Evening star., 1923-11-14

He moved a little, and suddenly felt
a twlnge of pain in his side. His
nand groped under the covering. and
his fingers came into contact with
bandages that were wrapped tightly
around his body.
And then in "A flash memory re-
turned. He remembered the fight in
Ratti's wine shop, the knife stab, and
now he had dragged himself along
the lane and climbed in through her
window. His eyes now in a startled
way were searching his surroundings.
Perhaps this was the room! He
could not be quite sure, but there
seemed TO be something familiar
about 1t. The light was very low.
like gas jet turned down, and he
could not make out where il came
from, nor could he see any window
through which he might have climbed
He frowned in n troubled way. 1t
was true that as he had climbed in
that night. he had not been in a con-
dition to take much note of the room,
but yet 1t did seem to be the same
place The frown vanished. What
did it matter? He knew now beyond
any question whose face it was that
had come to him SO often in that
shaft of sunlight. Yes, it did matter.
He must have been unconscious. per-
| haps for only a few hours. perhaps
for days. but if this was the same
place, then she was here. not as a
| fgment of the brain. not as one
| created out of his own longing. but
| here in her actual person, a living.
breathing reality. 1t was the girl of
| the travelling pawnshop. and
John Bruce found himself listening
; with sudden intentness. Was he
again. into that realm of unreal
! things, where the mind. fevered and
broken. woye out OF its sick imagi-
| nation queer, meaningless fancies? 1t
/. was strange that unreal things should
| seem SO real, Wasn't that an animal
| of some sort scratching at the wall
| of the house outside?
| He lifted his head slightly from the
( pillow-and held it there. \ voice
from within the room reached him in
| an angry, raSpinE whisper:
| Damn you. Birdie. why don't you
| pull the house down and have done
| with it? You clumsy hog! Do you
! want the police on us? Can't you
climb three feet without waking UP
| the whole of New York.
| John Bruce's lips drew together
until they formed n tight. straight
| line. This was strange! Very
! strange! 1t wasn't vaGary of his
| brain this time. His brain was as
life. The voice came from beyond
the head OF his coat. He had seen
no one in the room; but that was
natural enough since from the posi-
I
line of vision was decidedly re-
stricted: what seemed incomprehen-
| sihle. though. taken in conjunction
| with the words he had just hea I'd
was that his own presence there ap-
peared TO be completely ignored.
| He twisted his head around eau
| tiously. and found that the head OF
| the cot was surrounded by Il screen
! He nodded to himself a little grimly
! That accounted for it. There was q
| MI la1
| labored breathing.
| John Bruce silently and stealthily
stretched out his arm. He could
just reach the screen. II was made
his fingers found no difficulty in
drawing this back little from the
| edge of that portion Of the uprigh,
framework which was directly in
| front of him.
He scarcely breathed now. Perhaps
he was in SO weak a state that his
mind faltered if crowded. for there
/ was so much to-See that he could not
seem to grasp it all as a single pic
ture. He gazed fascinated. The de
| tails came sloWly-one by one. II
was the room where he had crawleC
in through the window and had faller
senseless to the fioor-wheneTer thai
had been! That was the windo"
there. And. CuriouSly enough an
other man was crawling in throug.
it now. And there was Whispering
And two other men were alrtad!
standing in the room, but he coult
not see their faces because theil
backs were turned to him.
Then one of the two swung around
in the direction of the window, bring
ing his face into view. John Bruce
closed his eyes for a moment Yes
it must be that. His mind was of
wandering once more, painting ant
picturing for itself its fanciful un'
realities, bringing back again the
character it had created, the mar
with the sinister face whose pallou
was unhealthy and repulsiye.
And then he opened his eyes anc
Hooked again, and the face was still
there-and it was real. And now tn,
man spoke:
come on. get busy, Birdie. II 'yo,
take as long to crack the box as yol
have taken to climb in through a low
! window. maybe we'll be invited II
breakfast with the family. You ac
lust like a swell cracksman-not! Bu
here's the combinatlon--So try ant
play up to the part:
| The man addressed was heavy o
build, with a pock-marked and for
bidding countenance. He was painting
from his exertions, as. inside the room
now, he leaned against the sill.
That's all right, Doc" he grunted
s~rhat's all right! But how about hi
nibs over there behind the screen
Aain't he ever coming out of hi
The man addressed as DOC" rolle'
up the sleeve of his left arm, ant
produced a hypodermic syringe from
his pocket.
There's the safe over there
Birdie" he drawled, as he pricked hi
arm with the needle and pushed hom
the plunger. Get busy"
Il know you know your business
Doc" he said uneasily; but l CUES
me an Pete here'd feel more comfor
table if you'd have put that shot o
coke into the guy I'm speakin' abou
instead of into yourself. Amt
right. Pete%
The third man was loungin,
against the WALL his back still turne'
to John Bruce.
sure" he said; but l guess yol
can leave it to Doc. A guy that
been PAWN the air for two days ain