The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1912-1984, 1916-03-07

DaAh 10 AdhCS. Anu WAdL, Woit
to know, sir, is the meaning of it all?"
The telephone bell interrupted Gold
en- as he was about to speak.
Eyes, this is Mr.. Golden's house.
Yes, Mr.. Griswold is here. What's
that?" He leaned forward for a mo-
ment, listening. Then the receiver fell
from his flaccid hand. my God, Girls
void, your building is on fire! The
Union Traders bank is burning"
The next minute Griswold was hur-
rying from the house and leaping into
his waiting limousine.
Golden, sitting at his desk, stared
startled and vacant-eyed before him.
Yet that young secretary who was
80 fOolishly accepted as feather-head-
ed was, at the time being, anything
but idle. Ten minutes after his talk
over the wire with Golden he was in
taxicab speeding towards the Stein
house on Maple avenue. A block away
from that house he dismounted, saun-
tering casually up to the home of
Legars confederate as BRIDESMAIDS
delivery wagon stopped before it.
Boy" he said to the youthful
driver of the wagon, that housemaid
at the door there is my steady. But
we scrapped and she won't even see
| me. Here's dollar if you let me hand
in that box of groceries for you'll"
Sure" said the boy, as he pocketed
the bill. Manley. whistling blithely,
carried his armful of parcels into the
bridesmaids entrance.
my driver says these things weren't
paid for" he coolly announced.
"Dey vass paid for, ef'ry-ding vass
| paid for!" cried the German girl.
Then you go and tell him that,
was the others calm suggestion. And
as the belligerent-eyed maid strobe out
to the wagon, Manley slipped i'll
through the still open door, dropped
his parcels and stole quickly yet
guardedly up through the silent house
When he came to large room, half
library and half laboratory, he stared
in wonder at the strange apparatus
which stood on a table in the center of
| this room. He bSard the sound of ap-
preaching steps. He saw a door on
| his right and darted through it. He
realized, as soon as he had done so,
that he had committed the fatal error
| of diving into trap.
AS he peered out through the still
partly opened door he saw that it was
| the German maid who had entered the
room. Then she crossed to the closet
door itself, Strengthened the edge of
the disordered rug, closed the door
and turned the key in the lock.
A moment later, Marley, with his
ear against the panel, heard the sound
of heavier steps. Then came the even
more interesting sound of voices.
We'll, wat do you say of Oldt Stein
now, maybe? You still t'ink he talk
foolish ven he claim dose actinic rays
impulses couldn't maybe start leetle
combustion Won or two miles away,
eh?"
"A little combustion. Stein?" said an
unknown voice, you've peddled 'em
out like gunfre, all over the damned
city"
Manley suddenly ducked back be-
hind a waterproof smelling acridly of
acid burns, for footsteps had ap-
preached the closet door and the key
was being turned in the lock.
The fugitive stood close against the
wall, draped by the waterproof, as the
specialized scientist CROPPED blinkingly
about for his housecoat.
''Und you, Legar, if you please, show
me on der map choost vat remains to
be done. Vich buildings will you have
wiped out, ven der viping is still gUot ?"
Manley, emerging from under cover,
saw that the old German had left the
closet door a trifle open. So moving
cautiously forward, he peered out into
the room. Clustered about the table,
bent close over the map, he could see
Stein and Legar and two of his I'M
known accomplices. Manley advanced
silently into the room, crOuching low
as he went. For on the table he had
already caught sight of the blueprint
OF STEMS protector apparatus. So,
holding his breath, he crept closer and
still closer. He had the blueprint in
his hand, but before he could slip
back from the table edge his presence
was detected and his retreat cut off
He darted for the window, going
through it like a circus rider through
a paper hoop.
A minute later the conspirators
were after him. But Manley rolling
through a clump of shrubbery and
doubling rabbitlike on his pursuers
lodged under cover. By the time he
had recovered his breath and his wits
he slipped unobserved from the
grounds, rounded the block and
; climbed into his waiting taxicab.
Police headquarters! he told the
driver.
Brief as was Manleys visit to police
headquarters, that call resulted in
sudden and startling movement from
the great gray structure in. Center
street. For the mysterious fires were
now breaking out even in crowded
, tenements on the East side, keeping
a hewi1dorad fro deDartment shut