Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-08-09

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Honest, you're up against . tough.
game. Whysdon't you. lay down on
lit" che asked, her frank ieyes search,
Ing HIS "You soitatniy will + you've
i "I'm goin' through"
Her black eyes warmed. Sd III
pct you're some Y WREN you yet
started. Hop to It and hope ySu,
get Jerry good, Say; listen. got
You can't be- n till you try II.
Why don't you set in through the
roof instead a. the winlow? q"
Can l get in that way? J
"Surest thing you konw-if the
trap-doorg amt 7latched. say. stick
AROUND outside my DON half q sec,
The cattleman waited in the dark
We're trying TO ambush him In $the
house next door the girls plan might
save him. He would have a chance
at least to set them unexpectedly in
the rear.
It could have been scarcely more
than two nltnutea later that the young
woman Joined him. They padded
softly along the corridor till they
h girl led the way. taking the
treads without noise in her stockinsed
feet. Clay. followed with the utmost
caution.
She took him toward the rear to q
ladder which ended at a dorr,sr half
door leading to thereof. Clay fumbled
with his fingers. found a hook, un-
fastened 1t, and pushed open the
trap. He looked. up into. starlit night
andEa moment later stepped out upon
the roof. Presently the slim figure
of the g.rl stood beside him.
They moved across to a low wall,
climbed it and came to the dormer
door of the mex house. Clay knelt
and lifted it IN inch or>two very
slowly. He lowered it again and rose.
I'm a heap Obliged to you. Miss
he said in a low voice. You're a
game little gentleman"
Millikan."
milne is Clay Lindsay. I want to
come and thank you proper some
day"
II take tickets at Heath's Palace
OF Wonders, two blocks down. she
whispered. Look out for Yourself.
Don't let EN- get you. Give EN- a
chance, and hat gang would croak
You sure You will be careful, won't
you?"
II threw down on myself
Yet. - sLa
The girls hippancy broke out
again: Say, femme know when the
wedhn' is, and III send you a salad
bowl" she flashed at him saucily as
he turned to 90. .
Clay was already busy with the
door.
Darkness engulfed him az he closed
the trap-door overhead. His explor-
ing feet found each tread Of the lad
de with the utmost caution. Near
the foot of it he stopped to listen
Tor any sound that might serve I'd
guide him. None came. The passage
was as noiseless as it was dark.
Again he had that sense Of cold
hnger-t!ps making a keyboard Of his
spine. But he trod down the manic
n set his will to carry on. He
crept forward along the psSsage. Ev-
erN step or two ne stopped to listen,
nerves keyed to an acute tension.
A flight of stairs brought him to
what he knew must be the second
floor. TO him there fioated a muir
closer. reached the door, and dropped
noiselessly to a knee. A key was. in
the lock on the outside. With in
finite ~precaution against rafting he
turned it, slipped it out, and dropped
1t In his coat pocket. His eyes fas-
tened to h opening.
Ihree men were sitting round a
table. They were making a bluff a,
playing cards. but their attention was
focused on a door that evidently led
into another room. Two automatic
revolvers were on the table close &c
the hands Of their owners. A black.
Jack lay in front of the third ma
Clay recognized him as Gorilla Dave
The other two were strangers to him
Something evil in the >watchfulness
of the three chilled nom entarily his
veins. These fellows were the gun.
men of New Yok he had read abou,
paid assassins whose business it. was
to- frame, innocent men for the peni.
Tertiary or kill them in cold blood
They were of the underworld, withou,
conscience and without honor.
A soft step sounded in the corridor
behind the man at the keyhole. HI
had not time to crawl away nor even
to rise before a ma stumbled against
him.
Clay had one big advantage owe,
his opponent. He had been given ar
instant Of warning. HIS right arm
and frightened there. His left hand
turned the doorknob. Next moment
the two men crashed into the room
together. the westerner risin4 to hi.
feet as they carne. with the body OF
the other lying across his back from
hip to- shoulder.
Gorilla. Dave leaped to his feet
The other two gunner. caught at dis.
advantage a few feet from the table
we're too late. Clay swung his body
downward from the waist with q
quick, strong jerk. The man on hil
back shot heels over head as though
he had been hurled from a catapult
crashed fact UP on the table, and
dragged it over with him In his for.
ward plunge to the vail. !,
Before any else could n OF
speak, Lndsay's gun was out.
tie drawl that carried a menace
"Lernn1e be boss Of the rod&o a while
No. Gorilla, / wouldn't play with tina,
club It'll was you. I'm sure .h-l-a.
mile on This Eunstutf. Drop it," The
last two words am sharp and crisp
for the big thug had telegrAphed ar
unintentionAl warning ofNhis Purpose
to dive at the man behind the thirty.
eight.
the-blackjAek dropped from his hand
to the floor. d
"For the love o. Mike, who is thi,
guyW demanded one OF the other
men.
"i'm the NTH member Of our lit.
tie party" explained Clay.
"Wot tell do youse mean? And
what's the big idea in most KILN thu
chief?""
The man who had been 1iung acros,
the table turned over and groaned
Clay would have known that face
among a Thousand. 1t belonged Il
Jerry Durand.
IT came in at the wrong door and
without M ouncins n~1ystelf.'' safd-fh1