Evening star., 1927-03-19

sudden attack, all the more
~ surprising because Of Pinto's
previous air Of stolidity, had
left the Phantom a trifle daZed, but
in twinkling he realized the full Sc
riousness of his dilemma. The door
had no sooner slammed than he was
on his feet, regaining his breath and
f1exing his muscles for action.
With a spring agile as a pantherS
he threw himself against the door
Once ii had succumbed to the supe-
rior weight of Patrolman Pinto's
body, but the Phantom's leaner and
nimbler figure was no match for its
solid resistance. After thrice hurting
himself against the obstruction, he
saw that he was only wasting time
and strength
Hurriedly he switched on the light.
From his pocket he took a box CON
tanning an assortment of small tools
which on several occasions had stood
him in good stead. In vain he tried
TO manipulate the lock, finding that
it was too solidly imbedded in the
wood. Next he tried the hinges, but
the flaps were fastened on the other
side of the door and therefore mac
cessible. He cudgled his wits, but
TO no avail; evidently the door was
an impossible barrier 1t seemed by
far the most substantial part of the
room, suggesting that Gage might
have had it specially constructed as a
protection against burglars.
He Sprang to the window then re.
called that he had already ascertained
that it was too narrow to permit him
TO crawl through Another precau.
ton of the willy SylVanus Gage, he
grimIy reflected His eyes, quick ond
crafty, darted over floor. ceiling and
walls, but nowhere could he see a
sign of a movable panel or hidden.
passage, and he remembered Mrs.
Trippe's statement that headquarters
detectives had spent half a day
searching for a secret exit. Though
he worked his wits at furious speed,
the situation bai11ed his ingenuity.
The Phantom perceived he was
trapped. The amazing luck that had
attended him in the past had made
him reckless and indiscreet, and now
1t seemed to have deserted him like
tickle charmer He supposed that
Pinto, too shreWd to attempt to deal
single handed with such a slippery
and dangerous adversary as the Gray
Phantom, was already iii commuters
ton with headquarters. summoning
reinforcements. In a few minutes
he would be hemmed in on all sides
and pounced upon by overwhelming
numbers of policemen, and in a little
while the newspapers would shrek
the sensation that at last the Gray
Phantom had been captured.
It surprised him that he could view
the end of his career with philosophi-
cal calm, unaffected by vain regrets.
He had always suspected that some
day an overbold play on his part
would result in his undoing and he
had trained himself to look upon his
ultimate defeat with the Indifference
of a cynic and fatalist. but he had
never guessed that the crisis would
come like this He smiled family as
1t dawned on him that the disaster
which now stared him in the face
was the direct result of his determina-
tfon to vindicate himself in the eyes
of a woman.
He had played for high stakes in
the past. but Helen Hardwick's faith
In him was the highest of them all.
His smile faded quickly as it had
come. There was a sting in the reali-
cation that his boldest and biggest
game was foredooned TO failure Only
few more minutes Of liberty re
mained, and after that all chance of
exculpating himself would be gone.
Officer Pinto having become famous
of sudden as the Gray Phantom's
captor, would now. more than ever
before, be beyond suspicion. and he
could be depended upon to make the
most of his advantage The Phan-
tom, whose hands had never been
sullied by contact with blood. would
be an object of horror and loathing
as the perpetrator Of vile and sor-
did murder. Helen Hardwick, like
all the rest, would shudder az men.
tion of his name
The dismal thoughts went like
flashes through his mind. Only a few
minutes had passed since the door
slammed The thought of Helen
Hardwick caused a sudden stiffening
OF his figure and imbued him with a
fierce desire for freedom He refused
TO believe that his star had set and
that this was the end. Many a time
ne had WiggIed out of corners seem
ingly as tight and unacceptable as
the present one, chuckling at the
diScomforture of the police and the
bedevilment Of his foes. why could
he not achieve another of the
astounding feats that had made his
name famous?
He spurred his wits to furious Of.
tort. repeatedly telling himself that
somewhere there must be a way our.
IL was hard TO believe that a man like
Sylvanus Gage. living In constant
danger of a surprise visit by the 20
lice, had not provided himself with
an emergency exit. Despite the fail
ure or the detectives to find it, there
must be "a concealed door or secret
passage somewhere, though without
doubt IL was hidden IN a wav worth,
OF Gage $ foXltke cunning.
He ran 10 the door and shot the
bolt. The police would be forced 10
break down their way i'm. and this
would give him few moments
respite. Again, as several times he.
fore, his eyes strayed TO the window
Ihough he knew it Was far too mar
row to afford means Of escaDa IL
kept attracting his gaze and tantaIiZ.
Ing ms imagination. Deciding To
make az second attempt he FASTENED
across the floor, pushed mp the lower
sash and edged his shoulder into the
opening Wrlthe and Wriggle as he
mlght' ne could not squeeze through.
Even man Of Cages scrawny build
would have become wedged in the
frame had he attempted ill.,
outside the house a gong changed.
signaling the arrival OF the police
patrol. From the front came sharp
commands and excited voices. Al.
ready, the Phantom guessed, a cor.
don was being thrown around the
' block, ssDsnaT1ng him like "A fish In a
n1t, Precious moments passed, and
still he was unable TO take his eyes
from the window vague and un.
accountable instinct told him that his
only hope of safety lay in that di.
rection.
He raised the shade a little and
looked out upon a court disfgured