Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-06-30

~ tiIly hey, SeleCtSu 1TO1u us lcIloW
outlaws. was inserted In the lock-
and the Hawk pulled out the drawer.
and began to rummage thru it's con-
tents.
From the back of the drawer. after
perhaps minutes search. he picked
up q card, and with n nod of salts
faction began to study It.
'Left--two right: eighty-seven.
one quarter-left: three /. ;" The
Hawks eyes travelled swiftly over
the combination. He read 1t over
again. "Thank you'll murmered the
Hawk whimsically-and dropped the
card back In the drawer, and locked
the drawer.
A moment more. and the white
beam of the flashlight was playing on
the face Of the safe, and the silence
! OF the room was brol<en~by the faint,
musical, metallic whirring OF the dial.
Bent forward, crouching form in
the darkness, the Hawk worked
swiftly, sure, deft accuracy in every
movement OF his fingers. With a low
thud, as he turned the handle, the
heavy bolt shot back In Its grooves,
and the ponderous door swung open.
And now tho flashlights ray flooded
the interior Of the safe, and the Hawk
laughed lpw-before him. lying on the
bottom Of the safe. neatly banded as
they Ind como from the bank, were
q dozen or fifteen little packages Of
banknotes.
The Hawk dropped on his knees,
and reached for the pay bag. Ten
thousand dollars was not so bulky
after all--if the denomination of the
notes were large enough. He riffled
| one package thru his fingers
twenties! Gold. yellow-back TWEEN
! ties! There was sort Of beatific
smile On the Hawks lips, He dropped
the package into the bag.
| Tens, and twenties, and fives--the
light, in cIriously caressing way,
was lingering on the little fortune as
1t lay on the bottom OF the safe.
There was only a pile or two Of ones,
and tho rest was-what was that7
| The smile vanished from the
Hawks lips, and, in rigid, tense,
strained attitude, he hung there, mo-
tionless. What was that--that dull,
rasping, sound! 1t was like some one
clawing at the wall outside. The
window!
With single motion, as tho stirred
to life by some galvanic shock,s the
Hawks hand shot out and swept the
packages Of banknotes into the bag
He snapped Off his flsshlight. The
room was in darkness.
That sound again! And now a
creak! The, window was being OPP
ened, Something black was bulking
there on the sill outslde--and some
thing adeerIy white. a mans face
was pressed against the pane. peer
Ing Ia, d issIa aAdoaat 60 nfs
The Hawk glanced sharply around
him. Inch by inch he was pushing
the safe door shut. He could no,
reach the door leading to the clerks
office. for he would have to pass by
the window, and--he shrank back
i quickly, the safe door closed but still
/ unlocked, and crouched lowf in the
corner against the wall. The window
slid UP to the top, and with soft
pad, like some animal alighting on
the floor, the man had sprung into
the room.
| The Hawks fingers crept into hi,
pocket and out again, tlght-closed
now upon an automatic pistol The
others flashlight winked, went out
then shot across the room, locating
the desk--and once more all was
darkness.
There was not a sound now, save
the short, hurried breathing of the
other. painting from the exertion OF
his climb. Then the mans step
squeaked family crossing the rooms
and the Hawk. q few Inches at time
begun to edge along the wall away
from the neighborhood of the safe.
Then the mans flashlight cleaned
again. lighting up, the top of, the desk
There was sharp, ripping sound, az
of the tearing aof wood under pres
sure, and ths upper drawer forced
open by = steel jimmy, was pulled
tout.
Birds of feather! said the Hawk
grimly to- himself. Number One, OF
the Wire Devils! I didn't beat hin,
to It by as much margin as thought
would" 9tslsS ~ &sasss.
The Hawk shifted his automatic to
the hand that was clutching the pay
bag, and, with the other hand, began
to feel In wide sweeps over the wall
above his head. The electric light
switch, he had noticed in that first
quick glance when he had entered
the room, a glance that had seemed
to notice nothing. and yet In which
nothing had escaped the sharp
trained eyes, was somewhere about
| there.
"Dangerous-for both of us--if it's
seen outside" comn}uned the Hawk
with himself again. but when he
finds the safe unlocked, and the goods
| gone, there'll be trouble. II he gets q
flashlisht on me, he's got me where
he wants me. Adhere it Isl" The
Hawks fingers touched the switch
He lowared the pay bag cautiously
to the floor between his feet, his
automatic, free in his hand again.
There was rustling of papers In
the drawer; then the mans hand
holding card, was outlined as the
thrown upon a screen, as, with his
other hand, he focused his flashlight
upon 1t, Then the flashlight swune
an arc over the opposite wall, and
! pointed a pathway to the safe, as the
man turned abruptly and stepped
back across the room.
The Hawk, one hand raised to the
switch on the wall, his automa tic
outflung little In the other, tense
like an animal in leash, watched the
others movements.
The dark outlined form was in
shadowy relief against the light, that
played now upon the glistening knot
and dial of the safe Tho man gave