Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-02-18

Twenty-Second lnstailment
or curse IL wasn't. IL was a
signal. and once II sounded In the
stenographers' room IL seemed a
reasonable inference that IL was
Forster's way OF summoning a
stenographer. But what good was
IL TO buzz for her IL she couldn't
get through the doors Was the
door left unlocked during Office
hours2 No, Forster would want TO
feel better guarded against Intru-
sion than that
Martin held up the lighter again
I'm an attempt to identify the other
thing. He had a bunch that II
would be worth looking into. He'd
have something to stand on. though
The ledge OF the door was two feet
above his head The TOP step
wasn't wide enough 10 balance a
chair on, but one OF those big steel
waste-paper baskets down In the
st~enographers' room would prob
ably hold him up. and would just
about give him the added height he
needed. He brought one or them
up and tried It II was going to
be a pretty precarious perch and
the easy possibility OF his falling
the whole length Of the fight with
the basket on top Of him wasn't a
pleasant one Well. there was no
use thinking about things like that
He'd got to have a look at the lit
tie sheet iron box that was screwed
10 the wall beside the buzzer.
He got out his penknife and
dropped X. open. into the side
pocket OF his coat II and the
cigarette lighter were all he had
by way OF tools Then. putting M
foot Oh the rim OF the basket. he
made a sort OF spring and clutched
the top of the door frame. He
found that he could hold himself
with one hand. so he got out his
cigarette lighter. lighted IL and
stood 1t on the ledge made by the
door frame.
He recognized the little sheet
iron box now. II was a transform
or such as he'd had when be was
a small boy 10 run his electric train
with The Howell house current
came in one side OF It from a steel
cable. A pair OF low voltage wires
vent out the other side. connecting
with the buzzer. but also going
down through a hole IN the door
frame. Well, he understood X now.
The door was held By an electric
catch such as they 3 for inner
vestfbule doors Of apartment houses
A button. probably on Forster's
desk, sounded the buzzer and az the
same time released the catch The
stenographer had TO get to the door
before Forster took his finger of
the button
What afforded Martin a broad
grin was the thought of Forster's
precious security being betrayed BY
the careless electrician who had
mt the transformer outside the
locked door instead OF in ALI Mar
Gin had to do was TO scrape the in
eulation of the wires and close
the circuit and the door would
be unlocked.
Wait n minute. though He'd have
10 disconnect the buzzer FIRST. He'd
nearly forgotten that, and he
turned cold for an instant at the
narrowness Of his escape. But two
minutes work with his penknife
suficed TO accomplish his purpose.
AS he twisted the two bare ends
~ the wire into contact be heard a
sharp click which announced that
the door was unlocked. He spranr
down from the basket and opened
the door. Luck was still with him.
There was no one On the other
side The whole corridor was de-
serted.
For q moment after he'd closed
the door he stood stu and listened
He heard a mans voice. mo-
mentarily raised In anger: not an
old mans voice and not Conley's
voice. yet again one that he ONE
how felt that he should remem-
Der. nc guided him down the short
transverse corridor and 70 the left
down q longer one until ID brought
him to n halt outside u door. At
that point the words became distin-
guishahle and the voice Identified
itself at the same time.
oh 70 h-l with the three hun-