Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1915-07-30

snatched up an indistinct object, and
rushed to the door, pressing the bell.
Andrew, with wild eyes, flung the door
wide open to him.
Quick! Where is Mrs. MacGreg-
orr" ordered Poe.
A minute later he was opening the
object that had landed at his feet at
the same moment that the sharp ex-
plosion had alarmed the whole house
hold. 1t was a small tin tobacco box,
powder-blackened, with a dent in It.
Inside was a note, intact, which read:
The time haz arrive. Wrap the
money in tight roll, put it in a
straw hat, tie 1t in tight an hang
1t by string six inch long from
lowest branch of elum tree at the
dark corner along the park, oppo-
sitive of the new building at Six
ty-eighth street & Fifth avenue.
Be CAREFUL!
You are being watched. The
bullet that came with this order
meanz bizness. There is lots more
of them.
Hang the hat there at minutes
to one o'clock, then the police is at
the uther end of his beat an if you
are CAREFUL nobody sees you. You
can throw the string over the end
of the branch and pull the hat up.
Don't let it be ceen or Death is
Yours and Cords.
Don't be foolish an try games
with us for If there is any decte-
tives around the money will not be
tuched and you an Cord will both
get Death for yours.
At minutes to l. Remember.
II all is we'll and you play no
underhand the boy Cord is return
Immediate.
p. S. Spesial.
Mama, do as the man says or he
will kill me. Cord.
what are you going to do?'
breathed Mrs. MacGregor, depressing
her horror with an effort which
strained every feature.
Exactly as they say" replied Poe,
except that cut paper will take the
place of the money"
But when they disc"
Nov don't lose controls" Poe
clasped her hand firmly in his. 1T
isn't right for them to prey on you
with appeals they make Geordie sign.
The boys all right. Don't worry"
He took the kidnaper's note, and
IN <0 fha rnnp, Thara
he cut some heavy bond paper into
strips the size of paper currency,
pressed a large bunch into neat
bundle, and forced it into the crown of
an old straw hat, tying it in. He sent
Andrew out for Clancy, posing as a
coachman, and when the excited detec-
tive came in, Poe gave him definite
orders about tying the hat on the tree
exactly according to orders at two
minutes to one, added advice as to his
movements after that, and dismissed
him.
He called up certain number,
where he was known as Mr.. Hardy,
received some information which
seemed satisfactory, and then took a
taxi to Washington Square, where the
blind beggar had alighted that after
noon. He met man by appointment,
and went with him to a nearby room,
where he changed quickly to the garb
of conductor on the Fifth avenue bus
line, starting from Washington Square.
You'll have just time to take out
your car" said the bus-line employe
who had brought him the uniform.
There won't be many passengers. It's
the last trip. Be careful, Mr.. Hardy"
Poe ran down the stairs, and hur-
ried up to the big green auto bus,
whose conductor he was to be for the
trip. Forty minutes later the bus had
passed the MacGregor mansion on its
uptown trip, and had come to stop
at it's terminal in the "Nineties."
Poe held a whispered conversation
with the driver, there being nobody
about, and at schedule time rang the
bell for the return trip downtown.
There wasn't a passenger aboard, ex-
cept a drunken old woman in shabby
paid no attention to her. At Eighty.
sixth street the bus came to a stop,
hailed by a street-corner passenger.
Poe had his face averted as he rang
the bell to go ahead. The passenger
glanced at the drunken woman within,
ran lightly up the steps, and took a
seat alone outside. on the bus top, sit
ting on the side nearest the park
Poe went up presently, and collected
his fare.
He turned to his platform below
but at Seventeen street climbed the
stairs again, and cried in the weary
tone of bus conductors, Look out for
low branches"
The lone passenger turned sharply.
He had been sitting tense, straining
forward in the front seat. At Poes
caution he made an irascible motion
for him to go down and cried:
GAIL right All right take care