THE GREY PHANTOM’S ROMANCE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 813, 6 November 1929, Page 5

THE GREY PHANTOM’S ROMANCE

The Astonishing Adventures of a Lovable Outlaw. Copyright by Street and Smith K&F Serialised by Ledger Syndicate

CHAPTER XXV. THE PHANTOM S RUSE The doctor placidly finished his cigarette. The sleek, genial smile had not left his face for an instant, and his eye still held the same txvinkle of languid amusement. "MiS3 Hardwick is a very plucky young woman,” he murmured, "but evidently the spook chamber, as you so aptly termed it a little while ago, has proved too much for her nerves. The cry we Just heard seemed to indicate that she was in great distress. Being alone in a dark room with nothing hut skeletons for company is not a very pleasant experience for a soman.” The Phantom's face turned a shade whiter. For a moment he was dazed by the realisation that Helen was undergoing the same excruciating ordeal to which he himself had been subjected. The ghostly spectacle had caused even his strong nerves to writhe; and he shuddered at the thought of the effect it must have on her more delicate organism. * Save you a little taste of it just 'enable you to appreciate Miss Hard-"it-ks predicament.” continued the toctor iu matter-of-fact tones. k “The wangement is simplicity itself. My excellent Jerome fixed it up. The effects are so simple that a •mid could have handled them. Yet "u wiH admit, I think, that they serve their purpose. i once knew a person—not a weak- .*• either—who went mad under •imuar pressure. It is strange how

-uother shriek, not so loud as the . ■ but long-drawn and hoarse, inrrrupted him. He paused for a mo[Mt, eyeing the Phantom with a level rf. n f e while the scream lasted, then i to polishing his lenses. •; a 1 was about to remark,” lie j on ’ “it is strange how darkness touch of the gruesome affect A B , Jhind. The soul seems to i ,ili , * rom such things. The reason, _ nmk, must be atavistic. The poor 'etch I was telling you about, the who lost his mind ” htop it!” cried the Phantom. His was husky. “Get her out of that n? D-* ore sbe soes mad! ” -st/ri seemed suddenly interwilUr,' J understand that you are ’“all . t 0 bste:l to reason? Are you to re . c onsider the suggestion I -ran,"? wbile ago and which you so ; “Eloquently rejected? In other “ ■ate you willing to tell me where ..£treasures are hidden?” v ol , le, T' an ything! I'll do whatever ior,.. 43 *' Only stop that infernal "as-pocus at once!" n. y"’ ver Y well.” There was a smile ~gratification on Bimble’s lips Th S U,J anc * left the room. ;, arM Paant om, every limb shaking, hart „ at ,be door through which he ir . p . p * sse d. Suddenly liis bloodh*V»a cyes Brew wide. He remem-“rrif»-SOmetllinK that, was almost as tearri £- as the shrieks lie liad just Homan, , thoughts went back to the riark n wben he had awakened in the 'Mteh. "V and recalled the hoard ' S °‘ convei 'sation he had over»la!r!r. 0 * tbe two speakers, he was now !Ti e n„. certa ' n ’ had been Dr. Bimble. > wnnij * lat * sounded familiar, and hut fm.*^“ Probably have recognised it 0 tbe dazed condition he was krnna ’ll ,be doctor’s sentences liad tTai n ° itse ‘ f into the Phantom's our JJtVoung lady is here to serve Purpose. After that ” all in a blinding flash that 'uitii * 6 fire. With their usual bat t be Duke’s men had perceived it er by torture nor by threats breed , c °uld the Grey Phantom be "hev ha , com P* y with their desires, hghtly a< *, °wn that he held his life "tUhenr*?!! cou *h suffer personal pun-"-‘boiin }, au Indian. And so their 'i f ed ts cr afty minds had con- ’ clt'i he idea of letting Helen Hard- ? Pr jj Sor xfsed cries pierce his arniuur and obduracy, thus acconiI'tomnnc at could never have been Cv t by otbel ' means. **s u, had judged him accurately, let u k,- I” reflection. Rather than “* lr of Helen's head harmed lit

would gladly make any sacrifice. But the sinister significance of the doctor’s words had been plain. The Phantom would not ensure Helen’s safety by accepting Bimble’s terms. Evidently, Miss Hardwick had come into possession of information, which the gang feared she might divulge if set free, and consequently she was to be silenced forever as soon as Bimble’s purpose had been attained. While he awaited the doctor’s return the Phantom thought quickly. By accepting Bimble’s terms he would only be hastening Helen's doom, for the gang, having no further use for her after they had gained their ends, would probably put her to death quickly. On the other hand, by rejecting the conditions, he would at least gain time. In the meantime Bimble might inflict cruel suffering upon her, but his selfish interests would restrain him from taking her life, for once he had done so, his sole hold upon the Phantom would be gone. The reasoning was plain, but he found it hard to reach a decision. Perhaps death would be merciful In comparison with the tortures that Bimble might subject her to. He was caught between the jaws of a fearful dilemma, and the only sane course he could see was to play for time. Dr. Bimble returned. “Why do women never swoon until the worst is over?” he questioned in whimsical tones. “Miss Hardwick is a surprising young lady, but she is not free from the foibles of her sex. She had no sooner been taken out of the dark room than she promptly collapsed.” The Phantom held back the biting words on his tongue, but he could not forgo a look of withering contempt. “Do you know,” the doctor went on, “I am almost certain that Miss Hardwick knows where your retreat is located? In fact, she let slip something that convinces me she does. But do you suppose the stubborn little beauty would tell? Not she! I don’t believe the fear of eternal fires could force her to He had guessed correctly, but the Phantom carefully refrained from signifying by a look or a word that it was so. Miss Hardwick knew about

Sea Glimpse, and it was with mingled feelings the Phantom heard of her refusal to reveal the secret. Had she become aware, through some process of divination, that her life would be forfeited the moment the information was in the doctor’s possession, or had she been guided by other reasons?

“So you see.” continued Bimble in smooth tones, “that you will save the little lady from all sorts of unpleasantness by acceding to my very reasonalfle terms. It would be a shame if such a charming woman should become a gibbering maniac as a result of obstinacy on your part. Where did you say this place of yours is situated ?”

“I haven’t said yet.” The Phantom forced a laugh. “Before I do, you and T must have a definite understanding. Do you agree to set Miss Hardwick free the moment I have given you the information.?”

“What an unreasonable question, my dear Phantom! I agree to do nothing of the kind. I shall keep Miss Hardwick here until I have satisfied myself that you have been dealing with me on the square and that the directions you have given me are accurate.”

“Pair enough. But after you have satisfied yourself in regard to my good faith, what then?” “Then,” said the doctor, and there was not a trace of guile in his face. “Migs Hardwick shall be immediately released.” “On your word of honour?”

3 “On my word of honour.” 1 “Snake!” the Phantom was tempted t to say, but he pretended to be satis■i fled. Already his mind was inventing . a ruse. He would gain several hours . of valuable time by inveigling the doctor into a search for a place that had existence only in the Phantom’s . imagination. In the meantime several j things were likely to happen. It was just possible that Granger had been , able to trace the movements of the I limousine and would come to the rescue. At any rate, the Phantom believed that if he could but stave off the crisis for a while his customary 5 luck would once more reassert itself. - His mind worked fast. Doubtless • the doctor knew that he had arrived ’ in New York less than 24 hours after the Gage murder. Allowing for slow and infrequent. | trains and the time required for news • to reach out-of-the-way places, he , would have to choose a point that , was not more than 10 or 12 hours removed from New York. With a meni tal picture of the map before his . eyes, he outlined a highly imaginative route to the doctor. Bimble made a few notes. Then he looked up, and for once there was no ominous glint in the usually placid eyes. “My men will start at once,” he announced. “They will be instructed to wire me as soon as they have reached their destination. I hope, for Miss Hardwick’s sake, that you have not tried to deceive me.” With that he was gone; but the softly spoken words, edged with just the faintest trace of a sinister note, lingered for a long time in the Phantom’s memory. PINTO'S CONFESSION The Phantom awoke with a start, vaguely conscious that he had been : sleeping for several hours. Shortly after his interview with Dr. Bimble, he had been removed to a small, dark room with a single shuttered window, through which no sunlight or air entered. The ropes around his wrists and ankles had been removed, but his movements were restricted by a chain only a few feet long, one end of which | was padlocked to his right leg, while the other was clamped to the wall. Jerome, more tight-lipped than ever, had brought him a meal, and he had eaten with relish, after which he had lain down on the cot and gone to i sleep. A lessening of his mental tenj sion had come with the conviction ’ that Helen was in no immediate danger and would be safe until the doctor heard from his messengers, which he probably would not do until after midnight. He had slept soundly, and now he was refreshed in body and mind. He inspected his surroundings with a keen eye. The little room was admirably adapted to the purposes of a | cell. Even if he were inclined .to J ; shout for help, the shutters doubtless I would render such an effort useless. 1 The room was sparsely lighted by an 1 " 1

electric bulb in the ceiling, and he noted that the door, walls, and floor had a substantial appearance. The only objects within his reach were the cot and a table. His face fell as he took an inventory of his pockets, noticing that all that remained of his belongings was a watch and a handkerchief. His wallet, with Dan the Dope’s pistol, was gone, so was the little metal box that on so many occasions had enabled him to squeeze out of tight corners. The chain was not heavy, but strong enough to resist all the force he could muster, and each end was fastened in a way that left him no hope of escape. "The -worthy doctor Is taking no chances,” he muttered. “He has left me as helpless as a newborn babe. Wonder where I am?” He had no idea where the black limousine had taken him, for it had travelled a devious course, and he had been chloroformed before it reached its destination. He was certain he was not in Doctor Bimble’s house, for he had searched that dwelling from cellar to attic and there had been no room in it that resembled this one. Probably he was in some other house

controlled by Doctor Biihble or one of his associates.

After all, where he was did not matter, greatly. The one thing that concerned him was his helplessness, for evidently the doctor had taken every conceivable precaution against his prisoner’s escape. Everything considered, it was as hopeless a situation as the Phantom had ever faced. A glance at his watch told him it was nearly 4 o’clock. Pie had eight hours in which to accomplish the seemingly impossible before the doctor should learn from his agents that they had been sent out on a wild-goose chase. 1-Ie shuddered as he contemplated what would be the consequences if he failed. Y’et, he told himself, the course he had taken was the only one possible under the circumstances. If he had directed the doctor’s agents to Sea-Glimpse, Helen’s usefulness to the organisation would have been ended, and then ”

He turned quickly as the door opened, admitting Doctor Bimble, with a newspaper in his hand. "Thought you would be interested in the news about Pinto,” began the doc-

tor, advancing somewhat cautiously and taking care not to step within the narrow half-circle that bounded his prisoner’s movements. The Phantom regarded him languidly, for his mind was on other things. “Has Pinto recovered consciousness?” he asked indifferently. Bimble nodded. “Much sooner than the doctors expected, and he has celebrated his return to consciousness by making a rather interesting statement.”

“Not a confession?” The Phantom was still speaking in dull tones. In the last few days he had almost lost sight of the purpose that had called him to New York. The danger threatening Helen Hardwick had seemed far more important than the mystery of the two qnurders. “Well, you might call it that, though it probably isn’t the kind of confession you have in mind. Pinto has made a clean breast of everything, but he still insists that you murdered Gage.” “That's a contradicitiou,” mumbled the Phantom. “He is not making a clean breast of things so long as ne denies his guilt.” “His statement sounds fairly convincing, nevertheless. Pie admits practically everything except that he committed the murder. For instance, he frankly admits that he concealed the body of the housekeeper antf ”

“That in itself is evidence of his guilt.” “But Pinto has what looks like a satisfactory explanation. He seems to be an honest, hard-working, unimaginative fellow, not over-intelligent,

and deeply devoted to his wife and baby. You probably know the type. He says that lor months before Gage was murdered he had a queer premonition that something of that kind was to happen, and he never passed the house without an uneasy feeling. I suppose what he really means is that he had noticed signs of strange doings about the place, and that without analysing his impressions he found it getting on his nerves. “Pinto reiterates his previous assertion that Gage made a dying statement accusing you of the crime. lie admits, however, that he felt nervous about the whole affair. The poor fellow xvas in a very trying position. After forcing the door, which was bolted on the inside, and listening to Gage’s dying words, be made a careful examination of the room, paying particular attention to the little window which was so narrow that no grown person could possibly have crawled through it. Pie did not understand how even an accomplished person like the Phantom could have committed the murder and escaped from the room.

“Then, all of a sudden. Pinto got panicky. Even his crude intellect perceived theft, it looked as though nobody but himself could have committed the murder. Pie thought of his wife and his baby, and he did not relish the idea of being tried for murder. As he saw it, he might easily be convicted a4id sent to the chair. However, his tears proved unfounded, for nobody accused him of the crime, and Pinto could breathe freely once more.” “But what about the housekeeper?

inquired the Phantom, gradually becoming more interested. “I am coming to that. After the murder of Gage, Pinto got into the habit of visiting the house between rounds. He was still hoping to discover a way whereby the Phantom could have escaped from the room. Late one night, according to his stat meat, he found the housekeeper’s body in the same room where Gage had been murdered- lie says the body was still warm, so the woman could not have been dead long. At the discoverv all his fears returned with trebled force. The supposition, lie thought, would be that the murderer of Gage had also killed Mrs. Tripe. The Grev Phantom was supposed to be in jail'at the time and therefore could not be accused of having murdered the housekeeper.