South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-06-13
Concluded from wednesday
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she handed him the heavy iron
key and indicated the rickety stairs
az the end OF the room. Way in
the back. right hand side. last door. II
she told him.
As Poe rolled on at once toward
the stairs Frau Klittenlein leaned
far over the bar suddenly and had a
good look at his back. The Ameri-
can cut 10 his clothes could not be
mistaken. Fool German on clothes
Her nose twitched in establishment.
He was a rum one. She hurried out
from behind the bar the moment
Poe had begun dumping up the
stairs Her finger was on her hard.
colorless lips as she approached the
tablelul OF loungers and said some
thing in a hoarse whisper; where
upon. three OF her loutish guests
lurched from their seats and sneak
ed silently up the stairs after the
man with the sea-faring manner and
the American clothes.
Christopher Poe turned the key
noiselessly in the door 20 which he
had been directed, stepped into the
bare room and as quickly and silent
~ replaced the key and locked the
door on the inside All the time his
eyes were watchful. The room was
black; there was only a patch Of
light color at one end, near the
vaguely outlined window, with
drawn blind. Poe wished he had an
electric hand lamp. There was moth
ing but his cigar lighter. So far his
entrance had not been noted, at least
there was no sign Of IL. But there
came a sudden CULVER OF that whit
ish mass and at that instant Poe
succeeded in igniting his ciar light
or and transferring the light 10
candle his cropping fingers had
sought out on "A rude stand nearby.
4 low cultural cry burst forth as
the light shone out. The mass Of
white clothes upheaved and an ugly
black face with drawn lips showing
cleaning teeth, and terror-rolling
white eye balls, bursting out above,
started at Poe as though he were
the Devil himself. There came a
startling humping and clawing from
the little closet close beside the
bed The black man trembled, reach
ed covertly along the wall and had
his hand on the catch 10 the cloest
door when Poe walked quietly to-
ward him and said in French:
Don't open that door and let your
daughter. Babo, out. Let her stay
there safely. ! noticed the nice lit
tie hood and shawl on the foot of
the bed there as / entered"
There came a grooming cry from
within the closet.
"How's your foot?" inquired Poe,
as the black man cringed back
among the coarse bed clothes and
glared with CLASSY eyes, teeth chat
tering.
Who are you? What in hell do
YOU want2" cried the man in French
and very broken French it was.
Il am from Haggerup & Co. I
Just came 10 get Babo back. We
miss her"
You don't know what you're talk
ing about 1 never
Poe turned sharply at sound
from the passage beyond the door
ne had locked. In a second he real
lied the sneaking presence Of some
one outside and gave a quick glance
toward the window.
Approaching the quivering black
man. he pointed TO the door and
whispered. Jock, do you want them
TO know what that bundle really is
that you brought in here tonight as
your little girl?"
The black man gave a frightened
squeal and then a crafty look gleam
ed in his eye. In the instant that
Jock had been surprised by Poe's
exclamation the banker-detective
had reached the window and
thrown up the shade.
"How's your sore foot. Jock?" he
queried again, turning TO the crafty
little fellow. whose feet were both
covered by the blanket
I have no sore foot Who the
devil are you?" cried the black man,
still in seafaring French III call
those outside IL you don't tell me
what your game is.
He was again shrinking back as
Poe stood with firm smile on his
lips, pointing silently toward the
closet-door. from within which came
a cIamorous growing and scratch
ing: then a stout. surprising bump
on the door itself.
But tell me about that foot,
Jock?" Poe insisted. At the same
time he took from his pocket the OBJ
iect he had removed from the dead
crocodile's mouth. The handker-
chiefs were bloody; the black man
watched with glowing. fascinated
eyes as Pope opened out the linen on
his palm and suddenly revealed 10
the Mortified eyes OF the man on
the bed two mangled toes and
snapped-off foot bone. What skin
showed was black, matching Jocks.
Poe dropped the disgusting eXhib-
il Ii had served its purpose. The
black man went gray and screamed;
az the same time he shot back the
bolt TO the closet-door and, as Poe
sprane for his throat he received
full in the stomach a vicion seaman's
kick which sent him bounding back
against the outer door, breath