Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-08-27
Shared
BY ]. U. GiESY 4 J. B. SMITH
Authors OF Semi-Dual Stories
Copyright.
The Frank A. Munsey Co.
The great hand dragged him bac

\
The great hand dragged him back.
I caught glimpse of his face, drawn
and distorted with pain and terror.
Then looked at the clawlike hand.
1t had caught him just under the
chin. It's long nail seemed buried in
the flesh of his scrawney neck and
while looked tiny trickles of blood
started from beneath the strangling,
tearing fingers and ran down over the
: yellow brown skin of the puny thing
they held
With heave the great arm raised
end held him striking and struggling
as the rabbit struggles, and the threads
q blood wldened and deepened, and
The eyes In his face started and rolled
backward like the rabbits
DUAL" cried out. Semi. He
will kill him.
My friend shook his head.
Very slowly the great arm lowered
thewrithing thing it held, TO the floor.
and released It, 1t lifted skinny hands
to its torn throat and moaned and
whimpered.
The great hand seized It again, this
time by the back of the neck, and
turned II toward the rear of the room
and the dor it hid sought to reach.
We pas. ID though the toor aad
down lsdder-lle flight of eps.
Damp earth was at the DO tom. A
dim light came from row of mean
descents which hung from line of
open wiring at the top of the tunnel
They led off and disappeared at
turn.
Semi Dual thrust a hand into his
robes and brought it out filled with
bits of torn paper. He let a few frag
ments fall to the floor
1T was necessary 10 gain a guide
h. said softly to me, "'rhe man is
not seriously injured, but he knows
death waits if he disobeys,"
| nodded could well believe the
terror OF death in the warped little
brain under the stiff, Black hair.
| could fancy how well | myself
would recognize the potential death in
that gaunt. talon like hand, the nails of
which were holding him helpless on
either side Of his yellow brown neck,
provided the neck were mine.
I felt sort Of compassion for the
fellow. thug and white SLAYER though
he was, as he shuffed ahead, while his
blood welled slowly from beneath the
dripping nails
so we went forward along the
dim length Of the tunnel, where the
light showed the sheen of moisture.
and the earth was sodden and fetid
beneath our feet.
Little by little, as he advanced, the
bits Of torn paper fluttered and drop.
ped to the floor from the fingers Of
Semi Dual He was laying a paper
trail to guide the steps of those who
came after.
began to tingle with nervous sort
OF citation as we pushed deeper and
deeper into the crooked channels be-
meath the upper city. thrilled as l
saw how completely 1t had all been
thought out and arranged. Nothing
had been left to chance.
Pushing forward toward the end of
the matter, to the laying hande on the
central mind of the whole loathsome
aggregation, Dual laid paper chase
for his hounds of the law to follow.
1t was a game OF hare and hounds,
and the little rabbit held by the claw
OF the hawk was the guide who should
lead US to the heart Of the warren.
wondered just what we should find at
the end.
Dual spoke again.
"rhe liberty Of Reich and his ally
10 OF short duration, my friend. They
came from the station and entered
this place. BY and by, like Nemesis,
we shall overtake them and hale them
back from whence they came"
"You used them as you used Lucille
them" whispered
He nodded The hounds must have
a scent he said shortly. when the
fox has gone to earth, one seals his
burYow before digging him OUT
Well, Dual had sealed the burrow.
II Mis- orders had been obeyed, by
now strong squads Of police were in
the other leads of the tunnels. work
ing.iAward toward us as We went for.
ward.
Let the fox try for snotherey than