Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-07-14

III ~ MAN, C1reaLer Love III
II Hath No Man.
II Etc, Etc.
The Hawk slid further down in his
seat, tossed the magazine to one side,
pulled his hat over his eyes, and APP
peared to sleep. All that was neither
here nor there-tonight. He had the
message tonight--but he had not yet
got that twenty thousand dollars in
unset stones! He would perhaps do
we'll, now that he had the leisure, to
give the details of that matter a
little more critical attention than
they had received when he had made
up his mind that his best chance lay
in the three miles between Burke's
Siding and the point where the
UP the train. According to the mes,
sage, the implication was that there
would be nobody in the express car
Mt that time except n drugged mes
senger. And now, somehow, he did
not quite like the appearance of that,
1t seemed little queer. What was
tho object of dragging the man If
they did not take Immediate advant-
age of 1t? He pondered the, problem
for long time. No. after all, it was
logical enough-sinc they meant to
IDENTITY was not a specialized cracks
man amongst them who had lifted his
profession to the plane of art, no,
Knob twirler" such as-well, such as
himselfl The Hawk opened his eyes
Bleepi1y to inspect the tips of his
carefully manicured fingers. Other
wise, with mo one to Interfere but
tdrugged messenger. they could have
opened the safe. looted 1t. and. since
the Fast Mail carried only thru ex-
press matter, have slipped away from
the car ut the first stop, with no one
being the wiser until, somewhere up
the line. the messenger returned to
life and gave the alarm.
Yes, 1t was. very craftily worked.
out They would have TO Soup, the
safe, and blow 1t open. If they at
tempted thatl while the train was en-
route they ran the risk OF being
heard. and trapped like rats In the
car; and II they were heard, even If
they managed to stop the train and
make their escape, they invited in
Sstant and definite pursuit on the spot.
Tho reason for drugging the express
messenger became quite evident now.
II the man were already helpless
when they held up the train. they. at
NM n hn uov ~,
access to IN otherwise guarded car
without danger to themselves, and
without danger Of being baked at the
last moment Of their reward-which
the messenger, with a small package
like that, might easily have been able
to accomplish II he were a game man.
He could have opened the safe, say,
the instant the first alarm came as
thoy tried to force the car door. taken
ont the package. and secreted ii
somewhere. 1t needed only the nerve
ester that to defy them. and they had
evidently given him credit for II.
whether he possessed It or not.
Yes. decidedly, the Master Spider
was no fool in the spinning of his
webb As It was, the safe, which
would only be q small affair anyhow,
would disappear bodily: and between
the point where the train was held ur,
and the point whore they finally left
the engine and express car there,
would be a distance OF at least ten
ratlcs, even allowing that they APP
preached no nearer than within two
miles Of Bradley. the first station
west OF Burke's Siding. With the.
wires cut and the coaches of the Fast
Msil stalled three miles out Of
Burlee's. considerable time mus:
eln.pse before any one could make d
move against them: and even wheri
the pursuit finally started, Mac.
Wghtie, for instance. would be con.
fr.,nted with that somewhat illusiv,
stretch Of ten miles in which to de-
eide where the pursuit should begin.
Ten miles was some little distance.
MacVightie would be quite at liberty
to make his guess, and there was the
chance, with the trifiing odds of some
Few odd thousand to one against 1T,
that he might guess right-unless he
guessed that the safe had been re-
moved at the point where the engine
and car were finally left, In which
case Macvightie would guess wrong.
It the Hawk was asleep, he was
perhaps dreaming - for the Hawk
smiled. The chances were just about
those few odd thousand to one that
MacVightie would guess exactly that
way-wrong. Yes, it was an exceed
singly neat little web that the Master
Spider had spun. If he, the Hawk,
were permitted to make a guess, he
would guess that safe would never be
found!
His mind reverted to the cipher
message. The safe was to be deliy-
cred at "five-mile crossing" Where
that was the Hawk did not know -
except that 1t must necessarily he
somewhere between the point where
the train was held up and Bradley.
However. that was detail with
which he need hardly concern him.
self. Long before this five mile
crossing" was reached, his vest pocl;-
ct, II he played In luck. would be very
comfortably lined! He would enter
the express car as the Fast Mail
pulled out Of Burke's Siding, trust 10
certain long and. intimate experience
to open the safe-and get of the
train as 1t slowed down at the Butch
er's very thoughtful request! For the
rest the circumstances must
govern there. In the main. that would
be his plan.
The Hawk Slept" on. Station after
station was passed. His mind now
dealt In little snatches Of thought.
There was hfacVighfje and tho pol;oa