The Washington herald., 1914-09-27


Without q word Of response, and without a word
Of apology to the Reverend Mr.. Wright, Alan
dropped the receiver, snatched up his hat and fed
that house like man demented.
Rose, escaping from Trines house. oyerpowered
and made the captive Of Trines lowest creatures
gunmen possibly Of the stamp Of that animal whom
Trine had charged with the assassination Of Alan
the night before!
There was neither motorcar in sight for him
to charter any time to waste in seeking
Alan could only hope to find one on his way back
toward the ferry 1t must have been upwards OF
hour before he came into a street which he
recognized. by its dingness and squalor as that
in which he had thrown Marrophat from the run
nng-board Of the taxicab.
And then, he paused breathless and footsore,
to cast about him for the way to the ferry tour
ing car turned corner at top speed and slowed to
a stop before that selfsame tenement of the IN
savory aspect to whose sidewalk he had seen
Marrophat assisted by the loafers Of the quarter.
And this touring car was occupied by some half
a-dozen ruf1ans in whose hands q young girl
writhed and struggled when, Immediately on the
stop, they jumped out and wrestled her out with
brutal reconsideration.
Like a shot Alan had crossed the street-but only
bring up to the panels Of the tenement door,
and to find himself seized and thrown roughly aside
by burly denizen when he grasped the knob and
made az II to follow in
Keep back young feller!" his assaflant warned
him viciousy. Keep outa this, now, if you don't
want to get into trouble"
To the speakers side another ranged eyetng
Alan with formidable scowl. At discretion he
stepped back and turned as II persuaded to mind
his own business, then swung on his heel, caught
the two in the very act Of opening the door, and
threw himself between them.
An elbow planted heavily in the pit Of the ston1-
ach Of one disposed Of him for the time being
A blow from the shoulder sent the other reelng
to the gutter. And Alan was in the tenement's
Ill g.
pit the instant the door was closed, its murk
relieved only by the fame of a kerosene lamp smok.
ing in a bracket near the foot Of the stairs.
Sounds of scufding OF feet audible on the
first landing Alan addressed himself impetuously
to the staircase, gaining its top in half a dozen
leaps, and only In time to door slammed at
the forward end Of the hall and hear key turned
IN fits lock.
cluster Of men blocked his way. He didn't
pause to wait for II to be cleared but threw him
self headlong into their midst and by dint Of the
surprise had gained the closed door before they
covered and sought to stay him.
Indifferent to them all. he shook the knob and
shouted: Rose! Rose"
Her cry came back to him, a mufied scream:
Alan, Help Help"
Backing away with a mad idea Of throwing him.
self bodily against the door and breaking It down,
he suddenly confronted by a hideous mask Of
humanity-face Of man all misshapened, bruised
and swollen and disfgured with smears OF dried
blood and dirty bandage round his temples, but
none the less vaguely recognizable.
The words that streamed from its distorted lips
drove recognition home.
Gee, fellers. lookt who's here. II It amt tn
guy what threw me offn that girder this mornin'-
Stand back and let me kill TIL"
Without the hesitation Of heartbeat Alan swung
heavily for the thugs jaw. The blow went sodly
home. The fell like a poled
Pandemonium ensued Ralying to their comrade,
the ruffans attacked Alan with mind and
intent Murder would have been done then and
there had it not been for a rotten banisterraiI.
which precpitating the lot to the grouI.d
floor of the hallway.
simultaneously the lamp on the wall was struak
from its bracket and crashed to the floor its glass
well breaking and loosing food Of kerosene 10
receive the burning wick The explosion followed
instantly. In a trice the hallway was a lake OF
burning oil and hungry flames we're licking up the
rotting wallpaper and eating into decayed ba:e-
boards and stair-treads.
Still fighting like a madman, contestng every
foot of the way, Alan was borne down the hall aad
out Of the front door A scream of Fire." greeted
him he reeed out into the open. It was echoed
by a dozen throats.
He looked up, dashing from his smarting eyes
tears drawn by the sitting clouds of smoke, aud
saw vaguely at the second story window a womtn
leaning out and shrieking for help.
That it hopeless to attempt TIE staircase
he well knew. Drawing aside, he endeayored to
come to his sober senses and cast about for some
more feasible way to effect the rescue of his Rose
The tenement occupied one corner of a narrow
street. Directly opposite. a storage warehouse
stood upon the other corner. Before this last was
the common landing stage for truck deliveries p-o-
tected by a shed-roof And, suspended from a tim
Der that peered out the caves hoisttag
tackle dragged the ground with its ropes
1t the work Of minute to convince a thick
headed policeman that the attempt was feasible
and should be permitted It was the work OF less
than another minute to rig loop in the line and
fasten round his body beneath the arms Volun-
teers did not lack: couple of husky longshoremen
sprang to the ropes at his first call They heaved
with will. His feet left the ground, he scared
he caught the caves of the shedroof and shouting
to cease hauling, drew himself up on this last
backed little ways down 1t and calculating his d.
rection nicely with running jump launched him.
self out over the street.
The momentum OF his leap carried him we'll out
over the heads Of the throng assembled In the
street and truly toward that window where Rose
was waiting. Then its force slacksned For an
awful instant he believed that he had failed But
with the last expiring ounce OF impetus he was
brought within grasping distance OF the window