The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1916-01-22


Fol- sevon or eight blocks. after sho
loft police headquarters June Travis
hurried on. from street To- street. 20.
liceman Meeks ever cloec NJ her aide.
The officers eyes never for an in
stant loft the coat that hung over his
companions arm.
The Girl was In despair. Sho had
planned 80 c~lcverly this kidnapping OF
the coat
SIZE was helpless. d~espairing. And
with the blind instinct Of tho dnspair.
ing. SIN unoonsciously turned her
steps %horneward.
Where does this cutter OF yours
live. anyhow, Dummy" the, policeman
was asking
June paused, uncertainty. This farce
could not 60 on much longer. Meeks
was beginning to grow suspicious.
A quarter block ahead, tho boulc.
ward split into o "Y." Al tho left {,
continued az its present level. At tho
right ran a night Of forty marble stops.
leading downward 10 a terraced ave
nue onc tier below tho boulevard on
the city's hillside.
And then. as ever OF late in her mo.
mcnts OF direst need. an inspiration
came to the girl.
Once more she took up her former
brisk stride. the grumbling Meeks
close behind her As they came to
the fork OF the boulevard. she halted
again.
Well. growled Meeks. which way.
now"
She pointed down the long flight OF
marble steps. snowy In the vivid
moonlight. Tho man hesitated. She
glanced at him and saw the reason
His eyes were fixed in stupid wonder
at the right hand with which she was
pointing. On the surface OF the hand
cleaned the Red Circle; mercilessly
distinct In the clear light.
June caught the policeman roughly
by the arm with her other hand, point.
ed again toward the terrace beneath
them. and started down the steps at o
run.
Fearful Of losing sight OF the pre-
cious coat. the policeman also broke
into n numbering run protesting
Hey! Go easy there! What's your
hurry? Want me TO break my neck?'
Even as he spoke. June planted her
feet firmly on one broad step and
came to an abrupt standstili. Meeks
could no, check his own speed as sud
denly. So he lunged ahead a step or
two.
As he numbered past her. the girl
deity swung her stick. holding II by
the ferule end. The crook handle
caught Policeman Mecks neatly
around the left ankle.
At the same instant. Juno braced
herself, and jerked backward with the
stick.
Policeman Meeks' body smotc tho
stairway about six steps farther
down; bounded In air: missed n step
or two. then struck the stairway
again and procccdSi TO roll rapidly
down the remaining twenty.four steps.
For a bare ha~lf-second. the patrol.
man lay half.stunneJ and breathless.
Then he scrambled %groaningly to his
feet. sore all over.
"Gonel" croaked Poltaaman Meeks.
still catching his breath with Difficult.
ty. "Gone!'
II was Yama's custom. on m1onlit
nights. 10 take mis- Japanese flute from
his tin trunk in the storeroom and TO
fare forth into tho farthest reaches Of
tho Travis garden; there to lesn pen
sively against a tree in the midst of a
olump of shrubs. and. his eyes on the
moon. to play sentimental and bideous
Japanese melodies TO II.
Tonight. Yama was tootling away
right dreamfully, when tho sound OF
cracking bushes broke in upon his
music.
clump TO investigate. Then. the flute
fell from his nerveless fingers and he
stared google eyed.
Across a patch OF lawn a figure was
running its feet s~oundless on the turf.
The figure reached the house. II
paused, at the bottom OF q vine trellis;
then skillfully began to climb the trel'
lis.
II reached a second story balcony:
stcppeN ONtT inc Tuiiius anu Uckau W
tumble with the long French windows
OF a room. The windows opened and
the figure glided into h room; soft
iy closing the windows behind IL.
The spell was broken. With a yell
Of alarm. Y,me grabbed up his fallen
flute and dashed for the house. A sec
ond or so latter burst unceremonious-
~ into the library where Mrs. Travis
and Mary were sitting.
'scuse!" he sputtered. "'Scuse.
please! But man climb up to honor.
able Miss June's ROOM"
Tho women flew upstairs Yama,
p%rudently arming himself with a large
poker. followed.
When he reached tho second fioor
Mrs. Travis was already hammering
frantically AZ the locked outer door
Of June's suite.
What In it?" called q drowsy voice
' from inside.
Quick" called Mary. Let US in.
&c..