Part 17 (2/2)

And over them, vaulting those scattered in his way, Jimmie Dale sprang at Malone. The man reeled back, with a cry. Moulton dashed through the trapdoor and disappeared. The short, ugly barrel of Jimmie Dale's automatic was between Malone's eyes.

”You make a move,” said Jimmie Dale, in a low sibilant way, ”and I'll drop you where you stand! Put your hands behind your back--palms together!”

Malone, dazed, cowed, obeyed. A panel of the door split and rent down its length--the hinges were sagging. Jimmie Dale worked like lightning.

The cord with the slip noose from his pocket went around Malone's wrists, jerked tight, and knotted; the placard, his lips grim, with no sign of humour, Jimmie Dale dangled around the man's neck.

”An introduction for you to Mr. Kline out there--that you seem so fond of!” gritted Jimmie Dale. Then, working as he talked: ”I've got no time to tell you what I think of you, you pitiful hound”--he s.n.a.t.c.hed up the plate from the floor and put it in his pocket--”Twenty years, I think you said, didn't you?”--his hand shot into Malone's pocket-book, and extracted the five-dollar note--”If you can open this with your toes maybe you can get a way”--he wrenched the trapdoor over and slammed it shut--”good-night, Malone”--and he leaped for the window.

The door tottered inward from the top, ripping, tearing, smas.h.i.+ng hinges, panels, and jamb. Jimmie Dale got a blurred vision of bra.s.s b.u.t.tons, blue coats, and helmets, and, in the forefront, of a stocky, gray-mustached, gray-haired man in plain clothes.

Jimmie Dale threw up the window, swung out, as with a rush the officers burst through into the room and a revolver bullet hummed viciously past his ear, and dropped to the ground--into encircling arms!

”Ah, no, you don't, my bucko!” snapped a hoa.r.s.e voice in his ear. ”Keep quiet now, or I'll crack your bean--understand!”

But the officer, too heavy to be muscular, was no match for Jimmie Dale, who, even as he had dropped from the sill, had caught sight of the lurking form below; and now, with a quick, sudden, lithe movement he wriggled loose, his fist from a short-arm jab smashed upon the point of the other's jaw, sending the man staggering backward--and Jimmie Dale ran.

A crowd was already collecting at the mouth of the alleyway, mostly occupants of the house itself, and into these, scattering them in all directions, eluding dexterously another officer who made a grab for him, Jimmie Dale charged at top speed, burst through, and headed down the street, running like a deer.

Yells went up, a revolver spat venomously behind him, came the shrill CHEEP-CHEEP! of the police whistle, and heavy boots pounding the pavement in pursuit.

Down the block Jimmie Dale raced. The yells augmented in his rear.

Another shot--and this time he heard the bullet buzz. And then he swerved--into the next alleyway--that flanked the Sanctuary.

He had perhaps a ten yards' lead, just a little more than the distance from the street to the side door of the Sanctuary that opened on the alleyway. And, as he ran now, his fingers tore at his clothing, loosening his tie, unb.u.t.toning coat, vest, collar, s.h.i.+rt, and unders.h.i.+rt. He leaped at the door, swung it open, flung himself inside--and then sacrificing speed to silence, went up the stairs like a cat, cramming his mask now into his pocket.

His room was on the first landing. In an instant he had unlocked the door, entered, and locked it again behind him. From outside, an excited street urchin's voice shrilled up to him:

”He went in that door! I seen him!”

The police whistle chirped again; and then an authoritative voice:

”Get around and watch the saloon back of this, Heeney--there's a way out through there from this joint.”

Jimmie Dale, divested of every st.i.tch of clothing that he had worn, pulled a disreputable collarless flannel s.h.i.+rt over his head, pulled on a dirty and patched pair of trousers, and slipped into a threadbare and filthy coat. Jimmie Dale was working against seconds. They were at the lower door now. He lifted the oilcloth in the corner of the room, lifted up the loose piece of the flooring, shoved his discarded garments inside, and from a little box that was there smeared the hollow of his hand with some black substance, possessed himself of two little articles, replaced the flooring, replaced the oilcloth, and, in bare feet, stole across the room to the door. Against the door, without a sound, Jimmie Dale placed a chair, and on the chair seat he laid the two little articles he had been carrying in his hand. It was intensely black in the room, but Jimmie Dale needed no light here. From under the bed he pulled out a pair of woolen socks and a pair of congress boots, both as disreputable as the rest of his attire, put them on--and very quietly, softly, cautiously, stretched himself out on the bed.

The officers were at the top of the stairs. A voice barked out:

”Stand guard on this landing, Peters. Higgins, you take the one above.

We'll start from the top of the house and work down. Allow no one to pa.s.s you.”

”Yes, sir! Very good, Mr. Kline,” was the response.

Kline!--the sharpest man in the United States secret service, she had said. Jimmie Dale's lips set.

”I'm glad I had no shave this morning,” said Jimmie Dale grimly to himself.

His fingers were working with the black substance in the hollow of his hand--and the long, slim, tapering fingers, the shapely, well-cared-for hands grew unkempt and grimy, black beneath the finger nails--and a little, too, played its part on the day's growth of beard, a little around the throat and at the nape of the neck, a little across the forehead to meet the locks of straggling and disordered hair. Jimmie Dale wiped the residue from the hollow of his hand on the knee of his trousers--and lay still.

An officer paced outside. Upstairs doors opened and closed. Gruff, harsh tones in commands echoed through the house. The search party descended to the second floor--and again the same sounds were repeated. And then, thumping down the creaking stairs, they stopped before Jimmie Dale's room. Some one tried the door, and, finding it locked, rattled it violently.

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