The Tomahawk., 1916-02-10

SS~'
ly before noon Mr.. Howard Kendall
appeared in company with Helen who
had been sent to fetch him.
At the hour mentioned "Gyt" Pur-
cell, haggard from loss Of sleep and
hunger, handcuffed and closely guard
ed by two uniformed men, was
brought into the room. He tried to
maintain an air of bravado, but 1t died
away before the austere demeanor or
the men he knew to be his judges.
They sat watching him in a stony
sort Of silence that was more terri
BILE than open accusation.
He seemed, however, more appre"
hensive and doubtful of Helen than
of the rest. Who was she? Who was
this impressive, beautiful girl, who
might have symbolized Justice, stern
and unrelenting? His shifty glance
wandered furtively to her again and
again; but the purposeful regard OF
her clear, serene eyes never Wavered;
they never altered their expression.
At last the fellow could no longer
hide his disquiet. He dropped heavily
upon a chair, which the officers had
placed for him.
With a sudden, noiseless, catllke
movement, Felix Hazard crossed the
room and bent over the prisoner. His
face, set in hard lines, was thrust
close to the Others; his look, cold,
purposeful, menadng, for perhaps a
full minute bored into the wretch.
BY and by Purcell began to tremble
and shift uneasily in his chair.
Then Hazard spoke. His voice was
low, restrained, but vibrant with
metallic incisiveness and determ1na'
ton.
Purcell, you know why you are
here, so we shan't waste words or
time on you. I mean only to tell you
that you have one chance-a slim
chance; I'm making no promises-Dut
chance to save yourself from the
rope. Well give you just five min
utes to come through; if you DON'T
you'll take the consequences"
With startling suddenness HAZARD
brought his right fist forcibly down
into the palm of his left hand within
an inch of Purcelrs nose. He raised
his voice to thunderous command.
"What have you done with the stun
stolen from Kendals safe?"
No answer. Again the purpose1ul
fist cracked under Puroells nose. He
ierked back his head to avoid it. Haz-
ards jaw shot forward and his eyes
were merely two pin-points of light.
(Which of your gang was it that
croaked Mrs. Fleuroy?"
Still there was no reply. The pr1s-
oner sat pale and trembling, his head
and body weaving this way and that
as if he would avoid the terrible figure
confronting him. But Hazard ruth
lessly pressed him.
tJust to show you this is no bluff
or police frame-up, I'll lay few cards
on the table.
Tuesday night some time-on the
train or at the depot, It doesn't mat
ter where Howard Gentry's pocket
was picked; his leather was reefed
and the contents brought to you be-
cause they promised rich possibilities
and the duller-witted crooks needed an
ADLER brain to plan for them. So you
evolved the scheme of selecting man
of some address and not unlike Gentry
to impersonate him.
"But first Gentry had to be gotten
out of the way. You took it upon
yourself to ditch him. How? Easiest
thing in the world.
"There were papers and letters In
that poke that Gentry would have
given his right hand to recover, and
you know it. So you went to his no.
tel, represented yourself to be dick,
and told him that somebody had been
pinched with the pocketbook on him.
You wanted him to come along to
identify it.
"Then you got him up over Levin
skis, doped and slugged him, and left
him there to be disposed Of later.
ARMED with the letter identif-
cation, your tool had no dill Guilty per-
suading Mrs. F1euroy that he was
Gentry.
"But somewhere along the line you
crooks always fall down. With all
your cunning you have no more fore
sight than little children. Instead of
carrying out the grim masquerade and
having the money handed to him, your
tool committed the incredible blunder
Of looting Mr.. Kendals safe.
what was the result? Why, just
what might have been expected. Mrs.
Fleuroy, knowing all that money was
in the house, and that she was in a
way responsible for it, was lying
awake, waiting for burglars. OF course
she heard the noise, poor lady, and in
the panic at being caught the crazy
fool beat her to a pulp.
'Now, then"
But there was no need for Felix
Hazard to continue. The wretch had
tainted.
Before the gathering broke up, Pur-
cell, fully awake to his desperate
plight and only too willing to clutch at
straws in the hope of saving his worth
less life, not only verified every detail