The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1913-04-05
HAZELTINE

even az her voice rang out, high and
shr1u: even ~ that lethal object OF
chill-hardened steel spun upward. the
light was switched suddenly OF and
We were in grumous darkness.
1t was she who. pressing the button
at her side. had dropped over US this
mantle Of invisibility no less obscur-
ing than the tabled Hell Keplein; and
1t was she. too. who now opened the
other door OF the brougham. and with
a murmured: Come! Hurry" drew
me after hsr into the dread uncertain
ty Of an environment of which we
knew nothing.
The gloom without was scarcely less
thick than that within. OF my five
senses. therefore. all keenly alert, that
OF sight told me nothing: but my ears
and nostrils, aided and abetted by
my perception Of sodden planking be-
meath my feet, informed me that We
had alighted in q stable. The sound
Of pounding hoofs echoed from near
by stalls and unmistakable equine
odors were strongly pervasive.,
Upon my. hearing there fell. too. as
we fed. the high-pitched nasal cackIe
of excited and perplexed celestials.
whose eyes, dazzled by the brougham's
lamps. failed to follow US into that OBJ
scurity which lay in the wake Of the
conveyance, and through which. hand
in hand. Evelyn and l crept crouch
ingly toward the street, our hearts
hammering but our breathing smoth-
cred lest 1t betray our whereabouts
and precipitate pursuit.
II in our fond fancy we expected
an unimpeded way, however. our ex-
pectations were not realized. Where
the darkness was densest there rose
an obstruction. From out Of the black
pair OF arms encircled me-a pair OF
arms. long, sinewy and muscular.
which frightened about me with a sud
den vise-like pressure, holding me pow
erless. My hold Of Evelyn's hand was
thus abruptly sundered, and though
she could not see. she sensed the en-
counter. Once more she screamed.
High and shrill her young voice rose
above the noise of the stamping horses
and the quantity strident chatter Of
the confused Mongolians. 1t was not
SO much a mere cry of alright as it
was an appeal for help. And 1t met
with surprisingly prompt response.
Before its echo had died, the double
sliding doors which separated our
stable dungeon from the sidewalk
were swept swiftly apart. admitting
the revealing CLEAN from street
lamp across the way. and admitting.
too. the husky. commanding figure Of
man with raised revolver. followed
by a mob Of neighborhood denizens
attracted by the unusual and excited
by the girls penetrating vociferation.
Quickly as l had been seized, even
more quickly was I released. The en-
circling arms fell away instantly, and
the giant who had held me turned
with an oath of defiance and confront
ed the invaders. In both oath and at
titude there was reminder OF some
thing heard and seen before; and
treading upon the heels OF reminder
came recognition. 1t was Philetus
Murphy, red and burly, who now tow
cred menacingly above our armed
savior 1t was Philetus Murphy who.
swinging viciously for his adversary's
jaw, staggered back the same instant,
his arm dropping and a bullet in his
shoulder.
For a moment following the shot
there was dead silence. Then came
pandemonium. The mob, already aug
mented from a score to a hundred,
surged into the stable as spring flood
surges over broken dams. With Eve
lyn In a corner behind me 1 fought
of the crowding, believing throng,
while Murphy lay groaning at our feet,
and his assailant. who, when once his
face met the light, l discovered was
O'Hara, my own detective, smashed
heads right and left with the butt OF
his revolver. and hoarsely commanded
room for his fallen enemy.
What might have happened, what
fatalities might have ensued, had It
not been for the fortuitous arrival Of
three uniformed members Of the met
ropolitan police force l shall not at
tempt to conjecture. Their clubs,
know, did good service: and a shot
or two fired over the heads of the
rioting crowd had a wonderfully paci.
flying effect.
Poor Evelyn, in spite OF an heroical-
ly stubborn insistence to be coura-
geous, was as thoroughly frightened
as l have ever seen her. When, at
length, the stable was cleared, and
lamps were lighted, she was still pal
lid as marble. and her lip quivered
with an obstinacy that no restraining
teeth nor hiding hand could disguise.
"Oh! Wasn't 1t exciting!" she ex-
claimed. with an effort at nonchalance
that was almost pathetic. Il wouldn't
have missed this experience for any
thing in the world" And then, discov-
ering q little trickle of blood on my
cheek. which a diligently piled hand
kerchief had not fully succeeded in
keeping out Of sight, she was at once
all solicitude. "Oh, Philip" she cried.