The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-05-20

WILL 80 -
used a great deal, anyway. He
showed the door open with his foot,
gripping the briefcase in one hand.
The other now held a gun.
Inky blackness and dead silence
greeted him. But soon his eyes
grew accustomed to the gloom. He
never used light of any kind on
his expeditions. First he prowled
from room to room, cautiously ex-
ploring every floor of the house.
1t took time, but he felt that it
paid in the long run.
The mansion was fairly large with
three floors. The top floor was
divided into quarters for the
servants. Marty paid scant at
tention to these.
The bedrooms on the middle floor
interested him most. He went
through closets, wardrobes, dressers,
taking everything in the way of
jewellery he came across.
On one dressing table he found a
small box which yielded several
rings and breaches. None Of them
were worth thousands but he could
get several hundred for them safely.
At last he had everything worth
taking and returned to the main
floor. He passed up the silverware
and, finding nothing else that in
terested him, went out the door
on to the porch.
TTE PASSED there in the shadows
Il Il and listened for a time. The
silence was still unbroken; nothing
moved. A chilling drizzle had
started. Marty still gripped the
ready gun as he walked down to
the gate and got into the car.
He was grinning to himself when
his foot touched the starter-button.
The motor turned but did not catch.
He tried again. His smile van
iShed. Again he pushed down on
the button but the motor remained
| dead He frowned, fought down
the panic that welled up within him.
He choked the motor, tried again
but still the motor refused to catch.
He could smell the gas flooding
down into the carburetor as he
pumped the accelerator.
Cold perspiration beaded his
brow The battery was weaken
ing; he could hear the starting
motor fluttering already. He list
ened to the grind of the f1ywheel
gears-and suddenly he was aware
of another sound that was sharp
and clear.
A twig had cracked loudly in the
surrounding brush. Icy fear turned
Martyrs body cold and clammy.
There it was again; Some one -
something was coming toward the
car in the darkness.
DESPERATION and wild fear
- seized Marty. He jerked his
gun up and peered searchingly into
blackneSs. There was not sound
but the pitter-patter of the increas-
ing rain upon the leaves. yet he
knew some one was out there-wait-
ing.
Drop It'll" Just those two words
rang out abruptly.
Marty jerked around crafty and
fired twice in the direction of the
cold voice. He hardly realized
there had been three reports. His
eyes went dumbly to his gun-hand.
But there was no gun in it now;
no feeling; yet he could see where
bullet had ripped through the
wrist. Two burly state troopers
doomed out of the brush and
yanked him out of the car.
At State Police Headquarters,
later that night. Marty sat bewil-
dered while police surgeon
dressed his wound.
Inwardly Marty cursed the troop
ers, his car, and whoever tipped the
police. He gave up trying to figure
it out. Presently the captain came
in and proceeded to enlighten him.
"T UCKY for us" the Captain
- grinned, ''you were so nice and
insistent to that telephone operator
earlier tonight, when you called to
make sure no one was home at the
Manger Mansion. She says you
were so positive some one was at
home and so nice about it that she
decided the telephone up there must
have been out of order"
Martyrs eyes were wide with sur
prise, but his lips were tense as he
listened.
And So" the officer went on,
she had an emergency repairman
sent out there. It was raining when
he got to the lane and he was afraid
he might get stuck in the mud if he
drove in. He hoofed it instead. Nat
urally it didn't take him long to see
something was up when he spotted
the sawed lock and the clipped gate
chain. The repairman was no fool,
he pulled the distributor cap of your
car to make sure you couldn't lam
before he got to us. You couldn't've |
started that car in million years |
without this. :"
The captain held up the small |
shell of bakelite.
you know" he continued child
ingly, II think you were Just little
too nice TO that operator. don't
you?"
Somehow Marty failed to see the
humorous side 0f the iole