Graham guardian., 1922-11-21


then stood for an instant motIonless,
staring down Into the white upturned
face. He had followed the impulse Of
the moment; had struck saYagely;
knowing 1t was his only chance. Thus
far he had done well; but what next7
He was conscious OF but one thought.
one purpose--to escape from this
house, unpledged and still free to act.
Yet how could this be Accomplishment
He had no plan, no knowledge even
Of his surroundings, of what lay be-
yond the walls Of this room. His eyes
swept the bare interior, seeing moth
ing to Inspire hope. Hobart had said
this room was practically prison.
and 1t looked 1.-THE walls bare, and
unbrOken, and rough single cot. All
possibility Of egress lay In the closed
door and narrow window high up
In the opposite wall, also tightly shut,
and shaded by heavy curtain.
His hand tried the door cautiously I;
the knob turned easily enough, but
there was no yielding to his pressure
The lock was evidently on the out
side, and he could discover no key
hole, no possibility of operating 1t
from within. Then besides In all
probability, guard would be posted
outside In the hall, waiting for some
signal from Hobart. West glanced
again at the recumbent figure, bend
ing over to make sure of his condi-
tion. then, gripping chair, silently
crossed the room.
There was not a minute to lose. He
knew that he must choose quickly
whatever course he pursued Any in
stand Hobart might recover con-
sciousness and gain assistance by rap
on the door; indeed his confederates
without might not wait for the signal.
The silence within, the length of time,
might arouse suspicion. The only
chance lay in immediate action. Stand
ing on the chair West found the win
dow had been securely nailed into
place, but this had been done so long
ago, it was quite possible for him to
work the nails loose, yet II required
all his strength to press up the
warped sash sufficiently far to enable
him to gain view outside. II was
not. encouraging. Evidently he was
upon the third floor. at the rear OF the
building, looking down into clut-
tered-up back yard. His eyes could
scarcely distinguish what was below.
as the only glimmer of light came
from far-distant street lamp at the
end Of an alley, the faint rays creep
ing In through holes in the fence. Yet
one black shadow seemed to promise
the sloping roof Of a shed directly be-
low; but even with that to break his
fall, 1t was a desperate leap.
He stared into those uncertain
depths, endeavoring to measure the
distance, deceived by the shifting
shadows, afraid of what lay hidden
below. For the moment he forgot all
that was behind him, his whole mind
concentrated on the perils of SO mad
leap into the dark. The awakening
came suddenly, the chair jerked from
beneath his feet, his body hurled
backward. He fell, gripping at the
window seat, so that he was flung
against the support Of a side wall,
able to retain his feet, but not to wholly
ward off vicious blow, which left
him staggering. Half blinded. West
leaped forward to grapple with the
assailank but was too late. Hobart
rushed back out of reach of his arms,
and raped sharply on the door panel.
It opened instantly, and big Mike,
closely followed by another man,
pushed forward into the room, West
was trapped, helpless; one man pitted
against three. He backed slowly away.
brushed back the disheveled hair from
his eyes, watching them warily,
every animal instinct alert.
Mike took one comprehensive glance
at the scene, at the overturned chair,
the half-open window, the trapped
man. crouching motionless against
the further wall. The meaning OF II
al NhS pam, dllu HIS UhI-roVli tidih
Ing gave quick insight as to the part
he was to play. He spoke gruffly out
into the dark Of the hall behind him,
an order to some one concealed there;
then shut the door tightly, and faced
West, his head lowered like bull
about to charge. West understood;
he was locked In to fight 1t out-three
against one. Hobart was nearest
to him, his face swollen and red, his
eyes ugly Sits, with teeth snarling be-
tween thin lips. The fellow laughed
sneeringly, as their glances met.
'Now wen take care Of you, Cap
taln," he tainted "Never mind his
guns, Mike; there's not load In
either Of them. Give the guy what he
is looking for. Come on, you terriers !"
But West did not wait. There was
only one chance, and he took ito
carry the fighting to them. He had no
doubt of the emptiness OF his guns,
and hurled one straight at Hobart's
head, leaping forward with the other
clutched in his hand straight at Mike,
who had scarcely time to fling up one
hand In defense. The thrown weapon
missed Its mark by narrow Inch,
striking the wall behinG. and falling