Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-04-08

ly thought you would attempt any
thing so clumsy as this. What have
you gained by it?''
Time" said the Phantom. pretend
Ing a coolness he did not feel.
The doctor laughed derisively. There
was dull flush in his cheeks, and an
ugly glitter in his eye, but again he
took care not to step within the Phan-
TOMS reach
Time! Bah! Really, vanardy,
you're simpler than / thought. Just
as II few hours more or less could
make any difference! You will either
tell me what want to know, or Miss
Hardwick will go to the madhouse or
the grave. She will be as harmless
in one place as In the other. / trust
you understand"
4 our meaning is perfectly clear'
The Phantom spoke in level tones.
IL you would come a step closer, /
should take extreme pleasure in beat
ing you within an inch Of your life.
But you have no inclination in that
direction, | see. Like most of your
kind, you are a coward"
Words never hurt"
Furthermore" continued the Phan-
TOM" you will be in Jail before Miss
Hardwlck goes to either Of the places
you DdV6 just mentioned.
"Jail?" The doctor stared as If he
thought the statement utterly prepos.
ferrous. Jail! Ha, hal Good Joke
coming from man who can't move
six feet"
Enjoy it while you can. AS you
may remember, | perpetrated the
same kind OF joke on the Duke, and
ne doesn't seem to relish that brand
Of humor."
The doctor WINGED as If an unpleas.
ant thought had been suggested to
him. then walked stiffiy to the door.
Remember" was the parting shot
II you persist In your obstinacy, ii
VIII be either the madhouse or the
grave for Miss Hardwick."
He slammed the door as he went
out, and the Phantom's face sobered
the moment he was alone. His threat
had not been altogether an idle one,
Tor 1t had driven wholesome misgiy-
ing into the Doctors heart; yet the
Phantom was painfully aware that he
was in desperate situation. Throw
ing himself on the cot, he turned the
problem over and over in his mind.
Black as the outlook seemed, he could
scarcely believe that all was lost. He
still had faith in his star, and it was
this that had braced him and enabled
him to speak with such confidence in
DR.. Binble's presence.
After a while something drew his
gaze to the window. He listened
intently. A faint scraping sound
reached his ears. and 1t occurred to
him that it had been going on for
several minutes. though he had been
too preoccupied to notice it until now,
He got up and stepped as close to the
window as the chain permitted. Now
he heard 1t again--a slow, dull, grind.
ing and scraping that remotely sug-
gested that some one was attacking a
metallic object with blunt tool.
he waited breathlessly. Evidently
some one was trying to enter the
room, and he wondered whether the
intruder was coming as a friend or
foe. Perhaps the amazing luck that
had so often turned a critical situa.
ton In his favor was once more COM
ing back to him.
A click sounded, then the boards in
front Of the window came apart, and
the Phantom gasped as Thomas Gran.
ger jumped into the room.
Your he exclaimed.
'Not so loudp' whispered the re-
porter. He was still wearing the
Phantom's clothing, and the garments
We're wrinkled and streaked with dirt.
The house Is full of members of the
Dukes gang. Holy smoke, you're GER
tainly in a flx.''
He stared at the cabin, then looked
quickly about the room. Don't ask
me how 1 found you. ] had a devil
of a time, and it's q longer story than
I've got time to tell. Lookouts are
stationed in front and in rear, and it
was only by sheer luck and some
quick fist work that / got through.
How am / to get you out of here?"
The Phantom regarded him thought
fully. Didn't you know that DIR.
Bimble was the Dukes chief repre-.
sentative?" he asked.
Never had the faintest idea
This room is in the rear of the
house, believe
Yes, but
you were lucky to locate my win.
dow as easily as you did"
THAT wasn't luck. I tried several
before found yours. Twice / bumped
into the Dukes men. ] hate to think
what that bunch would do to me IL
they caught me-" He made a wry
face. But this isn't getting you out
Of here. Wen have to get a move
on"
Strangely enough. the Phantom
seemed absolutely calm and in no hur.
ry whatever. II haven't been able to
get my bearings" he announced.
Where is this house?"
Next door to DIR. Bimble's."
The Phantom started 1.-THE one
with boarded windows and doors?"
That's the one. The front is
boarded up. and from the street it
looks like a. vacant house. Nobody
would suspect that it was the head.
quarters of the Dukes gang. / sup
pose Bimble owns or controls both
houses, and there is probably a con-
Meeting passage somewhere"
The Phantom knitted his brows. He
had seen no such passage when he
searched the Bimble residence How
ever, that proved nothing, for it might
be so carefully concealed that n hasty
search would not reveal it. The ar
rangement. he thought, was rather In.
genious. NO one who had seen the
anthropologist's home, where eyery
thing suggested artlessness and love
of simple comforts. would have sus-
pected that the occupant was using
the adjacent house for the conduct of
criminal enterprises.
Miss Hardwick is somewhere in
the building" he remarked. "Her
safety is the first consideration.
Worse still. You and I might be
able to fight our way through, but
with a woman on our hands it's al
most certain death 1t wouldn't be SO
bad if there weren't so many against
US. ] have only one gat. How about |
you?'
"A watch. handkerchief, a pack
age of cigarettes and some matches |
are my sole possessions just now"
The reporter scowled. THE Dukes |
men would be sure to pounce on us |
before we could get her out OF the |
house. and don't suppose Miss Hard !
wick is bulletproof.
What would you suggest?''
Granger refiected Have you any 1
friends In town?R
70 EY1nxu Dane Vtsar1 -