TREASURE HOUSE OF MARTIN HEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20363, 18 September 1929, Page 20

TREASURE HOUSE OF MARTIN HEWS.

BY E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM.

f ' • CHAPTER XXXVI. f,' Tho fighting liacl surged to another part of tlio room beforo I bad recovered sufficienlly from my surprise to embark I upon any definito course of action. A littlo affair closer at band, during tlio course of which I received a nasty scratch r ' on the check, occupied my attention for .several minutes. When I was frco to look round again, I saw that Mr. X was ; .still in tho thick of tlio lighting, and on the outskirts, also presenting a bold front, j was Mr. Leopold. I watched them both 'closely for several moments, then suddenly a wave of inspiration flashed into my brain. I understood tho whole f business. Mr. X was going from tablo to table, wherever tlio women were wearing the most wonderful jewellery, missing out the little girls, with the bead necklaces and cheap engagement rings, and followed always by a thin stream of marauders. The plan was amazingly simple. Ho bad looked through the list of tables. He know exactly tho character of the jewellery the women would bo wearing ,n»td ltis moil followed his lead. When be used bis gun, as often as not the man at whom he had fired went rolling to the ground, b,ut in less than a minute bo was up again. I watched Leopold. ! Ho was playing tho same gamo always ..seeming to be oncoiuaging the defenders. -HI ways seeming to bo facing with a bold fiont the marauders. Still blood-str ined. and apparently limp/,iug badly, 1 aw Mr. X stumble to a table where a woman was struggling to 'ipoceal a diamond necklace. He was followed, as usual, by one or two threatening figures from the foremost of whom be received a blow which wouldn't have " hurt a fly. but which was sufficient to //.send him to the floor until tho necklace was secured. It was the same performance all the time—sheer bluff, made possible by his bogus automatic, and a featherweight life-preserver. Every now and then, there was what appeared to be a real struggle, in which Mr. X was always tho victor, but it never once resulted in the salvation of tho jewellery. I began to move now slowly toward the portion of tho room where lie was engaged. A minor fracas detained mo a few moments, and one which gave mo /infinite pleasure, where I helped a pal who was hard pressed by two of the thieves, took one of them off his hands, dealt with him satisfactorily, and slipped Jiei rings back to the woman who had been robbed. Then I braced myself for what Seemed to me might be the adventure of tho evening. I slipped fresh cartridges into my gun, and I crossed the floor until I faced Mr. X. Ho had grown more audacious. I think, in tho darkened light, for half the lamps seemed to have been overturned, and pandemonium reigned everywhere. I saw him point to a table where a woman aud two elderly men were seated. I even heard him whisper in the ear of one of the raiders, who lurked around him. " Down the front of her ( dress—glinters. Make sure of them." ' "Then, as usual, be flung himself into ' the fray with apparent fury. Tlio woman, shrieking fell back in her chair. The man who had attacked her—a long lithe young street arab of scarcely 19 or 20 held "her for a moment By tho throat, while he ripped her dress down to her Waist and drew out a handful of magnificent diamonds. Her two escorts were powerless; the onlj; one who had attempted resistance " had been thrown •heavily on to his back by another raider who had been waiting convey the jewels to his bag. Mr. X plunged heroically in*, but a push of the shoulder, which could scarcely have hurt a chicken, sent him staggering. He fired, his gun at• short range, and '"flic man with the diamonds in his hand „'.ieeled over and lay for a moment quite Li-till, while his companion snatched at --{he gems and darted off with them, the •woman's shrieks ringing out almost to the ceiling. I went up to the shot man '/fund kicked him. He opened his eyes in surprise, and I swung aroung to find ~myself face to face with Mr. X. " Well met, my young friend," he ,'jnocked. " And now?" " And now this." I answered, and let fly for his face, only to find myself over!f balanced as he slipped nimbly on one '! side with all the agility of a light-weight ~ prize-fighter, ij .... He -laughed derisively. - " Chimsv as usual, mv dear Major!" ho exclaimed. " Why beat the air trying 'lf VII l.i 'Or me . •j! 1 had recovered by balance without falling, and I kept my'temper. We were : i facing the other way now, and t saw the man whom Mr. X had shot, crawling blatantly away. • """ " You are doing marvellous work, aren't you. Joseph." 1 mocked him, "with your tibain cartridges and your sham heroism." "~Ho was ever so slightly disturbed—the '-ffiiiitest of frowns only. " A fool with one eye open!" he mur"ifiured. " And talking about one eye, • -Mf/jor," what about the' Bnddha ?" - * ' " Safe," I told him. " Why didn't =«Vou como up to seize it? We might yttave settled this matter between us once ' ''and for all." ■vz The thought of Rachel's pathetic face, 'of, Beatrice still in his power, maddened "me. and this time 1 made no mistake. ,2 struck his .wrist with tho side of my 3i;irid such a blow that the gun he had been holding" fell to the floor, I snatched it, up; and while 'ho was hesitating, I slipped the cartridges into my pocket. " We'll see to-morow." I threatened, what the hero of to-night was playing *rfl. f have a gun, too, Joseph, and my cartridges bite." " And f have another."- he countered, his hand going round to his back hke lightning.' "Shall wo call it quits?" vi 4 'lie was panting a lilt Jo now, his weapon half drawn, barely a foot or two between Afs. All around, the screaming of ■women, the smashing of glass, the whole aglV -work of the marauders still continued. It- seemed to me to matter nothing that I looked into the dark inuz•/.ie of Joseph's gun. I had hi in covered, and inv fingers itching for their "work; "Tell me where Beatrice Essiter is?" I demanded, "or I'll blow the brains out of your head even if T have to go to hell with you." He made no reply, but there crent jutf/ his face that hideous, damnable smile. Then tlio passion of my life swept me into, insanity.. I threw my own gun down to the ground, and sprang at him, an action so unexpected that it succeeded. He fired a harmless shot. I snatched his automatic away, and sent if clattering across tho floor, and it pporned to me that the joy of my lifo was at hard. f had my fingers on his throat. Although his strength amazed Jin-, and even his convulsive efforts to free himself wee the movements of a practised wrestler, I had him, and ho : knew it. Then, in thai, breathless moment, I i heard another sound—the sound for which 1 had been listening eagerly a few minutes | before, but which now infuriated me. There was commotion in the Embankment Room, a dark figure came, dashing | into ''the restaurant. He swayed upon j his feet even as he stood there, his hand In his# mouth. ! "Cops! 'fen vans full of them," b" shouted—and over he wont., shot by a ■pursuer. J looked up for a moment, and I paid. J felt,'a hot breath upon my neck, half 1 'trued around, and Leopold hit. mc with tint 'butt of his revolver, missing my | head, but descending heavily upon my liouider. Joseph had his chance then. He. staggered to bis feet, a ghastly sight. liis collar ripped to pieces, the marks of ■ my fingers upon bis throat, a queer dark i shadow under his' eyes. He snatched up his gnu. With my left hand I sent j Leopold head over heels, stooped for a moment, aud once tnoro fa end Joseph. I .\aain it was life for a life between us i t w'<V. but again I was denied. JSVp were surrounded by plain clothes I r/tico streaming into the place, Bloor, ' with, fury, sprinting across the danc-

AN INSPIRING SERIAL BY A FAMOUS AUTHOR.

(COPYmcHT.)

ing floor for the' offices. Above the tumult, wo could hear tho sharp detonation of bombs, and littlo puffs of green smoko camo floating -down, hugging the ceiling above our heads. Then my enemy, always unexpected, always with tho opportunist's sense of drama, amr.zod mo onco more. Ho flung himself into a chair with a great shout of relief. From somewhere or other ho produced a handkerchief, and began to mop his face. "The police at, last!" ho cried. " It's all right, Leopold; all right, major. These rascals won't have a dog's chance now." Tho fellow's wits were too quick for mine. I stared at him, taken aback. Tho room was almost empty of tho marauders now, except for thoso who wero being handcuffed and led away. The main body of tho police had rushed on to the entrance hall. Two or three hospital nurses had arrived, followed by men carrying stretchers, and a great many guests who wero more frightened than hurt wero sitting up once tnoro at, their tables, and moro still wero trooping from the place. Mr. X, with a word of apology, poured himself Out a glass of wine from tho bottlo upon the tablo bv his side. " I hopo you havo lost nothing, Lady Robinson 1" ho inquired. "My necklace," sho sobbed. " They havo my necklace. I thought you had shot tho man. Ho went over when you fired, but ho got up again. You hit him. I am sure, becauso ho was limping, and calling out with pain, but he took the necklace." " I am sorry," Mr. X regretted. " These fellows take an awful lot of killing, major." ho added; " won't you have a glass of wine? . . . Another of your gallant, preservers," ho remarked, turning to the woman. I took no wine, but I moved a little closer to Mr. X. He edged away at once from my scrutiny, but ho was too late. Ono side of his face, at any rate, was most amazingly mado up, but there was tho slightest of cracks in the way was the slightest of cracks in tho wax. It might ,almost havo been a human wrinkle, but slight though it was, I could sco the change in the contour of his face. I My ■ hand rested as though by accident upon his arm. " Couldn't we finish our little dispute out on the terrace ?" I suggested. " Alan to man, and no weapons. What about I that ?" My enemy hesitated, and Leopold whispered in liis ear. I think tlicy were cursing themselves for having waited so long. In tho distance, the tumult was dying away. Law and order were prevailing. " Wouldn't explanations of that sort be rather an anticlimax ?" Mr. X asked ' sweetly. " Tho end between us is not I to-night." "Why not?" I demanded. "I am going to hand you over to Inspector Bloor." He laughed as though genuinely amused. " You poor fool." he scoffed, " who'll believe you ? There aro fifty people in the place who would bear witness to my feats of heroism. Besides which, lam | well established here, well known—not a penniless adventurer, who was in the police court yesterday morning. To every charge you could bring against me I have a perfect alibi. Come, bo reasonable. What is it you want of me '" " Beatrice Essiter, for one thing." He shrugged his shoulders. " You ask me to disclose the secret of my happiness!" he gibed. Then I knew that lie was purposely trying to provoke me, and I saw the reason why. Bretzgel, whom I had last seen crouched behind his desk,, with a gun in his hand, was coming toward us, his arm in a sling, Bloor by his side. " Well, gentlemen," he announced with n smile, " the great raid is at an end. Tho inspector has just been explaining to me how it was that ho had three hundred police ready armed. They ar-_ rived just in time." " The safes?" I enquired anxiously. " They blew the office to pieces," he j admitted. " They smoked us out, too, ! but not one of them ci'ossed tho threshold jof my room. Your little deposit, major," ho confided. "is quite secure. I felt that I must conlo and thank you two gentlemen." he went on, turning first to Mr. X and then to me. "Jn the intervals of our own siege. I saw a good deal of what was passing down here. How arc you, sir," he concluded, addressing Mr. X. " escaped without being shot. I can't imagine. You seemed to be in the thick of it all tho time. There was a shorter gentleman with you, too —" " My friend Leopold," Mr. X interrupted'. "Ho made for home by the Embankment entrance directly lie saw that the 'trouble was over. A finiekv little man. who hates to be seen about with bloodstains on his shirt front. fjood thing you and I are not so particular, Major." Tho man was scarcely human. He looked across at me, and laughed. "Who we're tho fellows, anyway?" he added. " The Wolves, they call themselves," Bloor answered curtly. "You've heard of thern, perhaps. They're a gang of East-End thieves with a wonderful leader who seems. I regret to say, to havo escaped to-night." " I am not sure yet." I muttered, " whether he has escaped." " You mean that he is still hiding in the place?" Bloor demanded. " The police are searching on eVery floor." " Every apartment has been entered and examined." Mr. Bretzgel confided—- " even yours, sir. I am afraid," ho added, addressing Mr. X, " Quite right, too," tho latter remarked indifferently. " In my report." Bloor said, " I should like to mention the names of your guests, Mr. Bretzgel, who put up such a fine, fight. Major Chvslon, I knew. May I ask this gentleman's name?" The hotel manager appeared surprised. " Certainly," he replied. " I thought tliah -everyone knew him. This is Mr. Ruben Sams." " Tho Argentine millionaire," Bloor murmured, under his breath. "Mr. Ruben Sams?" I repeated. "Mr. Ruben 1 Sams has a suite here," Bretzgel added, " of which I regret to say, however, he very seldom makes use." I suppose my bewilderment was obvious to all of them. " Major Owston is a little confused, no doubt," Mr. X. remarked, with a smile. " For somo reason or other he was very curious as to my identity one night lately. By bribing a niaitre d'hotel at Claridge s, ho discovered that my name card at a very interesting dinner party there simply bore tho inscription of ' Mr. X.' Sinco then, whenever we havo met, lie has regarded rue with a great deal of suspicion. The ways of high finance are doubtless tinknown to you, Major. ' For somo time, until I collected my board tor a new company I am founding, it was very inadvisable -that my presence in this country should be known. I often pay visits to foreign capitals nndey another identity. " I can quito believe that,' I muttered. (To ho continued dnily.) j