Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-19

smile from the susve, SNUG face Of that
hypocritical .bowing figure that had
offered him A glass of wine. and. like
damnable hound, had drugged him,
| and
Was that sound q sound Of move
ment,. of some one stirring below there.
that he hcard--or only on exaggerated
imagination? He was half way down
the upper flight of. stairs now. and he
stopped to listen. No, there seemed to
be nothing--only that silence that pal =
pitated and made noises Of its own
and yet, he was not satisfied; he could
have sworn that he had heard some
one moving about. g.
He went on down the stairs again
but still more cautiously now. There
was no reason why there shouldn't be
some one moving about. even at this
hour. IL might be Dago George him
self. Dago George might not have gone
to bed again yet. It was only an hour,
Teresa had said. since the man had
come upstairs and stolen the money.
Or it might be some accomplice who
was with Dago George. He remem-
bered Teresa's reference to the band Of
blacklegs over whom Dago George was
III command and be remembered that
some one had come down the stairs be-
hind her and Dago George. But Teresa
herself had evidently been unseen, for
there had been no attempt 10 find or
interfere with her. It had probably
therefore been-well. any one
1t presented possibilities.
II might have been an accomplice: or
a prowling guest, If there were other
guests in this unsavory hostelry or
servant. for some unknown reason
nosing about, IL any of the disreputable
staff slept In the place at night-the
cook, or the greasy waiter. or the bar
tender, or any of the rest of them |;
tionaries Of that sort were much more
likely to go back to their own homes
GftCr their work was Over. IT, would
rot BE- at all unlikely that Dago
George, in view of his outside per-
hicious activities. kept none of the staff
about the place at night.
Dave Henderson's jaws closed with
a vicious snap. Useless speculation Of
this sort got him nowhere He would
find out soon enough! If Dago George
were not alone, there were still several
hours till daylight; and he could wait
his chance with grim patience. He was
concerned with only one thing-to
square accounts with Dago George in q
way tndI WOulu UOlu bdtlHLe MIS- Jury
and force the man to disgorge the con-
tents of his safe.
His jaws frightened. There was but
one, single, disturbing factor. IL any
thing went wrong. Teresa was still up-
stairs there. In every other respect the
stage wns set-for any eventuality. He
had even taken the precaution, before
doing anything else, to get their valises,
hers and his, out of the place, since in
any case they meant to steal away from
this accursed traphouse of Dago
George. IL had heen simple enough TO
dispose of the baggage via the fire
escape, and through the yard, and down .
the lane. where the valises had found
a temporary hiding place In a shed.
whose door, opening on the lane, he had
discovered ajar, and simple enough,
with Teresa's help in regaining the fire.
escape from the ground. to return In
the same way; but he had been actuated
by more than the mere idea of being
in flight if a critical situa.
lion subsequently arose though In this,
his ulterior motive, he had failed utterly
Of success.
Teresa had agreed thoroughly in the
wisdom Of first removing their belong
ngs: but she had refused positively TO
and remain with the baggage
lerself, as he had hoped he might induce
Ter to do. II wouldn't be of any use
here, if--if anything happened" She
lad said; IL might be OF some use