Evening star., 1924-10-26

=
| 'aymaster opened the door. pushed
| Ter into the corridor and toward the
| ,levator and roared at the row of
ding boys in the hall below. Call
ne taxi and rush IT," Five min
| utes later the two sat side by side
| IN the vehicle, bounding across the
| .ity.
Neither of them spoke until the
| car ran out of the district of pave
| ments. and the sound OF mud and
| sand against the tin guards made
them both look back at the glimmer-
ing city, with Its four hundred thou
sand people and it's hundred thou
sand winking lights.
| II am afraid said the woman.
] "Oh, I am SO afraid. don't know
you. l don't know where we are go
| ing"
| Hush up now." said the theft with
| IN awkward attempt at tenderness.
! We're going to stage n drama, girl!
| Look See that stack! That's where
! were going"
| A HEAD OF them 4 low. solid build
a ing with blue white rays shin
| ing from its long windows was sha-
! dowed back against the open rise
/ of land beyond the city limits. a
| single chimney, tall and dignified.
| drooled muddy smoke across the dark
! purple Of the sky. AS they ap
preached. the rattle of the vehicle
failed to submerge the sound of a
! whirr of metal.
! And you--the driver-I mean you
/ here's 4 green one! Don't wait for
us. Go on now. Beat it back to the
white lights"'
And this" asked Mrs. Law
| renee close to Paymaster's ear.
| It's where they make juice to
| light the city. DO you get that"
| he answered. catching her wrist. 'I
going to prove something. Now keep
! your nerve. Follow me-"
lie pushed open door of the great
| building and waited for her to enter.
| \ machine oiler, clad in overalls
with lean, grease stained forearms
almost collided with the two visitors
| He shouted some words at them
! which were lost in the merry song
of four mighty turbines. which
bsquatting on the concrete floor of the
| great hall, were whirling like en-
cased dervishes: an open door at the
| far end of the concrete room sud-
| denly flared up with the hot red suf-
! fusion of an open boiler furnace and
| the shadow of a fiend in Hades was
| thrown In enormous projection
! against the pasty white walls.
where's your boss" shouted Pay
| master.
| The other leaned forward.
The chief engineer? He's up on the
switchboard gallery. Take them iron
| stairs"
Paymaster caught Mrs. Lawrence
| by the hand and pulled her after
+! him. AS they climbed the whirr of
| the room seemed to settle down into
soft hum of content.
| That's him." said Paymaster at
| the top. You see, he wears regu-
! lar clothes and a collar and necktie.
| That's the fellow we came to see.
That's probably his office there behind
those glass windows. He's going in
now. Follow him! He's alone!
| Now's our chance
! Paymaster closed the office door
after the two had entered. The chief
| engineer whirled about and stared at
his uninvited guests with an accusing
eye. He was a short man, drawn in
curves except for his jaws. which
were sketched IN with squares and
angles.
Paymaster spoke at once.
Let's you and me talk quick"
said he. Somewhere in this town
there's man. This lady wants to
find him in the next hour and no
later. It's matter of-say life or
| death"
"well" growled the other, leaning
forward.
She's got a code" Paymaster went
| on. She knows what it is. I don't.
Her husband used to be a telegraph
| operator and"
| we haven't anything to do with
telegraphs here" returned the engi-
neer. You're in the wrong shop"
Paymaster gazed back at him
through narrowed. vicious eyes.
,ic <~tA
| Somewhere there-back in that city
there's a man. It's 20 to / that's
where he is. There's electric lights
| too And I'm going to find him by
your juice. We're going to signal to
him by the lighting of that city,
| The other mans eyes opened VIDE
for moment. Then he laughed
My dear people," said he with irri-
tating patronage, ut would mean
| jumping our lights on seven different
circuits one after the other. We are
advertising to give service. The Gus
| toners who buy it are buying lights,
not monkeyshines. OF course I'm
very sorry for the lady, whoever she
| Is and whatever her trouble may be-
But there isn't money enough within
two miles OF here to get me to pull
| switches on those circuits" reasserted
the engineer.
You say there amt" said Pay
| master In new grim voice. well.
now, listen to me! Money Is a poor
persuader. Here's better one. Look
at 1t! That's a gun! 1t spits death
In two dozen lots. And you can
either pray or come across"
x x i
A SURGE OF pallor came into the
engineers round cheeks. His
stare alternated between the evil
y,1at, 1,-fo 80
turer's narrow, unblinkfnG, cold ewes.
I'm not fool" said he at last
! What next?"
Whats the number of that tele-
phone?"
It's 1246 Slade."
out there alone?"
"she doesn't have to-. the other an
swered sullenly. Our switches are
oil switches. electrically controlled.
Those buttons on that table cover
the city circuits. They're numbered
The downtwon districts are four
and f1ve."
Paymaster bent his upper body
toward the other, crooking his arm
so that the automatic revolver re-
mained level, threatening the stomach
of the other man with its restrained
torrent Of lead.
mo funny business" he growled
IF any Of your helpers come to that
door, motion 'em away! They can see
you and they can't see me. And now,
Mrs. Lawrence, get on the other side
Of that table and don't come between
me and him. He'll show you how to
work the. current on and or"
The woman gasped and pressed her
knuckles against her white forehead.
Listen to me" the thief went on
desperately. There's city out