The Little Grey Woman

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 October 1929, Page 10

The Little Grey Woman

[COPYRIGHT.]

By

Aidan de Brune

Author of “The Dagger and Cord” *The Shadew Crook” Etc.

CHAPTER XXVII (Continued).

“Think you can get a y on your „rr>9” ’■Rurle’s eyes watched Charlie standing In Ue midst of a SJOUP of Chinese, translating hi. • “You’ve got a hope, with the police outside. Now you know what conies of ba .<No l ” aSa iis t S, dominant voice stilled the angry murmur rising from tim Chinese “I didn’t send foi the le S can put that to the account of the Little Grey Woman. She sent, for them, and she thinks shes got vou in a trap.” “Then vou planned against us with the Little Grey Woman.” Ted Gow. his face drawn with fear 1 and iage, steened into the open space before the table. ‘‘You’ve sold us to the police, James Burle.” “I’d have sold you to your inastei, the devil, in five seconds more, if the police hadn’t come.” The drug-master had to restrain himself from jumping off the table and continuing the interrupted fight. “Can you get these fellows out of this, Gow, you cur? “We don’t trust you!” The haltcaste turned, impulsively, to the men about him. “Wait, brothers. Presently the doors will open. Then, use your knives. We are many and the police are few. We will fight our way through them.” ' A hiss of applause came from the lips of the Chinese standing about Gow; but Burle, from his elevated position, saw the majority of the Chinese looked to Charlie Wing for guid-

ance. “Wing!” Burle faced the man. Tell your fellows that I have not been idle, f have a way of escape for them. Will they follow and obey me?” For minutes the hall was filled with the high chattering of the Chinese, rising 'about’ the sounds of the police attack on the main doors. At length, Charlie Wing turned towards the table on -which Burle stood. “All 11! Yu leedl’Li Folia!” “No." Blinded by passion Gow ran towards the table in an attempt to overturn Burle: The drug-master did not wait. He sprang to the floor and met the half-caste in a frenzied grip, breast to breast. For the moment Gow almost held Burle, but ho had not the weight for the hand to hand contest. Mad with rage Burle raised the man high over his head and dashed him to the floor with terrific force.

A deep silence fell on the Chinese, broken by the low weird wailing, rising in volume, and dying in eerie cadences. Two men, from the small group constituting Gow’s friends, slid stealthily forward. Their movement caught Burle's eyes. In a single bound he was' at them, striking right and ioft. A few seconds and the opposition broke, before his wild rage.

“Line up, there!’’ Burle turned to the main body of Chinese, gathered about Charlie Wing. “Line up, I say. When I give the word, you follow. No.” Ho turned to a couple of Chinese who were lifting Gow’s insensible body. “Let him lie! I’ll not have that traitor with us.” CHAPTER XXVIII. Again the great doors of the house shivered under the attack of the police gathered outside the house. Burle smiled grimly. When he had first come to the House of Dreams he had taken care that its defences should be strong.

The police would be many hours breaking a. way through doors or windows, unless assisted from within. There were only two easy ways into the house. One through’the concealed door in the garage; the other know only io Burle. and the two Chinese he had employed in its construction. Those Chinese he had long since sent buck to their native land.

Standing before the table from which he had spoken to the Chinese, Burle watched the crowd of sullen, yel-low-faced men. He believed he had regained his old ascendancy over them, that they had come to recognise that only by obedience to his orders could they be saved from the police gathered- without the doors. Should he save them? Already his cunning brain was working, scheming how he could use the Asiatics to draw the police from his tracks. There must be a way! There was a ■way! But, he must have time to plan and organise. Warily he glanced around the large hall, calculating the chances that formed in his brain. A sudden exclamation, and he sprang forward, dividing the throng with wide sweeps of his arms. The woman had disappeared! Margaret Venue no longer sat at the table before the big doors. The table was there, and behind it still stood the massive chair in which she had sat, bound. Now, across the carved arms lay the thongs which had confined her hands and feet.

In a couple of strides he reached the table. On the polished top lay the scattered cocaine. Burle glanced hastily, around. the hall. Where was she? It was impossible that she had left the house. With a low cry of anger he turned to the watching Asiatics.

“The woman? Where is the woman? Damn you. who let her go?” “You.” Burle swung round at the sound of the voice; to see the yellow ranks divide to allow a man to crawl through. It was Gow, the half-caste, his face bleeding and battered; dragging behind him, limp and broken, a badly broken leg. “You, James Burle! I watched. I saw you untie the woman. I saw you whisper to her, telling her to seek safety.” The broken man fell back on the floor, exhausted. For some minutes ho lay, supine, then raised himself on his hands, frantic enmity blazing in his eyes. A sweep of his hand drew the eyes of the Chinese towards him.

“Why do you listen to him, brothers.” The half-caste spoke in fluent Cantonese. “He tells you that the woman you bound is the Little Grey Woman ;‘ he how tells you that she brought the podice here. Yet I, with those eyes saw him' release her. Seize him, brothers! Fling open the doors and welcome the police. It is he-they want, not you. Give him to them and they will let you go free,”

The man’s strength gave way and, as he finished speaking he fell toiward, the last words mumbled on. to the cold tiles. A low murmur swelled through the yellow ranks. Burle sprang towards where Gow lay to be confronted by a wall of knifearmed Chinese, shielding Gow from his murderous rage. Wildly he struck out, forgetting he was unarmed against these men with their long knives. His insane fury drove them back until he stood over the prostrate body of his °“So, Gow!” A wolfish smile flicked his lips as he gazed into the man’s pain-filled eyes. “You say I lie, that 1 am a traitor! What are you? You took my bread; you swore to serveme. What were you when I found and trusted you? Down and out—a. petty thief, a thug of the night. Who is the traitor —you or me?” He bent low over the man. “Ted Gow, what is the punishment for a traitor?” Again the half-caste raised himself on his elbow, gazing stealthily into Burle’s blood-shot eyes. A moment, and ho raised his right, hand, motioning to his broken, bleeding face. “I thank you for this. James Burle; for the leg I drag uselessly behind me; for the pains that sear my body!” For a long time he paused a light of knowledge dawning in his eyes. “You have broken me —my body, but. you cannot break my spirit. I know, and you know. There isjonly one thing more. For that you have my thanks. Act quickly. You have tortured me. now kill!” A twisted smile grew on the thin lips. Slowly his hand crept to the back ot his neck. His body suddenly tensed and something glittering flew from his hand.

Instinctively Burle ducked —to led the cleft wind bear hard on his cheek as the knife flew past. For the moment he shrank back, almost in fear. Was it impossible to cow this man? “Missed!” Gow fell over on his back with a hollow laugh. “The shades of your fathers guard you, James Burle!” Passion-blinded, Burle sprang forward, kicking at the lolling head of the insensible half-caste. Something hit him heavily on the breast, and he fell back into the arms of the watching Asiatics. He dashed his hand across his eyes to clear his vision. Before him sto'od the‘tall Chinese who had rescued him when he stood unarmed before Gow.

“You, again!” Burle thrust the Chinese back, advancing a step. “What do you want? You’re not. a Chink! Who are you?” “Who am I?” A queer twisted smile came on the yellow face. “Call me the Jnan unknown —for another has stolen my name and history. What do I want? That which 1 can take: in spite of you and those like you, James Burle.”

He stepped back, covering the drugmaster with levelled automatic. With his left hand he motioned to the Chinese. (To be Continued).