Part 19 (2/2)
”It's okay with o,” the other announced with a chuckle
Leaving their prisoner lying there they started an advance on the shack
Both eyed it carefully as they crept along and it was Perk who noticed the first favorable sign
”Door's shut, partner, but the light's still on--you c'n lamp a streak down near the sill, think he's on deck yet--ain't cut an' run like a blue streak?”
”We'll soon find out,” Jack assured hiuy with his reputation as a scrapper to clear out so quick I' up soetty! that is sure some rummy scrap,” Perk muttered as he kept close tabs on the shack now close by as though heit suddenly burst into flaments under the influence of an explosion
Now they had reached the door and Jack ht effort to open it, but with no success
”No use,” he whispered to his kneeling ot the bar down in place Listen and see if you can catch a sound fro their hearing to the utainst the closed door so as to better catch any suspicious sound frouess they ain't nothin' doin', partner,” he hissed in a disappointed tone, ”thought I did get a little ruslin' sound, like paper bein' crumpled up when you're a'er”
”Paper, you say?” snapped Jack uneasily, ”I don't like that any too much”
”Why not?” asked the other, evidently at a loss to understand why such a si like that could annoy any one--what if thefire to the hidden little retreat he had arranged here close to the lonely lake where he could slip ahenever he felt like shunning those society people over at crowded Mia himself and they could nab him if he started toe peeped in--that book ought to be worth its weight in gold to us as evidence and that stack of papers that he was looking through--if he's given enough ti that could be used against hi that, brother”
”Yeah--but how?” gasped the other, showing renewed signs of excite up in fire and smoke just when they seemed about to corral success
Jack answered that question by striking the door with his foot, the result being a loud thued him to one side None too soon was this done, for there came a series of staccato explosions froht in various sections of the door told that bullets had passed through the wood in a number of places Only for this proht have had leaden pellets lodged promiscuously about their persons with resultant painful sensations
”Wow! that hat I'd call a close shave,” whispered the kneeling Perk as he surveyed those suspicious holes in the badly riddled door, all on a line with any crouching huer be any doubt as to the warlike intentions of thethose bloody days and nights in the Argonne, had burst into flaain and he shed his free and easy character as the lord of that wonderful palace at Mia sler chief, quick to defy all authority while the red blood rioted in his veins
”We've just got to keep hi, ”so's to occupy his attention and keep hi a match to those papers and that priceless account book with its addresses Here, find a way to get in a smash or two on the door, like we meant to break in--I'll slip around and see what can be done at the ”
”Jack, I 'ht over there--why couldn't I use that an' really break through?”
”Too dangerous, buddy--he'd turn that terror of ayou, only keep back so he can't get you when he shoots again”
”Just watchto feel around for some object that could be made available for the purpose of a door knocker
”Wait,” he heard the other saying as he was starting to move off
”Here's a little pile of rocks--pick up one and toss it on the roof of the shack-- to break in that way--anything to keep hi he'll have no tirasped the iven even half a chance, he knew his pal would find some way to accomplish the end he had in viehich was to take Kearns a prisoner with enough positive evidence of his guilt to convict him when placed on trial in a Federal court
Hastily then did Perk scramble for the rocks mentioned by his companion--it was much too dark for him to see where they lay, but he used his conal success that alood-sized rock with such vi was the work of a few seconds Hardly had the crash sounded than Perk had anotheras the pile held out he meant to keep up a continual fusillade that would have the