The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-09-09
CHAPTER v.
The House Of Secret Agents.

INNS heart beat So that the blood
in his throat seemed choking
q him. His hands were cold and
wet, but steady. There was no
light at all inside HE doors before
which he had halted, but now he had
come to an office where some one was
working. There WAS the barest sound
of movement and u low light Some
closely shaded desk light probably
gave the faintcst glilnmcr through the
frosted pane "f the door. Jim no
sooner diSccrncd This than his finger
cried the Iunlkn"h. Finding the door
locked. he struck instantly with the
butt of the revolver, smashing hole
through the =las;s. lie struck again.
smashing the hole larger, and thrust
his arm in. turned the knob on the
inshle, jcrkol his arm out. kicked the
door open aln Sprang within and
crourllcd with revolver ready.
Bet wecn li>, fit smash of the glass
and before hr made the hole larger
light had @lowcd Trough ON his hand.
If he had not I,'cn sur" of that he
now might have believed he had bro
ken into an empty room. II Was ali
SoIutcly black aud silent tnrtnls
pulled close over the windows shut
out all but Il feeble reflection of light
from the street. and there was no
sound of amy sort in the room On in
the building Tao noise of footsteps
following up the stairs had ceased.
The man in the hall either had halted
at hearing The ;titack on Ii" dear or
else vas crcrpiii.'. as Jim himself had
crs:pt silently '!"wn the corridor.
\ flash of lHni" almost in his face
so close that til" powder stun. ON his
cheeks and the fumes chokch HIN
flung him barl. off his balance. He
fired back hut is. his finger jcrked
on the trigSr. ami his revolver roarcd
after the Other. but the bullet could
have found no mark. lie recovered
himself. crou'.|l"'l. fired ngain-blindIy
or only in the general direction of the
flame which had burst ut him. The
flash of the other revolver Spurtcd
again. but it did not stun him SO much
this time. 1t vas something else
striking him n second or so after the
shot-somethin" which bruised and
stupcfied him with it's first shock. with
its next knocked him down, and with
it's third Il blank.
lie was lying face downward upon
some sort of Il leather couch when he
became conscious again. There was a
| tar, in hiS. hna7 and
when he tried to move his hands he
discovered that they were tied to-
gctller and bound to his body. These
discoveries brought him sufficient
memory Of the struggle and gave him
such realization Of his present condi-
ton that he made 10 move after the
first, which told him that lie was Sc
curely bound lie made 10 cutlery,
and after his first look at the black
leather colcII upon which he lay he
closed his eyes again and lay as inert
ly as possible.
The smell of strong tobacco, Of the
sort smoked in pipe, was the first
sensation which gave him knowledge
of his surroundings. The smoke was
thicker at one moment than at an.
other and thus told Jim that the
smoker was then in the room. He was
sitting-or standing-quitc still. for
though Jim listened intently, he heard
no sound but the pun at the pipe. The
denseness Of the smoke indicated that
the room was small, and as Jim ven
tured to peer above the edge Of the
couch he discovered that to be the
fact.
Before HE observed these details