The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-22

! searched hastily among a set of decan-
ters, but could find no brandy.
''Will anything else dor he shouted
mo, nothing but brandy" replied
Manning.
'But there isn't any"
"Oh, there must bel I'll come"
| Disposing Judson's head In a com
Portable position on the back of the
chair Manning raced out to join In the
search. Luckily for him and the young
banker, the spirit could not be found
so readily as he imagined, since 1t hap
pened to be hidden away at the back
Of cellarette behind some bottles of
liquor. Thus there WAS a delay, and
the incident undoubtedly saved both
their lives.
Unseen even by the watchful eyes
which scrutinized every passerby In
comparatively open residential sub
urb, Hong Kong Harry and an as
sistant thug had crept by devious
ways to the shrubbery bounding the
lawn on which the library windows
looked out. Crouching among the
bushes, at a level somewhat lower
than the floor of the room, they had
watched while Judson was carried in
and noted with satisfaction Police Cap
tain Kemp's hurried departure.
They saw the commotion and turn
ing up lights and indicated to each
other with malevolent scowls that the
time was now ripe for their purpose,
which, 1t may be sure, could only be a
deadly one.
In truth, the unhappy half caste
now became Ali Singh's willing slave
again. Having been brought to the
requisite degree of subsection by en-
forced abstinence from opium, he was
forgiven his treachery provided he I'M
dertook to obey all orders In future
without question or discrimination.
He gave the pledge gladly and was
forthwith permitted to indulge In the
/, drug to such an extent that the few
shreds of moral sense he possessed
were completely atrophied. He had
been told, too, that his love for Malta
was mere folly, since the girl had only
hoodwinked him In order to save the
life Of the man to whom she was real
ly devoted.
1t was therefore with a sort Of
ghoulish glee that Hong Kong Harry
undertook to kill Manning. Needless
to say, an infallible means was sup
piled by Ali Singh.
The two crept from the shrubbery
and neared the open window. They
heard distinctly Mannlng's urgent re-
quest for the brandy and realized that
he was supporting the moribund Jud-
son. In the distance they detected the
hum Of car rapidly approaching and
believed, rightly as it transplred, that
Kemp was bringing the police surgeon.
So it was now or never in this terrible
game Of life and death. Bronson might
escape, but Manning could not.
Taking spherical object from box
carried by his fellow thug, Hong
Kong Harry balanced it carefully on
three fingers and thumb, poised 1t for
an instant in the air and flung it into
the room.
1t fell noiselessly on the soft carpet.
but was evidently so constructed that
it turned over while describing para
bola. At that identical instant Man
ming ran out of the room in order to
assist his friend in searching Tor the
brandy.
Poor Judson alone knew Just what
had happened. Possibly his trained OBJ
servation, quick to observe develop
ments in test tubes and retorts, may
have told him the new and now IRE
sistible fate which had leaped on him
out of the night The truth will never
be known, though those who found
him later judged from his attitude that
he had tried vainly to rise, but only
succeeded in sprawling, face down
ward, across the table.
Be that as 1t may, the denouement
came quickly enough. Bronson, watch
ing Manning as he withdrew the de-
canter of brandy from its hiding place,
seized a glass and turned in the direc-
ton of the library. He entered the
room only to reel back with one hand
to his mouth and nostrils, while with
the other he clutched his friends arm.
"Out of this, Manningy' he gurgled.
"Quick-chlorine gas!"
They raced into the open air, but
had to leave the porch and stand in
the driveway before the noxious fumes
ceased to have any effect.
A car drove up and Kemp sprang
out, followed by the doctor. The lat
ter at once agreed with Bronson's
opinion that the house, by some mex
plicable means, had been filed with
the deadly vapor of chlorine. Many
minutes elapsed before they might
dare cautious entry. At last, owing
to the existence of so many open doors
and windows, the pestiential atmos-
phere cleared, and the four men, join
ed now by several detectives who had
vainly searched the grounds for signs
of prowling miscreants, reached the
body of the hapless inventor.
! He was quite dead, his poor, worn
features showing the excruciating tor
ture which is the outcome of chlorine
, poisoning. The closest scrutiny failed
to reveal the slightest trace of the
means Whereby the gas had been In
troduced into the library. Manning,
looking at his friends with face Of
scare. could only plutter:
j, cali Singh again. This was meant
for me. but, good heavens, how did
he do it? There was no noise. There