Alma record., 1913-07-24
WINDOW. but Kayton stopped him.

young man. and the next instant the
darkness of the fire escape had swal'
lowed him mp.
Aren't you going with himr' asked
the girl quickly. speaking for the first
time since their entrance into the
room
"I'm going to stay here with you."
was the quiet reply. Miss Mazuret
gasped and Kayton felt his pulses
quicken.
"Oh. don't-don'tw she protested In
real terror
He smiled 1--WE heard that befo"-
Steady as were the great detectives
nerves the word was wiped of his lips.
and he started like race horse as an
angry buzz burst Just over his head
"Oh What's that?" gasped the girl.
both hands at her throat Kayton
threw his light above the door and dis
covered the "buzZer."
That's their warming" he explained
softly, Fastening her toward the stairs.
They've got the front steps wired.
There's some one at the street door
now"
The girl hurried down distractedly
"What shall we doT" she whispered.
Right into your roomF he ordered
They were barely concealed from view
before the other four members OF the
household came in the front door.
AS they passed the door Kayton
could hear them talking uneasily In
undertones and now and then catch
word such as don't like 1t" and "ali
the locks" and he smiled to himself
He knew they were discussing Man
ning's theft Of the bag.
! On the second floor the party broke
ND and their voices died away. The
woman and the older of the three men
I went on TO the attic. followed min
ute later by the youngest member OF
the confederacy.
/ They were a strangely assorted trio
, The leader and brains OF the conspira
cy against the currency OF the land
was the strangest Of the three. He
was man of about fifty years. but
one terrible experience had taken the
stiffening out of his spine and the col
! or out of his face though it had not
dimmed the hot fire of his dark eyes
I The other man was much younger.
Hashily dressed in the extreme or
masculine fashion His face was dat
and pasty He was small boned and
ndersized-anaemic. crafty, ratlike.
He chose to be known as Simeon
Gage. The older man was known to
the secret service and a number or
municipal police bureaus as Friedrich
Kreisler, and with certain heroism
of crime he scorned an alias. He
calmly lit the gas while Mrs. Martin
drew the curtain. The younger man
stood I'm the middle Of the room and
6dgeted.
Doctor, we'll have to have all those
locks changed. don't you thinkT he
inquired nervously In a high pitched
voice that was almost whine "We
might rs we'll go to bed with the front
door open"
There was nothing In my bag to
show what house the keys were for. y
Mrs. Martin reminded him quietly.
T know. Mrs Martin, but I've been
uneasy lately-ever since that girl
came" he confessed IL thought was
being followed yesterday"
you're always being followed,
commented Kreisler. You must have
q bad conscience"
~ think perhaps I am gettin' toe
many cigarettes" admitted Mr.. Gage
II don't know, though, now. We must
be gettin' pretty easy II people car
come and pick our pockets. l don
think we ought to have that girl here
Some cheap divorce case detective will
be roundin' us up next Who Is she
anyway" he demanded suddenly
turning on Mrs. Martin. II called vi
Hurley and asked him about her
Why doesn't he know anything abou
herr"
II haven't had a chance to tell hin
VT" replied Mrs. Martin, Indifferent
ly. "She came only yesterday"
you've had lots Of chances to tel
me-" grumbled the young man.
'Tt's none of your business, Gage,
Mrs. Martin informed him.
"Weli," he whined. with sort o
protesting helplessness, II feel as nel
vous as rabbit with a strange woma
, around"
Kreisler meanwhile had lowered tn
folding bed and produced from secre
crannies In the mattress and STR
divers bottles. marble slabs, shallo'
pans and the usual paraphernalia Of
photographer. From a hidden reces
Of the closet camera made its appear
ance Gage eagerly offered to assis
him, but the older man waved hiI
aside with a cunning smile
"You never let us help at anythin
but the bleaching" he protested.
notice you're keeping everything yo
: know under your hat Some day you
60 Off to Scotland with your, none.
like Andy Carnegie, and leave us a
workin' in the mills"
what know l know" returned th
German grfmly.
Il AkA