all
likelihood unarmed.

Jerry O'Keefe broke into a cold sweat of panic--and he sat with his
ears strained for a pistol shot--a shout--any indication that might
call him across the moonlight zone beyond the door to her defense.

But the stillness of the midsummer night had settled again, except for
the voices of the whippoorwill and the katydid.

By this time, he tried to reassure himself, Alexander had made her way
down into the gorge and was beyond the touch of danger.

But that was not true. The girl had need to move with such silence as
should break no twig and rustle no shrub. She must twist along a
course that avoided the patches of moonlight, weaving her slow way in
and out. Deliberation now was hard, but it would mean greater and more
effective haste later on. She had even paused, crouching, with inheld
breath, at a spot from which she could watch the door of the elevator,
until Jerry had made his dash. With a heart swollen and strained by
dread almost to bursting, she had seen him shoot across the exposed
area and burst through the door--and she had heard the fusilade that
resented his escape.

Or was it escape? He had plunged through the dark opening much as a
falling man might go. But now safe, wounded or dead, he was inside and
they could not reach him, so it behooved her to use wary care to the
end that she might bring him help.

But as Alexander came to the two large boulders between which she meant
to start down into the gorge she was arrested by a flicker of light
there. The rock shielded from view the man who seemed to be kindling a
pine torch, but the flare had warned her in time to make her crouch low
and consider her course. That path which she had chosen was cut off.

Then, low and guarded voices stole across to her with the light.

"War's ther gal? She didn't git inside too, did she?"

"No, 'pears like she's done hid away--but I reckon they'll diskiver her
afore she gits far."

"Don't let's waste no time, then. Ye've done splashed coal-oil on ther
corner of ther warehouse, hain't ye?"

"Yes."

"Wa'al, come on. Ye've got yore torch ready. Let's tech her off. He
thinks he's safe enough inside thar, but right shortly he'll sing
another tune."

Alexander fell, for a moment, into a tremor and chill of wild panic.
Suddenly as a revelation, yet beyond all shadow of doubt, she knew that
the man who was doomed to a certain and most horrible death was, to
her, the person of sup