The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-10-31
Chapter 3S !, JlMs BATTLE

JlM's BATTLE
 I'M RANDALL had told Caroline y that she was not to come again to Hale Place. but he did not really expect that she would obey him. When, therefore, he returned from a walk across his own dark fields at a little after ten o'clock, he did not lock the back door behind him, but left it just ajar. 4
 He lighted one of the candies which Caroline had brought. He blew out the match and stepped back, and then and there voice spoke aloud in his mind: Flight green stones-five windows like slits-no one knows where they are but me-" Then the voice stopped. He was left staring at the candle flame with a most frightful feeling of apprehension. The words linked Elmer Van Berg's emeralds with the Blue Room.
 The shock of the. thought was tremendous. If the emeralds were here he must have brought them. If they were here, then he had shot Elmer Van Berg.
 They couldn't be here.
 Jim took the candle and went up- stairs to the Blue Room. He went up to the four-post bed and threw the candlelight upon the headpiece with its carving of the Tree Of Knowledge He twisted the bottom apple on the right-hand side; at the same time he pulled on the shield. It opened like door. His hand fell, and the yellow candlelight shone into the cavity.
 Jim stayed, staring. Here were the meralds-here, in this secret place. He tried to stir his mind to thought. but nothing moved. The emeralds were in the secret place behind Ralph de Burgh's shield.
 Without altering his position, he put out hand, took hold of the gold chain, and pulled it out of the cup board. It swung as he had seen it swing from Elmer Van Berg's hand eight square green stones with pearls between them-"like kids green beads"
 He had got as far as that. when the first sound reached him. AS he half stood, half kneeled at the bed side with the candle end burnt to its last inch on the white coyerlet, he was in full view. not only of the door, but of the whole length of the passage between the door and the main corridor.
 The man who had turned the cor. ner moment before had first started back and then come eau tiously on. He could see the lighted panel of the door. and beyond it the bed head with the right hand pillar. and Jim half turned away. knee upon the bed and his left hand just out of the picture. Another yard, and the hand was in view-the hand and what it was holding--the eight green stones, trimmed with gold and dripping with pearls. The low can dle made black shadows every where. es A T Jim's first movement the man \ charged him, snatching at the hand which held the chain. They came down together across the bed The darkness came down too. ,e $ As he fell. Jim struck the jutting shield with his head. The chain was wrenched out of his grasp. He had the man by the shoulder with an awkward left-hand grip-a hard. wiry fellow with twist on him like an eel. He was twisting all the time. He was a little dazed with the sud denness and the blow to his head. With a. violent effort he heaved over. and as he did so, the man wrenched aside and got his teeth into his left wrist. He bit deep, jerked backwards, and with rip of cloth he was free. He must have been as quick on his feet as a cat, for in the same moment he was across the room and through the door.
 Jim stumbled up, heard the sound of running feet in the passage. and gave chase. He had cut his forehead and the blood ran down into his eyes and bothered him. The man had the start of him, and this time