The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1914-12-24
them was momentarily growing less

| SSSS@OS OSSE~ "
them was momentarily growing less
| noticeable.
AS Marrophat's car drew abreast
Alan nodded and said quietly: Don't
| be alarmed; l can attend to this gen.
tleman single-handed.'
And this he proceeded to demon
strate with admirable ease. even
| though called upon to do so far soon-
er than he had thought to be-thanks
! to Marrophat's hair-brained precipi
! fancy. For, failing to influence the
taxi driver by shouted demands or
threats, or to gain the least attention
] from Alan, Trine's first lieutenant alb
ruptly and surprisingly took his life
| in his hands and in one wild bound
bridged the distance between the two
dying cars and landed on the taxi's
running board
Stop!" he screamed madly. stop,
| / say! You don't know what you're
/ doing! Let me tell you-
He got that far but no farther. In
the same breath Alan had flung wide
| the door and was at the fellows throat.
There was struggle Of negligible
duration; Marrophat was in no way
his antagonists match; within three
| seconds he threw out both hands,
clutched hopelessly at the framework
OF the cab, and fell heavily to the
street
The taxi sped on without pause, its
driver deaf to the halls Of innocent If
indignant bystanders. Alan pulled
himself together and looked back just
in time to catch glimpse Of num-
Der of loafers lifting Marrophat to his
feet and helping him to the sidewalk
! Of an unsavory-looking tenement, be-
fore the cab took corner on two
| wheels -
"Not seriously injured, fancy" he
told the girl in response to her eager
look. Worse luck!" he added
| gloomily.
But it seemed that he was to have
greater cause than this to complain OF
| his luck, before that ride was ended.
Three blocks further on tire blew
out with report like cannon-crack-
or, and the taxi lurched perilously,
hesitated, slowed down, and limped
deiectedly to the curb.
Alan and the chauffeur piled out in
the same instant, the one standing
guard-with an eye out as well for
another cab-while the other assessed
damages
Nothing for It but a new tire, sir,"
this last reported sympathetically. 1T
must have been broken bottle or
something like that-it sure did rip
the usefulness clean out Of that shoe"
"Go to it," Alan advised him terse-
| ly; "and if you make quick job OF it,
| I'll stand the cost of the new tire"
''But il another cab comes along
while you're at it you'll lose US as
quick as a wink. Here's my card, IN
case we have to desert you in hurry;
you understand this is matter Of life
and death, and I'll nave no time to
settle up with you. But you can call
at Mr. Digby's Office and he'll TX
| things up to your satisfaction"
The man sook the card and after a
| glance at the name touched his hat
with more noticeable respect.
| "All right, Mr.. Law" he agreed;
anything you say" And forthwith
| got to work.
The rapidity with which he COM
pleted the change of tires proved him
an excellent chauffeur, an adept at his
craft; but the delay was one disas-
trous for ali that It worked together
with what Alan pardonably described
as the devils own luck to bring the
touring car in sight at the precise mo-
ment when the chauffeur was cranking
up and Alan on the point OF re-enter-
ing the cab. And though they were
of again before Alan could close the
door, the attempt was hopeless from
the start.
And yet-whether or not because
Alans distaste for interference had
| been too ccnvincingly demonstrated
the touring car for the time being
contented itself with trailing about
fifty feet in the rear, while the taxi
fed the tenement purlieus of.the Ho'
boken waterfront and found its way
into the broader streets of an unpre-
tentious suburban quarter.
Not until they were we'll into the
suburbs, with few dwellings near. and
no pedestrians to interfere, did Mario
phat's purpose become apparent. Then,
however-and it happened while Alan
was looking back-the touring car
drew in swiftly and easily and Mario
phat, rising in his seat, leveled re-
volver over the windshield and fired.
The crack Of his weapon was prac-
! tically coincident with metallic thud
beneath the rear seat OF the taxicab.
Not for some moments did Alan ap-
preciate the viciousnsss of the scheme.
Surmising that the gasoline tank had
been punctured by the bullet. he was
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