Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1916-02-23
CHAPTER XII.
Turn About.

CFAP X NJ.
Turn About.
Lanyard now thought of his pocket
flash-1amp, and imm ediately it's wide
circle Of light enyeloped his antago-
mist.
The fellow was resting on a Shout
der, legs uncouthly asprawl, quite
without movement Of any perceptible
sort; his face more than half turn ed
to the floor, and masked into the bar
gain.
Incredulously Lanyard stirred the
body with foot, holding his weapon
poised as though half expecting the
form to quicken with instant and vio-
lent action; but it responded in no
way.
With a nod of satisfaction he shift
ed the light until it marked the near
line with his inference, to have been
extinguished by the socket key rather
than by the wall switch while the heat
of the bulb indicated that the current
had been shut off only an instant be-
fore his entrance
The light full up, he went back to
the thug, knelt, and, lifting the body,
turned it upon its back. g.. -9s"
Recognition Immediately rewarded
this maneuver: the masked face up
turned to the glare was that Of the
American who had made fourth in
the concert of the Pack-"Mr. Smith. -
Quickly unlatching the mask, Ian
yard removed it,; but the countenance
thus exposed told little more than he
knew; he could have sworn he had
never seen it before. None the less.
something in it's saturnine cast per-
sistently troubled his memory with
the same provoking and battling effect
that had attended their first encoun-
ter.
Already the American was strug-
Cling toward consciousness. His lips
and eyelids twitched spasmodically,
he shuddered, and his f1exed muscles
began to relax. In this process some
thing fell from between the fingers of
his right hand-something small and
silver-bright that caught Lanyard's
eye.
Picking it up, he examined with in
terest a small hypodermic syringe,
loaded to the full capacity, plunger
drawn back-all ready for instant use.
It was the needle Of this instrument
that had pricked the skin of Lanyards
neck; beyond reasonable doubt it con-
tanned a soporific, if not exactly kill
ing dose of some narcotic drug-co-
caine, at venture.
So it appeared that this agent of the
Pack had been commissioned to put
the Lone Wolf to sleep for an hour or
two or more-perhaps not perma-
nently-that he might be out of the
way long enough for their purposes.
Lanyard smiled grimly, lingering the
hypodermic and eying the PROSTATE
man.
Turn about" he reflected, "is said
to be fair play. Well, why not?"
With this he bent forward, dug the
needle into the wrist of the American,
and shot the plunger home, all in a
single movement so swift and deft
that the drug was delivered before
the pain could start1e the victim from
his coma.
AS for that, he recovered quickly
enough; but only to have his clearing
senses met and dashed by the muzzle
of pistol stamping cold ring upon
his temple.
Lie perfectly quiet, my dear Mr..
Smith," Lanyard advised: don't speak
above a whisper! Give the dope
chance; it'll only want a moment-or
I'm no judge and you're a careless
highbinder! I'd like to know, how
ever, If it's all the same to YOU"
But the drug was taking swift ef
feet; the look Of panic which had
drawn the features of the American
and flickered from his eyes, with
dawning appreciation of his plight,
was clouding, fading, blending into
one of daze and stupor. The eyelids
fluttered and lay still; the lips moved
as II with urgent desire to speak, but
were dumb; a long, convulsive sigh
shook the Americans body, and he
rested with the immobility of the dead,
but for the slow and steady rise and
fall of his bosom.
Thoughtfully Lanyard reviewed
these phenomena.
Must kick like mule, that dope!"
he reflected. Lucky it didn't get me
before I guessed what was up! II
I'd suspected its strength, however,
I'd have been less hasty-I could do