New Britain herald., 1924-06-21
Why Did the Leader swiftly
 Change Front?

iIldlGs IiohA'
 As the truck, carrying me with It, appeared to leave the floor of the gar age and rise slowly into the air. wondered for an instant if my whole adventure were but fantastic nlght- mare.
 Then I remembered things ha'l read concerning the big secret ele- yators in the rear rooms ot some garages by which stolen cars anu bootlegging trucks could be litleu hevond the reach of ordinary espion- age. and I realized that l must he on one of the ingenious contrivances.
 The rising movement stopped, there was a slight, hardly discerniele souha as of sliding doors, which l deducted must be well-oiled, and the ruch rolled forward a few feet and stopped.
 "Au right" sounded the gruh xoice of the leader. That will do for youse now. Beat it till l call you"
 "what about the dsme"" ven tured one man, more daring than the rest.
 Has your hearing gone back on you?" sulkily inquired the leader ana there wa. no further questioning only the sound of hastily retreating footsteps.
 door closed some distance away, and a. if he had waited for the sound, the leader began to tug at fhe boxes that shielded me from view. When he had made an open ing barely large enough to admit my body, he called surlily:
 "come out of there now "
 DO You Like It?"
 It was not very dignified per .ormance that followed, and was thankful, indeed as l crawied through the opening on all fours' that the man had gone around to the front of the truck, evidently on q tour of inspection-I could not hope that he had possessed the deli eacy deliberately to refrain from watching me.
 I dropped to the floor in an igno- n1inious heap, but was up again in c second, intently scanning the place in which ] fnnnd mNsei.
 It was big loft with solidly-tim- bsred walls. ceiling and floor, with windows SO few, so narrow and so high that artificial light evidently was imperative during most of the day. A glaring electric light directly ly above my head, cast its light into every corner and I saw that in all the big room, the leader Of the truck gang was the only other person be- sides myself. There was no hint Of eny egress, either. save by the ele- yator by means Of which we had as- cended, although 1 surmised that one of the walls probably held a clever iy.masked door 10 a stairway.
 "well! DO you like it?''
 The Rusc Madge Tried
 The gang leaders voice spoke just behind me, and repressed little shudder with difficulty There was something feline. cruel, in the coldly oulzzical tone, and felt a sudden reminiscent sympathy for the strug- ries of mouse I once had seen be- meath the paws of a cat.
 lihah IDA bFAtH1 iiN NNhihlAFo7f however. The thought was like a slogan nersing me to coolly de- tached sir and casual speech.
 Not particularly" I replied nom chalsntly. But that is neither here nor there. I am interested fin hav- ing you make clear just how you expect 10 explain the consequence 10 yourself which surely will follow this little joke" The moment my lips uttered inc Last word. saw that had made a mistake. The man, who patently had none Of the qualities requisite 10 a real leader of men. had more than his shar. of petty vanity This em- dsntly was cut 10 the quick s1y the intimaiion that his threats and actions had not the proper weight behind them. "Joke. Is 1t T'' he Enarled. iurnipg vsnomous look upon me. "You'll think ii's a sorry joke. my girl. be- fore I'm through with you. didn't know back on the road. but what you