direction, but he knew every inch
of the house. He turned like a rat in the darkness, and made for the
stairs leading to the floor above. Up these he hurriedly scrambled.

Nick heard him through the gloom, and followed him, pitching headlong at
the foot of the stairs just as Kilgore opened the door leading to the
hall above.

There the dim rays from a hall lamp revealed the man for an instant, and
showed Nick the way. He was up again and after Kilgore like a hound
after a fox.

Kilgore dashed through the hall, but dared not take time to unlock and
open the front door of the house. He had a profound respect for the
revolver in the hand of his pursuer, who already had reached the hall.

It was a flight for life, and Kilgore knew it.

He turned like a flash and darted up the stairs, making for the second
floor. Three at a stride he covered, and succeeded in reaching the
corridor above before Nick could get a line on him.

Nick followed, gun in hand.

On the second floor Kilgore darted into a dark chamber, and then
through that to one adjoining it, where he waited till he heard Nick
plunging into the one first mentioned.

Then Kilgore slipped out into the hall again, hoping to retrace his
steps downstairs and escape by the front door.

In the way of that, however, Chick and Patsy were now in the lower hall,
the former shouting lustily up the stairs:

"Run him down, Nick! Run him down! We'll cover this way of escape!"

An involuntary oath broke from Kilgore's lips, and at the same moment a
vivid flash of lightning from the inky heavens illumined all the house.

From the chamber in which he stood, Nick again caught sight of his man,
and was after him in an instant.

Kilgore heard him coming, and again fled through the hall and up another
flight of stairs.

"You'd better throw up your hands," roared Nick, as he followed.

The answer came back with a yell of defiance:

"Not on your life!"

"You're a lost dog," cried Nick, hoping to keep him replying.

"You'll not get me alive!"

"Then I'll get you dead!" cried Nick, as he mounted the stairs.

"You haven't got me yet!"

"Next door to it, my man."

This brought no answer.

In a moment Nick reached the second hall, where he briefly paused to
listen. Save the rain beating on the roof of the house, only one sound
reached his strained ears. It was like that of some one hammering
against the side of the house with some heavy object. For a moment the
detec