The bee. (Earlington, Ky.) 1889-19??, 1914-12-15

! lOOkiHk up lnt Ieslu6uCt VI Dibuy III
the telephone directory.
The information he gathered from
the voice that answered the name OF
Mr.. Digby over sthe telephone shook
only momentarily Barcus' innate con.
victlon that intimate acquaintance
with battle, murder and sudden death
was the inevitable reward Of associa-
ton with this friend Of his heart.
allan being married to Rose Urine
in Jersey City at this very minute!"
he breathed skeptically as he emerged
from the booth memorizing the ad.
dress of the alleged officiating clergy
man. Il don't believe It; it's too sud
den"
Forthwith he engaged a taxicab to
convey him to Jersey City, at top
speed, for an exorbitant reward
And when, from the forward deck of
q ferryboat, he beheld dense volume
of smoke advertising a confiagration
on the Jersey shore. not far from the
waterfront, he shook moodlly sa-
gaoious head.
IF Alan isn't mixed up in that,
somehow" he declared, hes missing
. bet for once-and I'm a sorry failure
as a prophet Of woe and disaster!"
There was as much intuitive appre-
hension as humor responsible for this
remark witness the fact that, on land
ing, he risked the delay required to
turn aside and have a look at the fire.
1t Ifoved to be situated in the heart
OF sQualid slum-a wretched tene-
ment of the poorest class, whose roof
had already fallen in and whose walls
we're momentarily threatening to go
by the time Barcus arrived on the
scene.
At a considerable distance from him
a small disturbance had broken out
clamor Of protesting voices lifting
about the rumor Of the mob-as q
number OF men. ease-hardened roughs
one and all. began to force their way
In a V-shaped wedge through the
throng, making toward lbs very heart,
the point on the flre-lines nearest the
burning building.
What this meant, Mr.. Barcus had
not the slightest idea. But his atteu-
ton was first distracted by the maneu-
yer, then fixed by the face Of a man
who was following in the hollow OF |
the Van evil white face that seemed
somewhat vaguely familiar, somehow
reminiscent of something strange that |
had happened in the history of Mr.. |
Barcus.
At the same time, at the point where
the v had paused, q wild uproar lifted
up aad, coincidentslly, a wilder oonfu-
sion became noticeable. A cry was
audible-"Firebug! Lynch himI Lynch
him! Lynch the frebug!"--and at
this the mob turned as one man and
streamed away in pursuit of an in
visible quarry, who chose to attempt
his escape by a route directly oppo-
site to that which would have Led him
within view Of Mr.. Barcus.
Startled, and Of a sudden persuaded
that there might have been more In
his "hunch" than was sanely to be
credited, Barcus started up and was
on the point Of stepping out Of his
cab, II with a rather aimless purpose,
when he was stayed by sight of that
evil white face returning the way it
had come-still in the hollow Of the
flying V, which now made faster prog
ress. thanks to the disorganization of
the mob by the chase of the alleged In
And now, Barcus saw, the man OF
the white face was not alone. There
was someone with him-someone
whose head was bent and face con.
,ealed, but who seemed to be femi-
line.
And so, Barcus argued, why might
L not be Rose Urine, suffering new
at the hands of her unnat.
lral fathers creatures?
He was too fer away to make sure Il
md attempt any interference; but he
pointed White Face out to his ehauf
eur as the v reached touring car
IN the edge Of the mob and the woman
vas lifted in (unresisting and appar
,ntly in a dead faint, and when the
curing car swung round and picked
~ ts>heels, the taxicab of Mr.. Barcus
rallied II as unostentatlously as II II
vas pertinacious shadow.
Ten minutes later, from the rear
ieck of a ferryboat In midstream-a
,oat bearing back to New York not
My the touring car OF White Face,
)ut the cab Of Mr.. Barcus-the latter
Gentleman formed one Of small but
Interested audience witnessing an In
'ident OF uncommon character.
He saw a young man, hatless, coat
ess, almost shirtless tear down TO
he edge OF one of the Jersey wharves,
ais heels snapped at by ravening
abble, jump aboard a square-rigged
'essel which lay moored there, and
execute q maneuver OF despair by
up the rigging in q hopeless
.ttsmpt to escape his prosecutors.
hey were too many for him, and what
gas worse they were headed by a
quad OF police apparently as grimly
ent on composing the destruction OF :
heir quarry as was the mob. h