Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-12-21

| SuSSS you Detler, Billy refleCt-
ed, and they compared watches.
1t was tremendously difficult tt
arrive at any sort OF concerted action
on this bewildering expedition, bu,
they were hoping to achieve it. Their
plan had the simplicity Of oil desper-
ate measures. One from below and
one from above they were to make
their way to that rose room and
fight the way out with the girl They
considered 1t wiser to come from two
directions. for IL one were discovered
and tho alarm raised. the other had
still chance Of getting off with Ar
lee, and II one were trying to escape.
tho other could cover his flight They
had drawn straws for their positions.
and Billy had been slightly relieved
that the entrance from below. which
no considered n trifle more difficult,
had fallen to him. He felt respon-
stble. as well as he might, for Fall
coner's neck.
Now he steadied one narrow ladder
OF poles while Falconer Crept up il
and then drew 1t up after. him: and
after few moments OF waiting,
crouched in the shadow, Billy saw
the Englishmans figure reappear
against the sixty on top OF higher
| roof The route over the old build
! inss had been found, so Billy turned
and crept forward along the wall.
CARRYING the last long ladder OF poles
in his hand. 1t was an unwieldly
thing to carry and It distracted his
attention harasstngly.
my job" said he to himself '1s
evidently to make a racket and draw
their fire from below while that red
t'headed chap carries Arlee Off from
above. Well, hope to the Lord he
does. When / think of her here.
But 1t was unperving to think OF
her here, 30 he didn't. He kept his
mind steadily on the plan He had
reached the stone steps that led from
the garden to the harem now, and
laying down his pole-like ladder he
| slipped up them and turned the han
die.
But the door was locked Fearful
lest the grating OF the knob should
have reused some watcher. he ran
down the steps and hurried into the
shadow OF the banquet hall, where
he stood close beside pillar until
he satisfied himself of the objects
| in the court beyond. He saw an
edge OF light along the crack OF n
| closed door to the left on the ground
| floor OF the selnmlik. and in the
| higher stories above that couple of
| oil
On the right, In the harem. only one
window betrayed ray Of light Al
together the old pile was gloomy
and gruesomc as a tomb.
| Billy stared across the court ia
where the columned vestibule. unit :
ing the two LIS. indicated the door
He had been told a Waterman slept
there, but he could see nothing now
but vague outlines of the arches OF
the vestibule. To the left was the
| open passage left for the entry of
the automobile and horses, but this
too, was rooted so that black sha
| dow lay over it. But for that watch
man Billy would have made his way
to those doors to draw back the bars
/
an alarm, he judged 1t was better to
leave escape to chance and turn his
I attention to his entry.
He went back now for Els ladder
and on the right side OF the bunque,
hall. up under the arched roof, he
discovered the wooden grating where
FRITZ had described it. Against this
wall he placed his ladder and climbed
to the top. from which he could
reach up and clasp the spindles OF
the grating above him.
He drew himself swiftly UP to this
and the end of his pole was .dislodged
by his departure and fell to the in
laid pavement with bang that
seemed to him to carry to the faith
est echoes of the sounding court In
! stantly there was an answering clat.
ter of steps.
Like monkey Billy chung to the
i ly into the first openings they could
find, hanging on with his hands fol-
dear life, holding himself as close III
in the darkness as he could, anC
nearly twisting his neck off in the eff.
fort to watch what was going on be-
low him.
The steps sounded nearer ant
nearer. and a huge Nubian in baggy
boomers and a short jacket was out.
lined in the court. His bare feet
We're thrust into Gathering English
shoes. He peered about him for g
time. with one hand pointing the
muzzle of a revolver Billy caugh,
the unpleasant CLEAN Of it: then tn,
man stepped in underneath tho arch.
| es of the hall and made a slow way
across it.
Directly in his path lay that fata
pole. 1t lay along the shadow of q
column. but its end protruded be-
| You'd that shadow and would surely
catch his eye. Billy tried to free his
right hand to get at a gun of his
! own. TO be caught ridicuously like
this, clutching like monkey on :
/ stick!
! Another man. shorter and bent. ii
a long robe and carrying a lantern
now emerged from that door alons
whose closed edge Billy had noticed
the crack of light. and the Nubiar
| diverged toward him. The pole was
unnoticed and the two Joined force.
and made slow circle in the garden
I, Billy remembered that dangling rope
and with a humping heart he hoped
! that it would hang unregarded II
that Swallowed angle, overrun with
vines.
! Apparently 1t did for he heard the
! footsteps passing on without a stor
as he chung there to his grating, hi.
muscles cramped, his sockets strain
ed Slowly the two recrossed thu