"SECOND TIME WEST"

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 September 1938, Page 10

"SECOND TIME WEST"

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

COPYRIGHT

BY

T. C. BRIDGES

(Author of “Watching Eyes,” “Seven Years’ Sentence,” etc.)

CHAPTER IX. —(Continued). If Jim had been wiser, if he had known Fame better and realized the enormous vitality of the men he would have got out of the room in a hurry, locking the door behind him, and gone for help. He never thought of it for his whole mind was set upon getting Joan’s address. He stood over Fame, fists clenched, ready to- knock him down again if he moved. This gave the other his chance to recover from the first stunning shock of the unexpected blow and suddenly his right hand slipped into his coat pocket and Jim realized instinctively that he was pulling a pistol. Instantly he flung himself on Fame. His weight coming full on Fame’s chest drove the breath out of his body with an explosisve gasp, but even this did not finish the man, and next second his enormous arms closed round Jim’s body and flattened him down with bone-crack-ing force. Jim saw the glare of triumph in Fame’s eyes and realized that his blunder was fatal. Here was no rough ground on which he could get toe hold, no.friendly bank over which he could twist his opponent. Everything was in Fame’s favour. Yet Jim put up terrine resistance. His left arm was free and with his left fist he battered Fame’s face. They were only short jabbing blows, but they cut the skin, and bruised the flesh. Jim hoped to force Fame to release his hold, but Fame was too wise for that. He knew that, if he hung on, the end was certain. If anything, he increased the pressure, and moment by moment Jim’s lungs were squeezed flatter and flatter, and he felt his strength draining out of him as lack of oxygen poisoned his blood. There was gas still in the room and that made thing even worse. How he cursed his own idiocy in giving away the advantage he had gained! His senses were leaving him his blows lacked power, flashes of light began to dance across his bulging eyeballs, then, when almost at the last gasp, he heard a crash behind him as someone leaped through the window and alighted heavily on the floor. He heard a panting breath, then came a sound like a mallet striking wood and instantly the awful pressure ceased, and Fame’s great body went limp as meat. Then to Jim all went black and he knew no more until he was roused by the sting of strong spirit in his throat. ’ CHAPTER XI. He opened his eyes and found himself on the couch. Two men were in the room beside him. They were Noah Trant and Ward Haskell. Trant was leaning over him with a flask in his hand, Haskell was watching Fame who lay without moving with his eyes closed and breathing heavily. There was a singularly grim look on Haskell’s long, thin face. It did Jim good to see the relief in Trant’s eyes as he opened his own. “Thought you was done in, sir,” said Trant. “I wasn’t far off it,” Jim admitted. “But how on earth did you come here?” “Got a bit uneasy, sir, you was so long. So I rang up Mr Slatter and he said as you hadn’t been in at all. That were enough for Mr Haskell and me. We got a taxi and come running.” “Thank God, you did,” said Jim, “but’ even so I don’t see how you found me.” “Well that were a bit o’ luck, sir. Seems that Mr Slatter were worried like we were, so he went out of nis office and asked the liftman if he’d seed you, and when his secretary come down to say we was ringing up. He told us to come along and meantime he talked again to the porter and heard as you’d been in. We come along pust after he found that out and then I asked the porter if he seed Fame. Course I described him. He told me as he’d took this here sky parlour so, after that, it didn’t take long to put two and two together, and we come up fast as the lift would take us. “Between you, you saved my life,” said Jim.

“It’s Trant you got to thank,” said Haskell. “He rang up a long time before I’d have thought of it. But how did they get you here, Jim?” Jim took another sip of the whisky, then told them the whole story. When he described how Fame had left him to die by gas poisoning he saw Trant’s face go white with anger. His big fists clenched, and the look he gave the still unconscious Fame was murderous. “I didn’t hit him hard enough,” he muttered. “If you’d hit him any harder you d have killed him,” said Haskell. “As it is, he’ll live to go to the pen. Say, Jim, I reckon I’d better ring up the police.” “Not on your life,” said Jim sharply. “Fame is the only person who can tell us where to find Joan. And the threat of police is the only way to force him to talk.” “That true,” said Haskell slowly. “Trant, you look around for some cold water and we’ll persuade this here beauty to talk.” “Have you got his gun? Jim asked. “You bet. Got one myself, too. Don’t you worry, Jim. We’ll handle the dirty dog.” Fame was already stirring, but it took cold water—and whisky—to get him back to his senses. He was not a pretty sight for his face was fairly pulped, and he had a bad cut on the back of his head, where Trant had hit him The look in his eyes reminded Jim of a trapped wolf. Fame was all brute, but he had the ferocious courage of the brute. Jim spoke. He put it to Fame plainly. ■ “Either you will go up for attempted murder, and there's plenty of evidence to give you a long sentence, or you will take us straight to Miss Chandler and hand her over to us,” he said. Fame stared at him, and his look was murderous. With a visible effort he fought down his fury and spoke. “And if I do,” he got out. “If you hand her over unhurt you can go free,” said Jim firmly. But you don’t take Miss Chandler’s ranch I am sending an agent to buy that up and manage it for her.” Again came that savage look into Fame’s eyes, yet when he replied, he had full conti ol of his voice. “I give in. I guess I can t do anything else. But ” . “Cut the threats,” Jim said sternly. “I have had enough of them and of you.” He turned to Haskell. “There’s a ’phone here. I saw it in the hall. Call up Slatter, tell him what we are doing and ask him to have a taxi ready for us.” Haskell did this, and when he came back said that the taxi would be waiting. Jim spoke to Fame,

“No need to tell you to behave. You know what’s coming to you if you don’t.” Fame’s lip drew back in a snarl but he made no protest. They went down in a lift and found Franklyn Slatter himself waiting with the taxi. “Come up to the Brevoort later and we’ll tell you all about it,” Jim said in his ear. “Now we’re going to fetch Miss Chandler. What is the address, Mr Fame?” “Thirty-seven, Anson Avenue. It’s in the Bronx,” Fame answered. None of them knew where the Bronx was, out Jim had an idea that it was not a very savoury suburb. But the taxi man knew the way, and they drove off. Jim and Haskell both had pistols while Trant grasped the wrench with which he had knocked out Fame. They drove in grim and watchful silence. To Jim it seemed as if they passed through miles of mean streets, but Anson Avenue was a road of villa-like houses which resembled a London suburb, and No. 37 proved to be a fairly decent-looking semi-detached house which stood with its fellow house, a little back from the road with some pretence at a garden in front. The driver pulled up, and Jim told tim to wait. Trant got out first, then ordered Fame to descend. “Keep a right smart eye on him,” Haskell whispered to Jim. “He’s tricky as a fox.” Fame overheard. “How in Hades do you think I can trick you?” he asked with savage sarcasm. “I don’t know,” said Jim calmly,

“but I do know you will if you get half a chance. Ward, suppose you wait in the front while Trant and I go with him.” They went up to the door which Fame opened with a latchkey. Inside was a fairly wide hall passage with two doors on the left. Beyond tnem stairs ran up and the passage ended in a door which probably led to the kitchen. “Joan’s upstairs,” said Fame. She’s locked in her room, the one on the right. Here’s the key.” He handed it to Jim. Jim hesitated. “Where’s Bignal?” “Out. He went down town to fix up for our tickets, and said he wouldn’t be back till late.” Jim was mad to find Joan, but did not show it. “Can you manage him, Trant?” “I’ll manage him,” said Trant ominously. Anyway the front door’s open and Mr Haskell’s watching.” Jim waited no longer. He ran upstairs. “Joan!” he called, but there was no answer. He fitted his key in the lock, but before he could even, turn it there came a sharp sound like |the slam of a door, then a yell of dismay from Trant. “He’s gone.” Forgetting even Joan, Jim raced downstairs to find Trant crazily hammering on the right-hand wall of the passage with his wrench. . “He’s gone!” he cried again as he saw Jim. “Went right through the wall. There’s a door if I could find the thing.” There was a door. Jim saw it now, though the wallpaper which covered it had Hidden it. Ward Haskell had rushed in. () “Ain’t no use looking for the eaten, he snapped. “Take too long. Fame s gone through into the next house. Did you get Joan, Jim?” “Didn’t even wait to open her door,” “Go and fetch her. Trant and I’ll try next door.” Jim fled upstairs again. The door opened into a decently furnished bedroom, but there was no one there. “Might have known it,” he muttered bitterly as he turned, and once more went downstairs full pelt. Haskell was pounding on the front door 1 of the next house, out there was no answer. “Locked,” he told Jim. Wait right here, Trent. We’ll go round back.” But the back door, too, was fast and the windows closed. “Looks like the house was empty,' he told Bill. “Fame’s here somewhere. I’m going in,” Jim said and, muffling his hand in his soft hat, smashed a window. He got at the fastening, opened the casement and climbed through into the kitchen. Haskell was right. The house was uninhabited; dust was thick over everything. The two hurried into the front room and examined the wall. “Here it is,” said Jim. “Here’s the door.” < „ _ “And here are the marks of Fames feet in the dust," Haskell added sharply. “He came through and out the back way and locked the door behind him. Guess he’s half a mile away by now.” „ . . . ~ , Jim looked at his friend in silent despair. After all he had gone through that afternoon, after making so completely certain that he was going to find Joan again, the disappointment was almost too much for him. “No use to look like that, Jirn, said Haskell. “We ain’t lost that fellow fer good. Keep your mind on this—that Fame and Gignall has got to go to New Mex, and likely Joan’ll go along too. “I can’t see Joan going with them after she had my cable, and knew I was coming,” Jim said. Haskell shrugge“How could she help herself? You know darn well she never got the money. Besides I reckon they kept her pretty close. Let’s go back and look at the other house. She might have left a note or something.” There was no note; Jim and Haskel searched the whole house, but found nothing except proof that the house had been occupied by Bignall, Fame and Joan. Trant meantime discovered the catch of the hidden door and opened it, but that didn’t help. Trant was very upset. “I’ve fell down again, he said, “you’d better send me back to London. Taxi-driving s all I m fit for. “Do you want to go and leave me alone?” Jim asked. “I don’t want to leave you at all, sir, but the trouble is I ain’t no use to y °“That’s for me to judge. We’re only at the beginning of things yet, Trant I’ll want more help where I’m going than I ever did in New York. Haskell looked at Jim. “You ain’t going West, Jim? he said sharply. , „ . T . “Where do you think I m going? Jim retorted—“back home?” Haskell shook his head. , “Guess we better go and talk to Slatter,” he said, and they followed him out of the waiting cab. When he had heard their story, Slatter was all for ringing up the police, but Jim wouldn’t hear of it. “\~iat can they do?” he asked. “All the odds are that Fame is on his way this minute, and before the New York police can move he will be outside the State and out of their jurisdiction alto-

gether. Besides that, they’d want to hold me here as a witness. Once we’re tied up with the law we’re done. It’s up to me to finish this job.” “But you can’t go to New Mexico, Sir James,” Slatter put in. “You’ve told me yourself there’s a judgment out against you in that State.” Jim’s face hardened. “I’ll have to chance it. As Haskell says, this crooked sheriff isn’t going to last for ever. There are decent folk in Loomis as well ;as crooks, Anyhow, Mr Slatter, you can see for yourself that Miss Chandler can’t be left in Fame’s hands.’,’ Slatter looked worried. Though he had only met Jim a few hours earlier he had taken a liking to him. Besides, being Bisset’s partner, he felt in a way responsible for him. Haskell spoke. (To be Continued.)