The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-10-19
IGIalaAUO4IY1C ~
By MAX SALTMARSH

'aThere Is a chambermaid In the
Carlton who is q member OF the
club. Cess knew that Miss Wills
had been absent from the hotel ali
night, and he instructed this wo.
man to wait in the corridor unit!
she returned and tell her that, b.
her uncle's orders, her room had
been changed to one at the back.
She accepted this without ques-
ton, and once she was inside
the room, we seized her, gagged
her, and led her down the fire.
escape at the back to the lane
where Geiss's car was waiting.
She fought" he added; with a wan
grimace, "but Cess threatened her
with revolver and forced her TO
do what we wanted" A!s7
We had been running straight
towards the cape, with the sea on
one hand, redly illumined by the
reflection from the flaming cape.
and on the other quiet, dusky
slopes of woodland, but now we
had come into the main street of
a village. Here. for the first time.
we came to grips with the fire, for
though the place itself was I'M
touched it was brightly lit; every
inhabitant was out in the street.
talking, gesticulating, or standing
in frightened, silent groups, watch
ing the rim of fame that danced
along the crest of the ridge above.
threatened every moment to sweep
over and come cracking down
through the pine trees towards US.
Death To Venture Farther
THERE were troops too, infantry
l of the line and Chasseurs AL
pins, shirt-sleeyed and tin-hatted.
grimed to the eyes; some lying
PROSTATE by the roadside, sleeping
the sleep 10f utter exhaustion,
other. refreshed, piling into lor-
ries to return once more to the
fruitless struggle. Fleuriot called
to young lieutenant. whose red
trimmed eyes looked glazed with
WEAKNESS, and after a minutes
whispered conversation the lad
scrubbed something on a card and
handed it to him. Our passport"
he explained, as we crawled for
ward at snail's pace. hooting our
way through mob of people. "The
cape is in the hands of the military,
and after lie Trayas the road will
be closed-even to me, unless we
haze permission"
We came to lie Trayas, where the
thoroughfare was a milling mob
of frightened, hysterical people
and where bayoneted sentries at
the further end barred all egress.
But the lieutenant's card was
magic token and we sailed
through.
The fire might have been hum
dred miles away, for the brows of
the hills shut off the fiery glow,
but suddenly, rounding the bend.
we came full into an inferno of
binding. glaring heat. A wind like
the opening of an oven door struck
at our faces: glowing sparks bit at
our naked arms and faces, and our
eyes were blinded by the fierce
glare of light from a valley OF
sheer fame. lying directly below
US. Troops were hacking away the
underground. telling trees.
Straight ahead tall fellow that
| took to be an officer raised a
warning hand. checking our prog
ress.
"Out of the question:" he said
sharply. as Fleuriot bent and whls-
pered to him. 'The valley is inn
passable. / can let no one through"
Fleuriot turned quickly to Noah
More. rs there any other way to
the inl?" he demanded, and the
scarecrow shook his head.
There is no other way" he NUT
tered. ut is the right-hand fork
at the bottom of the valley that
runs up to the hills"
Again the detective leaned out,
whispering, and this time | fam
cied that he told something of our
errand. for the officer gave us a
curious, commiserating look as he
slowly shook his head.
1T would be death to venture
farther" he said. Il feel for you,
messieurs, but one can only hope
that the fire has not yet reached
the inn. If it escapes during the
night by tomorrow it may be DOS
sible to get through"
Fleuriot looked at me. "You
hear?" he said. but there was more
inquiry than resignation in his
tone, and even az he spoke, Hugo
swung round: his face. illumined
by the rudy glow. showed hard
and drawn and his jaw was set.
you others must do Is you
please" said he. "hut for myself,
I'm going through"
Fleuriot gave short cackle of
satisfaction. you see," he muir
INJURED regretfully. I'VE are will
ing to take the risk. and the re-
sponsibility Is not yours, for am
an officer of the law, in pursuit OF
a dangerous mailman who is also
a murderer. and these gentlemen
are, for the moment. my assistants.
/ fear that in this case, my au-
thority overrides yours"
The other hesitated for q mo-
ment and then his hard. smoke
grimed face broke into q smile. Il
compliment your courage. mes.
sieurs,s said he. land I wish you
luckl"
At a word Of command from him
men came running with wet cloths
which we wrapped round our
faces, leaving only the eyes and
nostrils free, and at the last
moment some inventive genius
dashed up from the cottage with
q water soaked sheet which we
bound about the radiator OF the
car. In an instant We were OF.
shooting down the long. carving
ninr.n .A.ninlaA fsaH1. Alaa Aaas.a Asa.r