The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-09-02

SAleHC Ia the DARKNESS, listening Tn6n
he flashed on the torch again. Stand
ing out from the surrounding darkness,
as in spotlight, was the face OF Sat
suma- He bent over the inert heap on
the floor. It stirred ever so slightly.
Burke, though unconscious from the
blow OF the Japanese's life preseryer,
was living Returning to the desk,
Satsuma resumed his interrupted
search, hastily examining paper after
paper and then tossing it aside i'm
patiently. He was evidently unable to
ind that which he was after. Sud
denly he again snapped out the light
His keen ears had heard, In the rear
OF the house, the tinkIe Of a key in a
lock and the creak Of door cautious
" opened. Then the sound Of stea1thy
footsteps as the latest intruder, evil
IDENTIFY feeling his way in the dark
ness, entered the sitting room. Sat
suma's retreat was cut or Straight
from the door Of the laboratory came
the footballs. Then q dim shape.
blacker ever than the enveloping
darkness. appeared in the open door
way, within yard OF where Satsuma
| crouched, waiting. The japanese
swung up his revolver, but in the
| darkness his hand came in contact
/ with shelf holding a row Of test
tubes and it came crashing to the
| floor. At that instant the man in the
| doorway sprang. Had his blow
| reached its mark Satsuma would, for
| the time being, at least, have faded
from this story, but as the Japanese
was much shorter than his opponent,
| it went harmlessly over his shoulder
and the next moment the two were
| locked in each others arms The
| struggle in the dark was a savage one.
Each of the intruders supposed that
he had been surprised by a member OF
the household and fought desperately
to get free. Round and round the
laboratory swayed the two figures, so
| intertwined that they seemed like one.
Each tried to get at his weapon but
his move was instantly anticipated and
| thwarted by the other. It was no IN
even struggle, for the Japanese made
up for his lack Of stature in agility
and knowledge Of wrestling. They
| lunged against a table burdened with
Burke's experimental apparatus and
over 1t went with crash OF shattered
glass. They swayed against a book
case and that went over too. Still
clasped in their wild embrace, they
reeled through the doorway into the
sitting room. Satsuma was endeavor-
ing to gain the window through which
he had entered. All at once a shrek
ran through the darkened house.
Help Help Help! Police! Pc
/
stood at the head of the stairs, lamp
in her hand, screaming frantically for
assistance. At the same moment Sat
suma. putting into practice japanese
wrestling trick. grasped one Of his op-
ponent's wrists with both hands and
brought it downward with a terrific
force, dislocating the shoulder. With
a groan Of pain the other relaxed his
grasp and as he did so the japanese
| leaped through the open window. En-
| sued a sudden silence. 1t was broken
by Cleo.
Daddy" she called in terrified &C
cents. Daddy. what has happened?
Daddy, why don't you answer? Dad
dy dearest, are you there?" A faint
groan from Burke, who was beginning
to recover consciousness, was her only
answer Summoning all her courage,
Cleo, the lamp held high above her
head, fearfuIly descended. AS, quak-
ing with terror, she reached the door
| of the sitting room, a figure crouching
in the shadows crawled painfully but
silently through the window by which
I Satsuma had made his escape and dis
appeared In the outer darkness Pass
ing into the laboratory Cleo stumbled
over the outstretched form Of her IA
Their, who was slowly recovering from
the blow dealt him by Satsuma
| Though he quickly regained his facuI-
ties under Cleo's tender care the old
inventor was badly shaken. Assisting
him to his bed she bathed and bound
his throbbing head. and clingiEg to
his hand sat beside him until morn
/ ing.
Dating from the night of the attack.
Burke became acutely nervous, but de-
spite C1eo's pleadings and the advice
of Hope, he steadfast1y refused to
have anyone sleep in the house or to
take any additional precautions.
cit is not me that they are after, "
he argued. What they want is the
secret of the submarine. But they can
ransack the house from garnet to eel
lar and they will never find it,
Yet, notwithstanding his assumed In
difference to danger, morbidness seized
upon him He insisted that he was
being spied upon Twice he excitedly
summoned Cleo to the laboratory, In
sisting that he had seen a face peer
ing at him through the window, but
when she arrived the face-if face
there was-had disappeared. Morton.
who had left ValdaYia and was staying
in San Francisco, again came to see
him, but Burke remained deaf to the
younger mans opportunities to sell
him an option on the invention.
'TeH your uncle" said Burke. dur.
ing the interview, that II I sold the
secret to any individual It would be
to him. But have promised it to the
government. 1 cannot go back on my
word"
'But we VIII give you far more bor