The evening world., 1916-09-14

A second thrust Of tho giant
shoulders and the heavy door loaped
bodily on It's hinges. while one of the
thick panels split from top to bottom,
"a Rue picked up Florence's uncon.
roious body In his arms INC ran to-
ward the dressing room.
There's "A door In the room beyond
that leads out into the halll' Vanya
cried to him Us he passed her.
A third crash. with the whole
weight and power of Harold Stanley's
body behind It. smashed the lock and
sent the studio door flying inward.
Harold burst into he room. all but
falling on his face from tho force Of
his W impetus. But Pierre had
vanished through the dressing room
doorway.
A single sweeping glance showed
Harold that the studio was deserted.
He saw the open door leading into the
dressing room, and dashed toward Il.
On the threshold he all but collided
with Vanya. who came strolling out
from the dressing room. yawning a.
h came.
Why. Mr.. Stanley" exclaimed
vanya, what on earth are you doing
here3 Are YOU waiting for Mr.. Clay
ton, as l am? l got tired waiting
and went into the next room for a
nap. There's a couch there. and I
was sleepy. So r.
where l. she7" demanded Harold.
recovering from his bewilderment.
lis she In thereT"
rs who In where7" asked vanya,
apparently puzzled by the shouted
question. IF you mean In the dress
Ing room. no one Is there, T.
Il heard her cry out" he insisted.
thrusting his way past her into the
dressing room.
The room was empty. Tho door
leading into the hall was closed.
Vanya followed him. laughing.
Il can explain the cry you heard"
she volunteered. Though am
ashamed to. l had q bad dream and
woke myself screaming and
1T was not your voice!" he de-
olared. at was hers"
"whose? 2" she asked. amusedly.
He did not answer. He was utterly
dumfounded. lie could have sworn
he had heard Florence Montrose
scream for help. He had burst In the
door. and now-he was confronted by
this smiling. yawning model. who was
very evidently the sole occupant Of
the suite.
To mask his irritation from Vanya's
mischievous glance he STROBE acros
to the open window and looked out.
wondering II the cry he had heard
might have come from some adjoining
studio whose window was also open.
He did not for a moment believe
Vanya's story that II had been she
who screamed. The voice had been
Florence's. He could have sworn to
that.
Pierre La Rue. meantime. had run
into the hall and toward the stair
head. carrying tho unconscious girl.
At tho summit of the stairs he en-
countered Tanner. dazed. battered.
bleeding. wildly ~disheveled. who was
ascending from the landing where he
had first recovered his senses. La
Rue gave Tanner no chance to OK
plain. Thrusting the senseless girl
into the pantlng mans arms. Pierre
commanded:
Get her downstairs and out into
her own a The chauffeur knows
you belong to me, and so he will obey
you. Tell him to drive In n hurry
to-
He got no further. A policeman,
summoned by the Janitor. had Just
appeared in the hallway from tho
freight elevator. whose sliding door
was halfway down the hall.
In an instant La Rue's plan was
made. The bluecoat had not yet seen
Tanner and the girl. as they were
hidden from his view ny tho slope
of the stairway which they were de-
scending a few. steps ahead Of La Rue,
But the policcman's very next stride
might bring him into sight OF them.
And then explanations nus follow
explanations that could not be made.
Running back up the stairs. dam
Cling his watch and chain In one
hand as though he had Just stolen
them from some tenant. he collided
with the astonished policeman. wrig-
gled free, and with every appearance
OF panic ran limpingly toward
the scuttle ladder that led TO the roof.
The policeman naturally gave chase.
La Rue disappeared through the
sCuttlo Just too quickly for The police
man to seize his foot. Tie tried 10
clap down the scuttle, but the police
man thrust II aside and clambered
out onto the roof just az la Rue
vaulted the low dividing parapet TO
the roof OF the adjoining building.
Drawing his nightstick. the police
man numbered In pursuit,