Part 27 (2/2)

Mary watched hie, wide-eyed figure, standing apart with the great auto cloak about her, silently watching and not daring to ask a question

”Who did you say was hurt?” Tolar and James--our chauffeur, you know--they were both shot”

”Have you got him?” asked Roy excitedly

”Nope”

He adjusted the tuning coil again and waited patiently

”Too late, Tom”

No answer Then suddenly To key, and as the letters of the Morse Code clicked away into the night a slight smile crept over his face There was no member of the troop who could use the Morse alphabet with such rapidity as Toht (but seldoether from the little tower on Blakeley's Hill

”Up?” asked Roy

”Sure he's up; wait till I get his O K”

Back through the night and down to this boy at the rough table and to the tense little group of watchers cae was understood

Tom rose and Mary Temple impulsively made a step toward him, then paused half-embarrassed

She actually stood a little in awe of Tom Slade, of Barrel Alley, who had cheated her and stolen her ball And To, was very irl And Roy Blakeley, his chuirl into his own charge and so the little party e to Five Oaks

Mary Temple felt very nalling She kneas a wireless apparatus he had used (she would have asked questions of hi a doctor She had experienced a thrill of admiration at the quiet, stolid exhibition of skill, and his apparent aloofness had only deepened her ado, she wanted to see the tangible result of this hich was such awith Pee-wee and Charlie O'Connor, with that cluait which he had never entirely overcoested the old shuffle Whether there was any foreboding in his mind none of his coht of what soon happened, it occurred to the as before him, that he knehat he should see at Five Oaks, and that, like the good scout, he was _prepared_

On the way Roy gleaned from Mary more of what had taken place It appeared that Mr Teardener ith the chauffeur, had co themselves in by h the foyer when three ot away carrying some loot, not, however, before he had shot and seriously wounded James, the chauffeur, who had dropped in the hall with a bullet in his thigh

Neither of Mr Temple's men recalled what becaht, empty-handed The third had ardener shot hiround outside, where he still lay when the scouts arrived

The gardener insisted that the man had drawn a revolver, but no revolver could be found about hilary was a well-planned affair, for the telephone wires had been severed, and it was upon discovery of this fact that Mary had hurried to Camp Ellsworth

Doc Carson was busy with James, who had been lifted to a couch in the hall, when Mary saw the tangible result of Tohts co briskly into the house

”Oh, Toht as the occasion would perratitude in every note of her voice ”He came, just as you----Oh, where is he?” she broke off suddenly, as she noticed that Tom was not there

It was then and not until then that a quick thought flashed upon Roy and he hurried out and around the house