Evening star., 1923-08-19

II didn't telephone you" protested
Jerry.
And I didn't telephone you," said
Pelham.
But l ought to know your voice."
argued Jerry.
And I certainly thought that ]
knew yours" snapped his partner.
Perplexed, bewildered, they stared
at each other. Jerry. less acute than
the younger man. reacted to the situ-
alton more slowly than Pelham.
So, when the big touring car, its
brakes shrieking. stopped in the road
beside them, and one of It's occupants
leaning out Of the car, asked pelham
there? Tryon there?" Jerry Tryon
answered in the Affirmative before
Pelham could stop him. And from
the touring car came instantly flashes
of flame and the loud reports Of re-
volvers.
Pelham grasped Jerry and dragged
him behind Jerry's car. Slim nicken-
son II was who turned the. tide of
battle. -.,.,
The attackers paid no attention to
Pelham's car. and at sound and fash
into that machine. Shielded by
crouching down in the seat, he
opened fire on the touring car. He
was crack shot and the flashes of
the bandits revolvers afforded him
an excellent view OF their figures. He
fired twice and shrieks of pain ap-
prised him of the success OF his aim.
After his second shot the firing
from the car ceased. =" ? 49,
Dickenson darted across the road: !:
with tho silent tread that years of
stalking animals had bred in him. he
raced down the road and opened FIRE
at the rear of the touring car. From
the cries OF the bandits II was. easy
to learn that the trappers now con-
sidered themselves the Wrapped. Dick
enson's maneuver made them believe
that they were surrounded. They
gave up the battle at once. Pelham
and Tryon, firing from behind Tryon's
car, could not tell whether or not
their shots had been as accurate as
those of Dickenson.A They know only
that the battle ended as. suddenly as
1t had begun.
1t was Dickenson's desire to pursue
the fleeing foe. but by the time that
the three men had taken stock. so to
speak. and found that none of them
had been injured. the murder car.
racing through the night with its
lights dimmed. was beyond pursuit.
It might have turned on any one of a
dozen crossroads.
THE Gray Ghost is changing his
| tactics" commented Tryon. We've
said that we were safe from this sort
| of thing: shows how much we know
| about the Gray Ghost"
Pelham shook his head in bewilder-
| ment. 1T don't seem like his
| work." he replied.
He turned to Dickinson. Drive my
car in; I'll ride with Mr.. Tryon."
TWO doors from the apartment
l. house in which Jimmy Pelham
lived was the store Of Bennett & Da-
rius. well known furriers. Their build
ing. only four stories high, was a re-
| modelled residence, like all the other
| buildings on Pelham's block There
was back yard in the rear. separated
| by fences from other back yards. Di-
l
riers' building was the rear of a house
that for the past six months had been
| vacant It's owner planned to remodel
| It into stores and Offices, but lack OF
| capital had prevented him from doing
| so as yet. So that, when, a few days
| ago. he had been approached by rep
! resentative Of the Novelty Patent and
| Exploitation Company, and that rep
| resentative offered him a substantial
| rental. accompanying the offer with
check, he accepted the terms. The
| for only six weeks, while they car
| ried out an advertising and demon
| strating plan.
The policeman on the beat that in
cluded the street south of Jimmy Pei
hams street was surprised to see
| four great trucks back up to the
| curb before the vacant building al
about 10 o'clock on the evening of the
battle on the White Plains road. The
trucks appeared about a quarter OF
an hour after Tryon's vocal imper-
| from home.
| The. policeman, making inquiries,
| was shown permits from the proper
city authorities. allowing the novelty
company to unload trucks at night. 1t
was busy street in the daytime and
this hour for the transaction Of this
| sort OF business was eminently suit
able. The policeman watched the
| drivers and helpers unload a few
great boxes and then sauntered on his
| way.
The night was moonless. The
watchman of the furriers' building
occasionally smoked a pipe in the
yard behind hfs building. Tonight
was one Of those occasions. He had
just completed knocking the" dottle
from the bowl when something struck
him. He lost consciousness and. did
] not regain 1t for hours; when he did
so he found himself neatly gagged and
| bound. Tho first clerk to arrive. in
the, morning released him, but he
| could tell nothing of his assailants.,,
| But the work Of these assailants
spoke for itself. Tho contents of the
furriers' building had been removed
Ealmost' entirely. The precious furs
had been. carried across the yard into
the building so recently. rented. by the
novelty company. Thence the furs
had been transferred to the trucks
outside.
~ X
ID REPRESENTATIVE of Bennett &
N Darius retained Pelham on the
| case. Furs dropped in the yard dur
| inc he cxr tro To- 4,
vestigate the vacant building oppo-