Evening star., 1935-05-12

Is quickly as possible. Ronnie had
Erasped the mans one arm, but it
hung him of, and he crashed back
against the wall. AS he lunged for
ward again. a heavy fist glanced of
his shoulder. Then he grappled once
more, and began slugging with all his
strength.
had wrapped his arms about
the mans waist, and was holding
pn grimly. but taking a terrific
amount of punishment. GaSping and
erunting, the three struggled around
he hall and then, locked in fierce
battle, crashed against the bannister.
It broke, but they managed to save
themselves from falling.
Ronnie began to think they were
winning. He had locked one arm
hround the mans neck and was
Fqueezing with all his might. He was
eble to protect his face by burying it
against his opponents back. but his
Fibs were taking blows that literally
made him ache.
Then suddenly Ronnie felt the
floor disappear from beneath his feet.
SThey had wrestled to the top of the
stairs and now, still locked together
and fighting desperately, they
bumped down the steps. The remain
|hng pieces of the bannister splintered
and fell and, few feet from the
bottom, the three of them toppled
from the steps and plunged to the
floor. Ronnie felt his head thud
against the floor and everything went
black.
|EMILY had wanted terribly to
scream from the moment she first
heard the noise upstairs. A thousand
Thoughts of the old man who had
been murdered in this house raced
through her mind, but she pushed
them aside desperately, and bit her
fist to keep her teeth from chattering.
There the noise was again! She
turned to the window and was about
to climb through it and run for her
life, when she heard a crash in the
bushes outside. Then two figures
leaped through the door and raced
up the stairs. She recognized them,
in the bobbing CLEAN of their flash
light, as Herb and Ronnie.
She tried to stop them, but her
voice simply wouldn't come. When
they reached the top of the stairs and
she heard the battle start, she finally
was able to scream.
She stood trembling, almost sick
with terror, while the fight ragged up
stairs. Just so had terrific struggle
up there preceded the murder Of the
old man! Then came the splintering
crash as the bannister gave way, and
the figures, fighting in the dark, fell
to the floor and lay quiet.
EOR a long moment Emily cringed
against the wall, afraid to move.
Ronnie and Herb must be dead! But
the other horrible person was quiet,
too. At last, trembling i'll every mus
Gle, she switched on her light and
crept toward the hall.
Somebody groaned. Her light
picked out a tangled mass Of arms
and legs on the dusty floor. And
then her pent-up feelings gave way
and she yelled with laughter.
Ronnie recovered from his daze to
hear her shrieks of mirth. His arm
was still around a neck, and as the
light from Emily's dashlight fell or
the head above that neck, Ronnis
easped with amazement. Then hi
howls of mirth joined those Of Emily
The man with whom he and Hert
had battled so flercely was Hicky!
SOMEHOW Ronnie got to his feet
He was dizzy, his head pounded
and every muscle ached, but other
wise he was unhurt. Then Herb go'
up. His rose was bleeding, and HI
lirnped, but he managed to grin wryly
only Hicky was still on the floor ane
he stared into the beams of the fash
hight. his mouth hanging open.
$50 1t was you guysl" he muttered
sWhat's the idea, you big lunk9'