e!" burst out Robert Macklin, and,
stepping in, he leaned forward with a perfect straight left.

Certainly his long vacation from boxing had not ruined his eye or
stiffened his muscles. With delight he felt all the big sinews about
his shoulders come into play. Straight and true the big fist drove
into the face of the smaller man, but Robert Macklin found that he had
punched a hole in thin air. It was as if the very wind of the blow had
brushed the head of Ronicky Doone to one side, and at the same time he
seemed to sway and stagger forward.

A hard lean fist struck Robert Macklin's body. As he gasped and
doubled up, clubbing his right fist to land the blow behind the ear
of Ronicky Doone, the latter bent back, stepped in and, rising on the
toes of both feet, whipped a perfect uppercut that, in ring parlance,
rang the bell.

The result was that Robert Macklin, his mouth agape and his eyes dull,
stood wobbling slowly from side to side.

"Here!" called Ronicky to his companion at the door. "Grab him on one
side, and I'll take the other. He's out on his feet. Get him to that
chair." With Gregg's assistance he dragged the bulk of the man there.
Macklin was still stunned.

Presently the dull eyes cleared and filled immediately with horror.
Big Robert Macklin sank limply back in the chair.

"I've no money," he said. "I swear I haven't a cent in the place. It's
in the bank, but if a check will--"

"We don't want your money this trip," said Ronicky. "We want talk,
Macklin. A lot of talk and a lot of true talk. Understand? It's about
that girl. I saw you grin when you saw the picture; you remember her
well enough. Now start talking, and remember this, if you lie, I'll
come back here and find out and use this on you."

The eyes of Robert Macklin started from his head, as his gaze
concentrated on the black muzzle of the gun. He moistened his white
lips and managed to gasp: "Everything I know, of course. Ill tell you
everything, word for word. She--she--her name I mean--"

"You're doing fine," said Ronicky. "Keep it up, and you keep away,
Bill. When you come at him with that hungry look he thinks you're
going to eat him up. Fire away, Macklin."

"What first?"

"What's she look like?"

"Soft brown hair, blue eyes, her mouth--"

"Is a little big. That's all right. You don't have to be polite and
lie. We want the truth. How big is she?"

"About five feet and five inches, must weigh around a hundred and
thirty pounds