Henderson daily dispatch., 1940-10-08

suddenly grippeu by the latter's
hand-and he saw her lying, limp
and white, on the floor, with a lit
tie round hole just in the center of
her forehead.
Minutes were hours, and hours
were ages.
After a long time Tommy tip
toed over, and sat on the bed be-
side him-but all things pass in
time. After they had been sitting
there for what seemed centuries,
Tommy gave a sharp hiss, and
suddenly gripped Guns arm:
Quite clearly voices came to
their ears-and one of the voices
was Corals. She was probably
speaking in little above a whisper,
but it seemed almost as though
she was shouting. Then she
laughed, and Tommy Kissed:
Good God! What's she scream
Ing like that for? She'll wake up
the whole damned show!
Come on downstairs" Gun
whispered. Garry your shoes"
They crept down, and put on
their shoes in the lower room. Gun
had a dark blue handkerchief, and
he wrapped it around the electric
light bulb and then switched it on.
They could just see by the light.
There came a sound at the door,
and then it opened and Coral came
in. She looked pale, and was
breathing rather hard.
"Are you there? Oh, good. I've
got the key of the arsenal, and
Trents sleeping like bell. Every
thing seems quiet. I've given the
guard a doped flask, and he's
promised to share it with the 9TH
ers."
She spoke in short staccato SEN
fences, as though she was out of
breath. Gun murmured:
you've done spendidly! Now,
we've got to wait until the dope
takes effect-or nearly. Then you
must slip out, Carol, and get the
key when he goes off to sleep"
Eye gods!w Tommy murmured.
more Of it? He'll, I'll be a nervous
wreck before it's time to really do
anything"
He need not have worried!
From the gate there suddenly
came the sound of voices, and then
footsteps, heavy and undisguised,
running along the path toward the
door. Coral caught her breath
sharply! Gun, from some instinct
he hardly realized, moved across
to the wall, so that he was out of
the line of vision from the door.
Then he started to creep stealthily
towards it.
A moment later the door was
flung violently open, and, in the
faint blue light, they saw the grim
figure of Otto framed in it. His
face was twisted with fury, and he
held an automatic in his hand.
For a moment he stood there,
glazing at Coral and Tommy. They
were standing together, staring
back at him dumbly.
At last he spoke:
"So?" he said, in a low, cultural
voice. "And what is this accursed
embarrassing, Ell? Well, no mat
tcr-this is where it ends"
He raised the pistol slowly, the
muzzle covering Tommy, who
never moved. Coral suddenly began
to fumble-she was trying to get
Guns automatic into action.
But there was no need. Otto had
not seen Gun, nor had he looked
for him, no doubt supposing mere
ly a clandestine love meeting be-
tween Coral and Tommy And now
Gun gathered himself together,
and leaped like cat.
Like a cat he leaped-like a cat
he bounced.
He landed neatly right on the
totally unprepared Otto, and
gripped him with his knees as a
horseman grips his mount. Stimuli
taneously his right hand closed on
Ottos pistol wrist, and his left
gripped his throat, compelling 81
lence. Under the force of the i'm
pact, Otto staggered heavily
against the wall, and then col
lapsed, sliding against it to the
ground-With Gun on top.
A choking gurgle came from the
compressed throat-an attempt to
shout caused Gun to tighten his
grip at the same moment as he
wrenched the automatic away.
Otto heaved and writhed like a
thrown heifer. Gun kept his grip
on the throat, peered down at his
adversary to get just the right
aim, then swung the pistol by the
muzzle and brought it down heav-
lily on the others head.