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

Twenty-Scccnd lnstaIlment
OF course Il wasn't II was a
signal. and once IL sounded In the
stenographers' room 1t seemed a
reasonable inference that II was
Forsters way Of summoning a
stenographer. But what good was
II to buzz for her II she couldn't
get through the door, Was the
door left unlocked during ONCE
hours7 No, Forster would want to
feel better guarded against intru-
sion than that
Martin held up the lighter again
IN an attempt TO identify the other
thing. he had a bunch that Il
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 TO balance q
chair on. but one OF those big steel
waste-paper baskets down in the
stenographers' room would prob
ably hold him up. and would Just
about give him the added height he
needed He brought one of them
up and tried t. It was going to
be a pretty p~recarious perch and
the easy possibility OF bis falling
the whole length Of the flight with
the basket on top Of him wasn't a
pleasant one. Well. there was no
use thinking about things Ike that
HAf1 - - 49, lr~A AA 49, If
tie sheet iron box that was screwed
10 the wall beside the buzzer.
He got out bis penknife and
dropped II. open. into the side
pocket OF his coat It and the
cigarette lighter YER all he had
by way Of tools Then. putting one
foot On 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. 80 be got out his
cigarette lighter. lighted II and
stood Il on the ledge made by the
door frame
He recognized the little sheet
iron box now. IL was a transform
err such as he'd had when he was
a small boy to run his electric train
with. The 110-volt house current
came In one side OF II from a steel
cable. A pair OF low voltage wires
went out the other side. connecting
with the buxzer, but also going
down through q hole 10 the door
frame. Well. he understood It now.
The door was held by an electric
catch suchs us they use for inner
vestibu3e doors Of apartment houses
A button. probably on Forsterss
desk, sounded the buxzer and at the
sane tine released the catch. The
stenographer had TO get to the door
before Forster took his finger on
the button.
What afforded Martin a broad
grin was the thought Of ForSter's
precious security being betrayed BY
the careless electrician who had
put the transformer outside the
locked door instead OF In All Mar
tin had 70 do was 10 scrape the in
gulation or the wires and close
the circuit and the door would
be unlocked.
Wait a minute, though He'd have
to disconnect the buzzer first. He'd
nearly forgotten that. and he
turned cold for an instant at the
narrowness Of bis escape. But two
minutes work with his penknlfe
suficed to accomplish his purpose
As he twisted the two bare ends
of the wire into contact be heard N
sharp click which announced that
the door was unlocked He sprang
down from the basket and opened
the door. Luck was gtilI with him.
There was no one on the other
side The whole corridor was de-
serted
For a moment after he'd closed
the door be stood still 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 some
how felt that he should remem-
Der. II guided him down the short
transverse corridor and to the left
down a longer one Until It brought
him 70 a halt outside q door. At
that point the words became disfin-
guIshahle and the voice identified
itself az the same time
oh 60 h--l with the three hun