Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-07-10


cannot describe it,"
You don't need to. Come, we're
air right. You don't mind making a
night of it?"
Not if it is necessary"
That we can't tell yet" And with
a characteristic shrug and smile, the
detective led the way to a taxicab
which stood in waiting at the corner.
A quarter of an hour of rather fast
riding brought them into tangle of
streets on the East side
When they stopped, which was in a
few minutes, Sweetwater said to
| George:
We shall have to walk now for a
! sock or tws- If you can manage to
act as if you were accustomed to the
place and just leave al: The talking to
me, we ought to get along avst-rate
Don't be astonished at anything yor
see, and trust me for the rest; that's
| all"
/ They alighted, and he dismissed the
! taXlcab. Some clock in the neighbor-
hood struck the hour of ten.
| Good! we shall be in time" NUT
tered the detective, and led the way
down the street and round corner
or SO, till they came to a block dark
er than the rest, and much less noisy.
There's a meeting on tonight, of
| the Associated Brotherhood of the
Awl, the Plane and the Trowel (what-
ever that means), and it is the speak
er We want to see; the man who is to
address them promptly at ten o'clock.
Dc you object to meetings?"
Us this . secret one?"
ut WASN'T advertised"
| Are we carpenters or masons that
we can count on admlttaAee2" ~,
Hush! / must speak to this man"
George stood back, and few words
passed between Sweetwater and
shadowy figure which seemed to have
sprung up out of the sidewalk
Baked at the outset" were the en-
couraging words with which the de-
tectiye rejoined George. 1T seems
that password is necessary, and my
| friend has been unable to get it. Will
the speaker pass out this way?" he
inquired of the shadowy figure still
| lingering in their rear.
He didn't go in by it.; yet / believe
he's safe enough inside" was the
muttered answer
| Sweetwater had no relish for disap-
pointments of this character, but it
was not long before he Strengthened
up and allowed himself to exchange a
few more words with this mysterious
person. These appeared to be of
more encouraging nature than the
last, for it was not long before the de-
| tective returned with renewed alac-
| rity to George, and, wheeling him
about, began to retrace his steps to
| the corner
| Where they went under this officers
| guidance, he cannot tell. The tortu-
GUS tangle of alleys through which he
now felt himself led was dark as the
neither regions to his, unaccustomed
eyes. There was snow under his feet
and now and then he brushed against
some obtruding object, or stumbled
against low fence; but beyond these
slight INSTALLATIONS on his own part,
he was mere automaton in the hands
of his eager guide, and only became
! his own man again when they sud
| denly stepped into an open yard and
he could discern plainly before him
the dark walls of building pointed
out by Sweetwater as their probable
| destination. Yet even here they en-
countered some impeachment which
prohibited close approach. A wall
or shed cut off their view of the build
ing's lower story; and though some
what startled at being left uncere-
moniously alone after just whispered
word of encouragement from the ever
ready detective, George could quite
understand the necessity which that
person must feel for quiet recon
noitering of the surroundings before
the two of them ventured further for
ward in their possibly hazardous I'M
| dertaking. Yet the experience was
none too pleasing to George, and he
was very glad to hear Sweetwater's
whisper again in his ear, and to feel
! himself rescued from the pool of slush
in which ne had been left to stand.
The approach is not all that can be
desired remarked the detective as
| they entered what appeared. to be a
low shed. THE broken board has
been put back and securely nailed in
place, and if l am not very much mis-
taken there is fellow stationed in
the yard who will want the password
too. Looks shady to me. I'll have
something to tell the chief when l get
back"
But we What are we going to do
if we cannot get in front or rear?"
Were going to wait right here in
the hopes of catching glimpse of our
man as he comes out" returned the
detective, drawing George towards a
low window overlooking the yard he
/ had described as sentinelled Gle will