Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-05-20
By J.JEFFERsoN FARJEoN

place yet-and you haven't sucked
up all of my knowledge yet. Ii
you don't learn any more, all your
work will be waStedl"
.All of which is so obvious that
I wonder you trouble to mention
It." returned Brill. 1T amazes me,
Cunningham. that you raise the
very points that ought to show you
the futility of your protests. Hav-
ing committed murdcr-I freely adj
NIT ito you at least-is IL likely
Ill turn ..ack now? Very well. Let
me tell you a little more. Listen.
The caretaker's daughter has fol-
lowed her father here. Last night
l came upon her il the house, on
the upper floor. and 1t isn't very
likely that she'd have escaped but
for some meddling fellows who
came along at a very unfortunate
moment. l dealt with the lady
rather roughly. and. in making my
escape aftcrward. had the supreme
pleasure Of punching one Of the
meddling fellows On the nose. I got
away from them in their own car.
and then leaving 1t some way up
the road, came back to have a look
at them and to report the theft.
I can't help calling myself ingen-
ious. Cunningham. because you
know / really am Why. I even
dropped a little button in the a
10 SOW confusion concerning the
theta button that I got hold OF
by accident during my little n
counter with the girl"
"And-and you mean to tell me
that-that you'd have killed her?"
gasped the professor.
If necessary-yes. for the great
or cause / serve Yes. ! would have
killed her, Cunningham, as I will
kill your daughter IL you do not
obey me implicitly from this mo-
ment onward-and as / killed a
tramp who. with mistaken generos-
ity. tried to interfere while / was
completing the kidnapping Of your
daughter. And now" he added. II
think. perhaps. we really and truly
understand each other at last. Gun
ningham?"
"A door swung open. and the spot
light vanished.
Charlie stared helplessly into the
blacknesS. A few yards In front OF
him. behind an Unseen door, Pro-
fessor Cunningham was about to
conduct an experiment. and to de-
liver the secret Of that experiment
into Simon Brill's hands. The ma
ture of the experiment was obvious.
III involved some new explosion
which. in its evolution. had already
reverberated through the old dis
used mine that ran beneath Coom-
Der house. Brilrs cunning had been
Napoleonic. not merely in choosing
such a perfect site for the expert
ments. which had probably been
carried out in different portions OF
the mine. but IN using local mate
rial-the b~attering OF the sea into
the caves, and the superstitions OF
the villagers-to camcuflage those
other sounds that periodically -rose
Probably. In the past. the experi-
ments had been In a comparatively
small scale. That now about to be
made was clearly a more elaborate
one. Charlie had not the b:gness
of mind to cogitate just then on
the ultimate effects OF the expert
ment. He was wondering what
would be the immediate effects
uDon those who still remained n
foreground while it "a in progress
For one point had struck Charlie
forcibly-a point which had appar-
emily been overlooked by the pro-
fessor's clouded mind Simon Brill
had admitted himself to be a muir
derer. Was IL likely that. having
made this admission. he would al
low anyone who had heard IL TO
regain his freedom and spread the
tale2
The professor. himself. viii be
BriIl's next victim" rroaned Char
lie. "And-after him2"
We'll. well-he must do some
thingl No good standing and star
ing. The question was-what?
Up till now. Charlie had seer no
moment when he could usefnlly in
tsrfcrc. In the first place. he was
no match for Simon Brill. who
probably had ~ revolver tucked