Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-07-26

relieve you of your revolver; and l
don't think you'll telephone down to
the office. It might be awkward ex-
planning to the police how Doctor
Meunier lost his pockethook--and got
his medical degree! shall. however
lock the door on the outside, as
shall require a minute or two to
reach the street, and can not very
well go thru the hotel corridor with
-tfis"--he jerked his hand toward
his mask.
The others hands were above the
table, obediently in plain view-but
they were clenching and unclench-
ing now, the knuckles white.
The Hawk reached behind him,
| tool, the key from the lock, listened,
opened the door slightly. and. still
facing into the room, still covering
the other with his automatic, reach
ed around the door and fitted the
key into the outside of the lock.
| "When you get out" said the
Hawk, as tho 1t were an after
thought, I'm sure the Butcher will
be glad to see you'll am afraid he
is not as comfortable as he might
BEL 4,
| The black eyes, with DEVILS fury
in them. had never left the Hawks.
And now the other lifted one of his
clenched hands above his head.
"rd give five years--,five years Of
my ltfe-for a look at your face"
he whispered hoarsely.
The Hawk was backing thru the
door.
ITS not enough. Parson," he said
softly. Make. 1t ancther--pocket-
book
XIV.
Two days had passed--two days,
and night. The Hawks fingers
dr,Immed abstractedly without sound
on the table top: his eyes. in cur
iously retrospective stare, were fived
on the closely drawn window shade
across the room. From the ill-fav-
orsd saloon below his unpretentious
lodgings. there came. muffled. n
chorus Of voices in 1nebriated and
discordalit song-an over-early eve-
nirg celebration. for II was barely Z
O'clock
The finger tips drummed, on. At
times. the strong, square chin was
doygedly outthrust: at times, a frown
ga thered In heavy burrows on the
Hawks forehead. Tho net at last
Yves beginning to tighten ominously
every sign pointed to, IL He would
be blind fool indeed who could not
a vs,o pySfy - - 81
who would not heed IT!
His eyes strayed from the window.
and rested upon the, trunk that
stood between the table and the foot
of the bed: and his fingers abruptly
ceased their restless movements.
Within that trunk, concealed in its
false lid, was the loot, totalins many
thousands OF dollars, obtained thru
his knowledge or the Wire Devils
secret code, which had enabled him
to turn their deliberately prepared
plans on more occasions than one
to his own account. But it was no
longer question of outwitting them
in order to add to that purloined
store; 1t was question of outwit.
ting them in order that-in very
plain English-he, the Hawk, might
live!
Nor was II the Wire Devils alone
who threatened disaster. There were
other factors: and. even il these fac
tors were less imminent, as It were,
less in a measure to be feared, they
were by no means to be ignored. The
police were showing increasing ac-
tivity. The police circular, which he
had once torn down from the station
wall. was now replaced by another,
only with this difference that, where
the reward for the Hawks capture
had then stood at five thousand dol
lars, 1t now stood at ten. Also, last
night-quite inadvertently! - while
crouched under the window of the
turner's "cubbyhole" at the rear OF
the roundhonse, the chosen spot br,
Ianson's and Macvightie's confiden-
tIal conferences, he had overheard a
conversation between the division
superintendent and the head of the
railroads detective force that was
certainly not intended for his ears.
According to MacVightie, man by
the name of Birks, the sharpest man
in the United States Secret Service,
Rad been detailed by the Washing,
ton authorities to the case. Mac
Nightie had even taken generous
share Of the credit for this move to
himself Thefts there might be un.
til the country rang with them, muir.
dlers might add their quota to the
reign of terror, yet all this was out
side the province of the Secret Ser
vice. 1t was. so Macvightie had
said, thru Macvightie's insistence
that the systematized thefts and
murders Were inseparable with the
counterfeit notes then flooding the
country that had induced Washing
ton to act. The Hawk and his gang,
according to: MacVightie again, were
at the bottom of both one and the
e'ther--and counterfeiting was, very
pertinently, within the province of
the Secret Service!
The Hawk permitted a twisted
smile to flicker across his lips. Mac
'vightie. the police in general, and
Birks of the, Secret Service in par
Iic,,lar. might be ella sed as compile
cations, even decidedly awkward
complications, but his immediate
peril lay, not in that direction, but
from those whose leadership Mac
Vightie SO blandly credited to-the
Hawk!