Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1918-09-27
CHAPTER Viii.
The Underground Web.
lal nodded.

on 10 SOmeJnlnS. i ulunL tnluk Nc
had it in him, but he must have spot
ted this Annie some way, and he amt
wise to the chance he's taking. We've
got to follow, and we've got to do 1t
quick or they'll get him. Now, see
here"
But he was interrupted. Breaking
into his words there came again the
sound of an alteration from the
street-front, voice raised in protest
and the sound of snarling below.
like that of an animal suddenly
brought to bay. Out of it broke words
short, painting, as of one impatient OF
restraint.
"Let go of me, you yellow fool.
Let go, l tell you! Get out OF the
way. Oh, for the Lords sake, I'm In
q hurry!I
Followed then scuffle, shrill out
cry and another and huddled jum-
bic of figures pushed its way inward
to resolve into that Of Colonel Mo
Donahue Sheldon. striding doggedly
forward between two OF the theateTs
attaches. who chung radically to his
clothing and did their very best to
trip him up.
LET go!" he beloved. Let 60,
you darned shirt-washing runts. Git
out from under my feet!"
McKabe sprang forward and SO
did I.
"Sheldo1!" cried.
With the same sort of motion a dog
uses in shaking itself free of water,
Sheldon shed his clinging human burs,
who sprawled grotesquely on the
boards of the floor.
"Glace," he exclaimed loudly. "Say,
did you see him? He come in here.
/ seen him. The DANCED fools been
runnin' around like he was bughouse,
an l thought he'd give me the slip.
Then seen him come up these steps
an follered. Dual, told me to stick
to him, an doo1 it.; but it's been
one sweet job"
HE came in here. We were Just
going after him when you came"
told him.
"You all here" he queried, and
drew his sleeve across a sweat-damp-
ened brow.
The two Cinnamon who had vainly
sought to hold him had risen, and
stood half minded to resume the at
tack. McKabe addressed them In
hurried singsong, and they drew back
scowling. The detective turned to us
and rushed into advice and direction:
There amt no time to go get a
squad now. If we're going to save a
KILN we've got to move. That FOOLS
gone down there alone, from the looks.
Miss Foote, you go outside. Take
care you amt followed, too. Grab
the first harness man you see an tell
him about this. Tell him Mac said
to get bunch an come back here, an
take the first door under the stairs
to the actors rooms. Now hurry. The
rest of use II try to follow Reich an
see where he's gone. an pull him out
fore it's too late. Come on, the rest
of YOU"
He set off at run toward the side
passage.
Lucille darted out of the front door,
and Dual, Sheldon and l followed Nc
Kabe. He led us straight down the
passage at the side of the house to
the stairs at the end, leaped up them
and wrenched open the door. In a
crowding rush the rest of US followed,
and / closed the door behind me. We
stood in a space to one end of the
stage, with its occupants plainly Wis
ible through some cheaply painted
wings.
Before us stretched narrow pas
sage, midway of which a wooden
stairway ran upward. McKabe dart
ed straight for this.
But instead of mounting he ran
around it to a small door half hidden
in shadows, set into what appeared to
be a closet built in under the slant OF
the stairs. A spring-lock held 1t shut.
McKabe twisted back the latch and
dragged it open. The interior yawned
empty of anything save shadows, as 1t
seemed.
The detective drew a pocket-flasn
and swept it inside, along the walls,
and over the floor. There at our feet
the light showed a metal ring and a
square of boards, which, unlike the
rest of the floor, were free from dust.
Here we are" he exclaimed, and
stopped down, grasping the ring and
dragging up the trap-door to expose
yawning hole like the mouth of
mine-shaft, and the dimly lighted up
per rungs of what appeared to be
vertical ladder.
"Come on" he directed shortly.
Letting the trap door fall back on
its hinges out of the way, he lowered
himself upon the ladder and began to
descend. Dual went second and Shell
don third, and came last.
had to admire the nerve of the lit
tie plain-clothes man as l crept down
the ladder. Here he was advancing
into an admittedly unknown region OF
tangled passages and alleys dug be-
meath the city as calmly as he might
have walked its streets. He was
cool little pickle all right, was Nc
Kabe.
l reached bottom in moment or