The Sentinel=record., 1914-10-18

sailant warned him viclously Keep outa this, now, if you don't want to get into trouble" To the speakers side another ranged. eyeing Alan with formidable scowl At discretion he stepped back and turned as if persuaded tC mind ms own business, then swung on his heel, caught the two in the very act of open ing the door, and threw himself be- tween them.
 An elbow planted heavily in the pit of the stomach of one disposed of him for the time being. A blow from the l shoulder sent the other reeling to the eutter. And Alan was in the tene- ment's lowermost hall-a foul and l evil-odored place, dark as pit the instant the door was closed, It's murk relieved only by the flame Of a kero- sene lamp smoking in a bracket near the foot of the stairs.
 Sounds of scuffling of feet were au- dible on the first landing. Alan ad- dressed himself impetuously to the staircase, gaming its top in half dozen leaps, and only in time to see c door slammed at the forward end of the hall and hear a key turned in it's lock.
 cluster of men blocked the way. He didn't pause to wait for it to be cleared. but threw himself headlong into their midst, and by dint of the surprise had gained the closed door before they recovered and sought to stay him.
 Indifferent to them all he shook the knob and shouted; Rose! Rose!"
 Her cry came back to him, a muf- fled scream: Alan! Help! Help!" Backing away with a mad idea of throwing himself bodily against the door and breaking it down, he was sud denly confronted by hideous mask of humanity-face of man all misshapen, bruised and swollen and dishgured with smears of dried blood and a dirty bandage round his temples, but none the less vaguely recognizable.
 The words that streamed from its distorted lips drove recognition home.
 Gee, fellers, look't who's here! If it aint tn guy what threw me offn that girder this mornin'. Stand back and let me kill tn"
 Without the hesitation of a heart beat Alan swung heavily for the thug s jaw. The blow went solidly home. The man fell like a poled OK.
 Pandemonium ensued. Rallying to their comrade, the ruffians attacked Alan with one mind and one intent. Murder would have been done then and there had it not been for rotten banister-rail, which gave way, precipi- tating the lot to the ground floor of the hallway.
 Simultaneously the lamp on the wall was struck from it's bracket and crashed to the floor, it's glass well breaking and loosing a flood of kero sene to receive the burning wick The explosion followed instantly. In a trice the hallway was lake of burn ing oil, and hungry flames were lick ing up the rotting wallpaper and eat ing into decayed baseboards and stair treads.
 Still fighting like a madman, con testing every foot of the way, AlaT was borne down the hall and out o the front door A scream of "Fire!' greeted him as he reeled out into the open. It was echoed by a dozer throats.
 The doorway yomited men anC women of the tenement. They chokeC 1t for time, blocking both egress and ingress. By the time they broke out and left the way clear solid wall oi flame stood behind it.
 Thrice Alan essayed to pass that barrier of fire, and thrice it threw him back. Then, struggling and kicking to release himself and try again, he was seized by a brace of abie-bodied policemen and rushed fifty feet from the house before let go.
 Lack of breath checked him momen tarily.
 He looked up. dashing from his biilai NAtl6 NytH LthIh uIdWn D1 Aue stifiing clouds of smoke, and saw vaguely at the second story window a woman leaning out and shrieking for help.
 That 1t was hopeless to attempt the staircase he well knew. Drawing aside, he endeavored 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 narrow street. Directly opposite a storage warehouse stood Upon the other corner. Before this last was the common landing stage for truck de. liveries, protected by a shed-roof And, suspended from timber that peered out over the caves, a hoisting