The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-03-24
CHAPTER XVI.

Poor chiidi" he heard himself mur'
muring-"poor ohildl"
Don't pity met" she insisted. stiil
with face aVertod. Il don't deserve It.
II | had tho spirit of a mouse I'D have
defed him; Il needed only courage
yenough to whisper one word 10 the
police"
"But who ia he. theu2" Lanyard de-
manded. What Is he, meany
Il hardly know how to tell you. And
hardly Care. feel as II these walls
would betraY me IL whispered even.
But to me he's the incarnation OF all
things evil"
She shook herself with a nervous
laugh.
"But why be silly about Il? don't
really know what or who he is. l only
suspect and believe that he is a man
whose life is devoted to planning evil
and ordering It's execution through his
li0utenanIs. When the papers at home
speak OF The Man Higher Up they
mean Archer Bannon, though they
don't know it--Or else I'm merely a
hysterical woman exaggeratlng the i'm
pressions OF a morbid imagination.
And that's all | know OF him that mat
ters."
But why, IL you believe thls-how
did you at length find courage"
because I had no more courage to
endure; because | was more afraid to
stay with him than to go-afraid lest
my own soul be the forfeit. And then
last night, he ordered me to go to your
room and search It for evidence that
you we're the Lone Wolf. 1t was the
first time he'd ever asked anything OF
the sort of me. was afraid, and
obeyed; but I was glad when you inter
rupted me-glad, even though | had to
lie to you the way l did. And all that
worked on me, after I'd gone back to
my room, until | felt could stand II
no longer. and after long time, when
the house seemed all still, l got up
dressed quietly, and That is how
came to meet you-quite by accident.
"But you seemed so frightened al
first when you saw me-"
Il was" she confessed simply; u
thought you we're Mr.. Greggs."
"Greggs?"
Mr.. Bannon's private secretary
his right-hand man. He's about your
height and has a suit Ike the one you
wear, and in that poor light and at the
distance didn't notice you were clean
shaven-Greggs wears a mustache-'
Then it was Greggs murdered
Roddy and tried to drug me! I shaved
off his mustache when I left him there
to wait for the police. BY George. I'd
like to know whether they got there
before Bannon or somebody else dis
| covered the substitution. It was
telegram to the prefecture, you know
l sent from the BOurse last night"
In his excitement Lanyard began tc
pace the floor, and now that he was
no longer staring at her, the girl lifted
her head and watched him closely as
he moved to and fro, talking aloud
more to himself than to her
81 wish I knew! And what lucky
thing you did meet me; for If you'd
gone on to the Care du Nord and wait
ed there-welI 1t isn't likely Bannor
didn't discover your fight before eight
o'clock this morning Is it,"
MIR. Lanyard"-the girl bent toward
him across the table with gesture oi
! eager interest-"have you any idea
why he-why Mr.. Bannon hates ycu
so?"
"As far as know. l never heard oi
him before" Lanyard said earelessly
81 fancy It was nothing more than the
excitement OF q man-hunt. Now thai
they've found me out, De MOrbihar
and his crew won't rest until they've
got my scalp"
But why is that?"
professional jealousy. We're al
crooks, all in the same boat, only
won't row to their stroke I've always
played lone hand successfully; now
they insist on coming into the game
and sharing my winnings. And I've
told them where they could 60"
"And because Of that, they'd"
There's nothing they wouldn't do
Miss Shannon, to bring me to ms
knees or see me put well out of the
way, where my operations can't hurt
their pocketbooks. Well-all l ask Ii
fighting chance, and they shall have
their way!"
Her brows contracted. 81 don't un
derstand. You want a fighting chance
to surrender--to give in to their do
mands?"
In a way-yes. I want fighting
chance to do what I'd never in the
world get them to believe l mean tc
do-chuck it all up and leave them q
free field"
And then, when still she searched
his face with puzzled eyes, he insist
ed: 81 mean 1t; want to get away
clear out-chuck the game for gOOc
and ALL"
A little silence greeted this an
nouncement. Lanyard, at pause neal
the table, resting hand on it, bent
to the girls upturned face grave but
candid regard. And tho deeps of hei
eyes that never swerved from his were
troubled strangely in his vision.
He could by no means account foI
the light he seemed to see therein-a
light that kindled while he watched
like tiny flame. feeble, fearful, vacil
liant; then, as the moments passed
~~~~N~e~~s-S~J~N-~-~-
Thrill of