The Yale expositor., 1911-09-28
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a seconds forgetfulness, natural
enough to one accustomed to his free
dom Of movement, almost undid the
to step away from the wall, oblivious
to the scarf that bound his ankles,
and pitched forward heavily. He did
not fall to the floor, however, for
something sharp and hard stopped
him. He found himself wedged be-
tween metallic framework and the
wall. A venomous hiss and the con-
tact of his bound hands with hot
metal told him he had fallen on a
steam radiator, and as the Kissing
sound increased he guessed the shock
had broken the little safety valve
| close to the top Of the curved pipes.
If the detectives position had been
perilous before 1t was extra hazard
GUS now. He was gripped in the jaws
formed by the radiator and the wall,
and neither hands nor feet at liberty,
1T seemed next to impossible for him
to free himself. He kicked and strug-
gled furiously, the hiss of the steam
constantly growing louder, and
in his endeavor to escape, he bent for
ward until his face was scalded by the
rushing steam. The pain of that mis-
hap aided him, however, for the in
voluntary recoil 1t caused eliminated
in final effort that loosed the grip
in which he was held and sent him
staggering in a series Of two-footed
hops along the wall.
Bracing his shoulders once more
against the wall, Britt began another
series Of vigorous attempts to break
the silken scarves, or to slip out of
them. Exerting all his strength, he
strained alternately at wrist and
ankles, and ground between his teeth
the little ball of silk that blocked his
voice. But it was all to no purpose.
His captors knew their trade, and the
clinging bonds, while yielding, did not
give at any point sufficiently to set the
sleuth at liberty. Suddenly a thought,
swift and keep as a saber flash, Glove
its way straight through his perplex-
ity. That which imperiled his life
should give him liberty. He sided
along the wall until he stood beside
the radiator at the end away from the
safety valve. Pressing against the
edge Of the metal the scarf that held
his hands, he began swinging himself
from side to side. The corrugated
edge of the ornamental ironwork
served as a saw, and although more
than once the man gasped as clouds
of steam whirled about his head, in
fewer minutes than would seem prob
able the metallic edge gnawed its way
through the silk, and the kerchief
parted with abruptness that sent
Britt Keeling back against the wall
and crashing headlong to the floor.
His hands were free! And as that
welcome realization followed the jar
ring impact of his head against an
angle of the Dashboard, Lieutenant
Britt laughed softly as with busy fin
gers he loosed the scarf about his
ankles, snatched the gag from his
mouth, and, with a single shake of his
shoulders that rippled the kinks out of
his cramped muscles, strobe to the
window and flung up the sash. One
deep intake of good, cold air, then half
a dozen more, and he felt as fit as II
he had not been close to a distressing
and altogether ignominious end. He
gripped the sill and leaned far out,
looking first downward, then all
around in quest of landmark. There
were not many lights on that side of
the building, but faint CLEAN in the
depths enabled him to judge that he
was about at the tenth story, and that
the building was In an unfrequented
uptown street Withdrawing his head
he pressed the button Of pocket cleo
trio torch and explored the room.
From the style of its finish 1t evident
ly was section of an unoccupied
apartment in new and rather pre-
tentious building, a room planned to
be cut off from the rest of the suite,
for 1t seemed to give directly on the
hall and was separated from it's neigh
Dor by a fireproof door of massive
steel. He seized the handle. 1t
turned readily, but the door did not
open. The same was true of the door
between the room and the hall. He
shook both doors with all his
strength, but they had been locked
too stoutly to yield. 1t was apparent
the kdnappers had made him a pris-
oner in full knowledge of the unlike
lihood he would be released speedily.
That they had plotted his death was
not certain, but 1t was unmistakable
they had given themselves little, If
any, concern In that respect. Britt
thought of the possibilities of fire as
he had lain bound on the floor, and an
unpleasant sensation passed over
! him; but he FASTENED back to the
window and examined the outside Of
the building with a view to escape in
that direction. He did not expect to
overtake his abductors quickly, nor
was he even of a mind to devote the
bulk of his time to that purpose. But
he regarded the capture of his recent
captors as an important side enter
prise to the solution OF the great dia-
mond mystery, and habit made him
eager to begin working without delay.
There was fire escape on the floor