Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-19
The Wolves of the Waterfront
By Edgar Wallace.

| INTO conferences. WHeTe Ine Cohes-
sion made by Raggit Lane was being
discussed.
! The question of paramount i'm
portance was how TO find Golly Oaks.
He may have gone back to the
Arbroath Building" said the superin-
tendent. AT any rate, there Is no
harm in cleaning up the place. Pick
your men, Wade; you'd better take
| rifles with you
IL was 20 minutes to 10 when the
! first of the police cars ran into the
street leading to Arbroath Building. AS
1t did so there was clang OF gongs
and a motor fire engine came out OF
cross-road. swerved, missed the police
car by inches and went on.
John Wade shouted at pedestrian,
who ran toward them:
whats the trouble?"
"Arbroath Building Is on fire. It's a
block of old flats"
Wade looked in the direction the man
was pointing Now he could see clouds
of smoke, and occasionally tongue OF
fame.
1.-TWO women in there-a young girl
and another one" said the pedestrian.
L saw them waving their hands. and
went to ring the fire alarm"
"What?" John Wade went cold with
horror. Something told him that one OF
those women was Lila.
And Lila, while he was distracted by
fears for her safety, was praying that
he would come to her rescue.
Things had happened very unex-
pectedly that evening. Golly had made
his appearance and taken rather pro-
longed farewell He was, by turns,
fatherly and majestic.
in an hours time. No sly tricks, you"
He pointed at Anna. I'm relying on
you to keep her sensible, Lila"
The girl nodded.
GoIly Oaks shifted fastidiously.
Don't like the smell of your petrol,
but you can't have the windows open.
You've brought it on yourself. You'll
60 with Aikness. Lila-you under
stand?"
She nodded again.
"Aikness an couple OF friends. You
can trust the friends
He was scarcely out of the room and
the door locked before Lila was strug-
Cling through the trap door.
TN turn out the light now, but. Ii
he comes back again. I'll switch it on"
said Anna. You'll be able to see the
light shining through the opening.
They'll be leaving any minute now"
The girl crept along the concrete
roof and peered cautiously over the
parapet. She waited. with many back
ward chances for the signal, until she
saw the first of the cars emerge from
the garage: it was followed by second,
and then she heard the gates close. She
came back and whispered the news
through the trap door.
In the meantime Anan had collected
some papers, towel rail and blanket.
These she handed to Lila.
Now take the bottle, and be careful"
she said.
Lila reached down and grasped the
bottle, which was half filled with petrol;
her hand was trembling SO that she
could hardly hold 1t. When she had
carried these articles to the edge of the
roof, she came back to help Anna
through the trap door.
There's somebody knocking" Anna
whispered. 1T must be Aikness."
The knocks were repeated, grew
louder, more peremptory. Anna clutched
at Lila's hands, and managed to gain
the roof, kicking away the chair on
which she had been standing. Then
both women lifted the trap door and
dropped it back into place.
81 don't think AikneSs will be able to
open that" gasped Lila. If he tries,
well stand on It,"
She gathered the blankets and flrni-
ture into heap on one corner of the
parapet and peered over. There were
several people walking about in the
street. Not far away she thought she
saw policeman. STOPPING. she un-
corked the bottle and poured its con-
tents on the heap. She struck two
matches and then third, but the wind
blew them out. The fourth light held
and she dropped it on the petrol-soaked
blanket. Instantly a tongue Of fame
leaped up, Illuminating the roof and
the houses around. She heard police
whistle and saw men running toward
the building.
She was clearly visible now in the
| light of the flames and she waved her
arms Suddenly she heard q sound be-
hind her and, turning saw the trapdoor
slowly moving up. With scream she
she heard crash and roar below.
! And then Anna caught the sound for
which she had been waiting-the dis
tant clang of the fire bellS-and re-
CARELESS OF danger, she stood up on the
parapet and waved her arms.
| A roar OF warning came up from the
street and she saw third car speed
from the garage, scattering the crowd
left and right as 1t disappeared around
a corner.
They've gone!" she called hoarsely.
THANK Heaven, they've gone!"
Fire engines were coming from all d.
| rections. Suddenly q red ladder head
came over the parapet and a brass-hel-
melted man, followed by another, leaped
upon the roof. Then Lila saw q man in