Middletown transcript., 1922-07-22
CHAPTER IV-Contlnued.

"You will, eh?" sneered the sergeant,
with side glance at Myers. Got any
sort Of special pull In Clayton?"
Enough to put the lid on you"
"Well, 1 guess you won't be going
into Clayton vet WHILE" jeered Pc
ters. you're coming back to the Pas
with us and Joe."
Wilton realized that Myers had
come up quietly upon the other side
Of him. He had the bewildered feeling
Of being in trap.
"What the devil do you mean by
that?" he shouted.
The sergeant thrust his face for
ward into his own, grinning ma
liciously.
ut means that arrest you for the
wilful murder Of Joe Bostock," he an
swered. "And 1 warn you, in the
kings name, that any statement you
make will be used against you"
At the same moment Wilton felt the
touch Of steel against his right wrist,
and swung his hand free just In time
to avoid the snap of the handcuff.
Looking at Sergeant Peters after the
instant's sideward glance, he found
himself covered by the heavy, regula-
tiOn As Colt. Before he could stir,
Myers had seized him from behind and
made violent effort to slip the hand
cuff upon his wrist.
Wilton heard Molly scream. The
girl came running out Of the room
with her hair tumbling about her
shoulders, and caught at Myers arm
The caretaker started toward them,
still holding the frying pan, in which
he was cooking the potatoes, his face
working with rage.
"You d-n fools!" he shouted, laps
ing into his vernacuar in his excite
ment, you got it all wrong! Mr.. Car
ruthers was Joe's best friend. So that
was your game when you come here last
night, eh? You'll get broke for this
yob already. both Of you fellers, 1 tell
you"
Molly was grasping at Myers hand
as the constable still fumbled nerv-
ously with the handcuff. won't you
men listen to common sense?' she
cried "Mr. Carruthers is the chief
engineer of the line. All his interests
are bound up with it. Why should he
want to murder Joe? He was Joe's
best friend. Everyone In Clayton can
tell you that. Why, he risked his own
life to save him! Somebody's put
you on the wrong track. They're try
ing to make use of you to keep him
out Of the way while they ruin the
line. And you'll pay for your mistake,
that's sure!"
And, with frenzied desperation, she
succeeded In pushing Myers away
from Wilton, and interposed between
him and the sergeant, whose revolver
pointed steadily at his forehead
Peters scowled viciously at her.
.You can tell all that at the inquest"
he snapped. 1--WE got orders to bring
you in, too. Get out of the way!"
At that the superhuman tension that
held Wilton's rage in bounds seemed
to snap. His ears were ringing, and a
spotted mist floated before his eyes.
Through this he saw Peters an infinite
distance away, the revolver, now hard
ly larger than a pencil pointing at his
head. Behind the sergeant he saw An
dersen, a doll-like figure with a toy
pan in his hand. He leaped at Peters,
heard the weapon discharged, and was
conscious of the sting of powder on
his forehead and a commotion in his
hair.
Peters had shot to kill, but the
weapon, the least bit diverted by Mol
Iy's Intervention, had been re-aimed
at Wiltons forehead little hurriedly,
and he had forgotten that the strong
ammunition Of which complaint had
frequently been made by the police su-
perintendents, was apt to throw the
bullet high at short distances.
Wilton shot his uninjured arm for
ward with vicious swing that caught
the sergeant on the cheek and sent
him staggering backward. But the
force of the blow, communicated to
Wilton's left shoulder wrenched the
wound and forced groan of pain
from his lips. Peters reeled, regained
his balance, and rushed forward again
swinging the revolver aloft, butt for
ward. in his hand.
With his powerful build he could
have delivered blow that would have
crushed Wilton's skull. Bu1 before the
blow fell Andersen had raised his pan
and brought it down edgewise upon
the sergeant's head, cutting the scalT
to the bone and drenching the man
with the boiling grease.
With scream of pain Peters stun
bled forward, letting the revolver fal
from his hand, slipped in the grease
tbat bod bou,,p to ooyp alonp fhe fioor