The broad ax., 1925-09-19
On the Stroke of
Twelve
t0. 1925, Western Newspaper Union.l
BY JACK wooDFoRD

ceived during my lifetime, and yet.
because / am almost certain who ii
Is from, have feeling that"
Prentice, the young manager of a
metropolitan detective agency, leaned
forward and addressed the wealthy
man in tone almost of pleading.
wont you tell me whom you think
it is from, SO that in case, in case"
$50 that in case" put in Hall calm
ly, "the man succeeds, you will know
whom to look for. Well,' he mused
Il don't think will Years ago / did
a thing to this man that would justify
his murderous design now, and | am
going to be sport enough to refrain
from naming him. If he succeeds in
doing away with me, as he says he
will, at II O'clock tomorrow night,
well and good. l shall even give him
an opportunity to escape by not nam
ing him now, but I'm leaving it up to
you, and the town police, to prevent
it." Hall stopped talking and drummed
nervously upon the table.
'The man is probably insane" put
in the detective impatiently, "brooding
over his fancied wrongs all of these
years and" Prentice rose.
IF you do as you have planned, stay
right here in your room tomorrow eve
ming, until after u O'Clock, and, be-
tween my operative and the town po-
lice every foot of your grounds and
the territory around and near the
place is watched, there is no way on
earth III" Hall smiled wanly.
AT shutdown the following night the
operatives began to arrive silently.
Not a shadow about the immense,
gloomy old mansion but which had its
human guardian. Across the street,
in the village square, the town police
had turned out to a man and were
pacing up and down, cycling everyone
who passed. Eleven O'clock came and
nothing untoward happened. Prentice
knocked upon Halls door
Come in" called out the CrOesus
rather irritably. Prentice passed in
to the luxuriantly furnished room and
stood opposite his employer, his hands
resting upon the mahogany table as
he leaned forward to speak.
''WeIl, sir, I'll guarantee that even
a wrath couldn't get in or out of this
house tonight without our seeting it
however, l do wish that you'd give
me the name of the man who wrote
that letter, just in case y"
"No," unused Hall, taking the letter
from the drawer and tossing it across
to the detective. i won't" Prentice
took it up and read it through aloud.
Henry Hall:
You remember what / told you
several days ago. Tomorrow night
at precisely 10 o'clock 1 shall kill
you; may God have mercy on your
soul
There was no signature.
Wanted to give me plenty of time
to pray, suppose" said Hall with
short laugh Don't know but what
1 would if / knew any prayers. In
stead, I'm reading Treasure Island
Between every lire recall how felt
when was a boy and read it for the
first time; and l wish to recall my
childhood tonight; it, at least, was
clean" The detective shrugged and
took up the large revolver which lay
upon the table to examine it minuteIy.
He took out the cartridges and shook
them, whirled the magazine, and
snapped the hammer once or twice
Satisfied, he said good night and left
the room.
At five minutes to II the town was
as quiet as death itself. Eleven fifty
nine came, and nothing happened. AS
the clock in the city hall tower began
to whirr, preparatory to striking II
o'clock, several of the officers lOlling
about upon the green arose and
stretched themselves.
The clock in the tower began to
strike: "One," it tOlled out, and not
an untoward thing happened; "two,
three, four, five, SIX" still everything
was quiet as though perpetual sleep
had visited the scene; "seven, eight,
nine, ten, eleven
But no one ever heard the stroke
Of IL.
There was a terrific explosion, and
a fash as of a bolt Of lightning. Sud
denly the light across the street went
out. The frightful "BOom!" echoed
and re-echOed between the hills sur
rounding the town. The officers ran
around In circles, shouting excitedly;
lights began to flash on 10 houses all
over town.
1t took them 20 minutes to discover
that the old cannon upon the court
house lawn had been thrown back 20
feet from its usual position. 1t was
Prentice who found 1t.
Last thing on earth I'd have sus-
pected," he said ruefuliy to the town
chief Of the police.
1.-THE fellow, whoever he was, evil
IDENTIFY discovered that this old Span
ish-American war weapon pointed d.
rectly at Halls room, and so he sent
that note, figuring that under the cir
cumstances Hall would want to spend
the last hours in his own rOOm. Then,
suppose, he threw in a half dozen
sacks Of powder, and clock mechan-
ism to set it of, and finished up with
shrapnel-poOr Hall T.
Men Scarce There
Many thousand English girls want to