The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-10-28

; strangely close, edging little to one side,
toward the knife which he had thrown back
beside the bread.
"What is Mdt2" cried Poe, pointing over
Torches shoulder to the closet door and
assuming look Of horror.
Torche, thrown of his guard by the sim
pie trick. turned on his heel with 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 unnoticed; a whistle curiously like
that which had issued from the lips OF the
single man sitting at the far end OF the box
next to the Blondells at the Chatelct
AT that instant, while Torches gaze was
still fixed on the closet door, a pink nose and
two CLASSY eyes peeped 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 a swift swoop the sleek rat pounced
upon the cherry, clutched it between its
teeth and, like flash, darted up the trou-
sers leg alan.
Christopher Poe stood with cynical
smile deeply grooved in his hard checks.
With a cultural snarl, Torchc sprang to
action, clutched the knife in leap and
dashed on Poe, only to find steady rcvol
yer aimed between his eyes and the cool
voice of Poe demanding:
"Gipe me the Royal RnbW"
asa mdjeste didboliqnet lie diaJlef'
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. you have the
secret. You saw me in the box tonight"
His agony-strained fingers, still clutch,ng
the knife, had quivered up above his head
and with sudden twist he jerked the whole
force of his body behind the blade and
crashed il down Upon his adversary. Be
fore Poe could pull the trigger large wo-
man leaped on him from behind with
bestial snarl and bowled 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 savages, Poes revolver was
kicked from his hand, and Torche suddenly
leaped after it, giving Poe the chance to
twist from beneath the woman with
wrestling trick and dash through the door
to the head of the stairs, where Torche had
stopped to pick up the revolver,
Before Poe could grasp Torche the wo-
man hurled herself upon him again, and in
the turmoil that followed the STOPPING
Torche lost his balance and hurtled down
the rickety flight Of steps; near the bottom
the body crashed through the rotten rail
and Poe trembled at the sound of an
agonlzing scream, as the man slipped
through the opening between the balus-
trades and dropped with kicking clatter to
the main floor, four stories below. The
woman stiffened up and released her hold
on Poe as she listened in awful silence, the
muscles in her face stretched tense with
horror
In that instant Poe recognized her as an
Apache, dyed in criminality, whom he had
encountered before.
She returned to the fight like 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-sill,
L'diable Poe!" and snatching at
the cord with her teeth.
She wriggled through the doorway into
the room and struggled toward one corner,
kissing vile oaths at Poe meantime, who
stood with his arms folded, watching her
direction intently.
Finding that she was surely edgng to-
ward rickety desk in the corner, Poe antc-
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 long
stemmed, deep-bowled clay pipe, filled with
fresh tobacco. A hiss OF pent-up breath
greeted his movement and he turned with
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
action in his manner, busted his clothes,
raised his hat to the woman who had sud-
ienly slumped into a sobbing bundle, and
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-
ated members of the gendDmerie admins
ering first aid. They stopped long enough
o seize him as stranger, at the advice of
he regular dodgers in the house; but Poe
'nly smiled, turned back Torches left
rousers leg, showed the astonished police ;
he big trick rat, still warm, but dead, in
cleverly-contrived pocket, its home,
where it had remained until the end i
After a few significant sentences whis- {
'ered to the policeman in command, Poe I
vas allowed to depart and enter the waiting l