The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1914-12-25
CHAPTER XVIII.
And the Rose.

And the Rose.
Taking the dazed young man by the
hand. as though he had been a child,
the Reverend Mr.. Wright led Alan
back to his study and established him
in comfortable armchair beside his
desk
Sit there and compose yourself. my
dear young friend" he insisted in a
soothing voice.
At the elbow OF the Reverend Mr..
Wright a telephone shrilled impera-
| lively. With gesture OF professional
patience he turned to the instrument,
| lifted the receiver to his ear, and
spoke In unsteady modulated accents.
Yes Yes; this is Mr.
Wright. All. yes, Mr.. Digby.
Not coming? But, my dear sir,
Mr.. Law Is already here. l must tell
| you"
| He checked with a reproving glance
for Alan, who was twitching his sleeve
insistently.
III you please" Alan begged. '1et
me speak to Digby at once. Forgive
me-"
Reluctantly the minister surrendered
the telephone.
That you. Digby?"
| Alan! Bless my soul, what are you
doing over there? Is Miss Urine with
you? But how can that be possible?"
Rose? No. What about her" Alan
demanded, stammering with anxiety.
"Why-one Of my spies has just re-
ported by telephone. He was going on
duty this morning when he saw a
young woman-either Rose or Judith
wearing rough coat over boudoir
dress-climb out of one of the base
ment windows of Trine's house. She
was apparently In great distress of
mind and anxious to escape without
being seen from the house; but before
my man-whose post of observation
is In the third story of one of the
houses opposite-could get to the
street, she had been caught by several
rough-looking customers. who rushed
out of Trine's house, seized the girl,
and made Off with her in a motor-car
bearing New Jersey license number
| am sending men to watch the Jersey
ferries. Call me up in an hour"
Without word of response, and
without word Of apology to the Rev
erend Mr.. Wright, Alan dropped the
receiver, snatched up his hat. and fed
that house like a man demented.
Rose, escaping from Trines house,
overpowered and made the captive OF
Trine's lowest creatures-gunmen pos
sibly, of the stamp of that animal
whom Urine had charged with the as
sassination of Alan the night before!
There was neither a motor-car In
sight for him to charter nor any time
to waste in seeking one. Alan could
only hope to find one on his way back
toward the ferry. 1t must have been
upwards of an hour before he came
into a street which he recognized, by
it's dinginess and squalor, as that in
which he had thrown Marrophat from
the running-board of the taxicab.
And then, as he paused, breathlese
and footsore, to cast about him for the
way to the ferry, touring car turned
stop before that selfsame tenement OF
the unsavory 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 ruffians in whose
hands a young girl writhed and strug
gled 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 to bring up nose to
the panels of the tenement door and
to find himself seized and thrown
roughly aside by burly denizen wher
he grasped the knob and made as II
to follow in.
Keep back. young feller!" his as
sailant warned him viciously. "KeeI
outa this, now, If you don't want tc
get into trouble"
To the speakers side another
ranged, cycling Alan with formidable
scowl. At discretion he stepped bach
and turned as If persuaded to mind hi:
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 pi
of the stomach of one disposed Of hin
for the time being. A blow from tn,
shoulder sent the other Keeling to tn,
gutter. And Alan was in the tene
ment's lowermost hall-a foul ant
evil-odored place. dark as a pit tn,
instant the door was closed, its murl
relieved only by the flame of a kero
sene lamp smoking in bracket uea
the foot OF the stairs.
Sounds If scuffiing of feet were au
dible on the first landing. Alan ad
dressed himself impetuously to tn
staircase, gaining its top in half
A dozen leaps, and only in time to see
}. door slammed at the forward end o
, the hall and hear key turned in II
{ lock
A cluster of men blocked the way