
preston that an inarticulate menace
lurked beneath Blackstock's apparent
ly unsuspicious reception of him.
Was insanity the explanation? Was
the man in reality homicidal maniac.
at whose intellect the lust to STAY ate
like cancer? But in such
case, would he have delegated to an
other the assassination of Power?
Did he OF did he not suspect? Did
that sudden slip of the mask signify
that be had merely allowed himself
20 ~ h@ h,,f
waiting to deliver some telling stroke
in retaliation?
How much has Coast to apprehend.
what to guard against?
To this latter question his every in
stinct answered in chorus: Every
thing. He dared leave no stone un-
turned to safeguard himself-that he
might remain able to protect Kath-
crime.
1t came to him that it was not un-
likely he had been left in that lonely
cottage with the three Chinese that
they might quietly make away with
him while he slept.
With this in mind he took q more
detailed inventory of his surround
1Ok6, 60o 4OOQU I0ou QOpele66ly tx
posed.
UnQuestionably he would have been
safer in the open; but the storm was
now at the top of its fury. Sheets of
water were sluicing the house as II
cast from some gigantic bucket.
Danger within seemed very
much preferable to misery with
out. More than that. If Black
stock had planned an attempt upon his
life during the night, Coast might as
we'll know It: for he was armed and
unafraid. and he who knows what to
fear 10 doubly armed.
Having wedged a chair beneath the
knob Of each door. he placed the lamp
upon the table. turning 1t low that its
scanty store Of oil might last the
night, and sat down on the bed, the
pillow at his back, Appleyard's pistol
ready 1t his side.
Insensibly - the dead hours Jagged
marked BY no disturbance foreign to
the storm. his WEAKNESS bore heavily
upon him. His thoughts blurred into
a chaotic tumble of incoherencies.
He nodded. drowsed with chin on