Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-29

"A Marney renamed Whele ne =" a.,
a He had conceded more than ne
cared about to duty-now ne
vas going to let his personal feelings
have a turn. The search party might
have heard that yell-and they might
not. There was a lot of noise going on
I'D there still. He hoped that the sole
remaining German was keeping the
police as occupied as he had the dogs.
He drew out the case again, found a
Toscano and lit up.
Marney felt better with cigar be-
tv cen his lirs-nl0r2 S2nGulne, at any
rate. He remembered DightonS luck
on other occasions. remcmosfeo now
miraculously he had come through the
adventure III Pa. Lane and his expert
ence of the Lizard III Paris. He knew
fer a TACT that I've carried one OF AMI
borgs ncw-fcnslel weapons; he had
seen him u2c it on tn batch OF dogs
that had attacked him in the drive. Ii
he had been equally successful IN SUD-
sequent encounters with the hounds the
police were going to find him hard
problem to tackle.
Smoking thoushdullT. with every
sense alert. Marney waited.
A belt OF white IL s, thicker than
when they hai lift the town, hung
midway b2tt.,c1n ilc c1Tth and the
tree tops.
He turned ~ NJ c1,lc~ and buttoned
It across his t!,rc- The air was grow
ing colder q rat cgcpt Gcrcss the path
within ten fcst c. lii cnd he fastened
its moverl"r,s "th well directed
lump of green rlc55.
Something toi lin tha: raids on the
Villa Sabine ,,r'ii., he q thousand times
mere difficult cstcr tins. In spite Of his
n1urderou5 activities lie still admired
the skill and CARING with which Dop-
mann's stunt had been launched. But
for the chance Interference in his plans
by Dighton and Himself the thing would
have had successful issue. From Dop-
mann'S point of view It was bad luck,
but Dopnlann was dead and the question
OF luck no longer concerned him. For
a second time IN Marney'S experience
the occupants Of the villa had been
caught mapping The Gogs should have
warned them, but the dogs barKed a.
everybody who passed and probably they
had become Injured to THIS and over
confident. 1t was unlikely they would
make such a mistake for third time.
Ahlborgs hidden gun, employed APP
parently with reluctance. had been hor-
ribly effective. It had accounted for
Dopmann. For all Marney could tell it
might have included his absent COL
league in It's scope.
Considering that vivid ray, he von-
dered if the drive would be stained blue
on the morrow. if the white stone pill
lars would be tinged with it and the
bordering shrubs wilted. Modern science
was all very well in its way but it had
Its limits. A man like Ahlborg ought
to be put into lethal chamber. or,
better still perhaps, pulverized with
his own invention before it was utterly
destroyed by people acting in the in
terests of humanity.
A renewed wave of optimism sug-
gested that even this atrocity might
have an antidote Most other things
had. The zeppelins that bombed Lon
don we're beaten il the end; anti
aircraft artillery became a menace to
hostile flying machines: gas masks re-
duced the terrors of poison gas 1t
sounded all right. he conceded, but
supposing war broke out tomorrow
end Ahlborg's blue dope was employed.
They'd have to hurry over their anti
6ote or half the woriu would be wiped
out before an attempt could be made
to combat it.
His legs were getting cramped and
he shifted them.
A glance at his watch told him that
1t was after midnight. He would give
Dighton another 10 minutes and then
make his way back to the Via Emilia
1t would scarcely be safe to stop any
longer. Some of the police might drift
down to the town on foot, and this
was undoubtedly the shortest cut.
Yes, he decided, Jerking back his
thoughts TO Dopmann. that fellow had
had the luck of the deuce. If Dighton
and himself had postponed their inves-
legations until the following evening
Dopmann would be alive at that mo-
lnent, possibly triumphant. He had
struck the same trouble which haunted
all of them.
There we're too many interests in
volved. too many people hanging
around with the same object in view
Langley had found that out. and Cor
lit It wasn't a clear issue between
two parties, but definite goal on one
side and a host of hidden competitors
en- the other. If you got away with
your booty it was a hundred to one II
you'd be taken from you before you
could install it in a place of safety
He tried to define ? place of safety
end failed. The Stuoy at the top OF
Tavener's secret stairs had hardly
proved a safe hiding place.
He sat I'D with q jerk and iabbec
his cigar out in the damp grass. Some
thing was moving stealthily on the fal
eide of the opposite hedge.
His attention became riveted on thai
gap A branch swung back into place
and a bird, disturbed in its roOsting
place, few scrccching into the dark.
ness.
figure appeared between the bushes
form half screened by the belt Of
r';st so that it appeared to have heac
md feet, but no body.
Marney's heart stood still.
At first glance he thought it was &
csrabiniero, because of the thing tina
looked something like a rife and pokec
I'D into the darkness above the new
Ccmer's head The next instant he wa
On his feet, stumbling impetunusl.
forward
"Dighton!"
The Gc.1e started
-'s..I.o" came the familiar voice. Il
that YOU. Marney?-
'xGxxe Us me. Who the devil did yol
think it was?'
He had grabbed the others han'
and was shaking it like a pump
handle.
so you've got it,"
Dighton pressed a weary hand t
his forehead.
"Marney." he declared. I've den
more than that; I've got BOTH"
"Both!"
eyes. the pocket affair and thi
f--1reci arrangement On tripod Fiji
I've had a deuce of bad half hour
Ihay'd tied UP the dogs, thank heaven