Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-12
BALTIMORE. April ~

momentary triumph. There was a
lull. and:
Keep your seats" Drake Roscoe
continued. There's no cause for
alarm"
In fiat denial of his assurance a
! shrill scream burst from the royal box,
| then:
Quick The duchesse grasped his
| hand, and he felt the contact of cool
| gems. MY pearls! Hide them. am
| afraid"
Right" said he 81 will do my best
| Stay here whatever happens.
You are going to leave me?"
II must"
Her long slim fingers closed on his
| sleeve, CROPPED upward her arms
chung to him.
Stay! I beg of you. order you to
stay!"
| Forgive me! I have my duty"
| He tore free-and was gone.
! Matches which Immediately became
| extinguished, and some few pocket
! torches broke the gloom of the big
building. Screams of the women be-
came terrible. Then the first shot was
| fired-somewhere in the balcony Strug-
! Cling masses fought for the exits.
| torch cleaned suddenly upon the face
of a man who wore black mask. The
| torch was dashed from the hand of its
owner. From the back of the theateI
Stopford had seen Nine. Czerna spring
up at the moment that the lights failed
He was halfway to the seat she hao
occupied now, dazed, bruised. fighting
desperately, striving to shelter the
women he met, not knowing friend from
| foe. A ray from torch Shone blind
| ingly into his eyes. He received a sick
| ening blow on the temple-and crum-
pied up between the seats.
Out on Broadway a Stygian darkness
reigned. Except for car lights, the
White Way was black from sidewalk tc
tip of its tallest buildings. Drake Ros-
Goes sea sense, alone; guided him to the
he could be useful. Allowing for drift
the press of panic-stricken humanity
estimating the opposition of detectives
planted in that section of the theater-
he had calculated that Nine. Czerna
would be taken out by the second exit
on the prompt side.
For, in the instant before the light
| failed, he had seen, as Stopford had
seen, that she was marked down. The
man who had sat in the center of the
circle was the organizing genius in i'm
mediate charge of this classical hold
up, and Roscoe paid him the compli-
tons would coincide with his own.
They did.
Wearing his mask he fought in dark
| ness through knot of bewilered people
to where big closed car was drawn
up. Two men were lifting in an insen-
sible woman. The night was hideous
with clamors. The Fire Department
had turned out with search lights. The
weird bowling of their approach through
the nifPh hQrknocc nf
remotely over human babel.
AS Nine. Cberna was placed in The
| car:
Beat i'll" said Roscoe.
The man whose shoulder he had
grasped turned swiftly. Roscoe drew
back the lapel Of his coat. The second
man turned, automatic raised, then:
Divisional chief" said the first. "All
clear. What orders, chief"
Report to sector captain In front of
theater."
The pair hurried off.
You're through for tonight" said
Roscoe to the chauffeur. Beat it,"
Good enough, chiefi'
The man left the wheel and disap-
peared among the frightened throng
lost in Broadway darkness.
Roscoe closed the door of the car,
jumped to the driving seat and moved
VA JuoO 40 OlAC Ia ob oCdICIIll&lL OpllI n
binding white gully through the black
ness.
AS he drove on, debating where safety
lay, he reflected that at least he had
saved their gallant little French ally
from an unimaginable fate. That the
others had survived he could only hope.
He had a small fortune in pearls in his
pocket, and a profound mystery to
solve: the Duchesse de Greuze.
There would be arrests, no doubt. and
some Of the property which had changed
hands in the most sensational raid in
criminal history might be recovered.
But If the loss fell far below four mil
| lion dollars he would be surprised.
He drove into lighted area on Park
avenue, and:
Damn them!" he said, pulling up
and looking around at his beautiful in
sensible paSsenger-"the zones have
scored big victory. How big, don't
know yet"
CTo be continued.)