o deep concern, showed on Garson's
face as he listened tensely.

"Why, this is Mary calling," he muttered.

"Mary!" Griggs cried. His usual vacuity of expression was cast off like
a mask and alarm twisted his features. Then, in the next instant, a
crafty triumph gleamed from his eyes.

"Yes, she's on," Garson interpreted, a moment later, as the tapping
ceased for a little. He translated in a loud whisper as the irregular
ticking noise sounded again.

"I shall be there at the house almost at once. I am sending this message
from the drug store around the corner. Have some one open the door for
me immediately."

"She's coming over," Griggs cried incredulously.

"No, I'll stop her," Garson declared firmly.

"Right! Stop her," Chicago Red vouchsafed.

But, when, after tapping a few words, the forger paused for the reply,
no sound came.

"She don't answer," he exclaimed, greatly disconcerted. He tried again,
still without result. At that, he hung up the receiver with a groan.
"She's gone----"

"On her way already," Griggs suggested, and there was none to doubt that
it was so.

"What's she coming here for?" Garson exclaimed harshly. "This ain't no
place for her! Why, if anything should go wrong now----"

But Griggs interrupted him with his usual breezy cheerfulness of manner.

"Oh, nothing can go wrong now, old top. I'll let her in." He drew a
small torch from the skirt-pocket of his coat and crossed to the hall
door, as Garson nodded assent.

"God! Why did she have to come?" Garson muttered, filled with
forebodings. "If anything should go wrong now!"

He turned back toward the door just as it opened, and Mary darted into
the room with Griggs following. "What do you want here?" he demanded,
with peremptory savageness in his voice, which was a tone he had never
hitherto used in addressing her.

Mary went swiftly to face Garson where he stood by the desk, while
Griggs joined the other two men who stood shuffling about uneasily by
the fireplace, at a loss over this intrusion on their scheme. Mary moved
with a lissome grace like that of some wild creature, but as she halted
opposite the man who had given her back the life she would have thrown
away, there was only tender pleading in her voice, though her words were
an arraignment.

"Joe, you lied to me."

"That can be settled later," the man snapped. His jaw was thrust forward
obstinately, and his clear eyes sparkled defiantly.

"You are fools, all of you