Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1922-08-18

police. He climbed the ladder, pushed
his way through the trapdoor opening.
and breathed deeply of the night air.
But he had no time to lose. AL
ready he could hear the trampling of
feet up the stairs to the second story.
Lightly he vaulted the wall and
came to the roof door leading down
to number 123. He found it latched.
The caves of the roof projected so
far that he could not from there get
hold on the window castings below.
He made vain circuit of the roof,
then passed to the next house.
Again he was out Of luck. The ten
ants had made safe the entrance
against providers of the night. He
knew that at any moment now the po-
lice might appear in pursuit Of him.
There was no time to lose.
| He crossed to the last house In the
| block-and found himself barred out.
| AS he rose from his knees he heard
the voices Of men clambering through
the scuttle to the roof. At the same
time he saw that which brought him
J to instant action. 1t was rope clothes
line which ran from post to post, dam
Cling from one corner Of the building
to another and back to the opposite
one.
No man In Manhattan's millions
knew the value of a rope or could
handle one more eXpertly than this
| lrx,ff L.
fore he had reached the nearest post.
| One strong slash of the blade severed
it. In six long strides he was at the
second post unwinding the line. He
used his knife a second time at the
third post
With deft motions Clay worked
swiftly. He was fastening the rope
to the chimney Of the house. Every
instant he expected to hear a voice
raised in excited discovery of him
crouched in the shadows. But his
fingers were as sure and as steady as
though he had minutes before him in
stead Of seconds.
There's the guy-over by the Chin
ney."
| Clay threw the slack of the line from
the roof. He had no time to test the
strength of the rope nor it's length
AS the police rushed him he slid over
the edge and began to lower himself
hand under hand.
The wide caves protected him. A
man would have to hang out from
| the wall above the ledge to see him.
Clay's eyes were on the gutter above
while he jerked his way down foot
at time. A face and part of body
swung out into sight.
We've got yuh. Come back, or Til
shoot" voice called down.
| A revolver showed against the black
sky.
The man from Arizona did not an
| swer and did not stop. He knew that
shooting from above is an art that few
men have acquired.
A bullet sang past his ear just as he
swung in and crouched on the window
| SILL Another one hit the bricks close
| to his head.
The firing stopped. A pair of uni
| LOAhISd ASSS oPPOdLCa OdASAiA8 1lOIn
the caves. A body and head fol-
lowed these. They began to descend
| jerkily.
Clay took a turn at the gun-play.
He fired his revolver into the air. The
| spasmodic jerking Of the blue legs
abruptly ceased.
"Yuh'd better give up quietly. We're
bound to get yuh," an officer shouted
from the roof by way Of parley.
The cattleman did not answer ex-
forced his way into two houses within
the past hour. He was now busy
breaking into third. The window had
not yielded to pressure. Therefore he
was knocking out the glass with the
butt Of his revolver.
He crawled through the opening
just as some one sat up In bed with
a frightened exclamation.
"Who-is-s-s-s it?" a masculine
voice asked, teeth chattering.
Clay had no time to crafty idle
curiosity. He ran through the room,
IcdCAcu LuC ASdQ VI Tic SUITS anu
went down on the banister to the first
floor. He fed back to the rear Of the
house and stole out by the kitchen
door.
The darkness Of the alley swallowed
him, but he could still hear the shouts
of the men on the roof and answering
ones from new arrivals below.
Five minutes later he was on board
street car. He was not at all par
ticular as to its destination. He want
ed to be anywhere but here. This
neighborhood was getting entirely too
active for him.
CHAPTER tx