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| - flHH I It MM \ JHH ^^ '. 1MBB ^^HHKrcjh M SliB^Jr V7WIBF (Continued from last week) CHAPTER X Under Cover. JL shed roof wns below, and h< strode It, fortunately fret first, bu the sharp slant of the boards sen htm hurtling forward over the edtf Into a mlWeeUanrous pile of boxes be neath. Mf body finally resting on th< hard gmqnd. Be lay there dazed, th< breath khocked entirely out of him bruised, afcid scarcely certain whelhei he waa deed or altve. For the mo ment, he seemed to have lost all con edotuneoo, unable te realise ever wliat had eccurred In that upper room, or to comprehend the necessity of Immediate flight. All about him was Intense darkness, and, after the crasti of hla fall, no aminri hrnka fho ollanno lie could see nothing, hear nothing to arouse hla faculties; his flesh qulv erod with pain, although he felt sure no bones were fractured, for he could move both arms and legs freely while after the first Rhock, his mind , returned to activity, dominated by th? single conviction that he must gel Rway from there before those mer could get down stairs. He endeavored to rise, rolling fmr tlally over In the effort, which failed but the movement, slight as It was left one hand dangling "over an ex cava tlon at his right. His fingers explored the" edge of this opening cautiously revealing a cellar-way leading down Into the basement. The opening wn? Mack, silent, mysterious, yet It waf n hiding place. If lie could manage tr roll down those steps Into those depths below, he might hide there tin seen, until he regained strength, until the first effort at pursuit had beer abandoned. Then there might be s rhnnc* for oornnn West grasped tlio Ides ctearlj enough. Those fellows would be there swiftly. If they found him gone the? would have no doubt but what he landed safely, and had ninde a getaway. They wpuld search, of course, perhaps out Into the alley, hoping he might have been Injured, but it was hardly probable they would think to , ~ explore the cellar. Even If they did, he could surely creep into some dark corner where he might escape observation. crippled us he Uir i Mf-Mv, I To the i,_i First Prize: J . A Bra 5 ? Purchased From a ^ y SECOND PRIZE 4 Purchased from a 5 3 THIRD PRIZE? , | - Purchased from- a 8 C The Contestant re< W ber of votes will 1 W qjid Second Prizes k ^ The Chronicle res % vance or postpone A toai CI ^ ^ JOE LINE gg=gg|i I ill UBBgaai _ I V'\ ^ VL D H nl r 1008 ky I ^ ~ I wns. this offered the one and only I chance. lie could not argue and de- | hate; he must act. j Ho rolled over, and lowered himself i down Into the opening, locating the i B hnlf-dozeu broken and rotted steps | I with his feet. He made no attempt to t stand, hut simply slid down, finding a ; 9 partially closed door at the bottom, ; w the pussuge-way blocked by a litter. ( the exact nature of which could not ( be determined In the darkness. With some difficulty, and more than ever J conscious of his weakness, and the _ pain of bruises, he managed to crawl over this pile of debris, and crouch I down Anally' In the Intense blackness within. He felt like a trapped rat I 111 .gasping for breath, his body quivering from exertion. Yet his retrent hnd been none too rapid. The silence above was broken by the creak of an opening door, the sound of excited voices, and a sudden gleam of light finding entrance through the open cellar-way. Wgst, startled, crept hack tnto a corner, very nerve alert at approaching peril. pjH i d ippf j ill ;M'ityi I I i m Ntf ? \ ;:j . '' ' ' * 'M i H? Recognized Hobart's Voice. C Ones Re Jet Subscriptio nd New Ford ' \ATi + U C,.1f ? A HA ijtti-uiai ic nd on Display at Chera' A brand new Howard Piar nd on display at Crawford \ brand new Viciroia?Va nd on di-play at Crawford reiving largest nunv lave choice of First J. * I 0 o o * lerves right to addate of closing con>SAY, Owner < ? / f i r?? He recognized ?tl*hnrt's voice. IP the fellow^ plunged down the steplgfrom the first floor out Into the yard." "To h?1, of gourde lie's here!" ho stormed. "My G?d, man, he dived out head first; I saw him. ITe'll be dead as a door nail now. Come on with that lantern. Turner. Where In, thunder Is the ladder?does any one know?" "You think he lies on th* roof?" "Why not? That's where he must have struck, uin't It, Shorty? I don't know, though; It Is so steep he'd roost likely roll off. HerC, you, let | me take that glint. There's nothing here In these boxes. Ah, theies the I ladder; climb up, Shorty, and,Ree If ; j the guy Is stuck anywhere on the roof. Oo on V What are you nfrnld of; If j he's there, he's a stiff all right, be! ileve me." I Turner's voice. Iinni-np nna mmhiiiir. ? came bnek from above. "There ain't. nothln' up here, Jim. T>?n me. If I don't believe the cuss got clean nway. Gee, but he waa sure n nervy guy, all right." "Nervy? Craxy, you mean. Bnt he never took thnt fnil without busting ! something. The bird Is lying about here somewhere. You mnke sure he ain't up there. Shorty." "Well, he nln't; I kin see every Inch j o' this roof. Perlinps he fell In be-1 I tween them barrels down there." The two evidently senrchod thor- ' ! oughly, the rays of the Inntem dancing jvlldly about, while llohnrt savnpecily cursed his companion, and reiterated his belief thnt no man could take thnt nlumro. oxi-m.*. nnii..-t "It couldn't be done, I toll you; maybe ho could crawl, but that would bo nil. Why lie went down bond first; I f!i\v him pn out tho window, and Mint drop wool 1 daze n ont. Say, Shorty, innyhe tho stlfT dropped down ' Into this cellar-way. Let's take a look." The. light ?st**enined in l?iroup)j the | narrow opetdnp. and Holmrt scrambled cautiously down tho rotted steps. West, drawing himself securely back I behind the protection of bis barrel. Baw^Jlio lantern liirust forward, and : a face behind It peering In the shad- i owk. The follow did not advance i Into the room, hilt Hobnrt did. press- i Inp his way roughly past, and stand- i Inp there full In I lie plow ..f liplit. | staring about Into the dim shadows. He evidently saw nothing to arouse { | suspicion, for his voice was angry j Willi disgust. ! "Not a d?n sivn here. Shorty. It looks like the fellow may lie did pet j away. But It heats me liow. There I | nln't no place now for us to look but the alley." "An* If he ain't there?" "Then we'll hop this (lamp mighty sudden, I'm tolling you. With that ; guy loose. It won't he healthy for me hunglng around here." "lie ain't got the goods on you, has he?" "No, he ain't got the goods, but he Is dead wise to some things, and he didn't get out of that shindy upstairs without getting hurt. Fle'll he sore | all right, and will raise all the h?1 | he cnn. It's safer to keep out of the : way." ^ ! "An' what about that other buck, Hobart? It woft't do to have him ireat Po [nPr ceiving t J ANIL5 i- ^ ^ I us to me v^iier Touring Car r iv Motor Sales Co., Ci 10?Value $450.00 I Jewelry Co., Cheraw. lue $120.00' I Jewelry Co., Cheraw. i i Nominating Balk 100 VOTES ominate a candidate in the Cheraw Great Popularity Contest. Chera ( < , v , j~ , .. rnmrnmsammmmmfBn ptokeA op, I# this fill? gets the harness bulls to take a look around here." "That ain't his-/style. Shorty: he won't spiel anything to the cops about this row. He's nn ex-soldler, a chutaln, and he's nuts on the girl. That'*; why lie dipped Into this mess?trying to save her?see? Maybe he won't be so keen now, after the song and dance she gave him upstairs. I'm half Inclined to think the guy will drop out entirely, d?n glad to get off alive, now he believes she Is as rotten as the rest of us. But I gln't sure?maybe he Is the kind that sticks. That's why I don't take any chances Just now. Things ain't quite ripe for a get away?see?" "Sure: she gave him some straight stuff, hey?" "She certainly did; she's as smart as she Is good looking. It somehow don't strike me this guy Is going to bother her nny more. I'm figuring thut he's out of It." "Hut his partner?" "Oh, we'll leave him somewhere propped up against a door. Likely he'll never know what happened to him. or where. He ain't nothing to be afraid of?Just a butler with a cracked heRd. It's the other guy who hRR got the brains. Come on; let's take a look out In the alley." Their shadows vanished up the stairs, the glow of light disappearing, and leaving the cellar in impenetrable darkness. West did not venture to move, however, content to wait until thoroughly assured the way for escape was clear. He hud not learned much from this conversation, except to Increase his convictions that a serious crime was beinir nmsnmniiitoii The full nature of this conspiracy was as obscure sa ever; rendered even more doubtful Indeed, by the active .participation of Xatnlte Coolidge, This was what puzzled and confused Mini the most. lie could no longer question lier direct interest In the affair, or hffr willingness to assist In overcoming bis efforts. Even without the free testimony of the men this fact was sufficiently clear. She bad deliberately lied to him, attempted deceit, and then, when be refused tc yield to her efforts, had so reported to Iiohart, and left him to his fate It was manifestly impossible for him to believe In her any longer. Vet what could it nil mean? how could she hope to benefit by such an associat'on* Why could she thus shield the mur derers of Porclval Coolldge? What possible object there bp In the commission of this crime, except tc pain possession of her own fortune! It was nil mystery to bis mind; a new unanswerable question arising wherever he looked. What strange Influence could thli man Hobnrt exercise over the girl', To West's judgment he was in n< way the sort of man to appeal to Nn tnlle Coolldge. He was of n low, cuu ning order, with some degree of out wnrh polish, to he sure, yet lnherentlj toujsh, and exhibiting marks of s birthright which Indelibly stamped hlni of n social class fur below hei own. Surely, she could not love tlu follow, yet unquestionably he pos sessod il mysterious power over her dllllcult to expluln through any othei hypothesis. If West hud not knowi the young woman under different con itM tin t*i f ^ puiai it izes hp Hi<rh iRY15tl aw Chronicle An 15 ye: leraw of th( HOW Fill el sew Conte ceivfe tell in: . anion the'C ing ai subsc Ph rnni * * v/i i * To per w Chr 1 ^ <. dttlons, fie might have accepted thk' theory, and dismissed the whole mat i ! I ter from mind. But It ^aft the haunt1 I OK memory of that earlier Nntallt Ooolldge, the mistress of Folrlawn which would not permit his complete (surrender. She had seemed all tha' , his dream of womanhood called for Unconsciously, he hud given her hli heart, and he could not tear the re membrance from mind. There wat something wrong, terribly wrong i what It was lie had no means of know lng, yet. there In the dark, he deter i mined he would know, would never bt content until he learned the wholi ' truth. AM his hope, all his future, de j pended on the answer. ' ITolmrt and Turner were absent fos I Bntnn Hi tin ntKiln . .........1 AL.L I OW...C Mtnc n ||>IC , tnc oilllllll U1 IIICII i voices ceased, hut the distant fllckei I of the lantern enabled West to tract i their progress up the alley, and thei hack again. They returned In n< pleasant humor, convinced that theL' expected victim hod escaped sa'elji t hut made no further effort to senrcl the yard. West, confident at Inst thn i t the way was clear, wriggled out fron ? i his place of concealment behind tin I barrel, and stood erect. He fel > | stronger now, and In less pain, eon i ' vlnced that his Injuries were In n I degree serious. The darkness was ? f Intense ne had to grbpe his way fon ward, anxious to make no noise which might betray his presence. ' In the Intensity of the gloom, hi? j sense of direction failed, taking him somewhat further hack before he 1 finally locnted the exact position of j those outer steps. Then as he turned . I um upuy, nis root came In?contact I | with an obstacle on the floor. For an ' 11 instant lie could not determine what [ 1 It was; then, with n thrill of horror, | ' he realized the presence of a human' body. There \Yns no sound, no move-J ' inent, and West drew hack from con-! tact with the object, shrinking In I horror. Then he gripped himself, sternly?whoever, whatever tills was,! he must know. Alive or dead be must 1 determine the truth. He bent over, feeling with hands In the darkness. ' The flesh was warm; It was no cold 1 corpse lie touched, but a living human ' being; ay! tied like a mummy, un-1 able to move hand or foot. Then, as ' suddenly, his groping Angers, eager1 enough now, discovered the cause of 1 silence?the man was gagged, cruelly gagged, helpless to utter a sound. The situation once realized. West i worked rapidly. If this hound man 1 was Sexton, the quicker he could he i j released the hotter. Ilohart had al- , ready revealed his plans, and might i ?ppcar at any moment for the purpose of executing them. If escape wag to he achieved. It must bo accom- j pllshed at once. In the darkness hlg j tinkers could do nothing with the j knot, but the sharp blade of n knife J quickly severed the twisted cloth, and , the gag was instantly removed from, between thp clenched teeth. The man | ' moaned, breathlhg heavily, hut made 1 no other sound while West slashed at the cords lashing his limbs, finally ! freeing them entirely. Not until tills j had been accomplished did he pause j long enough to ask questions. | "There; that's the last. Now, who J are you?Sexton?" ! I "Yes, sir," weakly, and In a mere y Gonte: Give est Nunil h, 1923 s and Win One Read These R WHO CAN ENTER? v man woman hnv or air J - ? / - * & ars of age, except the empl i Chronicle, may enter con T TO ENTER AND GET V< I in nominating coupon here on this sheet and m jst Manager. You will th< a receipt book and instru g how to solicit subscri] g your friends and-neighbo iheraw Chronicle. A list mount of votes; oiven with ription will also be furnish EVERYONE STV those who do not win any cent commission on all su they stay active 1 onicle \ \ . > " ' whisper, "an* I know yw voice, sin Thank God, yer found me. sir.** "It was a bit uf luck; but well talk that over later. Now we've got to get out ofc here. Can you walkl" "I don't know, sir; after a fashion, inaylK?. ? mighty stiff and numb, sir." "Take It eusy; work your legs up a^d down like that; good, that will restore the circulation. How long have you been lying hereT" "I don't know, sir," Ills voice strengthening. "I most hav*-t>eon hit, the way my head aches. The first thing I knew after I went Into that room with you, I was lyln' bore In, the dark. I couldn't move or speuk, sir, an* It wgs so black, I kind of got It Into my head maybe I was dead and burled. If It hadn't been for my hearing things?voices talking, and all that?I guess I would have gone clear I batty. Maybe I didn't get everything straight,' sir, but one o' them fellows j was Hobart, wasn't he?" "Yes; we walked right Into his trap. The fellow who came over to the table and talked to us was Jim Hobart. He knew me nt first sight, and easily guessed w hat we were there for." { "And was Miss Coolldge here, too, Rlr7" | "Yes7 she wns; I had a talk with her that has mixed me all up, Sexton.! She seems to he hand In glove with these fellows. But how did you suspeet she was here?" j "I heard her voice, sir; up there somewhere, sir, soon after I come to my senses. She and some man went along outside. Sounded like he wns makln' her go with him. I couldn't get much of what wns said, hut he sure talked awful rough, an' she seemed to he pleadin' with him. They wasn't there hut Just a minute, an' then, n little later, I heard an automo- , bile start up." I "You have no Idea how long age this was?" "No, I ain't sir. I been lytn' here about half dead, I guess, an' I don't ncnu hi nave Known anything nftei that until-those fellows come down h??*e with the lantern. Were they hunting after you?" "Yes; I outwitted them upstairs and Jumped from a window. But thai is enough talk now; we'll go over tlx whole affair when we are safely awa^ from this place. How Is it? Do you think you can navigate? Sexton responded by getting slowly to his feet, lie trembled and was sc uncertain, ns he attempted to gropt forward, that West grasped hhnHirm ly, helping him slowly toward tlx foot of the steps, x'he two crept ui the stairs cautiously, and surveyed the cluttered-up yard as best they might In the dim light of the distant Street Inrnn. It nnnnnroH Dt,n?/.I.. -i ... VUllltlJ WO serted, nor was there any evldenct that the building above was occupied , No doubt lights were burning within, hut If so the shades must have been drawn closely, allowing no reflection to escape. No better opportunity foi evading notice could be hoped for i and West, alert now to every chance I made Instant decision. I "They are all Inside. Creep nlong I behind that pile of lumber to where j you see the hole In the fence. I'll b? I lui' behind vmi Thiit'o ....... rjp-jgr^rjfr^rj0rjfr^rjgr^trA St _ A , >er of V< of These Pri2 ules for Entering < B( 1 over From time to loyees nuses, but at no test. test will subsc than between nc OTES J1 found L. C. Wann; ail to Creight and D 1 r < -* rl 1 t r r~\ r\ o n t-* f ^ -n TC" iviiivuiy v^uiioCRiw ctions this Contest, ptions vote count and r ?rs for . Address all co show- CONTES each Care ed. C?ING IN CONTEST \ of the Prizes in this Cor bscriptions obtained by throughout the Contest. * CI * . * ^ _ ... .!>,L .'l-.K - ._! | The narrow iOw w< apt<* tighter,iB j yet still dark enlhch to etaceel Iheii ,'**1 , movements. clung eloes td th? * I deeper nhtMy^i - Itepept for an old i cart It wiFtlnocci$!prt. the surfaci I. covered with ashes, so packed as t? ! leave no trace of wheels. Ahead el - J9 them ct the end of the block slowed - the only street lamp visible. 8exton, J by now largely recovered from Ml i late experiences, broke Into a run . with West following from the Immedl ate neighborhood unseen. Sudden!) Sexton stumbled, but arose almost In star.r'y to his feet again, grasptn| something which gleamed like allvel In his hand. "Not hurt, are you?** asked West anxiously. ?WI- t J 1V| mimo lillS 1 1UBUU r The other took it Impatiently. "What 1b It? Why a small pocket knife, of course. Oome on. man, don't stand mooning .there." He slipped the article carelessly Into bis pocket, j "Where are you going?" Sexton panted, endeavoring to keep beside hint. "Have you anything planned 1 ontr "Not very much; Milwaukee avenue I first. There Is sure to be an all-night restaurant somewhere In sight. TeleI phone for a taxi, don't dare to risk a street oar, we both look too tough." | "Suppose they will follow us?" 1 "Hardly; they will have no Idea ' which way we went, or how long we'll I'll Be Just Behind You." ! have been pone. Once we turn off this street, we'll he safe enough." It was considerably past midnight when the two men finally reached the University club; they had lunched at an all-night restaurant, washed and made themselves as presentnble as nrwcll>l<> ? i ...... .,n >??ic miiiiii; rec(ikiii7.ame as they entered the club lobby. Neither possessed a hat; Sexton was In his shirt sleeves, while West's coat dang .to him In rags. Without waiting to ex(Continued on last page) ! iy ay | otes By | J 5 :es \ J Content 5 )NiTsrs j tirr " v : will offer Bo- S tii . uring the con- * rip.u ns count more ' 3 )w and Dec. 1st. % LFDfJES J amaker, W. M. Mc- 3 r. A. H. McArn have o d to act as judges in 3 They will audit the W 1 nakc the awards. ? ' mmunications to k T MANAGER 2 Cheraw Chronicle, % Cheraw, S. C. ^ VINS J it.Pst.. wp will J^nv 10 ^ them, PROVIDED 5 heraw, S. C. J