The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-09-18
CHAPTER IX-Continued

anOHymOuS leLCer 10 ScOLlduu Iaru.
Surprised though they would be to
get it. 1t might help them to clear up.
the mystery Of Mr.. Latter's insanity.
1t may prove rather unpleasant for
you of course, but that can't be
helped"
Its kind of you to give me loop
hole of escape" said Drummond pleas
antly. what are the eyentualities
to which you alludey
"The nonreturn to me Of little
bag continuing diamonds" remarked
the hunchback quietly. "They were in
the desk which was. wrecked by the
bomb
Dear, DEAR" said Hugh. "Am
supposed to have them in my posses
sion?"
Il can only hope most sincerely for
your sake that you have" returned the
other otherwise I'm afraid that let
ter will so to the police"
For while Drummond smoked in
silence: then, with lazy smile on his
face, he sat down in an armchair fac
ing the hunchback.
There are one o. two things have
to say to you before depriving myself
of the pleasure Of your company. BY
the post following the one which car
ries your interesting disclosure will
go another letter addressed to Sir
Bryan tombstone himself. ! shall be
in the Office when he opens it-and we
shall both be roaring with laughter
over the extraordinary delusion that !
quite the biggest fool of his ac-
quaintance-could possibly be the
leader of the Black Gang And, as if
to prove the utter absurdity of the
suggestion. this second letter will be
from the leader of the Black Gang
himself. In it he will state that he
was present at Green street, Hoxton,
last night in an endeavor to obtain
possession of the anarchist and Boil
sheyist literature stored there. That
he took with him professional bur-
<rglar to assist him in opening the safe
4 and other things which might be, there,
and that while engaged in this emil
nently virtuous proceeding he found
that he was trapped in the room by
some mechanical device. And then
will come very interesting disclosure.
He will state how suddenly he saw
through crack in the door a pair of
eyes looking at him. And their color
-see, what is the color of your eyes?
-gray-blue, very noticeable. Much
the same as old ongmoor's-though
his are little bluer. And then the
owner of the eyes was so inconsider.
! ate as to throw bomb in the room;
bomb which killed one of the men,
and wrecked the desk. So that the
owner of the eyes, gray-blue eyes just
like yours. is murderer common
murderer. And we hang men in Eng
land for murder" He paused and
stared at the hunchback. "This is
jolly game, isn't it?"
"And you really imagine" said the
hunchback CONTEMPORARY, "that even
your police would believe such a story
that a man would wreck his own Of
fee. when on your own showing he
had the men trapped inside it?"
"Probably not" said Drummond af-
fably. ANY more than they would
believe that ! was the leader of the
Black Gang. So since they're such
wretched crowd Of unbelievers / don't
think it's much good playing that
game. Waste of time, isn't 1t? So
vote we play another. one, all on our
own-a litfle game Of make-helieve-
like we used to play in the nursery"
II haven't an idea what you're talk
ing about, Captain Drummond," said
the hunchback, shifting uneasily in his
chair. For all trace of affability had
vanished from the face of the man
opposite him, to be replaced by an
expression which made Mr.. Atkinson
pass his tongue once or twice over lips
that had suddenly gone dry.
Haven't you. you rat?' said Drum
mond quietly "Then I'll tell you. Just
for the next five minutes we're going
to pretend that these two astonishing
statements which the pollce-stupid
felfows-won't believe are true. We're
going TO pretend-only pretend, mind
you-that am the leader of the
Black Gang; and we're, going to pre-
tend that you are the man who flung
the bomb last night. Just for FIVE
minutes only then we go back to real
ity and unbelieving policemen"
And If during the following five min
utes strange sounds were heard by
Denny in the room below. he was far
too accustomed to the sounds of
breaking furniture to worry. 1t
wasn't until the hunchback pulled
knife that Drummond warmed to his
work. but from that moment he lost
his temper. And because the hunch-
back was unchback-though en-
lowed withal by Nature with singular
strength Jared on Drummond to
n fight him as II he had been a normal