The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1925-09-09


| i admit IT," he murmnred VT,
70 uate they had scored a faint mea
sure OF success-exagge,ated M,
iriends' greatly exaggerated by the no
pers- Tonight came the reckonin q
which incidentally is the reason VIII,
am a little late. Tonight"-he leaned
onward impressively-"the leader O,
tne gang himself honored me with o
WISH And the leader will lead ne
more" H0
You killed him." said the girl
heiping herself to champagne.
i DID, answered the count. sand
without the leader I think we can 10.
more the gang"
That's all right as far as it goes +,
said the Reverend Theodosius in q
slightly Modified tone. But have Won
covered all your traces? In this conn.
Try the police get peevish over muir
der"
The count gave self-satIsfied
smile.
MOI only that" he remarked. "but
have made it appear as If he had
killed himself. Listen, my friends.
ana Will give you a brief statement
OF the events of the past few days
suddenly found out that the leader
OF this gang had discovered nv head
quarters in Hoxton. | was actually
talking to Latter in my office at the
time, When | heard outside the call
OF an owl. Now from the Informal
tlon L had received, that was the raj
lying call of their gang. and I dashed
INTO the passage. Sure enough,
standing by the door at the end was
huge man covered from head to
loot IN black. Whether it was bravado
that made him give the cry. or wheth-
er 1t was ruse to enable him to see
me, Is immaterial now. AS | say
he is dead. But-and this is the point
1t made me decide that the office
there, convenient though it was, would
have TO be given up.
Il was completing the final sorting
out OF my papers with my secretary,
when the electric warning disc on my
desk glowed red. Now, the Office was
empty, and the red light meant that
had opened the door outside.
heard nothing, which only made it
all the more suspicious. So between
is we gathered up every important
PAPER. switched off all lights and went
'ut through the secret door. Then
We waited"
He turned to the clergyman, who
'at motionless save for a ceaseless
apping of his left knee with his hand.
"As you know. monsieur" he pro-
eeded, there is an opening in that
loor through which one can see into
he room. And through that opening
watched developments. After a
While torch was switched on at the !
urther door, and l heard voices. And |
hen the man holding the torch came |
autiously in. He was turning it into |
very corner, but finally he focused |
on my desk. l heard him speak to
ne of his companions, who came into
he beam of light and started to pick
he lock. And it was then that l
on every light, and closed
ne other door electrically. They were
like rats in trap"
The hunchback paused dramatical-
;, and drained his champagne. If he
as expecting any laudatory remarks
4 the part of his audience he was
But the Reverend
heodosius and his little Janet might
ave been carved out of marble. save
II that ceaseless tapping by the man
his left knee. In fact, had Count
adowa been less pleased with him
If and less sure of the effect he
as about to cause he might have had
premonition of coming danger. There
as something almost terrifying in the
2 clergyman's immobility.
Like rats In a trap" repeated the
nchback gloatingly. 1.-TWO men !
dn't know, and-well, you know
10 the other was. True he had his
ask on by way Of disguise, but
,ognized him at once. That huge
ure couldn't be mistaken-it was
q leader of the Black Gang him
f."
And what did you do, Zadowa?
wv did you dispose of one or all
,se men so that no suspicion is like
to rest on your"
The hunchback rubbed his hands to-
her gleefully.
BY an act which. / think you will
zee. is very nearly worthy of your
{. monsieur. To shoot was impos-
l am not sufficiently
,ert with a revolver to be sure of
ing them. No-nothing so ordinary
that. They saw me watching them:
can see his eyes. Hugh said one
them to the leader. and | remem-
ed suddenly that In the passage not
from where | stood were half
en- bombs What is it, monsieur?"
lie paused In alarm at the look on
clergymans face as he slowly rose.