Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-11-08
negln c a

Hope Ranger is held prisoner in
a sanitarium conducted by a group
of criminals called the "Combine.'
Or. Kelsey Is detained in the same
hospital because he knows of GRIM
nal dealings of the superintendent,
Or. Bristow.
Hope and Kelsey escape in Bris-
lows car. The two take refuge in
an abandoned house.
While Kelsey sleeps Hope hears
Bristow's voice and knows hat he
has followed them. Hope surren-
ders to Bristow and tells him that
Kelsey has abandoned her.
Brlstow goes to consult with his
partner, Nurse Copley, and, with
Alderman Higgins, the real head Of
the Combine" Juarez Charlie, adj
Venturer and friend of Ranger, is
following on a motorcycle a cleW
leading to the sanitarium.
Now Go on With the Story
Higgins considered this; but, hav-
Ing neither objection nor suggestion
to offer, turned to another phase of
the situation.
How about this cockroach with
the motorcycle ?" he demanded.
whats he up to, since he got turn
ed out of the calaboose 2"
Twins AAo AllhCy i 1dllCJ. L
knows enough to have a very whole
some respect for that message you
sent him.. They said he went to
pieces badly, when he saw it, and he
told Simonds hat this part of the
country wouldn't see him soon
again"
Bristow thought a minute.
"The whole point is this" he said
finally. what Juarez Charlie may
know or suspect is immaterial; we
can take are OF him, if necessary.
But what he may have told Ranger
is another kettle of fish. 1 hold,
though, that every indication points
to his having said little or nothing"
Hobo Bill %pondered this, thought
fully rubbing his great, p%rotuberant
knuckles.
"You want to be a Master Mind!''
He poured out a stream of obscene
abuse. what did you do, when you
ketched that Kelsey gettin' an ear
full on you? If I'd "a been here,
he'd have been jolted off so quick
would have made his hair curl.
Anita saw it was the only thing to
do. But you wouldn't listen to her.
You was running things. You
wanted to try an experiment, and
handle the matter on smoother,
more scientific lines. A nice mess
your scientific handling has got US
into"
He choked, unable to go on. His
face was purple, his great, sagging
pdy shaking and quivering, his
rms beating on his chair.
Anita Copley was at his side.
Bending over him, she tried to quiet
aim. Bristow stood aloof, white
faced and very stiff.
The gust of fury subsidized as sud-
denly as it had arisen. Higgins,
after catching his breath, lay back in
his chair. The purple slowly receded
from his face, and left 1t gray and
j impressive once more. His hands
, ceased shaking, and again rested
motionless on the arms of his chair.
When he spoke at last. it was in
his usual grating monotone; but the
settled, impervious quiet of his
voice was more alarming than his
outburst of anger.
1--WE can't take no more chances
he said, "We'H end this Hope Ran
ger job tonight"
asked sharply.
There won't be no such person
tomorrow"
CHAPTER ky
One could have heard a pin drop.
There was dead silence in the room,
but it vibrated with the clash of OPP
posing wills.
Anita Copley had dropped her lids,
but the glitter of her eyes showed
beneath her lashes. She was watch
ing Bristow.
They were waiting for him, Hig-
gins ready to negative anything he
said, Anita longing for him to ex-
p~ostulate, hat she might have the
satisfaction of deciding against him.
But even in this pass he took pleas
IRE in thwarting them, in following
the opposite tack from the one they
expected.
"Ah? Extreme measures?" He
spoke quietly, implying by his tone
that Higgins had not given a final
decree. but had suggested an ex-
pedient which was open for discus
sion. "Well, il hat is the only re-
course, I am for it. But to give up
without a struggle at this stage. to
charge off SO promising an enterprise
as a dead loss"
Higgins wrinkled hand fumbled
up to his chin. He showed that in
spite of himself, Bristow's argu-
meHtS ndu given MIN cause 10 IHlnh.
you talk like you had something
already up our sleeve" he squinted
shrewdly through his glasses.
"Judgin' by recent performances,
: faint probably worth hell room. But
I'll listen. What's your big idea,
Doc? Spring it,
Bristow laughed dep~recatingly.
"You could hardly dignity it by call
ing it an idea. Just a suggestion
that's been floating around in my
mind while we've been talking. It's
scarcely formed yet. 1t will take
you to put it in shape. and work
out the Details"
Bristow paused the wink of an
eyelash, and then plunged. my
idea is, return Hope Ranger to her
father"
If he had been seeking to create
a dramatic effect, he could not have
succeeded better. Miss Copley's low
cred lids shot up. She expelled her
breath in a gasp hat sounded like
a hiss. Higgins reared back in his
chair.
Bristow ignored it.
Suppose then" he vas talking
directly to Higgins, 'instead of
working under cover, and following
our original plan of getting all we
can out of Ranger, and then putting
-. l. - - 49,