The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1921-09-22

He ueered az his watch: il was Just
ten o'clock. The trees were creaking
gently in the faint wind; all around
him the strange night nOISes-noises
which play pranks with Il mans
nerves-were whispering and murter-
ing. BUSHES seemed Suddenly 10 come
10 life. and move; eerie shapes
crawIed over the ground toward
hiIn-fgIlreS which. existed only in
his imagination. And once again the
thrill OF The night stalker Eripped
him.
He remembered the German who
had lain motionIess for an hour in
little gully by Hebuterne. while he
from behind a stunted hush had tried
TO locate him. And then that one
creak as the Boche had moved his leg.
And rben the end ON that
night, too. the little hummOcks had
moved and taken 10 themselves
strange shapes: fifty times he had
imagined he saw him; fifty times he
knew he was wrOng-ln time. He
was used 10 1T; the night held no
terrors for him, only a fierce excite
nent. And thus it was that as he
crOuched In the bushes. waiting FOR
the game to start. his pulse was as
normal and his nerves as steady as
If he had been sitting down to supper.
The only difference was thar in his
hand he held something tight-gnpped.
Al last family in the distance he
heard the hum of car. Rapidly II
grew louder and he smiled grimly to
himself as the sound of five unme-
lodious voices singing Justify struck
his ear. They passed along the road
in front of the house. There was
sudden crash-then silence; but only
for a moment.
Peters voice came first:
You priceless old ass, you've
rammed the blinking gate"
1t was Jerry Seymour who then
took up the bawl His voice was in
tenseIy soIemn-also extremely loud
"PrepoShterOus Perfectly prepOsh-
ferrous. We must go and apologize
to the owner. I
absolutely mustn't apologize.
Quite objectionable.
You can't 90 about country
knocking down gates. Out OF
queshtion.
Half-consciously Hugh listened, but
now thar the moment for action had
come, every faculty was concentrated
on his own job. He saw half a dozen
men 90 rushing out into the garden
through a side door, and then two
more ran out and came straight toward
him. They crashed past him and went
on into the darkness, and for an in
slant he wondered what they were
doing. A little later he was destined
to find out.
Then came a peal at the front-doOr
bell. and he determined 10 wait no
longer He darted through the gar
den door. to find flight of stairs in
front of him, and in another moment
he was on the first floor He walked
rapidly along the landing trying to
find his bearings, and. turning corner,
he found himself at the top of the
main staircase-the spot where he had
fought Peterson two nights previous
".
He walked quickly on to the room
which he calculated was the one where
he had seen the shadow on the blind.
Without seconds hesitation he flung
the door open and walked in. There
lying in the bed, was the American,
while crOuched beside him. with a re-
vOlver in his hand, was a man.
For a few seconds they watched one
another in silence, and then the man
4 Strengthened up.
1.-The soldier" he snarled. "You
/ young pup!"
Deliberately, almost casually. he
/ raised his revolver, and then the IN
! expected happened. \ jet of liquid
/ ammonia struck him full in the face
/ and with a short laugh Hugh dropped
his water-pistol in his pocket. and
turned his attention to the bed. Wrap
ping the millionaire in a blanket, he
picked him up, and, paying no more
attention to the man gasping and chOk-
ing in a corner, he raced for the back
stairs.
Below he could hear Jerry hiccough-
ing gently, and explaining to the pro
pro pritor that he per
shonally would repair inshisted
/ on repairing any and every
gate pOsht he posshessed. And
then he reached the garden.
Everything had fallen out exactly
as he had hoped. but had hardly dared
to expect He heard Peterson's veice.
calm and suave as usual, answering
Jerry. From the garden in front came
the dreadful sound of a duet by Algy
and Peter. Not a soul was in sight
the back of the house was clear. All
that he had TO do was to walk quietly
through the wicket-gate to The
Larches with his semi-conScious bur
den, get TO his car, and drive off 1t
all seemed so easy that he laughed.
But there We're one or TWO factors
that he had forgotten, and the first
and most important one was the man
unSrairs The r,-indnrr L. tI,,...,,-r, M,