The Bossier banner., 1922-06-22

sOning, unfOunded terror. His eyes
wandered from the lantern to the door
TO the blanket hanging Imply in the
door; and there they stared and stayed
as though held in the spell of SER
pent. Subconsciously certainly with
out any direction Of will Of his own,
he raised the shot gun to his shoulder
and kept 1t trained on the sagging
blanket. - = The blanket seemed to
move! It swayed at first as though
light breeze had touched 1t and yet
not as though breeze had touched it.
The impulse seemed too far up-about
the height of a mans shoulder. The
blood had gone from Allan's face; he
was as one in trance, obeying some
iron law outside the realm Of the will
and the reason. He cooked his gun
and frightened his finger on the trig-
ger, and watched. And then.
so plain that 1t must have been real,
he saw stealthy fingers feeling their
way about the blanket.
Then Allan fired.
In an instant he was wide awake,
and wondering terribly what had hap
pened. The explosion blew out the
lantern, and the building was in utter
darkness. His father was clambering
to his feet with "Allan, what is It?
What is it. Allan?" The blanket had
been torn from its hangings as by a
heavy weight. and something was
writhing in 1t In the doorway. Allan
sprang up and would have rushed upon
1t. but in the darkness he collided with
another man. His fingers found his
adversary's arm and ran up 1t to his
throat, but before they could fasten in
a fatal grip there was another flash Of
light, and het pang stabbed him in
the breast. There was strange CUR
Cling In his lungs. choking in his
throat, spinning dizziness In his head,
az he staggered over the mass in the
doorway and fell into the night.
Gardiner had reached the window
just In time to see Allan's gun trained
on the doorway. For an instant he
stood dumbfounded; there was some
thing uncanny in the sight Of the young
man sitting there In silent, absolute
readiness for the attack. He drew.
back to warn Riles, but he was too
late. At that moment the gun spoke;
there was the sound Of heavy body
falling, and stifled noises bore ample
evidence OF the accuracy Of Allan's
aim. But even in that moment Of un-
certainty Gardiner had not lost
thought Of their purpose, and his quick
eye took in the sleeping form Of John
Harris and the location Of the leather
bag beside the wall. Without an In
staint's hesitation he vaulted through
the window and. revolver In hand, be-
gan to steal his way softly toward the
treasure.
He had not taken three steps wheD
Allan plunged full force into him. He
staggered with the shock, but recov-
cred himself only to find the young
farmers strong fingers clutching for
his throat. II had been no part Of
Gardiner's plan that there should be
bl0odshed In the carrying out OF the
robbery. but he was a man of quick
decision. who accepted conditions as
he found them. : = A slight pressure
on the trigger, and Allan fell, cough
Ing, through the door.
Gardiner retained his sense Of loca-
ton. and slipped silently to the wall.
Harris was rushing ,about the rotten
floor in the darkness. crying, "What is
Il, Allan? For Gods sake, what has
happened? Are you shot?" and FOR his
own noise he could not hear Gardeners
stealthy movements GARDENERS hand
fell on log Of the wall, and his keen
fingers traced their own way along it.
Five steps, he judged. and the bag
would be at his feet. At the fifth step
his toe touched an object on the floor
he leaned over and raised the booty
In his hand.
BY this time his eyes had responded
to the intense darkness, and he could
discern a square OF grayer gloom
where the window admitted the night.
He moved rapidly and silently toward
It, but almost with the last step his
foot slipped through broken spot on
the floor. and he staggered and fell.
The revolver was thrown from his
grasp. but he was able to pitch the bag
through the window as he crashed to
the floor.
The sound arrested Harris, and be-
fore Gardiner could extricate himself
the farmer was upon him. At first he
seemed to think 1t was Allan, and felt
shout In the darkness without attempt
ing to defend himself. This gave Gar
elmer an opportunity; he was able to
clasp his arms about Harris shins.
and. with a quick turn OF the body,
cast his adversary headlong to the
floor. At the same moment he freed
himself from his ENHANCEMENT and
made another dash for the window.
But Harris, still nunbed from his
heavy sleep, now realized that some
Find Of tragedy had occurred, and
guessed enough to believe that Allan
vas victim. From his PROSTATE pO-
sition, with one powerful leg he inter-
rapted Garliner's flight, and the next