The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1919-02-15
THE
LIGHTNING RAIDER
CAST.
THE BRASS KEY.
Fifth Episode).

NT1Ilu Epl5Ou0).
WI Fang, triumphant, clutched the
ebony block which he had just taken
from Lightning when a voice said,
Don't kid yourself WI. Not yours,
mine" and, "The Wasp" with leveled
pistol just behind WI, took the block
from the Chinaman and ordered him
from the room. Then he left himself.
but first handed a note to Lightning.
The girl and Norton eagerly opened
the note which read, Meet me to-
night outside Johnson's shack. You
know the place. Wasp" That night
they kept the rendezvous and 1.-THE
Wasp" was there. He handed the
ebony block to Lightning and said,
This is for a debt 1 owe you. Some
day I'll tell you. If you ever need me
tell me. Good bye" and he vanished
into the night. The girl and Tom
could hardly realize that at last they
had the ebony block in their posses
sion and, more, that it had been given
to them voluntarily. They opened it
quickly and found nothing but a small
brass key. Both were dumfounded fo1
they believed they had been tricked.
However, Lightning as ever, thinking
fast, noted that the key was hollow
and proposed that they go home and
file it. They returned to Toms apart
ment and started on the long task OF
filing the brass key open without in.
juring its contents. Unfortunately, an
aunt of Toms chose this unpropitious
hour to visit him and was shocked TO
find him with a girl in his rooms. He
told her that Lightning was a detec.
tive and they were attending to i'm
portant business, but the aunt insisted
that the girl leave Toms rooms a.
once, so Lightning departed saying,
that they would take the key to q
locksmith early the next morning.
Early the next morning Lightning met
Tom and they went to a locksmith's
but found six Cinnamon inside so de
parted hastily. Meanwhile, WI. the
crafty, took advantage of their absence
to call on Toms aunt and to inform
her that her nephew was consorting
with a notorious girl thief. He added
that the girl thief had stolen a famous
heirloom-a brass key-and unless II
was returned to him he would have
the pair arrested. The aunt left the
room to look for the key and WI plac.
ed a loaded revolver on the mantel-
piece so that it pointed towards the
spot where Tom and Lightning had
worked on the key the previous night.
Then he left and went to a room
across the street whence he could di
rect a powerful sun-glass On the re-
volver and at the proper moment dis
charge it. Tom and Lightning return
ed and decided to finish the filing of
the key then and there. While they
were at their task WI with his SUM-
glass exploded the revolver. but Light
ming. who sat directly in front of its
muzzle. was STOPPING to pick up the
key from the floor and the bullet pass
ed harmlessly over her head. Soon
they had the brass key open and took
from it a capsule containing an ad-
dress reading. michael Ugdell, Man.
ton. n. Y" This was at any rate a
clue and the next morning Tom and
Lightning boarded a train for Manton.
They noted the presence of a number
of Cinnamon on the train and suspect
ed that WI was following them but
determined to go ahead on the jour
ney. WI enlisted the aid of the con-
ductor. told him that Tom and Light
ming were thieves and had robbed him
and the pair were attacked by the
conductor and the Cinnamon. They
fought up and down the aisle of the
coach till they reached the rear plat
form of the last car. Then surrounded
and sure of losing the key and capsule,
the boy and girl decided to take a des-
perate chance and as the train was
crossing the river on a high bridge,
both dove into the water and o o the
bafhed WI observed them swimming
strongly for the nearest shore.
Where can you get so much value