The Elbert County tribune., 1917-07-06

mechanic ducked to cover behind the
wall, while Parr delayed only TO grasp
Patrla almost roughly by the waist
and drag her with him.
''Thnt corner house, he said sharp
ly to Ryley. indicating an unoccupied
dwelling which adjoined the Claiming
residence on the Fifth avenue side
somebody stationed in an upper room
behind those shutters--with gun Of
some sort, Maxim-sllenced. That shot
couldn't have come from any other
quarter. Here: take care of Miss Chan
ming, please: don't let her expose her
self. I'm going to have Il try for our
gay assassin
Bent almost double, he ran in the
shelter of the wall to the rear of the
half-burned house. and. catching the
low sill of window, easily swung him
self up and into the library.
The room had barely escaped becom-
ing total wreck--was in truth little
better; yet there remained of the floor
ing web of charred and greasy tim
bers strong enough to sustain mans
weight. Parr picked n gingerly way
out to the entrance hall. found the
stairs negotiable, and within very lit
tie time was climbing out on the roof
through broken skylIght. Nor was he
In any way surprised TO find the scut-
tie on the roof of the corner house
open-recently broken open. If he read
the signs Alright.
Stealthlly, then, automatic in hand,
Captain Parr let himself down into
the ostensibly vacant residence. stole
back through the upper hallway, and
suddenly threw open the door to one of
the rear rooms.
simultaneously little man who had
been kneeling at one of the shuttered
windows swung round. and whipped
two shots at Pnrr from heavy re-
volver furnished with Maxim 81
lencer. PARIS answering shot rang
brutally loud. The little man dropped
his revolver and subslded into curl
ously disheveled heap, quite dead. The
captain delayed only long enough to
make sure that there was no other
occupant of the room, and to verify the
fact, which he had all along suspected,
that the murderer was Japanese.
Left here to discourage any attempt
of ours to break into that vault" he
surmised. "rhat means the enemy has
surprised our secrets probably even
now trying to get away with the
Throwing open the shutter, he called
to Ryley In the garden that the danger
had been done away with, then turned
uub cot hipsaIf II. hnSt,- .ypInrnti,,, Of
the corner house.
He found no living soul therein, but
every evidence that many had been in
lawless possession of the premises not
long since. The place had been gutted
of its furniture. the trail of whose
hasty removal led Parr to and through
the front door.
AS he ran out into the avenue Il cas-
ual-minded policeman, strolling past,
Have you noticed anybody leave
this houseT' Parr asked
'Ive noticed about two dozen leaving
it-and that's about all they did leave.
A big guy bossin' the job tells me the
Japanese consul has purchased the
property and is moving every stick out
before refurnishing. Three vanoads
they carted away-and in hell of
hurry they We're. mt that
(which way did they go?"
The policeman obligingly jerked n
thumb westwards. "They made off
that way said he. But where they
We're bound, l dunno"
Parr fancied he could hazard Il
shrewd guess. He ran hastily across
the avenue and down the side street.
And, so running, he disappeared for
Il time from human ken
THE HOLE IN THE WALL.
Ignoring the protests of Mr.. Ryley,
Patria crept along under cover of the
wall to the window through wht " she
had watched Parr disappear, aud
climbed through.
Just why she elected to follow MIN
she could hardly have said
She was inside the house befyre she
appreciated that she had yielded to
what was most probably foolish i'm
pulse.
The first thing to greet her as she
hurried through the upper hallway was
the grinning mask of dead japanese
huddled up OF the floor of the back
ROOM and turning from this in dread
and disgust she ran bllndly down the
stairs. But she discovered no sign of
Captain Parr-or indeed OF anybody
else-and though she stopped ut the
front door long enough for hasty
glance out into the avenue. the man
she sought was by that time several
blocks away.
But this she couldn't know; and be-
lieving that he must still be somewhere
in the house, she pursued her investlga-
lions; in the course of which, descend
ing to the cellar, she discovered ire
futable evidence of what Parr had sur
missed to his own antisfaction. If he