Middletown transcript., 1921-07-30

Bulldog Drun1no11d
The Adventures of a Den,obiized Cvrl McNeile
Officer Who Found Peace Dull "s.ppe"


and Hugh, remained motionless, Won
dering what the next move was going
to be. Now that the nights ordeal
had commenced, all his nerve had re-
turned to him. He felt ice-cold; and
as his powerful hands clenched and
unclenched by his sides, he grinned
family to himself. Then very eau
tiously he commenced to feel his way
toward the door.
At that moment someone brushed
past him. Like flash Hugh's hand
shot out and gripped him by the arm.
The man wriggled and twisted, but
he was powerless as child, and with
another short laugh Hugh found his
throat with his other hand. And
again silence settled on the room N. :.
Still holding the unknown man in
front of him, he reached the foot of
the stairs, and there he paused. He
had suddenly remembered the mys-
terious thing which had whizzed past
his head that other night, and then
changed suddenly into the wall beside
him. He had gone up five stairs when
it had happened, and now with his
foot on the first, he started to. do
some rapid thinking.
If. as Peterson had kindly assured
him, they proposed to try and send
him mad. it was unlikely that they
would kill him on the stairs. At the
same time it was obviously an imple-
ment capable of accurate adjustment,
and therefore it was more than likely
that they would use it to frighten
him. And if they did-if they did .
The unknown man wriggled feebly
in his hands, and a sudden unholy
look came on to Hugh's face.
Its the only possible chance" he
said to himself, "and if it's you or
me, laddie, l guess it's got to be
you.'
With quick heave he jerked the
man off his feet, and lifted him up
till his head was above the level of
his own. Then clutching him tight,
he commenced to climb. His own
head was bent down, somewhere in
the region Of the mans back, and
he took no notice of the feebly kick
ing legs.
Then at last he reached the fourth
step, and gave a final adjustment to
his semi-conscious burden. He pressed
his head even lower in the mans
back, and lifted him up another three
inches.
"How awfully jolly" he murmured
81 hope the result will please you.'
I'D stand quite still if l were you, =
said Peterson suavely. "Just listen .
AS Hugh had gambled on, the per-
formance was designed to frighten
Instead of that, something hit the
neck of the man he was holding with
such force that it wrenched him clean
out of his arms. Then came the clane
beside him. and with a series OF
ominous thuds a body rolled down
the, stairs into the hall below.
"You fool" He heard Lakingt ms
voice, shrill with anger. you've
killed him. Switch on the light ;
But before the order could be car
ried out Hugh had disappeared, like
great cat, into the darkness of the
passage above. AS luck would have
it the first room he darted into was
empty, and he flung up the window
and peered out.
A faint. watery moon showed hin
a twenty-foot drop onto the grass
and without hesitation he flung hi:
legs over the sill. And at that mo
ment something prompted him to lool
upward.
1t was a dormer window, and to al
active man access to the roof wa!
easy. Without an instant's hesitation
ne abandoned all thoughts Of retreat
and when two excited men rushed in
to the room he was firmly enscOnced
with his legs astride of the ridge O
the window, not yard from thei
heads.
Securely hidden in the shadow. n
watched the subsequent proceeding
with genial liberation. A raucOus bel