Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-03-08

Mt q oikudl Hull tAC ldttCA lie assn
ciate seized Dare by the arms and
backed him to the wall, Delbridge
picked up the books Dare had dropped
when assailed.
wei see to it that these telltale
documents don't see the light again."
he chuckled. Then he turned upon the
a~ffrighted Verda. 1--WE mean business"
he said coolly, 'but you're not going to
be harmed. Your friends have tried to
blacken my reputation and you've got
to pay for it."
what do you mean?" breathed YER
da In a tremulous tone.
II mean that Pm going to leave these
parts and propose that yoT finance me
for the Journey" bluntly responded the
villain. you have plenty of money.
You will give me an order or a check
for five thousand dollars. I'll send one
of my men to get it cashed. When he
does, you shall go Free"
"Yes, yes" assented Verda readily,
"only do not mistreat Mr.. Darel"
The latter was struggling to release
himself and his two eaptors were treat
ing him roughly.
"Do not give these scoundrels a cent,
Miss Bliss" shouted Dare, and made
a desperate effort to break away from
them.
Here !" cried Delbridge, sliding back
a door at M side of the little 0
"Give him the benefit of solitude and
darkness till we finish our negotiations
with the young lady,"
Verda screamed in outright terror as
the two men gave Dare a fling into
dark space and Delbridge drew close
the door again. Dare felt himself fall
ing. He swung out both hands. One
grazed a chain, there was a sharp
click. The chain slipped through his
fingers and he went downward several
feet and landed on a mass resembling
a bank of shifting sand.
In a flash he guessed where he was
in one of those sealed compartments
where grain was stored. The close
musty air was sitting. He had
sunk up to the knees in the mass OF
oats. Like a man in quicksand
his body began to sink deeper and
deeper. He tried to anchor himself
steady. The feat could not be accom-
plishee. Then he noted with a thrill
of concern that the mass was moving
and that he was moving with it.
The grain was going down the dis
charge chute, he decided.
The chain he had grazed must be
the one controlling the door to the
chute down which ordinarily grain was
loaded into the holds of boats taking il
a cargo. Twice the mass nearly IN.
quilted him. With a p%rodigious effort
Dare drew his feet out of the gyrat
ing mass and managed to lay fiat or
his back. At the rate of hundreds OF
bushels a minute the grain was pour.
ing into the mouth of the chute. He
was tossed, rolled, %engulfed, cast up
wards like a feather amid tumblilg
rushing sea drift. Gradually the vor
tex current lowered, he aimed to strike
the side of the great bin with his feet
missed, and was whirled into the con
fined space of the glass-smooth sides
of the chute.
Splash He had reached the end OF
the chute to fall not into the hold OF
some boat, but squarely into the river
He came up to find himself in the
midst of a flood of thousands of bush
els of floating grain.
"Ahoy, there !" rang out a boisterous
tone from the dock, and a rope was
flung him by one of a throng wonder
ingly viewing the strange waste OF
precious grain. Dare was pulled VI
to the wharf platform, half blinded
choking, well-nigh collapsing.
"Quick p he gasped-"some one bur.
ry for the police"
whats up?" challenged his rescuer
"Some scoundrels-they tried to kill
me. They are holding a young lady
captive up in the elevator Office"
Contrary to their designs, the schem-
ing Delbridge and his confederates
were led out of the building ham
cuffed by the emissaries of the law.
Miss Bliss chung to Dare's arm in few
erish, almost hysterical agitation.
She shuddered as Dare recited his
ncann experience. She was solicitous
and kindly, more than friendly, as they
proceeded back to the lawyers office
Wise, observant Samuel Crompton
smiled quietly to himself as he heard
what had happened.
my client will soon have a husband
to look after her affairs" he solilO-
quized.
And he was right.