Evening star., 1921-04-21
CHAPTER VII.
In Which he Spends an Hour or
Two on a Roof.

Drummond paused for moment at
the door of the sitting room, then
with a slight shrug he stepped past
Peterson During the last few days
he had grown to look on this par
ticular room as the private den of the
principals Of the gang. He associated
1t in his mind with Peterson himself,
suave, impassive. ruthless; with the
girl Irma. perfectly gowned, lying
on the sofa, smoking innumerable
cigarettes. and manicuring her al
ready faultless nails; and in a lesser
. degree. with Henry Lakington's thin,
cruel face and blue. staring eyes.
But tonight a different scene con-
fronted him. The girl was not there.
Her accustomed place on the sofa was
occupied by an unkempt- looking man
with a ragged beard. At the end of
the table was vacant chair, on the
right of which sat Lakington re.
garding him with malevoIent fury
Along the table on each side there
were half a dozen men, and he
glanced at their faces. Some were
obviously foreigners; some might
have been anything from murderers
to Sunday school teachers. There was
one with spectacles and the general
appearance of an intimidated rabbit,
while his neighbor, helped by a large
red scar right across his cheek and
two bloodshot eyes, struck Hugh as
being the sort of man with whom
one would not share a luncheon bas-
kot.
sticks and gnaw them Simultaneous
ly," he reflected. staring at him fas-
cinated; ''and then he'd throw the
bones in your face"
Peterson's voice from just behind
hts shoulder reused him from his dis
tressing reverie.
Permit me. gentlemen to introduce
to you Capt Drummond, ID. S. o., NJ.
C., the originator of the little enter
tainment we have just had"
Hugh bowed gravely.
My only regret is that it failed
30 function" he remarked. "As 1
told you outside. I'd quite forgotten
your menagerie. In fact'-his glance
wandered slowly and somewhat
pointedly from face to face at the
large one"
so this is the insolent young
swine. is it," The bloodshot eyes of
the man with the SCARED face turned
on him morosely. What 1 cannot un-
derstand is why he hasn't been killed
by now"
Hugh waggled an accusing finger
It him.
Il knew you were a nasty man as
soon as / saw you. Now look at
Henry up at the end Of the table i:
he doesn't say that sort of thing. And
you do hate me, don't you. Henry?
Hows the jaw?'
Capt Drummond," said ngton.
ignoring Hugh and addressing the
drst speaker, was very nearly killed
last night. I thought for some time
As to whether i would or not. but
I nnally decided it would be much too
easy a death So 1t can be remedied
tonight"
II Hugh felt a momentary twinge
Of fear At the calm. expressionless
tone. and the half satisfied grunt
which greeted the words. no trace Of
IL showed On his face. Already the
realization had come to him that II
he got through the night hlive he
would be more than passing lucky.
but he was too much of a fatalist to
let that worry him unduly. So he
merely stifled yawn. and again
turned to Lakington.
so it was you, my little one. whose
fairy face / saw pressed against the
window Would it be indiscreet to
ask you how you got the dope into
usF'
Lakington looked at him with an
expression Of grim satisfaction on his
sYoa vere sasssd. II you want to