nto the chamber, after having drawn away the
wooden block. He let the door come gently to its frame, stopping it
within an inch of its lock. As he turned slightly forward he caught two
curious silhouettes: Warren at his table, with Shine at his side, their
outlines clear and black against the brightness of the headlights.
On, the other side of the transparent screen stood a man, with one
eye blackened, his face badly bruised and wicked in its battered
condensation of evil determination with rage and fright, so oddly mixed.

"It ain't my fault, Chief! There are only six of the boys left. I tried
me best but this little Chinyman he soaks me one on the lamp, with a
gun butt. Me pal was nabbed in the room when I sneaks out on the rope. I
finds out afterward that Jimmie's watch must-a been about twenty minutes
slow. That's how we misses."

"But you didn't get him, and I'm going to break you for this!"

"But gov'nor, listen--we leaves the machine all right. That'll git 'im
anyway. What'll I do?"

"I have the addresses of the other men here in my pocket. You tell them
to stick right in their rooms for the next twenty-four hours. If they
don't hear anything from me, tell them to go to Frisco by roundabout
ways and I'll forward their money, care of Kelso. Now get out."

The man disappeared and there was a double click as the door to the
front compartment closed. Warren turned toward Taylor, While Shirley
flattened himself against the rear wall, and crouched down slowly,
without a betraying sound.

"I don't understand that girl not being there. Some one's closing in on
us. I'm going to break that girl's spirit before I'm through. She'll be
on the yacht tonight, for everything's ready now. What sort of a machine
did you arrange for his room?"

"The old telephone one we worked in Oakland. It is under his bed. I told
the men to do that first before they went through his things. Then it
would look like plain robbery, and when he goes to take the receiver
off the hook it's 'good-night, nursey!' That little popper will blow the
roof off that club house!"

Shirley's blood might have run cold at the calm pride of this degenerate
fiend, had it not been boiling at the reference to Helene. He crept
nearer to them, along the wall. He lay down on the floor, below the
level of the first bullet paths. Then he drew his automatic and the bulb
light, ready for his surprise.

"I'll call up Kick Brown at the telephone company. He's on duty